Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
"Let me get this right..." said Loki. "You, Thor, God of Thunder, want me, Loki, God of Mischief, to distract a bartender so you can talk to a girl. This is why you called me all the way up here?"
"No, I called you up here because I want you to touch Elle and tell me all about her, and then tell me what you see the possibilities of the future to be. But you won't."
No, he wouldn’t. Frigg had made him vow to never divulge anything about Elle, and he was not about to break a vow to Frigg- not for Thor, not even for Odin if he’d asked.
Frigg was the closest of all the gods to family, aside from his children.
And she’d been as close to a motherly, sisterly figure to him as anyone had.
His own mother had abandoned him as a child.
Jotunn weren’t known to be overly maternal to begin with.
And of all beings in Asgard and the nine realms, the one person he felt loyalty to was Frigg.
Besides, he had a feeling that if he did tell Thor, Val would kick his ass after Frigg killed him. And while she might be fun to spar with, he didn’t want to have his ass handed to him by a female.
"Sorry. I made a promise," Loki said.
Thor clenched his jaw.
"Am I the only one who can't know, or are there others as well?"
Loki shrugged. "I'm not one to gossip."
Thor snorted.
"Is our business concluded?" Loki asked.
Sitting in the booth and having Val in the same room, no matter how far away, had him on edge. He’d managed to calm his crotch for the time being, but it was only a matter of hours before it would want to be used.
"Oh, please,” said Thor. “Don't act like this was such an inconvenient trip for you. You had to do what? Focus on the pub for five seconds before you were able to transport here?"
"Do you have any idea what my time is worth? What I charge per hour?"
"Well, this won't take an hour. She gets her fifteen-minute break in less than five minutes," said Thor.
"After I sit here, it will have been half an hour, which equals-"
"One bottle of Odin's reserve ale,” Thor blurted.
Loki stopped speaking. Odin’s ale? That was the one thing even Loki couldn’t get or reproduce at will. It was specific to Odin alone, and only Odin could produce it when he wanted it.
"Agreed," said Thor.
"Not so fast.” Loki held up a hand. Yes, he wanted the ale, but he hadn’t wasted his time on a bottle of ale, no matter how amazing. “I agree on the ale, but you will also owe me a favor."
"What favor?"
Loki smiled. "I'll tell you when the time comes."
"That's not a deal I would agree to if I were you," said Heimdall.
Loki glared at Heimdall, who didn’t appear to notice.
"You'd better decide fast," said Loki. "Your girl took off her apron and is headed for the stairs."
Thor looked over his shoulder. Elle had almost reached the bottom step. At the same time, Val finished wiping down the bar and threw the towel in the sink. She said something to the other bartender and jumped over the bar.
Damn, she looked hot doing that.
"Looks like Val is heading that direction too," Loki prodded.
"Deal." Thor jumped from the table and headed for the stairs.
Loki slid from the booth and bowed. “Heimdall.”
Heimdall nodded to Loki.
Loki wound through the tables and stepped out in front of Val as she came around a pillar.
"Val, fancy meeting you here." Loki smiled and smoothed his tie.
In her black tank top and pants, she looked like a commando Barbie. Arms bare and fit, breasts round and perky underneath her tank, it took everything inside him to keep from grabbing her, pinning her to the pillar, and kissing her into submission.
Val glanced toward the bar before looking back at Loki. “Did you need something?”
Loki took a step forward and ran his finger down her arm. The goosebumps that pebbled her skin made him smile.
“Just wondering how you slept last night.”
Her eyes narrowed, and she folded her arms over her breasts before raising an eyebrow. "Fine. You?”
He grinned. “Like a baby.”
She nodded. “So, lots of crying and fear of being alone?”
Loki chuckled. He liked her sharp tongue. He could think of several things he would love for her tongue to do to him.
She tried to step around him, but he sidestepped, forcing her to continue to engage him.
“In case you didn’t notice, this is my break, so if you need anything else, you should look for a hostess on duty.”
“You’re on a break? Perfect. How about we go somewhere to continue our conversation from last night?”
“We had a meeting. You gave me what I needed. Business concluded.”
“Yes, but now that I think of it, I never did get paid. Perhaps we could discuss payment over a bottle of… whatever you want?”
Val rolled her eyes. “If you have a bill, you know where to find me.”
Loki’s courage wavered for a minute, rattling him. She rattled him. Why? He wanted to know why. Needed to know why.
“What?” she demanded.
“What, what?” he asked.
“You. The way you're staring at me.”
“Am I?” He wondered what she’d seen on his face.
Val rolled her eyes. “I don’t have the time or patience for games. I’ve got-” She looked at the clock. “Another twelve minutes for my break, and I’d like to take them in peace if you don’t mind.”
“Of course not. Where are we going?”
Val growled. “You are so irritating.”
“So are you.”
“Is he bothering you, Val?” asked a deep voice.
Loki barely bothered to look over at the strapping male exuding Alpha aura standing to his right. The man’s golden colored eyes made Loki smile, and his anger spiked. A shifter? That could be a fun fight.
“Nope,” said Val. “He was just leaving.”
Loki’s smile broadened. She had an admirer. Wasn’t that interesting? Not that he had assumed she wouldn’t. Val was smokin’ hot, and you’d have to be deaf, dumb, and blind not to be into her.
“I can help with that,” said the stranger.
Loki laughed and finally turned to the man. “Oh, I doubt it, but I welcome you to try.”
In the moment he turned, Val dodged to the left around him and raced up the stairs.
Loki looked the man up and down and then inclined his head. “Another time perhaps.” He flicked a card between his fingers, which held the address to Odin’s place, and handed it to the man before following Val. “Ask for me at the door, and we can continue the conversation.”
"Elle!" Val couldn’t help the edge in her voice. She’d thought Loki might truly be interested in her, but to see Thor with Elle made her blood boil at the thought that he’d been doing no more than trying to distract her.
The thought bothered her more than it should.
Honestly, it shouldn't bother her at all.
Elle flinched and moved out of Thor's grasp.
Val leaped forward and flicked her wrist blade from its sheath. "Get away from her."
Thor didn't move. "We were talking."
Val moved her blade to his throat, and again, he didn't move.
"Val." Elle stepped forward. "Val, please stop. Lord Thor was saying he was glad I made it home safe last night."
Val looked between Thor and Elle. How many freaking times did she have to tell Elle to stay away from the man? What did she have to do to make Elle see the danger she was putting them both in?
"Val, I said stop," Elle’s voice came out so strong that it took Val aback.
For the first time, when Val looked at Elle, she saw Elle’s mother. Her fiery eyes. Her strong voice. Head held high, demanding quiet respect.
A dull ache radiated through Val’s chest. The pain of seeing her old friend shine through Elle brought with it a sense of loss that Val hadn’t felt in a long while. Val sheathed her blade in its wrist compartment, gave a small nod, and took a step away.
"Why don't you let me buy you a drink?" Loki appeared at the top of the stairs.
Val scowled. "In your dreams, Playboy."
Since she wasn’t going to be able to stop Elle from talking to Thor, she stomped to the next apartment down the hallway and stepped inside before slamming the door.
Tears flooded Val’s eyes as memories of her friend filled her.
Elle's mother's laugh. Her compassion. Her strength despite everything she'd been put through. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been held by someone.
Smiled with someone. Laughed with someone.
Frigg’s words floated back to her. “Maybe it’s time someone helps you remember.”
Her mind went to Loki. She shook her head. No. Not Loki. Why would her mind go straight to Loki? No… Marek. Yes. Marek could help her remember how to have fun… and maybe more.
She looked at her wall clock. She had five more minutes. That would have to wait until later.
Val stripped off her clothes and walked naked to the shower, turned it on, and stepped under the spray before it had warmed.
She couldn’t stand how the smell of Midgard clung to her.
Every day, she showered during her breaks.
Sometimes two or three times a day. She’d wash as many times as she needed, to scrub off everything she’d been through until she could get the layers peeled away and she return to who she truly was…
if she could ever find that person again.
Maybe with Marek’s help, she would.
Val went through the rest of her shift with only a few bumps in the road.
Thor showed up about five to pick up Elle for a date.
Val had been about to tell Elle she couldn't go when Thor surprised her by stepping in to defend Elle against a table of human assholes. He even gave her the same advice Val had given a million times. Telling Elle to stand straight and raise her head to instill confidence. Val couldn’t help but be a tad grateful to the god of thunder for his assistance. Just a tad.
Finally, she decided that maybe with him teaching Elle to stand up for herself, she would actually listen.
So in the end, she’d stayed silent and let Elle leave with Thor without a word.
Not that she didn’t worry, but if there was anyone in Helheim who would keep Elle safe, it was Thor, the god of thunder.