Chapter 13 #2
“This was a waste of time.” I give Slay a chin nod in agreement, then kiss Sage on the top of her head.
“Come on, he’s not going to bother with this and we need to get you out of this cold.”
“Disdain from a demon feels like a new low for me.”
My head whips around and I find myself eye to eye with Loki.
Well, I’ll be damned.
“Told ya.” I don’t mean to scowl at my chosen but the smug tone in her voice sounds a lot like Loki’s and I’m not amused.
“At least the witch believed in me. That’s a first.” Right in front of us, and without any fear that an anthros might see him, Loki changes from his hipster appearance to what I’m assuming is his real one.
Blond hair and bright, cerulean eyes that seem to glow in the night, Loki lights up a cigarette like he’s some kind of fifties movie idol about to fight the rival gangs for the love of his soul mate.
“Thank you for coming out here. I was recently kidnapped and—”
“Interesting. Who had the balls to do that?” Loki’s attention is now solely on Sage and I don’t fucking like it.
“That’s what I said.” We all ignore Slash, who’s consumed by his phone, tapping away like his thumbs are on a mission. What the fuck is taking up all his attention at this time of night?
“One of my guards was a massive furry creature who, it turns out, is a sweetheart when in good hands.” As though summoned by her kind words, the fenrir trots out from behind the shadows of the nearby, nearly dilapidated steel hangar.
Immediately, he lies at Sage’s feet like a good pup, crushing a few cars along the way.
That is, if pups were the size of a blue whale with legs and fur.
“We need to take this party somewhere less conspicuous. There’s no way of explaining this away if someone sees him.” Pierce nods to the hangar, the mouth of the entrance barely accommodating the fenrir’s size, but with a little effort, everyone fits.
I hate to admit it but he’s a great protector and, as ugly and fucking terrifying as he tries to be when he’s fighting to the death, he’s cute as fuck when he’s being dominated by my girl. Fuck yeah, I’m proud. No shame in that.
“Well, I’ll be damned.” Loki takes in a deep drag from his cigarette before flicking it away without giving two fucks about, well, anything. Then he steps up to his progeny, his neck angled far back just to be able to look at his snout, and whistles like he’s impressed. “Fen?”
“Fen? How original.” Slay shakes his head, clearly on his last ounce of patience with this situation.
“His mother and I were too busy fucking and having fun to think up a more fitting name. His sister is Rir and his youngest brother is Enri. Hard to forget names like that, right?” I shrug at his explanation, which is none of my business.
At least it’s warm in this hangar with Fen radiating heat like he’s a furry version of the midday sun.
Anthros don’t do well sitting in twenty-degree weather for too long, but if I’m honest, it’s a little too toasty for us demons.
“Cute, but—” As she’s about to add to that sarcasm, Fen lowers himself to a lying position against the far wall and Sage leans back against him.
I can appreciate that we’re on the same page.
He’s looking out for my chosen and I can’t fault him for wanting to protect her.
“I can’t have him following me around all the time. ”
A small whimper escapes Fen’s snout and I swear to fuck, the beast is sad that Sage doesn’t want him twenty-four-seven. The worst part is that I can relate. All those months with her hating me were soul crushing.
“Fen, stop being needy, boy. Go home.”
Sage and I both glare at Loki.
“You don’t need to talk to him like that. Rude.” Fuck, I love her.
Loki pops a brow and cocks his head to the side, a small smirk telling me he’d anticipated this whole fucking thing. “Can’t have it both ways, Witchy Witch. Either he’s yours or he abides by my commands. That’s it, those are the choices.”
Within seconds, I’m growling in his face and fighting the almost uncontrollable urge to annihilate him. The gall of him giving my chosen a nickname. I can barely tolerate my brothers doing it, but this guy? No fucking thank you.
“Watch your mouth, Loki. I don’t care who you are or what your powers have, you do not disrespect my chosen. Not now, not ever.” We’re both trembling with the shot of the sudden adrenaline coursing through our bodies.
“Demon, I commend your devotion, but if you don’t get out of my face, I’ll rip your head off your shoulders without breaking a fucking sweat.” He’s not bluffing and I wouldn’t expect him to be in any case, but I’m not fucking moving.
My brothers are behind me without a second thought, and though four against one in any other situation is a win for us, with Loki, we’re still understaffed. Does that stop us from crowding him against the steel wall of the hangar?
Not even a little bit.
“Good Goddess, no wonder the world is going to the crapper.” Sage—with Fen on high alert—pushes in between us, ignoring the very potent scent of testosterone stinking up the crowded space.
“Sage,” I fucking growl at her like an animal about to attack.
“Don’t Sage me. You’re both acting like children.
Now, Loki, if you have offspring, you damn well better take good care of them.
Your Fen here needs some love and compassion.
He’s been trying to be a good boy and I’ve forgiven him for trying to kill us all, but…
” She turns to Fen, who’s lying like a sphynx and watching the scene with great attention.
“He needs to be somewhere he belongs and we’re just not ready for a furbaby.
Maybe once I’ve found my bestie, Danika, who was kidnapped too, she’s a vampyre, then I can maybe arrange to see him again? ”
A furbaby?
Loki and I both recoil at her description of this fucking monster of a dog beast. Wolf, really. A very fucking big wolf that’s destroyed entire villages.
In the back of my mind, a small voice reminds me that I too have massacred whole towns in the name of my love for Sage, but I ignore that shit real quick.
“Fucking A, I’ve never met anymore more ballsy in my whole fucking life. And it’s a long one.” Slash is howling with laughter, which doesn’t surprise me in the least.
Loki is the first to walk away from our stand off and I’m not gonna lie, I’m feeling a little smug.
“Sage.” Loki accentuates her name and bows his head at me as though pointing out with his steely gaze that he’s trying to be respectful.
Prick.
I get it now, the way the rumors talk about his charm. I bet it’s the only reason he’s made it this far in his existence.
“Who kidnapped you?” He sighs like this is the last conversation he wants to be having, but I’m sure he’s clued in on the fact that we’re not leaving without some answers.
“That’s the thing. I don’t know. Whoever did was Fenny’s master, though.”
“Absolutely not. No fucking way you’re calling my killing beast, Fenny. No, ma’am.” Loki looks like he’s just swallowed acid.
Sage turns to said killing beast, one hand buried in the sea of his fur, and gives him a scratch I’m sure he can barely feel. “Who’s a good boy? Do you like Fenny? Do you like being called a good boy, Fenny?”
I have to force myself not to laugh at this whole absurd situation. What the fuck is even happening?
“Fuck, no wonder it’s taken her two thousand years to survive her twenties.” My head whips around and I stare daggers at Slay. Fucker. “What? She has no sense of survival. Gods can kill without breaking a nail and barely any consequences.” He shrugs and he’s not wrong. Still…
Fen whimpers and with the greatest care, rubs the tip of his snout against Sage’s shoulder, making her giggle as she stumbles back. I have to put my arm around her to make sure she doesn’t fall from the brute, albeit unintentional, force of him.
“See? He likes it.” It’s Sage’s turn to be smug and I love it. Slay may think she’s clueless when it comes to danger but I just think she’s brave enough to face it head on and, this time, we’re here to have her back.
However, I need to bring this conversation back to the problem at hand. “Look, the reason we’re here is because we need to know who was controlling Fen so we can figure out who’s after my chosen. Just tell us and we’ll be out of your hair.” I nod to Fen and add, “And he’s all yours again.”
Loki leans his head back and blows out a heavy breath like I’m asking the world of him.
“Here’s the crux of the problem, Demon. My ex is the one who knows what’s going on with our kids. But she’s a bit…indisposed right now. Well, if I’m honest, her soul’s been busy in Heyl paying its dues to Odin. Fucking prick.” He winks at the sky as though Odin can see him.
“Fuck,” I whisper, because this whole night was a big old waste of time.
“That being said…you could just ask him.” Loki grins, nodding to Fen, like he’s been fucking with us this whole time.
“But he doesn’t talk.” Sage frowns, her hand still giving loving rubs to Fenn—no. To Fen. Fen, not Fenny.
“He doesn’t speak anthros, no. It’s a boring way to speak anyway.
Whatever happened to mind reading and diving into other people’s heads?
I swear religion made this place a total bore.
I suggest we all step outside. I’m going to need some room here.
” Just as he insults half the population of the Earth, he transforms into a beast almost identical to Fen, forcibly pushing us back out into the cold night.
“That’s really weird, right?” Sage steps back into my protective arms, and no doubt my demon warmth.
“You’ll get used to our world, Satapti. It’s all so new, still.”
“Wait ‘till you hear me fucking for days. Days, Sagey.” As soon as the nickname comes out of Slash’s mouth, I slap him behind the head then let a vine wrap around his throat. It’s not like I’m going to hurt him but the urge is too satisfying to ignore.
“Oh, come on! It’s me. She’s like a sister to me. Fucking hell, Hack. Being bonded has made you a bit of a sociopath.” I ignore him and Pierce chuckles at the whole encounter. It’s then I notice Slay is on the phone and I’m guessing it’s with Samhain.
“I mean, we could keep him, right?”
“Slash? We don’t really have a choice, Satapti. He’s a Horseman, a Liege. I know I bust his bal—”
“Not Slash. Fenny.”
I’m about to tell her that I’ll do anything she wants in this life and all the ones after, but we’re not keeping a wolf the size of the Empire State Building, when Loki melts back into his original form, walking back outside with a smirk planted on his lips.
“First, I promised to tell you that he’s really sorry and that he loves you like his mother.
” Loki shrugs. “Probably more, since he barely knew her, but I digress. Fen was held captive for a couple of decades by the djinn, tortured, then forced to bow to do their bidding.” For the first time, Loki looks like the god he is.
Gone is the jokester, his ire is real and it’s burning in his blue eyes.
“Poor baby,” Sage whispers, looking over her shoulder at Fen, who’s still lying in the hangar. This does not bode well for me.
“You do realize that now it’s also a me problem, and when I get involved, shit goes awry real fucking quick.”