Chapter 37
CHAPTER
THIRTY-SEVEN
“Nobody likes the Let’s Make a Deal game,” Sylvara grumbled as Loki ignored them and dragged them to sit with him at a table now covered with a board and shiny tiles. She frowned. One of the board markers looked suspiciously like her. Another resembled a smirking Rolf.
“Oh, nice.” Rolf fiddled with his piece. “I like it.”
“No, son. That’s mine.” Apollo pushed a smaller token to Rolf. “That’s yours.”
Rolf scowled.
He and Apollo made her think of the old theater faces, the Comedy and Tragedy masks.
“I have a gift.” Loki winked. “Now then. The world is finally ending.”
Apollo gripped the ends of a plush towel that suddenly appeared over his shoulders. “Again? The world is always ending with you people.”
“‘You people’?” Loki glared. “Say what you mean.”
“Fine. You murderous Norse have no appreciation for a good tan and a great lay. It’s all doom and gloom, snow and war, all the time.”
“Now do you see why I wanted to grow up with the draugrs?” Rolf murmured to her. “Tough to be badass when you’re worried about tan lines.”
“And babes,” Apollo added. “Don’t forget what I said about sex.”
Sylvara did her best not to roll her eyes again, but it wasn’t easy.
Loki cleared his throat. “When I say the world is ending, my friends, I mean the jotuns and titans have finally decided to stop being such weak-minded fools. Typical Norse, never thinking before throwing the first punch.” His wide grin at Sylvara didn’t endear him any.
She glared.
He shrugged. “Truth is truth. The enemy of my enemy is still my enemy.”
Rolf chuckled. “There’s that truth, yeah.”
“The point?” Sylvara didn’t think they had a lot of time left. Something inside her had shifted. A kind of knowing. She glanced around her, feeling the world out of sorts. As if a seismic shift had skewed reality somehow.
Apollo quickly glanced at her. “You feel it?”
She hesitantly nodded.
“Oh good. We’re all aligned then,” Loki said.
Rolf shook his head and growled, “I don’t like it. What the fuck is going on in my head?”
“Yes, what is going on?”
It took Sylvara a moment to realize Loki had directed the question to her. “Huh? I have no idea.”
“Ah, a liar as well as a beauty. I do like her for you, Rolf. Too bad she’s doomed to die.” Loki shrugged.
Rolf tensed. “Explain that.”
“Not yet. We’re going to play a game. Then Rolf, you and Sylvara will take the Bloode Stone to Varujan of the Night Bloode.
He’ll use it to collate the entire Bloode Nation into an unstoppable force.
” Loki’s eyes were glowing. “Humanity’s thread will dangle in the balance, and the vampires will overrun mortals and magir alike.
They’ll turn on the gods, who will be so busy fighting giants and titans and each other that we’ll be distracted. So gloriously distracted.”
Under his breath, Rolf asked her, “How is this Let’s Make a Deal?” He didn’t seem at all alarmed about Loki’s prediction.
Apollo didn’t seem bothered either.
Sylvara couldn’t stop her racing heart. “This giant battle—no pun intended. Is it Ragnarok?” But then where did Fenrir and Jormungandr fit in?
They’d left Jormy sexing up nymphs and downing mead.
Plus, she still owed him a setup with Danica.
“Well, if we’re all dead, I guess I won’t need Danica to go on a date with him. ”
Unfortunately, the attempt at humor didn’t settle her nerves. She loved battle, but she didn’t want everything to end. Where was the fun in no challenge at all? In no battling her sisters or finding souls for Freyja?
She glanced at Rolf, noting the deep black of his eyes sparkling with red. How boring would life be without a snarky draugr to keep her entertained?
He winked at her. “Syl and I are planning to get married as soon as we defeat everyone.”
She punched him in the arm, annoyed that he kept acting as if they were a bonded pair. “We’re magicked together, Rolf. As soon as this spell is off us, we’re done.”
“You don’t care what happens to Rolf, then?” Loki asked, his eyes narrowed.
She forced a laugh. “Why would I? He’s a draugr. Less than human. And he’s the son of a god.” She didn’t have to force her disgust. “Who wants that?”
Apollo scowled. “Watch your tone, female.”
“Seriously, Sylvara.” Loki frowned. “That’s a little ballsy for someone in your position.”
“My position?”
“You’re at Apollo’s mercy, in his castle. Did you learn nothing from your time with Hades?” He stood and waved his hand, and Rolf flew into his clutches. The Rolf figurine on the board crumbled.
Loki squeezed Rolf by the neck and added, “Why don’t I just kill him now then?”
A sizzle burned her hand before the sigil appeared then faded from sight.
“There. You’re completely free. I’ll kill him, and we’ll go back to our deal.” He glanced at Apollo while Rolf fought to get free. “True, he doesn’t really need air to live, but if I yank out his heart, you’ll be done with him soon enough.” Loki plunged his other hand into Rolf’s chest.
“Holy shit.” Sylvara stood and reached for her ax. “Apollo, he’s killing your son!”
“I can make another.” Apollo shrugged and reached for a drink. “Try not to leave a mess, Loki. I gave the staff the day off.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Sylvara still thought Loki was joking until blood appeared on Rolf’s shirt, and she swore she heard Razer let out a fearful whine. “Stop,” she yelled and swung her ax at Loki’s neck, stopping just short of making him bleed.
“Oh? I thought he didn’t matter?”
“He’s mine, not yours. His death belongs to me.”
“Interesting.” Loki grinned.
Apollo sighed. “Yes, yes. So very interesting. I have sunning to get back to. Loki, wrap this up, would you? And this game is terrible.” He waved a hand, and the game board and all its pieces vanished.
“He’s trying to kill your son,” Sylvara yelled at Apollo. “I thought you wanted Rolf to acknowledge you. Why are you ignoring this?”
“He needs to learn his lesson the hard way,” Apollo answered, his eyes cold despite his outward sunny disposition. “Maybe when my son is kind and respectful toward his father, he’ll get the protection and healing he needs.”
“Fuck…you,” Rolf said between choking on his own bloode.
“You see what I mean? I can’t work with that.”
“I can.” She pushed her ax into Loki’s neck once more, and this time she drew blood.
“Impressive.” Apollo sat straighter in his chair and clapped. “I think she likes the boy.”
Loki looked oddly satisfied. “Then I think we’re ready to deal.”
“I’m already working for you, you jackass. What more do you want?”
“I want to know you’re not going to stab me in the back as soon as you get the stone.”
“Let him go first.” She pushed the ax closer and felt a magical backlash, an aura emanating from Loki pushing the weapon away. She didn’t retreat, pushing harder with all her might.
Rolf chuckled weakly. “Well played, Loki.”
“Thank you, my boy. I do try.” He tossed Rolf aside, and Rolf landed in a crumpled heap. Razer didn’t drag himself from Rolf’s chest, likely warned to stay hidden from Loki, who would not appreciate a piece of his son belonging to a vampire, er, god. Whatever Rolf really was.
“While I respect you so much more for having the balls to disobey me, I can’t have you doing that,” Loki said, almost apologetically. “I have a reputation, you know.”
Sylvara rushed to Rolf and pushed a spark of energy toward him, not sure what it might do. Then she realized she was being stupid and cut her fingers, shoving them in Rolf’s mouth.
He gagged.
“Sorry.” She pulled her fingers back a little, and he started sucking. Relieved at the strength in his feeding, she glared at the gods watching them. “You’re both major dickheads, you know that?”
“I see it now,” Apollo said. “A little bit of the wolf in there. Like him.”
Loki nodded. “Sylvara, you will get the Bloode Stone and give it to Varu. Thus, Skuld’s debt will be repaid.”
“What the fuck is your problem?” she spat. “I was already planning that! Why did you nearly kill Rolf?”
“Besides it being fun?” He cocked his head, considering. “I need you two to realize we’re not playing. The world has started eroding in the mortal plane. Erland is what the fucker is calling itself. It’s a chaotic entity made of negative energy that draws upon life.”
“Not a fun guy,” Apollo said, chiming in. He threaded his fingers in his silky black hair, sliding though the strands and illuminating his already perfect bone structure.
That same bone structure that appeared on his son, who was making a real meal of her blood.
“Okay, easy, Rolf.”
He sucked her fingers clean then healed her with a lick. “Apologies. You’re tasty.”
She felt a little weak when he pulled back and stood, dragging her to her feet. “What’s with all the theatrics? Just state your piece, old man,” he directed to Loki.
Loki took on the form of an elderly man with a long white beard, stooped over. “Eh? What’s that?”
“We don’t have time for this,” Sylvara said, tired of gods.
“You really don’t,” Apollo agreed, suddenly serious. He stood, reached into the pocket of swim trunks—aqua blue shorts speckled with tiny pink flamingos?—that appeared out of nowhere, and pulled out a large red stone that winked in the sunlight overhead. “This is what you want.”
Rolf stared at it with suspicion. “You’re just giving it to me now? Why?”
Apollo smiled. Sylvara didn’t trust it.
“Why? Because today you’re alive. And only Hafandi knows what tomorrow might bring.”
Loki snorted.
Sylvara frowned. “Skuld is the Daughter of Tomorrow. Who’s Hafandi?”
Loki sighed. “Yet another reason for all this. How can you not know?”
Sylvara didn’t understand.
Rolf took the Bloode Stone from Apollo and gasped. “Fuck me. This thing is strong.”
Loki he snapped his fingers. “Oh, that’s right. I almost forgot. Our deal. In exchange for the Stone, Sylvara, you will return with it once the Darkness has been defeated. Varu cannot possess all six ever again.”
Apollo chimed in. “Rolf, you will be fine carrying it. You are my get, after all. Your mother came from one of Loki’s own, several times removed from Selene of course.”
“Your cruelty knows no bounds.” Rolf groaned.
Sylvara had to laugh despite the danger she could feel emanating from life itself. “You’re descended from multiple gods, and Loki is one of them.”
Loki explained, “God and vampire. You are truly Of the Bloode, Rolf. But you’re super special.” He added in a mock whisper, “Maybe don’t tell your kin that or they’ll flay you then kill you.” He winked at Sylvara. “That’s if your mate doesn’t.”
Just then, a blaze of heat lit up her hand.
Rolf swore.
They stared down to see the familiar glyph glowing on the back of their hands.
“I thought you said the spell was gone,” she accused Loki.
He laughed. “Oh, it is. This mark isn’t my doing. It’s yours.”
“What?”
Rolf chided, “Sylvara. I told you before. Vampires must give consent. You need to ask if I want to mate you. You can’t just claim me.” Yet the glimmer of excitement in his eyes told her he was screwing with her.
“Shut up, Rolf.” She was in no mood for his theatrics. “Loki, what—”
“Good luck, you two. We’ll see you later.” He paused. “Or maybe we won’t.”
Then he shoved them out of the palace grounds, and Sylvara and Rolf were falling from Mt. Olympus down to the earth once more. Way too fast for comfort.