“Need some help?” Vig asked.

“No.”

“You’re going to have to learn to control your wings when you sneeze.”

“Yes. I know.”

“You can’t sneeze in the middle of Macy’s and let your freak flag fly.”

“I said I know!” she snapped, ignoring Vig’s laughter.

Kera threw back her shoulders, her wings returning to their hiding place and walked down the hall unencumbered.

When Kera reached the bedroom, she turned but took several quick steps back when she saw Vig right behind her.

“You don’t really have a concept of space, do you?”

He grabbed Kera around the waist and tossed her onto the bed. “Not anymore. No.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

Vig woke up in the early afternoon, warm and comfortable, his arms around . . . a dog.

His eyes snapped open and Vig looked at Brodie, who had planted herself between him and Kera.

“Kera?”

“Huh?”

“Kera.”

Kera slowly turned over, blinked, then laughed.

“We need to discuss this,” Vig said, pulling his arms from around her dog.

“What is there to discuss? Brodie is a cuddler.”

“And I’m fine with that. I’m not fine with finding her between us. Especially when we’re both naked. That’s just . . . weird.”

“Not to her.” Kera grinned.

“Brodie!” one of the Crows called from outside the house.

The pit bull, all one hundred or so pounds of her, jumped up, her tail banging right into Vig’s face, and sped off the bed.

“How does she get in and out?” Vig asked.

That’s when they heard glass break and Kera said, “Apparently through your windows.”

Vig rubbed his eyes and face with the palms of his hands and laughed. He had to. It was so ridiculous.

“Don’t worry,” Kera said, moving close so she could snuggle against him—which he loved. “I’ll replace them.”

“Don’t worry about that.” Vig wrapped his arms around her, pulled her even closer. He kissed her, positive he would never get tired of that. Ever. “I don’t care.”

“Vig!” Katja called out and Vig sighed.

“I never get this much activity here. But today . . . I do.”

Kat walked into his bedroom. She smiled at Kera like they were sitting in the parlor having tea.

“Are you still helping me today?” Kat asked Vig.

“Helping you?”

She stomped her foot. “Vig.”

“Right. With the horses.”

“Yes. With the horses. You promised.”

“Horses?” Kera asked.

“My sister works with a horse rescue group. She adopts them and they become the companions andstable buddies of the winged horses the Valkyries use to ride into battles to choose from the slain.”

“We’re the death maidens,” Kat announced happily. Honestly, she couldn’t have been any happier making that statement.

Ignoring that—as Kera seemed to be doing more and more these days—she instead said, “I think it’s great you rescue horses.”

“Kera rescued her dog, Brodie,” Vig explained.

“The pit bull, right? I love that pit bull. She licked my leg when she ran by . . . after going through your front window, Vig.”

“Everyone loves Brodie,” Kera said. “Everyone loves my dog.”

“You should come with us, Kera,” Kat offered.

“I don’t want to in—”

“You won’t intrude. And if I want Vig to get off his lazy ass any time soon, I kind of need you to join us on our little journey. Because I can tell . . . he’s really comfortable right now.”

Kera looked up at Vig and he nodded. “She’s right. I’m really comfortable right now.”

“They also rescue dogs,” Kat told Kera, her voice singsong. “And they just got a new batch of puppies in.”

Kera abruptly sat up. “Move it, Viking. We’ve got puppies to see.” She tossed off the comforter and stood.

“Kat,” Vig said, “get out.”

“Why? She’s not shy.”

“She’s right,” Kera agreed. “I spent years being naked around other women. It’s no big deal.”

Vig ignored Kera and said to his sister, “Get. Out.”

“So uptight. Did you forget we are Swedish, brother? Only Americans are that uptight.” When Vig continued to glare, Kat stomped out the bedroom door. “Fine. Just hurry up.”

“Kera?”

“Huh?” she asked, picking her jeans up off the floor and looking at them closely.

“I have something for you.”

“A clean pair of jeans and panties?”

“No. But you can borrow a pair of shorts and a T-shirt.”

“That’ll work.” She dropped the jeans on the floor and faced him. “So what do you have for me?”

Vig sat up and reached into the end table. He took out a wrapped box and held it out for her.

Kera blinked. “A gift?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t need to give me anything, Vig.”

“I know.” He continued to hold the box out to her. “Take it. It’s for you.”

Kera frowned a little but she took the box and tore off the plain, white wrapping paper. After a pause, she lifted the top. She reached in and pulled out the thin silver chain and studied the pendant on the end.