Chapter 4
Grunting,Blaéz lifted the heavy weights up off his chest and held them. His biceps burning like the devil, he slowly lowered them down again. He did the reps a few more times as the thudding on the nearby treadmill slackened.
Sweat dripped down his brow, and his t-shirt stuck to him, but the tension tightening his body didn’t ease. Using every atom of strength he possessed, he lifted the four-hundred-pound weights again, the strain pulling on his shoulders, his neck—his damn facial muscles. An agonizing burn began. Perfect!
“Not bad, Celt,” Týr drawled, leaning a heavily muscled arm on the weights stand, a towel in his hand. Perspiration gleamed on his bare chest. “Considering the pansy you’ve become since getting mated and shit.”
Blaéz clamped down on his molars.
“What?” he continued like Blaéz had spoken. “You agree? Man, never thought I’d hear that.”
His frustration finding a new target, Blaéz set the weights on the bar. In a flash, leaped up, and took Týr down, both of them rolling across the floor between the heavy equipment.
Týr grinned. “If you want me, just say so.”
“You’re a damn dickhead—” Blaéz punched him in the face, and he lashed out again, Týr ducked and his fist crashed into the concrete—fuuuck! Skin spilt. Bones cracked. Pain exploded up his hand.
Týr shoved him off and jumped up.
Blaéz pushed to his feet, flexing his healing fingers. At the current rate he was going, either he or the Norse would end up like pulp. And judging from Týr’s evil grin, he appeared quite ecstatic to meet him head-on in a brutal fight.
“Hell, you’re crazier than a mad coyote this morning,” Týr taunted. “What’s gotten up your ass?”
“Is that a plea for mercy?” Blaéz mocked.
“Rrright.” He snorted. “Let’s take this to the forest. If your mate comes looking for you, I’m in a shitload of trouble if she sees me kicking your sorry ass.”
“If it makes you happy to think so—wait, what the hell time is it?”
“No idea.” Týr crossed to a weight bench and picked up his cell. “Just past twelve.”
Shit. “Raincheck on the fight. I have to take Darci to town.” He picked up his bottle of water from the floor near his work-out bench, chugged some down then swiped the back of his hand across his mouth. He should apologize for his shitty mood, but why start now? He’d never done so before…well, except to Darci.
Týr pushed his cell into his sweats pocket. “I haven’t seen you this insatiable to bash up someone since, well, before Darci came into your life. Back then, you had an excuse. Or...” His grin was all teeth, annoying the fuck out of Blaéz. “I’ll hazard a guess. Darci finally kicked you out of bed?”
Reveal just how these wedding customs was screwing up his head and balls? The mornings were the worst when Darci slept sprawled over him, leaving him with a raging hard on.
“What is it with this abstinence until the wedding night deal?” he asked instead.
“What?” Týr’s brow pulled down in a frown, then his grin widened, those annoying dimples popping free. “Ah. So she figuratively kicked you out of bed.”
“You’re a bloody dick,” Blaéz muttered. “Remember, your time comes.”
“Ain’t happening.”
“Not according to what I’ve seen.” Hell, Blaéz had no idea if his long-ago vision of seeing Týr entwined with a rainbow would pan out. Paths could sometimes deviate. Still, his precognition never failed him so far.
He picked up his towel. “You do recall that the Rainbow is Darci’s other bridesmaid, right?”
At Týr’s scowl, Blaéz smirked. “My problem will be solved in a week’s time. Yours is just starting—”
Týr threw a punch that caught him on the underside of his chin. Blaéz’s head snapped back, his teeth almost crashing into his skull. Fuck! He rubbed his jaw and strolled out of the gym laughing. Hell, no matter his starving body’s need, this was bloody fun.
Besides the fact that Kira could change her hair color with just a thought, her antagonism toward Týr was damn entertaining.
* * *
After he’d showered and changed, Blaéz left his quarters and jogged down the narrow side stairs to the ground floor. He scanned the area and found Darci in the library, but she wasn’t alone.
