“Harker—”
“Surely you have some people in Valhalla who are struggling. Have it all dumped in here and assign someone to go through it. Sell the valuables and dole out the rest to your neediest people.” I scrubbed the back of my neck with my hand. “The only thing I ask is for you to give me anything you find that could lead me to Gemma.”
“Done. I don’t appreciate more work dropped on me, but thank you. Especially for this building. Space is always at a premium in the city. Titus will know the best use for it.”
“Where is he, anyway?”
I scolded myself for not asking Gigi where he’d stationed himself when they got here. My control wasn’t good enough right now to bump into him all of a sudden.
“Still at the research lab.”
Josef acted like I shoulda known that, but I brushed that aside because now I had a bigger concern.
“So who’s here as your bodyguard?” My eyebrows drew together.
“No one. Og’s dead. The only nephs around here are my people, your people, and hurt people. Since it’s daylight, hardly any Diabolical are out and about.”
“Does Titus know you’re here?Andwithout a meat shield?”
“I can take care of myself.”
“I was expecting just a rescue team, but here you are. All alone, too. Beingwhoyou are andwhatyou are makes you a high-value target, and you know it. So what’s going on?”
“I needed some space,” he said with a scowl.
“Hmm.”
“I know you don’t get it. Neither does Ti. I’m valuable, which makes me vulnerable, and I’m aware of that, so why would I deliberately ditch my protection detail? Well, here’s the thing, Harker: Yes, I’m the Drott and, yes, I’m a muse, and, yes, Valhalla relies on me, but sometimes— Sometimes,Josef Kralljust wants to go for a walk or browse in a bookstore all by himself.”
“That’s the sacrifice you make for being the Drott.” I shrugged one shoulder. “Are there any female Huskarls right now? Cycle through ’em until you find a girlfriend. That wouldn’t be so bad, would it, if your guard was your girl?”
“You didnotjust say that.” He slapped one hand over his face.
“What? It makes perfect sense to me.”
“I don’t need dating advice, thank you.”
“Okay, but Idoknow what it’s like to be watched twenty-four seven. To never have a moment’s peace. Crowded and herded and controlled until you wanna run and run and not stop running.”
Or blow your own head off.
“So, yeah, I understand your need to slip your leash once in a while. I’m still gonna get Gigi to ’port you straight back to St. Pat’s when your team’s done here. I ain’t gonna have the Huskarls hunt me down because you got mugged or something on your way home.”
“I ordered them to leave you alone, by the way.” He dropped his hand.
“That was … generous of you,” I repeated his earlier words.
“Look, I know what you face at the Sanctuary. Folks live there to raise their kids away from the threat of the Diabolical. They don’t like it suddenly appearing in their midst. The Council is paralyzed by antediluvian rules, and the elders are hidebound by a prejudice passed down from generation to generation.”
I didn’t understand half of what he was saying, so I tuned out most of it until he said something else I didn’t expect.
“Out here on the borders, you don’t have as many enemies as you think. We need all the helping hands we can get. I don’t know about any other outposts, but here in Valhalla, the tide is turning, and not in our favor. I don’tneedhelping hands; I’mdesperatefor them. As long as you play nicely with others, you’re welcome to stand with the Huskarls.”
“Thanks.” A hot ball jammed in my throat, and I had to swallow it down before I went on. “Not sure your second will accept that, but thanks.”
“Ti holds grudges,” he acknowledged, “and you’re a living reminder of his failure.”
“Failure?”
