Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Loki stood at the portal on the Helheim side of The Raven Weaver.
He shifted the box under his arm and sucked in a breath.
What was wrong with him? He’d given women gifts before.
They usually gushed and then slept with him straight after, or at the very least, later.
Not that that’s why he gave gifts to women.
He gave them gifts because he liked seeing them wear them.
Especially clothing. Loki appreciated the female form and nothing pleased him more than seeing a woman he was with look her absolute best… well, almost nothing.
But this was different somehow. This time, he didn’t think falling into bed with him would be Val’s reaction. But when he’d seen the dress hanging in the window of a Helborn dressmaker shop. It reminded Loki of Val instantly- though he wasn’t sure she would understand why.
“Are you okay?” Frigg walked up beside him.
Loki threw on a smile, but Frigg’s all-knowing eyes saw through it. “Have you ever seen my future?”
Frigg smiled. “I see lots of things. Some things are specific, and some are broader in nature.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“I see you in broad strokes. Never anything concrete.”
“And what are these broad strokes?” He wasn’t sure he wanted to know, but his curiosity and nerves wouldn’t allow him not to ask.
Frigg smiled and squeezed Loki’s arm. “I see happiness and peace.”
Seriously? That’s all she was going to give him?
Loki shook his head.
“You'd better go up. Val doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
Loki snorted. “I wouldn’t think patience was a virtue of hers.” Though he wasn’t patient either, so he couldn’t fault her for being the same.
Loki looked at the black box tied with a satin ribbon and almost gave it to Frigg. Instead, he walked through the portal and headed up to Midgard.
Loki sat at Heimdall's table.
"Loki. What a surprise."
Loki rolled his eyes. "That joke never gets old, does it? Considering you see everything coming and going."
Heimdall shrugged. "I'd ask what you are doing here, but..."
Loki wondered how Thor could be so close to Heimdall for so many centuries. How annoying would it be to have conversations with someone who already knew what would be said?
Elle approached the table. "Would you like one more before closing?"
Heimdall shook his head. "I'm good, thanks."
Elle looked at him. "Lord Loki? Would you like anything?"
Loki chuckled. "Lord Loki? That's one I'm not used to. Thank you, Elle. I'll have a scotch."
She inclined her head and drifted toward the bar.
Loki's calculating gaze followed her as she relayed his request to Val.
An undercurrent of somber tension pulsed between the two women, its weight palpable even across the tavern's expanse, like a dense fog that refused to lift.
Val cast a glance his way, her expression shifting through an indecipherable kaleidoscope of emotions, fleeting yet profound, leaving Loki mired in a deepening sense of anxiety.
He waved to her, and Val gave him a tight smile before fixing his drink.
Elle glanced over her shoulder at him but looked away quickly when she saw him still watching her.
What a timid mouse. So strange for her to be the daughter of one of the most ruthless beings in existence, and yet so bashful that if you looked at her wrong, she might burst into tears.
He wondered if that was what appealed to Thor so much.
She gave Thor someone to look out for and protect, which was Thor’s greatest need.
To be a protector. It’d been his job for thousands of years, and in Helheim, hardly anyone needed his help.
But if Thor found out the truth about Elle's father... Lucifer help them all.
Elle brought his drink and hurried away, leaving him and Heimdall.
The two stared at each other in silence while Loki sipped his drink.
The last bell rang, and customers began filing out.
It surprised him how awkward the air between him and Heimdall became as he waited for Val to finish up.
They’d never been close. Hel, they’d never even been friends.
Loki had never thought too much of it before, but he assumed it was because they had similar gifts of sight.
That and the fact that Heimdall knew every single thing he’d ever done.
The good, the bad, and the horrible. It was strange being around someone who knew everything about you.
Like being stripped naked and inspected with a microscope.
What kind of conversation could you have with someone who knew absolutely everything you'd ever done or ever would do?
Especially one who remembered it all and kept it all locked away in his mind?
The thought gave Loki the shivers. There were things in his past even he didn't want to remember. Like being tied to a rock by his entrails. That... sucked rocks. No pun intended.
"Well, good talking to you, Heimdall," said Loki. "I've always said you’re an amazing conversationalist. However, I think next time I'll sit alone."
Heimdall nodded. "That would be preferable."
Loki picked up his box and headed to the counter. Val locked the front door and turned over the sign as Heimdall headed down to the portal.
"Well, hello there," Loki said.
Val nodded and eyed the box. "I hope you bought yourself something nice."
"It's for you." Loki pushed the box toward her.
She pushed it right back. "Thank you, no."
A pang of irritation stung him. "Don't you want to know what it is?"
"A snake?"
Loki laughed. "Why would it be a snake?"
She shrugged. "With you, a person never knows what they are going to get."
"Have I given you any reason not to trust me?"
Conflict crossed her features, and then her face went blank. "Me? Not particularly, but-"
"You've heard about me,” he paused, imagining what she’d been told, read, and seen.
In the old days, he’d been with dozens of Valkyries, hundreds possibly.
It would surprise him if they’d talked about how he’d used them and let them go.
Or other things he’d done. After all his tricks, pranks, and vengeance were as legendary as his prowess in the bedroom.
Even so… something felt… different with Val.
He found himself thinking about her when she wasn’t around.
Wondering what she was doing or if she was thinking about him.
And after being in her apartment and bringing her pleasure…
it had only gotten worse. But back to the point, her distaste for him began to make sense.
“I assure you,” he finally said. “My intentions are pure. Purely selfish, that is. I bought you something I wanted to see you wear."
Again, she pushed the box to him. "Sorry. I'm not into kinky lingerie."
Loki fought to keep his temper. Why did she have to be so damn... irritating? Why couldn't she accept the gift without any strings attached?
"Tell you what," he said. "You keep it. If you like it, wear it. If not, toss it. Either way, I can't return it, and no one else should wear it. It’s one of a kind. Almost as if it was made for you."
She eyed the box and then tucked it under the bar. "So, about that steak."
"You still want to go?"
"I've been looking forward to it all day." She stopped, and her eyes widened. "I mean, I'm hungry, and I've not had a great steak in ages. So, I've been looking forward to having one all day."
He couldn’t help the smile that spread across his lips. "Not that you've looked forward to seeing me all day?"
He waited for her quick retort. Something snappy with a tiny bite to put him in his place- but it didn't come. Interesting.
"I should shower and change," she said.
"You look great the way you are." Loki meant it. Though he preferred his women polished and perfect, somehow, with her high blonde ponytail, black tank top, and black pants, she did look like the perfect version of herself.
She scratched between her shoulder blades. "I would like to shower-"
"Nonsense. You've been waiting all day for steak."
"But..." She looked at him for a minute. "You look much too nice for me to go out with you like this."
He gestured under the bar. "I did bring you the box."
"No," she said too fast. "Thank you. I'll change and-"
Loki snapped his fingers, and his outfit changed to a pair of expensive jeans, an untucked dark button-down, and a pair of loafers. "Better?"
He could tell she wanted to fight him, but she just nodded.
"Great." Loki clasped Val’s hand, guiding her around the bar. To his surprise, she didn’t tug away as he led her through the shimmering portal into Helheim.
Wandering hand in hand down the steps on the Helheim side of Raven Weaver, her fingers slipped free from his grip; a subtle gesture that left a faint echo of disappointment in his chest. What was happening to him?
He felt like a love-struck teenager experiencing their first crush.
He'd never had to work to win over a woman before.
Had never wanted to either. But for Val.
.. Memories of her taste and scent flooded him, and he wanted nothing more than to take her back to his house and make love to her all night.
The male helborn, helmarked, and supernatural patrons' gazes lingered on them with unwarranted interest, and Loki found himself wanting to stab every leering eye. The idea of anyone looking at her ignited an irrational flicker of protectiveness within him. She was with him, and that’s how it would stay.
Reclaiming her hand, he steered them toward the door.
No chance was he giving those smirking faces any false ideas; Val was with him. Only him. Period.