Free Dark Desire by Lauren Dawes

assaulted him, but Sophie had been there for him—just like she always was when he needed her—bringing him down, forcing his racing heart to settle.
    The weight of his dog’s head against his belly was welcome, the heat of her body beside his own grounding him, reminding him that he wasn’t in that building anymore. Lifting his hand, Mason laid it on top of her large head, right between her ears, and stroked her soft fur.
    She groaned lightly in her sleep, and Mason envied how quickly she could fall asleep. He would probably be lying there for another four hours, thinking about what had happened.
    The screams reverberated through his skull each time he tried to close his eyes, reminding him that he had made it out, but others hadn’t. With a sigh, Mason sat up, disturbing Sophie as he did. She blinked up at him with soulful, caramel-colored eyes and slid from the bed.
    He’d been given Sophie after arriving back from Iraq. The marine shrink had said that his panic attacks wouldn’t be so bad if he had someone there to talk to. Mason just had no fucking idea it would be a female German shepherd who would become his life-preserver in the sea of guilt he’d been treading in for just over ten years.
    Mason had only been a kid when he’d signed up for the marines. Now, at the ripe old age of thirty-one, he felt—and looked—much older than he should have. The war had taken its toll on him—had taken more from him than it should have—and also left him with a fucked-up ability to read the minds of the gods—not that he’d known that at the time.
    After two long years of suffering, he was ready to give it all up … that was until he just happened to be walking past the Eye one day eight years ago. Bryn and Mav had been watching him from the doorway. As he’d passed, Bryn had told him to get his ass inside and park it at the bar.
    He’d known then that she was different. He could hear her thoughts—her thoughts about him. She could tell that he was close to eating a bullet; in fact, that was exactly what he’d been about to do. He’d had a Beretta M9 tucked into the waistband of his jeans. Loaded. Ready to turn the back of his skull into mush.
    “What’s your name?” she’d asked, sitting back and crossing her arms over her chest. Mav stood at her side, her model-perfect face wearing a stony expression. All Mason was picking up from her was hostility.
    “Mason,” he’d replied, looking around the interior of the bar. He remembered being impressed with the layout and set-up.
    Bryn’s eyes slid to the side, looking at Mav. An unspoken conversation passed between the Valkyries before Bryn turned back to him. “Planning on doing something fucking stupid in the next ten minutes, Mason?”
    One of his brows rose, but he said nothing. He didn’t owe them a damn thing. In fact, he remembered being pretty pissed that Bryn had interrupted his plans. He’d been staring hard at the bar, looking everywhere but at Bryn and Mav, when Bryn had cleared her throat.
    “We need a head of security here at the Eye. I want that to be you.”
    “Me? Why? You don’t even know me.” Pity and fear had churned in Bryn’s head as she stared at him, imploring him to just say “yes” to her offer.
    “You need a job, right?”
    Mason’s spine had stiffened. How had she known? He’d been fired from his job the day before for turning up late. But he couldn’t help it. His nightmares had kept him awake, and he could only really sleep when the sun was up. So that was what he did.
    “Then you have one here. If you want it.”
    He’d looked between the two goddesses for a moment, finally saying, “I want it.”
    There’d been a smile in Bryn’s voice when she’d said, “Good. You start in ten minutes.”
    Mason had worked that evening, and kept returning to work ever since.
    Bryn had saved him.
    With a sigh, he got out of bed, Sophie padding silently beside him on the carpet. After washing his face, Mason changed into a