Highway to Hel

by S. E. Babin

  I got home around 10:30 and found Loki staring at me wide-eyed, his expression one of comical guilt.

  He held the most adorable puppy I’d ever seen. Steel your heart, Freya, I told myself. Do not look into the puppy’s eyes. Stay firm. Stay calm, cool, and collected.

  Loki and I stared at each other. I watched as he appeared to gather and discard thoughts as fast as he could think them. Finally, he bowed his head.

  “I found her,” he said.

  “I see.” The pup appeared to be a mix between a husky and a pitbull. She had one crystal clear blue eye and the other was a strange hazel. She stared at me with an intense look that made me nervous. I frowned, realizing I’d made the first mistake when I looked into its eyes.

  The dog tilted her head quizzically and studied me just like I studied her. “You can’t stay,” I said.

  The pup whimpered and turned its face up to Loki.

  “She doesn’t get to decide,” I said. “It’s my house.”

  “If we were in a joint property state, it would be mine, too,” Loki drawled.

  “If we were human, we wouldn’t be in this beyond ridiculous situation,” I retorted.

  He looked down at the dog. “Freya has a point.”

  The pup yipped and looked back at me.

  “She says you should reconsider.” Loki dropped a kiss on top of the pup’s beautiful fur. It had short hair, thankfully, and one of its ears stood up straight as the other flopped adorably.

  “Neither one of us have time for a dog,” I tried to argue. Even as the words fell from my mouth, I knew it was only an excuse. We could make plenty of time, but we didn’t. I didn’t like being home alone and I loved spending time at the bar.

  “Oh. My. Gods,” a voice sounded from behind me. I spun, only to see the Morrigan standing behind me. “Is that a … puppy?” she asked reverently.

  To the pup’s credit, it did not wither in fear at the scary, feather-covered death goddess standing in front of it. Instead, it perked up considerably. It wriggled out of Loki’s arms and leaped across the room, straight into Morrigan’s arms. She gasped in shock at first, but quickly cradled the pup in her arms.

  “Oh my goodness,” she cooed. “Did you see that leap? That doesn’t seem normal.” She nuzzled the top of the pup’s head and it wriggled and situated itself on its back, belly up. “Aren’t you a snuggly little adorable thing!” The pup’s tongue lolled out of his mouth as she surrendered to the Morrigan’s attentions.

  Loki and I exchanged glances. Who was this and what had they done with the fearsome death goddess? She rubbed the pup’s belly and nuzzled noses with her. We stood there watching, unable to say anything. This was like an odd trainwreck. I wanted to see it, but I also didn’t want to see it because how would I ever be scared of the Morrigan again when I knew all I had to do was shove a puppy in her face?

  “You must keep it,” the Morrigan said.

  “I don’t have the time or space for a pup.” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at her for encouraging Loki.

  The Morrigan rolled her eyes. "You have an entire settlement of space. Take her to work." She tickled the pup's belly again. "She can be a bar dog."

  "You should take her," I said. "She seems enamored with you."

  In response, she tapped the pup's nose. "No. She says she wants to stay with you."

  Loki snorted. "I'm serious," the Morrigan said. "She has a purpose here. She just doesn't know what it is yet."

  "Morrigan," I warned.

  She held a hand up. "Hand to the gods, I promise. She says she needs to be here."

  "It doesn't look like she's saying much of anything," I grumbled.

  "It's in her eyes." The Morrigan turned her fathomless eyes to me. "Besides, I do know a thing or two about fate, you know. She needs to be here and not running around with me. I rarely stay in one place for long and a dog needs a steady home."

  The look on Loki's face was painfully hopeful.

  "I work long hours at the bar. Who's going to feed her and take her on walks?"

  Loki raised his hand. "I can." He eyed the pup, something like longing in his eyes. "I've never had a pet."

  A soft sigh escaped me as I felt myself caving. Morrigan, perhaps sensing blood, went in for the kill. "Come now. Would it be so bad? These guys are like a free alarm system." She looked up at me. "And look at that little face. She'll be a good dog, won't you?"

  The pup yipped right on cue.

  This was a terrible idea. I liked animals. A lot. But I didn't know how I would feel with one of them living in my house. The dog wriggled around and Morrigan adjusted her so the pup was staring right at me. She tilted her head and gave me literal puppy dog eyes.

  I sighed. "No pooping in the house."

  The dog whined. "I'm serious," I said. "No pottying whatsoever in the house. No chewing on furniture. Loki will get you some toys. And no jumping on the couch."

  Morrigan tsked. "Surely the last one is cruel and unusual punishment."

  "Do not push me, Morrigan."

  The dark goddess leaned to whisper in the pup's ear. "Take what you can get, kid. This looks to be your final offer." The dog yipped and jumped out of Morrigan's arms. She padded over and sat at my heels, the perfect example of a good dog. I frowned down at it. "I'm serious," I emphasized. "No pottying in the house."

  The pup whined again.

  Loki stared at me hopefully. "Fine," I breathed out. "But you are responsible for cleaning up any messes and replacing any chewed furniture. Got it?"

  He nodded like he was a bobblehead.

  "And do not let her on the furniture!"

  Loki's head was a little slower to bobble that time.

  Morrigan clapped her hands together. "Aww. Your first baby!" She pretended like she took a picture of us. "I can't wait to hear your first fight over it."

  "We won't fight," Loki said as he reached down to scoop her up. "Because I plan on taking great care of this little girl."

  The pup gave Loki a sloppy kiss on the face. A rueful grin appeared on his lips, and my heart skipped a couple of beats. "Want to go see what the bakery has for dogs?" he asked.

  The pup yipped again and I stared after them as he carried her out the door.

  "Does that pup seem strange?" I wondered aloud.

  "Very," Morrigan agreed. "But I checked. There's no concealment spells or anything around her. She seems to be just a smart pup."

  "Scary smart," I remarked.

  "She's totally going to be on your furniture soon," the Morrigan said.

  "Yeah." I turned to her. "So what's going on? You never visit twice in a day."

  She trailed into the kitchen and popped a coffee pod into my machine. "Who's to say I have an agenda?" Morrigan took a mug down and hit the Brew button.

  I tilted my head and studied her. "Are you saying you don't?"

  She snorted and took her mug from under the machine. "Well. I do."

  I rolled my eyes and walked into the living room where I plopped down on my couch. I kicked my shoes off, wincing as I realized in the puppy commotion that I'd forgotten to leave them by the front door. I lifted my feet up on the couch and pulled the throw slung over the back of the couch onto my lap.

  The Morrigan trailed after me holding a piping hot mug of coffee. She took an oversized chair opposite of me and took a sip of her coffee. Closing her eyes, she sighed after she swallowed.

  "Have you ever been to a Starbucks?" I asked her.

  Her brow crinkled. "No. What's that?"

  I smiled. "I've only been there once. It's a shop full of coffee any way you can think of it and baked goods. They also have hot chocolate."

  Her eyes gleamed. "Any flavor?"

  "Not any. But a lot. You can ask them about it because I know they have a lot of flavors they use for other drinks."

  She stared down at her mug. "I may need to try it."

  I fluffed a pillow behind me and laid my head on it. "They're everywhere. I bet you'd like it." Before I c
ould stop myself, a huge yawn escaped me.

  "I'm here to apologize," the Morrigan said abruptly.

  My yawn cut off in mid-go. I blinked at her. "Excuse me?"

  She waved a hand. "For being so abrupt earlier."

  "It's okay," I said as I wondered where this was coming from.

  "It seemed like you were reaching out and I didn't know what to do." Her hands were clenched around the mug so tightly the knuckles were white.

  "It can be hard to make friends," I said lightly. "Especially women friends. Even more especially with ... beings like us."

  "I've never met one I wanted to be friends with," she admitted. Morrigan met my gaze. "Until you." Moisture shimmered in her eyes.

  I sat up and patted the couch beside me. She gave me a dubious look. "Are you going to make this weird? Please don't make this weird."

  A laugh escaped me. "Just come and sit beside me." I grabbed the remote control and turned the television on. "Have you ever heard of a rom-com?"

  She slowly got out of her seat and settled herself next to me. "No. What is that? Like a convention?"

  I flipped through my digital library and found Love Actually. "Let me introduce you to Hugh Grant and the wonders of Colin Firth."

  I pressed play and offered the Morrigan half my blanket. Never in a million years did I ever expect something like this to happen, but there was something about the fearsome woman beside me that made me think if I ever had a friend, a good one, I might want her to be like Morrigan.

  Six

  I caught her wiping her eyes at least three times, though I did my best to ignore it. I'd seen this movie about six times since I'd moved here and discovered the wonders of streaming television. When the movie ended, Morrigan gaped at the television.

  "Is that it?" she exclaimed.

  "It is. Maybe next week I'll turn on “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days."

  She gaped at me. "There's more of these wonderful things?"

  I laughed. "So many more and they keep making them. Isn't that amazing?"

  She peered down at the remote in my hand. "And this thing. It controls that thing?" She pointed to the television.

  "It does." I handed it to her and showed her the workings of the remote. Then I pulled up Netflix.

  She inhaled sharply. "Are these all ... rom-coms?"

  I shook my head. "No. There are dramas, documentaries, comedies, thrillers..." I let my voice trail off

  She flipped through them, reading all the descriptions. "And these are ... not true?"

  "It depends," I said. "Most of them are made up stories. But some of them - the documentaries and true-crime, have really happened."

  "How have I never seen these wonders?" she demanded.

  "They're from the human world." I stretched and yawned.

  "Just like this Starbucks place?" She pinned me with her crystal blue eyes. Her attention was rapt on me, and I suppressed my amusement at her wonder.

  "Mmm hmm. They have a lot of cool things." I took the remote back and flipped the television off. It was past my bedtime.

  "And where do I get one of these?" she asked, pointing to the television.

  "The electronics or department store usually. We can plan a trip soon if you want."

  Her face lit with hope. "Truly?"

  "Of course, Morrigan. You'll have to wear something different, though."

  She frowned down at her attire. "This is not appropriate?"

  I shook my head. "Not entirely. The humans dress a lot differently than we do. And you need funds."

  "Funds? Like coin?" Her confusion was hilarious but I was careful not to show my amusement. Our friendship was too tenuous for me to tease her right now.

  "Yes, but I'll have to exchange it for cash."

  She sighed and shook her head. "This is making my head hurt."

  "Do you have a place where you can keep it if you buy one? You'll need electricity as well."

  The Morrigan gave me a quelling look. "I'm well aware of electricity," she said archly. "The humans don't keep everything secret. I have a lamp I like to read by during the evening when I'm home."

  A small smile formed on my lips. "Good. With that and a sturdy table, we can get you set up with no problem."

  "This is exciting," she said. "I cannot wait for more rom-coms." Morrigan pushed the blanket off and stood. "I must go, Freya." Her eyes glowed in the dim light. "But first, I will give you a boon." Her eyes flashed silver once, then twice. "The pup you kept today will become a steadfast companion and will one day save your life. Beware the woman of shadows, for she is a stranger to the light, and embraces only darkness."

  Her eyes flashed back to their normal color and she blinked. When she saw my pale face, Morrigan frowned. "What did I say?"

  "Errm. Not much. Just death and destruction probably."

  "Oh." Morrigan shrugged. "Seems like me." She gave me a little wave and disappeared. I stared in the spot she'd stood for quite a while after her departure.

  Seven

  Loki and the new pup barreled into the house sometime after 1 a.m. I'd fallen asleep on the couch and bolted upright when the door hit the spring on the wall.

  "Loki?" I asked, sleepily.

  A muttered curse came from the hallway and the telltale clicking of nails told me the pup was with him. Seconds later, she skidded around the corner and came right for me. I tried to sit up, but she jumped on top of me and not even a millisecond later, I was covered in doggie kisses.

  I snort laughed and tried to push her away, but she was a wriggling mess. She flopped onto her stomach and inched up until she was snuggled in the crook of my neck.

  Something in my heart gave as she settled down, her cold little nose pressed into the area where my neck met my shoulder. I tentatively stroked her fur and the pup huffed a contented sigh.

  Awww.

  Loki strolled in and leaned against the wall, staring at us with one raised eyebrow.

  "It's temporary," I grumped. The dog was on the couch, but technically she was on me and I was on the couch. So if we were getting down to the nitty-gritty of it, the dog was not on the couch. I continued stroking her soft fur. "How was she?"

  Loki chuckled and sat down at the opposite end of the couch. He picked my feet up and put them on his lap. "Charming and yet diabolical at the same time."

  The pup huffed. "Sounds like she doesn't agree with you."

  He reached over and scratched behind her neck. "She likes you," he said.

  I did not want a dog. Yet, it was like she had some kind of hold over me. I couldn't stop petting her and I enjoyed the heavy weight of her on my chest.

  "This is how they get you," Loki remarked. "They're demonic one second and the next they get adorably cute. That's how they wiggle into your heart." He took one of my feet and pressed his thumbs into the arch. I groaned in relief and shut my eyes. This was one of my favorite parts of living with him. He gave good foot rubs. I surrendered to his attention and soon the pup and I were fast asleep.

  I woke up in my own bed having no memory of how I got there. Loki lay beside me, his arm curled around the pup who'd somehow insinuated herself seamlessly in my life. I frowned down at her, but she didn't move a muscle, content to lay there having great puppy dreams. Morrigan's words drifted back to me.

  "So you're going to save my life one day, are you?" I whispered. I grunted softly. "You don't look like much."

  The pup opened one eye, blinked at me, and went right back to sleep.

  "You've got it right," I said. I rolled over and did my best to let my thoughts drift away. It wasn't unusual for Loki to be in my bed, but as time had gone on, it didn't seem as innocent as it once had. I didn't want him to leave, but I also didn't want him to stay.

  A shuddering sigh escaped me. Things were changing even though I wanted them to stay the same. My eyes finally drifted shut some time later, just as the first fingers of dawn were beginning to streak across the sky.

  The smell of coffee woke me up some hours later. I
blinked up at the ceiling, groaned, and rolled over to look at my clock.

  Ten a.m. I sat straight up and slung my legs to the floor. How on earth had I slept that long? Sliding my feet into slippers, I stretched and sighed before I stood. The sounds and smells of something cooking reached my nose and ears, so I went to the kitchen first. I could only hope Loki had made coffee.

  I stepped inside only to abruptly stop. Loki was in the kitchen, which was no big surprise, but he was shirtless, which was a huge surprise, and he was making pancakes. Also another huge surprise. He was a scrambled eggs kind of guy, or so I thought. My gaze narrowed as I watched him expertly flip a pancake. The new puppy sat obediently at his feet waiting for something to drop.

  "Hallie," I murmured.

  Loki turned around, his eyes gleaming like emeralds. "Good morning, Freya. Chocolate chip or blueberries?" he asked, pointing at two steaming piles of pancakes.

  My mouth watered and it wasn't only because Loki was offering me delicious pancakes. "Um. Both?" I asked hopefully.

  "Coming right up," he said and winked at me before he turned back to the stove. "What's Hallie?" he asked.

  But the pup was staring at me with her head tilted in curiosity. "The dog," I said. "Maybe we could call her Hallie."

  Loki's spatula stilled. "For Valhalla?"

  I stilled even though he couldn't see me. "Exactly." I reached down and scratched Hallie behind the ears. "What do you think? Do you like Hallie?"

  The pup barked once and let its tongue hang out. "I think she likes it."

  "I do, too," Loki said and flipped the pancake. He didn't answer how he knew about the name. Sometimes I wondered if our bond allowed our thoughts to slip a little. If it wasn't that, Loki was the most intuitive person I'd ever met. It felt like he really knew me. Not the Freya I showed to Asgard. Not Odin's wife. Just me. The woman who liked to get her feet rubbed, who liked to cook, and sling drinks at a bar.

  He knew me and I'd be forever grateful.

  Loki held a plate out to me, piled high with pancakes. I snagged the maple syrup off the counter and drowned them with it. Before I even sat down, I'd already cut my first bite. Hallie stared at me expectantly.