Free Not Broken: True Destiny, Book 5 by Dana Marie Bell Page B

He handed a completely different one to Sydney. “These are yours.”
    Sydney was trembling so hard Sylvia was surprised she was still on her feet. “But, we’ve roomed together for a long time.” Syd shot her a terrified look. “Who will remind me to eat?”
    Sylvia looked at Slade, then Magnus. “Can she have a key?”
    It was Logan who answered. “I don’t see why not, until she’s got her new roommate anyway.” He snickered as Sydney paled. “You’ll like her. Trust me.”
    “Ah. Okay?” Syd practically ran from the room, taking her empty plate and half-eaten slice of pizza into the kitchen.
    “She really does forget things like eating and sleeping.” Sylvia was worried about her friend. “She won’t starve to death, but she’ll be miserable and stinky.”
    Logan seemed shocked. “She wasn’t like that when…”
    “When you were married?” Sylvia shrugged. “The Internet hadn’t been invented back then.”
    “Is she addicted to online gambling or something?” Kir actually seemed concerned.
    “Nope. She found what she’s really good at, and she loves it to pieces. Only thing is, she gets caught up in her work and forgets the basics.”
    “Like combing my hair.” Sydney rejoined them, smiling at Sylvia.
    “Or peeing.”
    Sydney giggled. “I hate gravity.”
    The men looked confused, and Sylvia didn’t plan on explaining. She too had gotten caught up in something, realized she was thirsty, and stood, only then to feel the intense need for what Sylvia called a “bio break”. Sydney loved her online games, and often used phrases that confused the hell out of Sylvia.
    A knock on the door interrupted them, and Logan waved everyone back to their seat. “I’ll get it.”
    He led in Travis and a woman Sylvia didn’t know. “Sylvia, Sydney, meet Toni. Toni, this—” he pointed to Sylvia, “—is Sif, aka Sylvia, and this—” he pointed to Sydney, “—is my ex-wife Sigyn, aka Sydney.”
    “Hi.” Toni waved hello, her dark eyes missing nothing. The woman carried herself like a warrior, like Magnus and Morgan did. She stood with her hands on her hips, surveying the people in the room with the air of someone who was always suspicious, always curious about what people were up to. “Which one of you is Slade?”
    Slade held up his hand. “I am.”
    Toni nodded. “Okay. Let me just—”
    “We lied to you.” Travis stood with his back to the front door, blocking any possibility of an exit.
    Toni did a slow pan toward Travis. Sylvia would have been shaking in her boots, but Travis stood firm in the face of the woman’s lowered brow. “Excuse me?”
    Logan attempted to placate her. “We have it on good authority that you’re in danger.”
    “Whose authority?” For just a second, Sylvia saw fear flash across Toni’s face.
    “Nik’s.”
    “That son of a bitch.” Toni put out a growl worthy of Fenris. “He’s been watching me.”
    She didn’t seem surprised by that. “Why would the Guardian be watching you?” Sylvia didn’t understand why Nik would be watching one mortal woman to the point of warning Logan that she was in danger.
    Magnus leaned over and whispered in her ear, his breath tickling her. “Toni has Valkyrie blood. She healed Fenris, and Fenris and Logan declared her family. She also helped save Jamie, Jeff’s sister, from the Old Man.”
    “Oh.” Yes, that would make her of interest to the Guardian.
    “She also doesn’t take shit from anyone, not even Kir.” Slade seemed in awe of her. “I heard her on the phone with him when he tried to convince her to move in. She’s fierce.”
    “She’s also right here.” Sylvia glanced over to find Toni glaring at them. “She also has an important job.”
    “I got you assigned here by your chief.” Travis crossed his arms, his missing hand less evident as he did so. “He owed me some favors and I called them in.”
    Toni’s jaw dropped. “Are you fucking kidding me? I’m working a homicide right now, I