Because she’s the protector of the twins; even as Mikkel’s dark eyes shine to get into far more trouble than he knows because his coked-up nature can’t resist a good mystery, Lærke goes cold to her bones. She’s the cool cucumber to Mikkel’s hotheaded eagerness.
The one that keeps them alive when they get into scraps—though Mikkel is the one to punish enemies later.
“Now, Lærke,” Mikkel says as he nods to dismiss our bouncer, just as he places an arm around his twin, hauling her back from me and my drakes. “Our guests just wish for us to look at these scrolls, nothing more. We would be only minimally involved in this endeavor. We’d not be rushing off to fight some ancient, marauding creature. Yes?”
As Lærke breathes hard, her nostrils flaring from her innerwrath, I see her put herself back together. As she reaches up, smoothing a hand down her long hair, she shivers, shaking off her former fury as she inhales.
When she looks at me again, then at Ström and Bjorn, her gaze has cooled from its burning viciousness. It’s mostly lavender again as she takes us in.
Then pins me, iron-cold.
“You hunt this thing, this Usurper of the ancients? Good. Then you’ll be dead and I won’t have to worry about you anymore. Mate-tasting my twin and ripping him away from everything we’ve built here.”
“Lærke. That’s not very nice.” Mikkel cocks his head at her, even as he grins slyly at me, giving me a wink. “But if we help them, they shall leave in peace. Yes?”
“Give us what you know about the Black Dragon from these scrolls, and we’ll get the fuck out of your hair. For good.” Bjorn snorts, as I see the glittering, all-gold gaze of his dragon come out to play now, his anger finally boiling all around us. “Enough games. Help us or don’t.”
“I want to help you, but we’re a package deal, I’m afraid.” Mikkel glances at his twin. “For security reasons, Lærke and I each only learned half the cypher, long ago, so if one of us were ever captured, our messages would still be safe. Both our knowledge is required to read and translate your documents.”
“Lærke? Are you in?” Ström is quiet now as his intense gaze digs into her. I see something move between them, then. For whatever reason, Lærke is fond of Ström, as she frowns. I see her thaw at his plea, though she shakes her head as if she knows what it’s going to cost her.
And Mikkel.
“Fine. We’ll read your scrolls,” she says, though it comes with a hard edge, like she’s pronouncing our doom. “Once we are done, you will take yourselves away and never come back. You’re trouble, Eriksson. You’ve always been trouble. You… and your two mates.”
I suddenly see another reason Lærke hates me, as she stares dejectedlyat Ström now. A deep passion moves in her, which she squelches instantly—but I feel it, as I see it in her eyes.
She was in love with Ström once, though they couldn’t be together. I don’t know if it was just her righteous sensibilities at never being parted from her brother, or protecting their empire, or what. I see it, though, as Ström gives her a sad smile now.
As if at one time, he had hoped for the same.
“I’m still trouble,” Ström says as he watches her. “Hopefully, I’ll be inlesstrouble if you help.”
“I already said I’d help translate your little scrolls.” Lærke is testy now as she crosses her arms, eyeballing him. “What else do you need me for?”
“Ström said they’re not just here for one mystery, but two… isn’t that right?” Mikkel says now as he stares Ström down. “You told us about the first, but what’s the second?”
“The second is… a woman.” Ström frowns, as I feel him churn inside, not quite knowing how to say what he needs the twins’ help for next.
“I knew it.” Lærke throws up her hands, rolling her eyes. “It’s always some woman. Isn’t your Bloodmate quite enough?”
“Not a woman I want.” Ström gets testy with her now. “A woman from my past. I need to find her, and ask her some questions…”
“My kind of questions. Questions that bite.” Mikkel’s dark eyes shine with a bloodthirsty energy as I see the dragon in him come out to play now. “How did this woman wrong you, Ström Eriksson?”
“Probably refused his bed.” Lærke scoffs as her purple gaze pins Ström.
“She… stole my memories. I want them back. All of them,” Ström says succinctly.
But his statement suddenly makes both the twins blanch.
“Missing memories?” Mikkel fixes Ström with eyes like daggers. “Missing, how?”
“Missing like, I get hit with a thousand fuck-ton megawatts of Bone Mage energy when I try to recall them.” Ström’s tone is bitter now as hesets his hands on his hips. “I’ve only been able to recall a few of them recently. Thanks to an item Rikyava has claimed, related to our Black Dragon quest.”
“An item?” Mikkel’s quick gaze pins me hard. “Show me.”
It’s only then I remember that my lavender mini-dress has a sexy black strap across the upper chest to make my cleavage super pop—which covers Aesa’s silver stone. I chose this dress tonight because I didn’t want questions about it, or for the club’s bouncers to debate throwing me out because of it.
