by Meg Trotter
The surrounding people parted for him once they recognized his face and he made his way up to the platform. When the surrounding people noticed he was staring at her, they turned to see what had the prince so interested. Maera blinked back at hundreds of curious eyes.
The musicians started up the tune. Overhead a glimmer of green caught her eye. She looked up in time to see the northern lights twisting to life above her. Maera looked down and found Loki again in the crowd. He looked up at the lights and then back down to her and gave her a little smirk. She closed her eyes. She took a breath.
Then she sang.
The words bubbled up as easy as breathing. All her nervousness disappeared. She sang the familiar melody and was on to the second verse before she remembered her whole reason for being up on stage. She opened her eyes. Erik and those surrounding him all had the same glazed expression that Freydis had worn earlier. Except for Loki. He nodded at her and gestured to the prince.
Maera focused her attention on Erik as she continued the song. Forget about your obligations, she urged him. Forget about who you think have to be. Focus on what you feel for me.
Something made her move her gaze from Erik. She looked up and saw Valka and Freydis on the furthest edges of the crowd. They were talking with a tall man that Maera had never seen before. Neither party looked very happy. Maera dropped her attention back down to Erik as she continued her song. He was looking at her rapturously.
Maera looked back over at her friends and her stomach dropped. Skarde loomed out of the crowd and clamped a hand on Valka’s arm. When Freydis stepped up to intervene, the first man grabbed her. Maera looked back down at Erik. All she had to do was let him kiss her, and that would be it. Her eyes flicked back up to her friends. The men were dragging them off into the shadows between the buildings.
A spike of fear shot through Maera. They could just be discussing Valka’s marriage, she told herself. She had cut off their relationship rather abruptly. Maybe they just wanted to talk about it. But even as she considered the possibility, she knew it was a stupid thought. Skarde had all but confessed to killing Freydis’ mate after she had spurned him. What would he do now that two women were refusing him?
Maera dropped to sit on the edge of the platform and reached for Erik. He moved toward her, though agonizingly slow. Once he’d shuffled mindlessly within reach, Maera grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him close to her. She captured his mouth with hers. His eyes closed, and he responded, though barely. It was like kissing a rather unenthusiastic eel. There was nothing of Erik in the kiss. It wasn’t going to be good enough. This wasn’t working, and her friends were likely getting attacked. Maybe even killed. Maera pushed Erik roughly aside.
“Gods damn it,” she growled while blinking back frustrated tears. She stood, searching the crowd for the thinnest spot, and hopped off the platform. She pressed desperately through the crowd. Once she reached the outer ring of people, she searched out the alcove where she’d seen her friends disappear and barreled through. The shadows of the empty ally engulfed her. Maera pressed through and popped out on the other end. It was dark out here, and Maera’s eyes struggled to adjust to the lack of light.
“Impressive spell-work,” said a voice.
Maera whirled. However it wasn’t one of her friends or one of the two men who stepped out of the shadow of the nearby building.
It was Gunnhilde.
And she was smiling.
Chapter 24
The witch stepped into the faint light, tossing and catching a stone. Maera looked around for any sign of her friends. Valka and Freydis were nowhere to be found. She didn’t have time for this. She needed to find her friends.
“I’ve never seen anything quite like your magic,” the witch said. “Unfortunately, it’s not enough to save you. Erik will never love you. He is the type of man who only truly loves glory. If you count on him to win your bet, you will die.”
Maera, who had been trying to side-step Gunnhilde, snapped back around, raising an eyebrow. “How did you know about the bet?”
“Oh, I know many things. Like how to satisfy our oath to Odin without Erik.” She tossed the rock up in the air toward Maera, and Maera caught it. When she opened her hand, she saw it was a rune stone. Loki’s symbol was etched into the front, “Kill the one with whom you made the bet.”
Maera blinked.
The witch smiled.
“Why does everyone think committing murder to solve my problem is a good idea?” Maera said with an exasperated gesture. “Besides, Loki is a god. You can’t kill a god. I’ve tried.”
Gunnhilde stepped forward with surprising speed and pulled Loki’s dagger out of Maera’s belt. “There are ways,” the witch said. “If you have the right weapons.” Gunnhilde ran a finger over the blade and muttered something. The blade pulsed a sickly green before settling back into its normal silver shade. The witch twirled the blade and held it out to Maera, handle-first. “Stab him with this. When his blood soaks the earth and his life flickers out, your curse will be broken and you will live - no love of a prince required.” Maera stared back at the weapon. Her grip tightened on the rune in her hand and she shook her head. Gunnhilde smiled. “There is no other way. Erik is lost to you. It’s this or the sea foam.”
Maera’s eyes flicked from the blade to the witch’s glittering eyes. “How about I just stab you with it instead?”
“You’ll still die at dawn.”
“At least I’ll feel better about it.”
Gunnhilde laughed lightly. “I see why he likes you.” The witch stepped forward and slid the knife back underneath Maera’s belt. Gunnhilde patted the weapon there and stepped back. She winked at Maera. “The killing spell on the dagger will only work once. Consider it carefully. It’s an important decision. Much depends on it. More than you know.”
Maera started to ask more, but the witch turned and looked down toward the beach. Maera followed her gaze. Down by the docks she saw four shadows moving around the shoreline. A faint scream cut through the noise of the crowd in town and then was silenced. Maera tossed the rune stone back at Gunnhilde before breaking into a run toward a small cluster of boats pulled up on the sand.
As she closed in she saw a hand grab for the side of the boat and Valka’s soaked head emerged from the shallow water. Standing from a crouch, Skarde’s tall figure stood out starkly in the moonlight. He lunged for Valka. She jerked away, but not fast enough. He plunged her under the water again. When he raised her up a heartbeat later, he snarled something at her, but the woman could only sob in reply. A few steps away, the second man held Freydis pinned against his massive chest, while she thrashed and screamed against his meaty hand over her mouth. Skarde dunked Valka under the water again.
Maera lunged at him. She smacked into his body, hooking her arm around his neck and using her momentum to knock him off balance. He stumbled sideways, loosening his hold on Valka in the process. Valka popped up, gagging. “Sigyn!” she wheezed. She tried to say more, but the words dissolved in a fit of coughing.
Skarde’s face twisted in an ugly rage as he struggled to reclaim his balance. The second man grunted as Freydis thrashed in his grip. “Hurry and take care of them,” the man growled. “Somebody’s going to hear.” He adjusted his grip on Freydis, groping for a better grip on her jerking head. He was going to break her neck, Maera realized with horror. However, Skarde lunged for Valka, and Maera didn’t have time to help both. She darted in between Skarde and Valka, and his hands latched onto Maera instead.
A figure loomed out of the dark behind the other man and Loki appeared, grasping him with a choke-hold. Maera was only relieved for a flickering moment. Skarde shoved Maera down onto the rocky shore. The water lapped around her waist. A wave rolled in and Maera sputtered at the splash of saltwater in her face. She struggled to sit up. She got a glimpse of Valka running toward Freydis and Loki before Skarde shoved Maera hard into the rocks again, this time straddling her and holding her down. He reached for a knife tucked in
his belt.
In a blind panic, Maera grabbed at his shirt, got her feet under her, and bucked her hips. He cursed as he found himself off balance again. Taking advantage of his surprise, Maera used all of her weight to shove him into a roll. With the momentum, she flipped him down onto the sand and straddled his hips.
Before he could recover, Maera reached for her own knife. She hesitated only a moment. Valka’s sweet face flashed in her mind’s eye, followed by Freydis’ stern one. This man would not rest until he killed them both. Maera could stop him for good. Those women were part of her pod now, just like Loki. Sea foam be damned.
Maera shoved the cold blade under Skarde’s ribs. He made a strangled sound as his blood bubbled up, red and hot under her. He made as if to grab for her, but suddenly Loki was there, yanking her away from the man’s grasping hands. The knife in Skarde’s side pulsed a sickly green before fading back to normal.
Her last chance at survival was gone.
Maera’s legs gave out from under her, and Loki had to grip her around the waist to keep her upright. The press of his chest against her back stung the cuts there from the rocks, but she didn’t want him to let go. Back further up the beach, Freydis and Valka held each other. Valka sobbed against the other’s chest while Freydis blinked back tears of her own. The large man lay dead further up the beach, his neck at an awkward angle. Down in the water Skarde gave one last wheeze. He stopped struggling and stared blankly up at the sky.
“Go get Orm,” Loki called up to the women on shore. “Go tell him what happened. I’ve got Sigyn.” As Valka and Freydis hobbled off, Loki pulled Maera several more paces away from Skarde’s prone body and turned her away from it to face him. “Are you hurt?” he asked, voice strained.
Maera took a shaky breath. Other than the scrapes on her back, she thought she was all right. She shook her head and buried her face against the curve of his neck. This time Loki’s arms came up around her, pulling her up against him.
She didn’t have time to cry. After just a heartbeat of silence, Loki inhaled sharply. His grip tightened on her. Maera looked up, irrationally sure someone else was preparing to attack them. However the god’s gaze wasn’t focused on the shore. He stared over her shoulder, out to sea. Maera turned and saw it too.
The horizon was brightening. Dawn was almost here. Erik was back in the town somewhere. There was no way she could get to him before sunrise, let alone convince him he was in love with her in just a few moments.
She was out of time.
“I’m sorry,” Loki said weakly, dragging Maera’s attention back to him. “This is all my fault. I should never have . . .”
No. She clicked firmly. Something in his voice grounded her and helped quiet her swirling panic, giving her something to focus on. No, you’re not allowed to feel guilty about this. I made a bet, and I lost.
“I played with your life for ... for my entertainment,” Loki said, his voice breaking a bit on the last word. “I didn’t-”
It was my choice, Maera cut in. I don’t regret it. When he tried to argue again, Maera dug her fingers into the back of his shirt and gave it a hard tug. No. Stop. I mean it. She took a long breath while trying to put her next thought into words. If I had to choose between living a long life down there in the dark or dying up here today in the light, I’d choose this – every time, she clicked. Loki swallowed hard, but didn’t reply. Now, I need you to just shut up and . . . and stay with me . . . until I go.
Without waiting for an answer, she leaned forward, once again resting her forehead in the crook of his neck. His arms encircled her again. She took a shuddering breath. He smelled faintly of smoke, though Maera wasn’t sure why.
As the sky brightened, she focused on the feeling of his warm chest against hers and his arms around her back. It was a sharp contrast to the icy water lapping around their thighs. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited. Maera hoped it would be all over quickly. She couldn’t stand the thought of lingering in pain like she had after the shark attack. Just the thought of it made a twinge of panic shoot through her.
Loki took a shaky breath. “Hey,” he said quietly. Maera opened her eyes and blinked away the frightened tears that had started to gather there. She lifted her head and was suddenly aware of how close she was to his face. Loki looked down at her, his eyes dark with some emotion that Maera couldn’t quite name. He licked his lips. There was a long pause before he muttered, “Do you think we can move this up to the beach? I’m freezing my balls off here.”
Maera choked out a laugh. Oh my gods. She shoved him and icy water splashed them both as he stumbled a pace backward. Are those really the last words I’m going to hear before I die?
Now that she was at arm’s length, some of the intensity had faded from his expression. A hint of a smirk pulled up the corner of his mouth. “What, now I’m responsible for your eulogy too?”
Well, I think you could do a little better than, ‘My balls are frozen.’
He shrugged. “What’s wrong with that? It’s what I plan to have written on my tombstone, if I ever get one. What runes do you think would blend together to mean ‘frozen balls’?”
Maera tried to snap back a reply, but her words dissolved into giggles, despite the seriousness of the brightening sky. Somehow, she wasn’t so afraid anymore. If this was really the end, she was glad she was going to leave like this –- laughing. She grinned at him and wiped away the few tears that had slipped down her cheeks. She stepped back toward him. “You’re terrible,” she giggled.
Loki’s gaze moved to her lips, where her last two words had come from. “Only mostly,” he murmured.
When she had re-approached him, she’d intended to pull him back into a hug, but now found her hands lingering on his chest and her attention drifting down to his mouth. When she pulled her gaze back up to his, she saw he was looking at her in that intense way again. Hunger, she decided. That look of his was hunger. Hunger for her.
Maera’s fingers curled into the front of his shirt almost of their own volition. In the next heartbeat, Loki pulled her toward him and crushed his mouth against hers. She gave a little gasp against his lips. It was like being plunged backward under a wave of desire. Longing unfurled like a sail in her chest as his warm hands slid over her hips and up her back, twisting into the fabric of her dress, drawing her closer.
She hadn’t known how much she’d wanted it until it was happening. And she’d wanted it for some time, she realized as the kiss went on and on. Maera slid one of her own arms up and buried her hand in his hair. His grip on her tightened. His kiss more desperate. It was as if he believed he could keep her from disappearing if he just held on tightly enough. She was more than willing to let him try.
When they parted for breath Loki started to say something, but Maera jerked a hand up to cover his mouth. “No,” she said breathlessly. “No, you will not say anything stupid to ruin this.”
He chuckled against her fingertips. His warm breath felt good against her chilled fingers. When certain he would obey, she dropped her hand and leaned back toward him. She kissed him gently. Lingering. He melted back against her with a sigh.
Maera decided she had changed her mind. If she had to die today, this was an even better way to go than laughing.
It was then she noticed that the heat on her face was not only from her rapid heartbeat. She broke away from the kiss, momentarily enchanted by how Loki swayed toward her as if unwilling to leave the moment. However she dragged her attention from him to look over her shoulder.
The sun was well over the horizon now. She blinked at the sight while she tried to catch her breath. I’m ... I’m still here, she clicked.
Loki was slow to refocus his attention. “What?” he murmured, his breathing still uneven.
“Look,” Maera said, untwisting an arm from him to point toward the rising sun. Loki frowned at the horizon. He looked confused for a moment, but then his gaze snapped down to her, still in his arms. Realization dawned across his face. “Oh.” He drew in
a shuddering breath before giving a short laugh. “Well, shit.”
It took a moment for reason to filter through Maera’s muddled mind, but it finally clicked. Their bet hadn’t been to win Erik’s heart. It had been for her to steal the heart of a god. And she’d caught one, if the kiss she’d just had was any indication. She grinned at his still slightly bewildered expression. I guess I win.
Loki was still trying to settle his ragged breathing. “You cheated,” he said.
I would think that, as a god of mischief, you would appreciate that fact.
“I guess there are worse ways to lose a bet,” he muttered. Maera giggled and he didn’t resist when she leaned back in for another kiss. However, their lips had barely touched before he pulled back. When Maera looked up at him curiously, he said, “Not to spoil the moment or anything, but seriously, can we get out of the water?”
Maera snorted a laugh. “Yeah, okay.” Her own legs were nearly numb with the cold. They untangled themselves from each other and Loki retrieved his dagger from the body that Maera had forgotten was there. The sight of it sobered her somewhat.
Loki paused, eyeing the blood on the blade, before shaking his head with a snort and wiping the side of it clean on his pants. Maera didn’t ask him what he thought was so amusing.
She and Loki sloshed out of the water side-by-side just as Freydis returned with her father and a few other men from the village to survey the results of the struggle. As they walked up the beach, Maera was tackled by Valka who enveloped her in a hug while she cried. Maera hugged her back and tried to reassure her friend she was all right.
The men passed them by to inspect the bodies, with Chief Orm pausing briefly to thank Maera and Loki for protecting his daughter. Maera passed off the weeping Valka to Freydis, who gave Maera a small smile over the top of the other girl’s head as Valka latched on to her next.