Not Broken: True Destiny, Book 5 Read Online Free PDF Page A

Skuld. Skylar was now her true name, and always would be.
    “So.” Skye sat, her gaze seeing far more than Slade was comfortable with. “What did you really want to talk about?”
    “Am I that obvious?” Slade sipped his tea gratefully. It soothed his throat, making speaking easier. Magnus might choose to believe that his voice was husky and cracked because he wasn’t used to speaking as a human, but Slade knew the truth. Odin’s constant abuse and Slade’s centuries of screams had irreparably broken something inside him. Slade would probably never lose the reminder of what had been done to him. Not even supernatural healing could take away all of his pain.
    “Yes. Now spill.” Skye leaned her head on her hand, her expression eager.
    “I had a couple of things on my mind, and I’m not sure where to start.”
    “That’s easy. Start with the hard one.”
    He almost laughed. Easy. Slade wasn’t certain he knew what easy was. He tilted his head, wondering how best to phrase what he wanted to say without sounding needy. “I want my brother to stop treating me like I’m broken.”
    She seemed surprised. “Really?”
    He scowled. “I’m not broken, Skye. I might be bent—”
    She immediately held up her hands as if to stop him. “I leave that to your mates to discover, thanks.”
    He rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean. I’m weak right now, I get that. I can barely stand for more than five minutes without needing to lean on something. My flesh is still knitting back together.”
    She slowly sat up straight. “How bad was the beating, Slade?”
    He stared at her, knowing she’d be able to read his pain in his gaze. She might no longer be Skuld, but she still had power. “Jeff and I will have matching scars.”
    “Oh.” She shivered, power flashing in her gaze. “Oh, Grimm needs to hurt.”
    Slade nodded. Hopefully he’d be the one to do the hurting, or at least the one to bring the popcorn and video camera. They could have family movie night.
    “Have you spoken to Fenris about this?” she asked, her gaze thoughtful. “If he knew you wanted to be closer I can’t imagine he’d say no.”
    “The only thing I can think of is he’s worried about hurting me. I’m injured prey, he’s the werewolf. Maybe that’s what’s wrong.”
    Skye frowned. “I doubt that’s it, but I know a way we can find out for sure.” She pulled out her cell phone and tapped something out, holding the phone away so Slade couldn’t see.
    Part of him knew Skye wouldn’t do anything to hurt him, but… “What did you just do?”
    She grinned as the doorbell rang. “Called in an expert.”
    Slade stood and carefully made his way to the front door. He opened it and groaned. “Aw, fuck.”
    Jeff Saeter gasped in outrage. “Sir! I am a married man.”
    “Hi, Jeff!” Skye waved as the red-haired mate of Slade’s brother gently pushed past him.
    Jeff was a shorter version of Magnus and Morgan, less broad in the shoulder but with the same twinkling gaze and vibrant personality. He’d been the first one to hug Slade hard, ignoring the outburst from the rest of the family. He’d somehow known that Slade needed to be held tight. “Hey, sweetie.” Jeff bent over and kissed the Norn on the cheek. “Where’s my brother?”
    “Which one?”
    “Either.” Jeff flopped onto the sofa, snarling when his hair landed under his butt. “Stupid wolf.”
    Slade glanced at Skye. He’d already heard the grumbles about how Fenris, who worshiped Jeff’s red curls, had willed them to grow. Jeff was now unable to cut his hair short. It would simply grow back overnight. The women of the family were teaching him how to deal with the unruly mane, and while Jeff grumbled Slade could see the pleasure he tried to hide. The fact that Fenris loved him so deeply kept the grumbles to just that, nothing but good-natured bellyaching.
    Still, Slade wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity to tease his brother-in-law. “What’s he an expert