“Power of the sparks.” She grinned and his heart did a flip flop. “I like that.” She held her hands up above her head with her fists clenched. “Behold, I have the power of the sparks!” When nothing happened and no sparks appeared, she giggled. “Well, I’ll work on it.”
He kissed her again. “You’re a crazy woman and I am so happy that you’re all mine.” When the kiss deepened, he pushed her away. “Before we get too far into that, go take a shower. We need to stop and see my mom before any extracurricular activity.”
She pooched out her bottom lip. “Whatever. All work and no play makes Sven a very bad boy.”
“I think it’s dull boy, and we’ll work on the bad boy part later in the privacy of our own quarters.” He kissed her nose. “We’ve made good progress today, even if it was just figuring out that I needed to piss you off.”
She sauntered toward the locker room and exaggerated the sway of her ass. Sven fought the urge to chase her down and spank her until she cried for more. But they really did need to see Freya, even though the thought made his palms sweat. They were going to try and set a date for the wedding, and he had no idea how Bryn would react to it. He hadn’t even asked her properly yet, but his mother was pushing to get started. Royal weddings couldn’t be done with a day’s notice according to her.
Lars burst into the gym and Sven knew from the stony expression that something had happened. “What?”
“You need to come with me. I think we may have caught our mole. The guards are holding him in the surveillance room.”
“The surveillance room? What was he doing in there?”
“No idea. I came to find you first when I was notified. Apparently our good guards noticed someone checking out the cameras who wasn’t supposed to be there.”
Sven hollered at Bryn before they headed off. Anger at his home being invaded amplified with each step.
“There’s a possibility that this is all about nothing. It could just be a case of mistaken identity,” Lars muttered.
Sven knew Lars’ words were to prevent high hopes being dashed, but his jaw clenched. They had known in their guts that something was off for weeks. “It could also be our enemy.” Just the fact that someone was caught in the surveillance room, a place very few even knew about, suggested that whoever they had detained had knowledge only an insider would possess. “Someone like Magnus.”
Lars glanced at him. “You truly think he would risk it? Enter the castle himself?”
Sven’s lips pressed to a hard line. “If there’s anyone arrogant enough to believe he could walk among my people unseen, it is Magnus.”
They turned down the west passage that led toward the armory. The surveillance room was just up the hall and normally empty. The only time it was manned was if Lars or someone appointed by him, needed to watch security footage from the many cameras around the castle grounds. This section of the castle was remote and no one would just happen upon the doors.
Sven opened the door and two guards turned to him and bowed. “Sire. We haven’t allowed him to touch anything.”
But his attention was on the man seated at the small desk, who looked up at him and smiled.
Magnus.
Time fell away in an instant. Sven saw the boy who had once raced him through the hallways and helped him steal cookies from the kitchen. Back when laughter and mischief werethe most important parts of life. But now, that boy was long gone. The man who slowly rose from the chair before him wore the sharp grin of someone who knew too much.
“Well look who it is,” Magnus drawled, his posture relaxed and comfortable as if he visited an old friend. “Bet you didn’t expect to see me here.”
Sven kept his voice low. “You dare set foot in my castle?”
Magnus chuckled. “Your castle, yes. Once upon a time, it was my home too. Don’t act surprised. Who else could slip past your guards so easily? I grew up within these walls, Sven. Every tunnel, every passageway. I know them as well as you do. Better, perhaps. You always did prefer the open skies.”
Lars stepped forward, fury in his eyes, but Sven held out a hand to still him. His own blood burned with anger, and Magnus’s arrogance did nothing to turn down the heat.
“What are you doing here?” Sven asked in a voice as cold as iron. “Why did you let us catch you?”
“That wasn’t exactly my plan.” Magnus spread his arms. “That was a mistake on my part. I guess I’ve spent so much time here that I got a little too comfortable. And, of course, you doubled your guards and one of them happened to be paying attention for once.”
Sven’s dragon stirred inside him and urged him to end this game. “What are you doing in here?” He gestured around the room.
“Sven.”
He turned to Lars, who pointed at a monitor. The gym. He watched Bryn leave the locker room. “What do you want with her?” His words were ice cold and sharp as a knife as he moved closer to his enemy. The desire to grab him by the throat almost overwhelmed him.
Magnus tilted his head and his smirk faltered for the briefest moment. “She will be magnificent once her powers are explored.”
Before Sven could move, Lars lashed out and punched Magnus in the jaw. The man flew into the desk and crashed to the floor.
