Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Loki knew his words sounded stupid, sappy, and pathetic, but somehow, she brought out a soft side of him.
Something about Val- Signe had awoken in him a need and a tenderness that he'd never possessed before.
Plus, she'd seen him, the true him, and she'd not run away.
He'd shown his true self only once to his former wife.
It had scared her so badly that for months she'd not even been able to look at him, until he finally erased the memory from her mind.
But Val had not only not run from him, but she'd also asked to see his true form again, and even touched him.
His whole life, he'd learned early to hide that part of his heritage for the prejudice that came with it.
But now... now he wondered if with her help he might become comfortable enough to walk around in his own skin.
It was funny, in Helheim, he was less likely to be looked at twice in his true form, but he'd gotten so used to looking like everyone else to fit in that he'd never tried it.
"What time is it?" she asked.
Loki looked at his watch. "It's close to five a.m."
She nodded. "I really should go. Though you believe Elle is in no danger with Thor around, I would feel better if I saw for myself."
"If that is what you wish." What he really wanted was to spend the entire day in bed with her in his arms, but she wouldn't feel at ease again until she knew Elle was safe. Loki wondered what it would be like to have someone care for and worry about him like that.
"I need my clothes."
He nodded. "They should be in a basket outside the door. But before you put them on, let me check your wings again."
"They feel better."
"I would feel better if I saw for myself."
A smile played on her lips as he used her own words against her.
She turned around and spread her wings as wide as she was able.
He looked them over, and the quills he had pulled from them had already begun to grow new feathers.
The ones he had cut also looked healthier and had begun to fill in again.
He touched her wing joint and bent her wing.
"The joints are tight from not being used and being folded away too long. If you'd waited much longer, they may have atrophied, and you would never use them again."
"Then I guess it's a good thing I didn't wait."
Loki sighed. "You need to take better care of yourself."
"Do I now?" She looked at him over her shoulder as she folded her wings away.
He kissed her bare shoulder. "Or I could do it for you."
She smiled, and then her smile fell. "I should go." She grabbed the ripped sweatshirt from the floor and pulled it on before walking to the door and opening it. She picked up the basket with her clothes.
Loki watched her dress, sad that her beautiful body was hidden beneath the clothes. Even her T-shirt had been mended from where it had been shredded on the back by her wings. He wondered what kind of magic they used to fix it.
Then, as Val pulled on her boots, he stood and snapped his fingers. His clothes appeared once more.
"You know that's a neat trick," she said. "Maybe next time you can help me dress faster as well."
Loki smiled. "I would be more than happy to get you undressed fast." He snapped his fingers, and her clothing disappeared.
She looked down and nodded. "Cute. I mean, I don't mind walking through Helheim naked, but you might not want me to."
"Damn right." Loki snapped his fingers, and her clothing reappeared. He cupped her face. "I never want any other being to see you naked again besides me."
Conflict clouded her eyes.
Too much. He'd said too much.
He kissed her forehead. "But those things can wait. For now, let's go see if Elle is safe."
She nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
As Val and Loki exited Valhalla’s Throne, the air was cool but not uncomfortable to her exposed skin.
So many different feelings and thoughts rumbled through her that she couldn't settle on anything in particular.
So instead, she settled on returning to her apartment.
Once she'd done that, then she'd try to sort through everything that had happened in the past twelve hours.
"Are you ever going to talk to me again?" asked Loki.
She glanced over at him and snorted. "I think that's supposed to be my line."
He smiled. "For some reason, I can't see you asking a guy that."
"You'd be correct." Or would he? She could strangely see herself at least thinking it with him.
They walked another block in silence.
"So, is that a no?" he asked. “You one of those love ‘em and leave ‘em types?”
Her eyebrows scrunched together. "Why wouldn't I talk to you again? I mean, I didn’t tell you my real name only to ignore you using it for the rest of existence. Because I’m pretty sure when you are sufficiently annoyed with me, you will use it."
He looked at her and then reached for her hand.
"Okay, that's too much." She pulled away. “I’m not twelve.”
Loki barked out a laugh. “Maybe I am.”
She snorted. “Twelve hundred more, like.”
Val smiled as the scent of brimstone and blood hit her nostrils. She stopped and scanned the area.
"What's wrong?"
The hairs stood up on her arms. “We’re being watched.”
She turned in a circle, scanning for something out of place. Loki stood at her back, and they turned in unison.
“You run, I’ll handle this.”
Val snorted. “Seriously? I’m not a damsel in distress.”
Footsteps padded out of the shadows across the street.
"At least stay behind me," said Loki.
She raised an eyebrow at him. "You're joking, right? I have my weapons. Maybe you should stay behind me."
"Not on your life."
She pulled her sword from her back and extended it to its full length.
"Who are you?" Loki called. "What do you want?"
Six beings stopped halfway across the street.
A mismatched crew of otherworldly beings.
Among them, four seemed like males; one was a female, and another was impossible to pin down.
Each demon stood out with its own unique flair.
Skins that ranged from the deepest midnight blue to burning copper, heights varying from shorter than Elle to taller than Loki.
Some had leathery wings tucked tight against their backs, two had an extra set of limbs, and all had horns spiraling in different directions out of their mouths or skulls.
Despite their incredible diversity, they all shared one glaring issue: they didn’t belong in Helheim.
Demons stuck to the other realms of the Underworld.
Helheim belonged to Hel. Demons from other realms needed permission to visit.
It was the same with every realm of the Underworld.
A way that Lucifer kept control of who went where and who spoke to whom.
The last thing he needed was realms joining together to try to overthrow him.
"We want the woman," the male in front called.
"Sorry, she's taken," Loki replied.
She glared at him, and he winked back at her.
“Now isn’t the time to irritate me,” she said.
"Rumor has it there is a sizable bounty on her head, as well as a girl she travels with. Give them to us, and we'll share them with you," said a female.
Loki looked at them like they'd each grown a dozen heads. "Do you have any idea who I am?"
"Nope. And we don't care. All we want is the women. Give them to us, and we'll let you live."
"Now, hold on," said Val. "What the hel makes you think he has the right to give you anything? I belong to no one. If I want to go with him, I will. If I want to go with you, I will. If I want to sever your heads from your ever pathetic bodies, I will. No one owns me."
"Sever their heads?" asked Loki. "How boring. I could think of a thousand different ways to kill them that would be much more fun."
Val sighed. "I'm not looking for fun. I'm tired. I want to finish this and go to bed."
"Ooooohhhh am I invited this time?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her.
Val rolled her eyes.
"What is wrong with you two?" asked the tallest male in front. "Don't you realize there are six of us and only two of you? She can come now, and we'll let you both live. Or you can resist, and we'll kill you both. Nowhere in the bounty does it say she needs to be alive."
Loki and Val looked at each other.
"They don't know who I am," said Loki. "I don't know whether I should be astonished or insulted."
"I'd say insulted. But then they don't know me either, so..."
“But you aren’t a god.”
“Former god, if you want to be technical. Now you’re just a lawyer.”
Loki’s jaw dropped. “That hurt, love. That hurt.”
"Enough! Get the woman. Kill the man," the leader yelled.
The group attacked. Two with wings took to the air and rose above them. Two more ran across the street on all fours. Only the leader and the female hung back for a moment.
"Guess it's time to exercise those wings again," said Loki as he produced two icy blue glowing curved blades from thin air.
Val extended her wings and rose into the air.
The demons flew straight for her, but she pulled in her wings and spiraled between them.
She slashed out with her sword, catching one of their wings and slicing it clean off.
The demon spiraled out of control and hurdled downward, where he crashed into the cobblestone and bounced into a building.
The second demon spun around and headed back toward her.
A stream of acid flew her direction, and she barely missed being hit by it as she lifted higher.
Down below, Loki fought with the demons who had scampered across the road.
She needed to stop screwing around and help him.
The demon flew at her again, talons out. Val threw her sword, and it planted in the demon's chest. He dropped to the ground, missing Loki.
"Hey. Careful up there. We're on the same side."
“It’s not my fault these guys are so weak they can’t even take one hit,” she replied.