by S. E. Babin
I glared at her, but she didn't drop her intense stare. "Fine," I said and tossed her a piece. She caught it mid-air and sat back down on her haunches like nothing had ever happened. "No more," I said.
Loki sat beside me with even more pancakes and took the maple syrup from me. "She's a great pup so far. No accidents in the house, so I put her at around 6-8 months old. I wonder if we should take her to a vet."
I spoke with my mouth full. "We don't have any vets around here."
"I wonder if we could call Eir?" Loki murmured.
I glanced up at him. "Eir? She's in Lyfjaberg, Loki. There's no way to contact her from here."
"You forget what I am, little witch." He buttered his pancakes and poured an obscene amount of syrup on top.
Loki could travel anywhere he wanted, even Asgard if he desired. Why he continued hanging out with me, I had no idea. So far he hadn't been banned from anywhere over his decision to stay. It seemed like he had blackmail material on every one. Knowing Loki, maybe he did.
I glanced down at Hallie who was now lying at my feet. "She seems fine," I offered.
"Pups get a lot of worms and stuff like that," Loki said. When he saw my scrutiny, a faint blush of color appeared on his cheeks. "I read that somewhere," he said, his normally musical voice gruff with embarrassment.
"Fetch her if you'd like. The wards should recognize her and allow her entrance." I didn't add as long as she didn't wish any of us ill. I'd never met the goddess of healing, though I'd never heard anything negative about her. "Healing Mountain is a far journey from here." Not all of us could portal travel. It depended on our age and magics. Eir shouldn't have an issue because I was pretty sure she was older than I was, but she might not be able to bring anyone with her without using Yggdrasil to travel.
If she knew what was good for her, she wouldn't tell anyone where she was heading.
"I'll go tonight," Loki said. He leaned over to look at Hallie. "Want to go on a trip with me?" he asked her.
She gave a quiet woof of agreement. "It's settled then," he said. Loki's expression sobered. "Will you be alright without me?'
I shoved another bite of breakfast in my mouth. "Of course," I said. "Everything will be fine."
"What about Hel?" he asked, his face darkening a touch.
I reached over and took his hand. "Hel is fine. She hasn't done anything except annoy me."
Loki didn't look reassured. "You must be watchful, Freya. To loosen your guard is to court disaster."
Morrigan's words came back to me. Beware the dark woman. Maybe it wasn't her? I sighed. "I'll keep an eye out for anything strange. I promise."
He gave me a short nod and we finished our breakfast in silence. As I was standing to put my plate away, I felt his gaze lingering on my back. Loki wanted more out of this relationship. I knew it. I just wasn't sure I could give it to him right now. I rinsed my plate and carefully set it in the sink, waiting for Loki to stop staring. When I felt his gaze drop, I turned back around and pasted a bright smile on my face. "What's on the agenda today?"
"I'm going to walk downtown and make sure all the pansies were planted in their baskets. Then I have to stop by Griselda's shop to get some more creeping thyme. We still have a lot of pavers we need to plant in between," Loki had taken over the town's beautification projects. He made sure all of the businesses were landscaped and had been planting trees and gardens all around the town along with the help of the townspeople. It was already gorgeous in Virginia, but he'd made it especially so by using the already fertile soil and a little bit of magic. Even during the winter, the town could feel like spring. That was the beauty of a place that existed on strong magic.
"I think I'm going to hang out here for a couple more hours then head into the bar. Hopefully, Gravelbeard hasn't done too much damage to the kitchen yet. I have a salad idea I want him to try."
One of Loki's dark eyebrows rose. "You're going to make a food suggestion to the dwarf version of Gordon Ramsey?"
A surprised laugh escaped me. Apparently I wasn't the only one who'd been enjoying the new television. "It's delicious. I made it for myself the other day and I think it will be a hit."
Loki shrugged. "It's your funeral."
"He's going to like it," I said decisively.
"Let's hope," Loki said, but his lips quirked in a smile. I stuck my tongue out at him.
He laughed and finished the last bite of his pancake. "You wash, I dry?" he asked.
I nodded. "Sounds good. I'm still thinking about getting a dishwasher installed, but I'm not sure who'd know how to do it."
"You could let a human in and spell him not to remember later," Loki suggested.
I frowned at the thought. "I'm not sure I want to do that. Maybe I can ask Gravelbeard. He seems to be familiar with some mechanical things."
"Dwarves are usually good with metal and weaponry. It won't hurt to ask him, but he may not know the electric side of it." Loki stood and rinsed his dish off before he put it to the side of the sink. He plugged it and turned the cool water up to hot and poured some dish soap in for me.
"He's surprisingly resourceful," I said as I stood up.
Loki grabbed a towel from one of the kitchen drawers. "If he can't he might know someone else who can help."
I put my hands in the water and began to wash. "It won't hurt to ask. I'm tired of washing dishes."
Loki didn't say anything, but his shoulders tightened for a brief second, almost fast enough for me to miss. "I like spending the time with you, little witch."
My heart seized with joy. I struggled to keep it off my face, but Loki's lips quirked and I knew he knew his words had made me happy.
"Although I must confess that I much rather prefer drying than washing." Loki carefully towel-dried the plates and put them away.
"Maybe I'll wait a little while, then," I offered.
He stilled. "On the dishwasher?"
I nodded. "Aye."
The small smile turned into a full-fledged grin and my heart galloped straight away from me and into Loki's arms.
I was in so much trouble.
Gravelbeard was in rare form when I made it into the bar later that afternoon. Eyra stood beside the small dwarf and both were chopping peppers and onions. She looked up when she saw me and smiled toothily.
"Freya!" She waved her knife around. "I'd hug you but I smell like onions."
"Hey, Eyra," I said as I breezed in. My arms were full of produce - spinach, blueberries, Honeycrisp apples, dried cranberries, roasted pumpkin seeds and bottles of flavored balsamic vinegar and olive oils.
Gravelbeard eyed me but didn't say anything. He grunted and went back to chopping. I cleared off a metal table and pulled a cutting board from the bottom of it. I'd already washed everything at the house, so I peeled and cored the apple and diced it into small pieces. I grabbed a large bowl from the cabinet behind me and filled it with baby spinach. I tossed the apples in and then added some blueberries and dried cranberries. Then I tossed a handful of roasted pumpkin seeds on top.
By now, both Gravelbeard and Eyra had stopped to watch me. I unstoppered the vinegar and oils and poured an even amount of Strawberry balsamic vinegar and Basil olive oil in a small bowl. Once it was thickened by vigorous whisking on my part, I poured it on top of the salad and tossed it around to make sure a little dressing got on everything.
I dished up bowls for all of us and handed two to Gravelbeard and Eyra, along with forks. "I want to serve this tonight," I said to him. He'd gotten quite possessive over the kitchen lately, and normally I didn't have a problem with it. But ... lately, he hadn't always taken all my suggestions to heart. Regardless of whether he liked this or not, I was going to serve it.
But ... he was my friend, and I wanted him to like it and want to serve it.
Eyra sensed something else was going on than me simply making a salad for them, but she didn't question it. She took the first bite and seconds later, shut her eyes. When she finished chewing, she smiled. "This is amaz
ing!" she said and took another bite. "I feel like I could eat this forever, no matter what season it is."
Gravelbeard frowned at her effusive praise and added each ingredient to his fork. As wild as he looked, he was an extremely careful eater. One piece of apple, one blueberry, etc., all added to his fork so he could fully experience the salad. As he chewed, I held my breath.
I could sense the moment he made an opinion on it. "Aye," he said. "It's good. I'll serve it." His voice was gruff, and I noticed he put his salad bowl down, but he kept eyeing it as if it were a snake about to bite him.
"Gravelbeard?" I questioned.
He gave one sharp shake of his head. "It's good," he said again. "It will be a hit."
I nodded. "Good," I said. "Good." But something was off about his reaction. Maybe soon I'd have to sit him down and talk to him. He'd come with me willingly to this new place, but I needed to make sure I was keeping him properly challenged. Granted, Gravelbeard was best when he had two axes in his hand and blood on his armor, but this was supposed to be a peaceful town. I wondered what else I could do to make him happy here. He had land and a job, but something seemed to be eating away at him.
Eyra's brow furrowed at him as she ate her salad. When she finished, she set it down. "I think that's the best salad I've ever had," she confessed. "I have a weird, texture thing when it comes to food. I can't eat anything slimy." She grimaced. "So if it has cucumbers or tomatoes in it, I nope right out of there."
I laughed at the imagery.
"This was delightfully crisp and crunchy, but also soft and flavorful. And the dressing you made?" She rolled her eyes heavenward. "I would never in a million years think it was that easy if I hadn't seen you make it with my own two eyes. Delicious." She kissed the tips of her fingers.
"Thanks, Eyra," I said. "I've got a lot of groceries being delivered at the top of the hour, enough to serve salads for the rest of the night. We have to use most of the ingredients pretty quickly, so hopefully we can move them pretty quickly. Did you have something else in mind for a special tonight? If it works, we can add the salad as a side item."
His brows beetled together. "I thought about serving lamb chops tonight," he said. "With garlic and parmesan broccolini."
My stomach growled. "Sounds wonderful. I think the salad would be a great addition to that. What do you think?"
Gravelbeard nodded. "Aye. I can have Eyra put it on the blackboard outside if she doesn't mind."
Eyra's eyebrow rose, but she took the hint. "Eyra can and will," she said as she strolled out the door.
Gravelbeard waited until she was completely gone and out of earshot. He set the plate of salad down and studied me, letting a heavy sigh out as he did. Worry skittered down my spine. He wasn't going to leave me, was he? How in the world was I going to find another chef like him?
"Freya," he began.
"Please don't leave me!" I babbled. "Am I not paying you enough? I'm probably not. Do you want more money? Did I do something? Did I hurt your feelings?"
Gravelbeard's bushy eyebrows rose in alarm. "Freya, I -"
"Oh my gods. I did, didn't I? I hurt your feelings and now you want to leave me. Everything is falling apart and I -"
"For fuck's sake, Freya!" Gravelbeard bellowed. "Will ye get ahold of yourself, woman! Not everything is about you, you know!"
I blinked. "You aren't leaving me?"
He rolled his eyes. "No. People don't hire dwarves, now do they? Especially not to handle their food."
"Okay. Then what is it?"
He heaved a frustrated sigh. "We could have already been done with this conversation had you not had a panic attack, now couldn't we?"
"Sorry," I said meekly.
He dragged a hand through his hair and his feet shuffled. Gravelbeard was nervous. I'd never seen him act like this before. If he wasn't leaving me, then what did he want?
"I wanted to ask ye for some time off," he said and stopped. It was like he'd been saving that up for years and just blurted it out in anticipation of my reaction.
I blinked again. "Okay. And?" There had to be an and here.
Gravelbeard's brow wrinkled in confusion. "And what?" he barked.
A heavy, relieved sigh escaped me. "Gravelbeard, of course you can have some time off. Just give me a few days notice. Why are you being weird?"
"Me being weird? Why are you being weird?" His worried expression became thunderous.
"I'm being weird because I thought you were leaving me!"
"And why the fuck would I leave you then?" he yelled.
"I don't know! Maybe because I almost got you killed!"
Gravelbeard's mouth opened and shut in surprise. His upper lip twitched and a great wheeze escaped him.
"Are you - are you crying?" I asked in disbelief.
He bent over, heaving big gasps of air in. It took me a moment to realize he was laughing. "Are you making fun of me?" I demanded.
"You - you think you almost got me killed?" He sounded like an asthmatic chain-smoking truck driver.
"This isn't funny," I said.
"Freya," he said between gales of laughter. "The most honorable thing a dwarf can do is die in battle. No matter what it's for. If I had died defending you and this place from the gods, I'd become a paragon." He stood up and wiped his eyes. "It's what every dwarf strives for - a place in history among the greatest dwarfs. And me defending the great war goddess and her new settlement would put me at the top. I am not afraid of dying, my friend. I am afraid of being weak. I consider it my greatest accomplishment and pleasure to be here with you, and if I ever have the chance to sacrifice myself for you I would."
I leaned against the counter, the wind taken out of my sails. "I thought I was going to lose you," I said. How in the world had my two closest companions become a grumpy dwarf and a trickster god? I had no idea what was going on in my life anymore.
Gravelbeard blinked a few times. "Oh Freya, when a dwarf is accepted into a place of honor, he never, ever leaves."
I sniffed and dashed a tear away. "Is this what that is for you? A place of honor?" A lump settled right at the base of my throat.
"I am the only dwarf in the history of our kind to be asked to stand at the side of a goddess." A small smile quirked his thick lips. "I can see no other way to describe it as other than an honor." He held a hand out. "You've given me land, a place to work, and an honest paycheck. So many of us have so much less."
I walked over to him.
"Do not hug me," he warned, his hand falling to his side.
"Come here, you burly bundle of man candy," I said.
Gravelbeard snorted and took a step back. "No one touches this manly body except for Eyra."
Eyra stepped back into the kitchen at that moment, took in the scene, and said, "Freya can hug you. I don't know what she wants to hug you for, but it must be important because she rarely hugs people."
Gravelbeard shot her a look of betrayal but stopped moving away from me.
I wrapped my arms around him and it was like hugging a bag with two cats fighting inside of it. I held on tight, pleasantly surprised to find that he smelled like pine and woodsmoke.
"I adore you, Gravelbeard," I said as I leaned and kissed him on the cheek. The dwarf went fire engine red and awkwardly patted me on the shoulder.
"You can have whatever time you want off. Just leave me a note in the office and I'll make sure to get your shifts covered." I let go of him and stepped away.
Eyra grinned at us both and Gravelbeard looked discomfited. Had the man never been hugged in his life? I resolved to hug him more. Even if it made us both uncomfortable.
"Thank you, Freya," he said and turned away to finish chopping his vegetables.
"I guess we're done here?" I asked. The dwarf ignored me and Eyra shrugged. "Alright then. I'll leave all the salad ingredients in the walk-in fridge. Do I need to write it down?"
"Do ye think I'm an idiot, wench?" Gravelbeard growled.
An amused snort escaped me. Few
would be brave enough to speak to the goddess of war the way he did. I didn't mind at all. I was delighted he wasn't scared of me. You couldn't be genuine friends with someone you were terrified of. I should know. This was the first time I'd ever had friends. Real friends.
It was nice.
"I'll leave you to it, then," I said, winking at Eyra as I left them alone. My heart was lighter and my head was clear. Gravelbeard was here for the long haul.
I should probably give him a raise.
Eight
All remained quiet on the bar front. We opened at normal time and Gravelbeard once again greeted the customers with foul language and good food. The salad was a huge hit and the first few times one was ordered, Gravelbeard would shove it through the window and mutter something like, "Are we feeding fucking rabbits now? Why don't we just go vegan and flip the bird to all our fucking ancestors, then!"
I couldn't help chuckling under my breath. He was such a bratty jerk sometimes.
Hel hadn't made an appearance yet so I was breathing a little easier. I happened to notice we weren't as busy as we normally were and I placed the blame for that squarely on Hel's shoulders after her little beetle stunt the night before.
I wanted her to leave. The sooner the better.
Prior to opening, Gravelbeard inspected the kitchen with a fine-tooth comb and pronounced it weevil free. Whatever happened last night seemed to be over. We'd gone through all the food and neither of us had seen anything to worry about.
To make absolutely sure, I reinforced the protections on the bar.
The door opened and my senses came alive. Loki was here. I knew it was him before he stepped in. The marriage bond between us grew stronger every day, the only physical evidence of it the ever-changing tattoos on our hands.
They'd gone from a simple vine, to a flower, to a naked couple and now mine held multiple roses unfurled in full bloom, thorns and vines. The naked couple had fortunately disappeared. I expect Morrigan had something to do with it considering she was the one who put them there to begin with.