Chapter Eight
Thor could not figure Elle out. One moment, he was afraid she might break from a stern look, and the next, he witnessed a fire inside her which made every inch of him wake up.
Holding her in his arms, he was once again struck by how warm her skin was to the touch. He wondered if it was his imagination or if she truly radiated heat. And his goats… what the hel was with them wanting to protect her from him?
He stared into her beautiful eyes, wanting nothing more than to take her up to his bed and make love to her.
Whoa! Where had that come from?
"So." He cleared his throat. "We should return to helping you stick up for yourself."
She nodded, and a serious expression crossed her face. "Yes. I need to learn to defend myself. I've never simply defended before."
He wondered what she meant, but before he could ask, the back door opened, and his father walked in.
"Thor, I was wondering-" Odin stopped, his eyes widening. He looked from Elle to Thor and back again.
"Yes?" Thor asked, trying to keep irritation from his voice. “Come right in.”
Odin continued to stare at Elle and then coughed. "Sorry. Where are my manners?" He walked forward and extended his hand.
Elle glanced at Thor and shook Odin's hand. "Elle."
"Elle." Odin rolled the word around as if mulling something over, while continuing to shake her hand. Finally, Odin leaned in and kissed Elle's knuckles. "Lady Elle, it's a pleasure to see you again."
Elle pulled away.
"Again?" asked Thor. "You've met Elle before?"
Odin's gaze narrowed.
"Yes," said Elle. “At the Raven Weaver. Lady Frigg introduced us."
Odin nodded and smiled. "Frigg has always liked to take people in and make sure they are cared for."
“I thought you only drank at your club,” Thor said.
Odin shrugged. “Usually.”
Something about the way Odin kept looking at Elle set Thor on edge. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he didn't like it.
"Did you need something, Father?"
Odin finally looked at Thor for the first time and smiled. "I came because I wanted to tell you everyone is back. We are going to have a family dinner at my place, Friday night."
Thor nodded.
Odin smiled. “I’ll let you two do whatever you were doing."
"I'm teaching her how to defend herself."
A soft expression crossed over Odin's face. "A person should never be subject to the abuse of others. Especially a beautiful young woman." Odin bowed to Elle. "I hope you will join us for dinner on Friday."
"Th... Thank you, Lord Odin." She curtsied so fluidly Thor almost imagined seeing her in a royal court. "I am not sure if I am available, but I sincerely appreciate the invitation."
Odin left without another word, and a tense silence fell between Thor and Elle.
She turned back to him. "What's next?"
He studied her for a moment. The way she stood at the ready. Her stance strong and balanced. "You've been taught to fight, haven't you?"
Elle swallowed, and her smile fell a bit. "Some."
"More than some, I think."
She shrugged.
"If you've been taught to fight, why didn't you fight back when the man grabbed you?"
"There is a difference between fighting off an attacker and defending yourself from someone you think means you no harm to begin with."
Thor nodded. "True."
"If you came at me intent on punching me in the face, or stabbing me with a sword, or trying to kill me, it would be different.
Those are attacks I am used to fighting off.
But... It's like you said. I should keep my shoes on because it helps me feel like I will when things happen to me.
I was taught to fight, but only wearing fighting clothes.
Only in one room. Only with one person. So, it didn't feel the same.
When he put his arms around me, I wasn't trained for that, so I froze. Plus..."
"Plus, what?"
"He's mortal. Things are different on Midgard. I can't grab a sword without causing a lot of people, including Lady Frigg, who has done so much to help me, a lot of problems."
She wasn't wrong. Thor had learned that the hard way. His record with the Midgard police would be at least a dozen pages long if Loki hadn't helped.
"Show me," he said.
"Show you what?"
"What you've learned."
"You want me to fight you?"
"Sure. I'll go easy on you. And I promise not to use Mjolnir."
She chuckled. "What's the fun in that?"
Thor and Elle sparred for thirty minutes, and he had to admit how impressed he was at her skill. But more than the level of her skill was the technique she'd been taught. A technique he'd seen thousands of times before.
Thor walked to the fridge. "Where are you from?"
"You know where I live."
He opened the fridge, pulled out two bottles of water, and walked back to her.
"No. I mean, before that. Before coming to the Midgard and Helheim.
Where were you before? You have to be an immortal or paranormal of some kind.
It's obvious you are hiding from someone or someones.
Are you another god? Greek? Roman? You don't look Egyptian or Asian.
And your fighting style is Asgardian. Why is that? "
Elle's eyes rang with fear. She took several gulps of the water and sucked in a breath. "I'm from one of the nine realms."
"You're Asgardian?"
"Yes and no. My mother was a priestess. A sorceress, like your mother. In fact, they were friends for a long time, I am told. But my father was not Asgardian."
He studied her face, trying to see if any of her features were familiar. "Frigg knew your mother? How did we never meet?"
"It was quite a long time ago. I wasn't born yet, and when my mother... met my father..." She trailed off and sipped her water.
Thor caught the tension in her stance as she spoke about her parents. Maybe it was something she was ashamed of. "So, your mother was a sorceress. Did she teach you anything?"
Her eyes saddened. "I never met her. She died in childbirth."
Thor's chest squeezed. "I'm sorry." Dammit, why was he being so nosy?
"Me too."
"Who taught you to fight? And how did they learn the Asgardian style?"
She gave him a weak smile. "You know I've kind of had a long day, and I'm rather tired. Do you mind if we continue this lesson a different day?"
"Of course," Thor said, attempting to keep the disappointment from his voice.
Guilt washed through him. Go slow, that’s what Frigg had said. Thor had pushed her further than she was comfortable, but his curiosity couldn't be curbed. He wanted to know everything about her.
A million questions blasted through Thor's mind, but in the end, he only came to one conclusion- there was something she was hiding from him. Something that scared her. Something she didn’t want anyone to know.
But how many of the other immortals in Helheim couldn’t say they were running from something? Not many. He needed to let it go.
She watched him intently and bit her lower lip, making his body heat.
He remembered the feel of her in his arms. Her heated skin.
The shallow breaths she took at his touch.
He wanted to feel that again. Wanted to taste her berry-colored lips.
Wanted to run his hands through her soft, long tresses and cradle her against him.
His need to protect and worship her became all-consuming.
His jeans grew tight around him, and he turned from her enticing gaze and gulped down his water.
He needed to get it together. He was supposed to be teaching her to defend herself, not hit on her like a bar wench.
* * *
Elle walked off the mats shakily and went over to pet Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr.
The heat in Thor’s eyes had almost been more than she could bear.
It had made her want to throw herself against him and feel his solid arms around her again.
She needed to stop. Needed to get it together.
He was helping her. Being nice to her, and that’s all it could be between them.
Nothing more. No matter how beautiful his icy blue eyes were.
Or how he filled out a leather coat perfectly.
Or how he smelled of leather and metal. A scent that back on Muspelheim she would have hated. But on him it was utterly enthralling.
Thor joined her, took her empty water bottle, and tossed it in the trash.
Now. Now is when I should tell him who I am. He deserves to know.
But for the first time in her long life, she actually felt cared for, peaceful, and safe. She didn't want to ruin that. What would happen if she told him?
Her hands shook, and her stomach growled so loud everyone in Helheim had probably heard it. She grabbed her stomach as it cramped.
"Odin's beard," said Thor. "When was the last time you ate, woman?"
Elle thought for a moment. "I'm not much of a cook. I ate cereal before my shift started."
Thor shook his head. "This morning? The last time you ate was this morning? You're lucky you haven't passed out by now. I should have realized. I'm sorry. Let me grab you dinner."
"You don't need to. I have food in my loft."
"Cereal?" His eyebrow cocked upward.
Busted. "I like cereal." She'd bought a dozen different kinds at the mortal store on Midgard. She liked the one with the leprechaun on it best. She always saved the little marshmallows for last. She liked the one that tasted like chocolate and peanut butter, too.
"Well, you need more than cereal to keep you going at Frigg's place. And fending off those jerks you have to deal with. Let me take you to my favorite place to eat down here."
Part of her wanted to go, but a larger part of her swirled with guilt.
She was lying to Thor on purpose, and she didn't want to. She wanted to be honest with him. Tell him everything. Maybe he would be okay with it. Maybe he would want to protect her from her father… But what if he didn’t?
What if instead of looking at her like she was fascinating, he looked at her with rage, disgust, and loathing?
She wasn’t sure her heart could handle it.
Not after everything she’d been through.