Highway to Hel

by S. E. Babin

  "Just like that," I said and patted him on his chest.

  "Are you ever going to tell me what this is about?" he asked as his magic filled the air. It tasted of winter roses and ice, all things from his homeland, Jotunheim.

  I peered up at him. "I'd like you to be just as surprised as everyone else."

  He barked a surprised laugh. "Alright then," he said, surprisingly genial about the entire thing.

  "I'm sorry. This is unfortunately between me and Odin. I can't show up with it looking like you're fighting my battles for me. It will make us both look weak."

  He tilted his head and studied me, all pretense of amusement gone from his eyes. "It is no weakness to defend those you love, Freya. Anyone who thinks it is has never been loved before."

  My knees threatened to go weak at his words. I cleared my throat but nodded in lieu of words for fear I'd get choked up.

  After a moment, I spoke. "I'm glad you believe that, but Odin doesn't. He's the one I have to worry about. I'm not caving to him" I assured him. "In fact, it's quite the opposite."

  Loki's clothing changed right before my eyes. He wore black leather pants and knee-high black leather boots with laces all the way up. A black leather armored vest covered his chest and a shirt of the brightest emerald lay underneath it. His hair was left loose around his face, and his magic mussed it up just enough to give him a rakish, devilish air. Loki spun around once to give me a better view.

  "Does this meet your approval?" he asked.

  My mouth went dry. I nodded. "Very well," I croaked.

  "Are you ready?" I asked.

  His eyebrows rose. "Oh, we're traveling, too?"

  "To Asgard," I said.

  He blinked in surprise but didn't question it. "Alright then."

  I called for Morrigan and she stepped inside the room, resplendent in a black leather and tulle ballgown, resplendent with raven feathers. Loki whistled and Morrigan flushed with pleasure.

  "Thank you, Trickster," she said, her lips curling up in a smile.

  He held out his arms and Morrigan and I stepped up to either side of him. "To Asgard we go."

  We disappeared in a puff of emerald green magic.

  My heart pounded like a rabbit being pursued by a predator. We stood in front of the palace, curious stares following us as we walked up to the steps. I nodded at Morrigan.

  The dark goddess spread her arms out and lifted her face to the skies. Her lips moved as she spoke the words of summoning.

  The palace doors flung open seconds later and guards poured out. Loki stood beside me, a devil may care grin resting on his face, but his grip was tight. He was just as nervous as I was, and at that moment, I knew I loved him.

  He was here. With me. No questions asked. And I knew he would stay with me even if the guards were to tear him apart, simply because I'd asked him to.

  I blew out a breath and blinked the surprised tears away.

  A moment later, the result of Morrigan's spell appeared a foot away from us.

  Forseti, our god of law and justice, stood there, blinking in surprise. As soon as he saw who summoned him, his pale eyebrows rose and his face went bone white. He gave us a short nod.

  I mouthed a quiet apology and Foresti's lips quirked with amusement.

  Odin strolled out of the palace, thunder cracking through the sky. Morrigan stepped up beside me and gripped my hand.

  Odin's eyebrows rose at the motion, but he said nothing. Within moments, he stood a few feet away from us, a blankly pleasant expression on his face.

  "Pray tell, Freya, why you've shown up at my palace. You divorced me, remember?" He looked a little more frazzled than usual, but this didn't mean I should misjudge his power. He always resembled a mad scientist. His hair was greyish and unkempt and his beard was gloriously messy. He wore brown leather breeches and a metal breastplate complete with arm bracers. His boots were worn and black. Upon his head rested a small meteorite crown.

  "I did," I said agreeably, "but there's the small matter of your demands."

  The townspeople were beginning to gather around us, and I saw the concern in Odin's eyes. He didn't know why I was here, but I knew he didn't like it.

  "Yes," he agreed. "Are you here to sign over your town to me?"

  Morrigan stilled beside me. She hadn't known everything to happen yesterday, but from how she stiffened, I knew she didn't like it.

  "About that," I began. My gaze flickered to Forseti who was listening with intent interest. Odin's eyes went to him, too, but he didn't acknowledge the god's presence.

  Forseti didn't come out often. From what I knew of him, he was a kind man, well versed in law and order. He presided over cases when the gods could not agree, and I'd never heard of him being swayed by someone more powerful. He'd been given autonomy even from Odin, so Forseti was my best chance of getting out of this relatively unscathed.

  "Your demands are half of everything I own, correct?"

  Wisps of smoky magic began to flow from Morrigan. I squeezed her hand in warning.

  "Aye," said Odin warily.

  "Your comment was that if I wanted to live like the humans, I should pay like the humans do in a divorce, correct?"

  I knew the second Forseti realized what I was doing. A chuckle bubbled forth from him but he covered it with a quick cough.

  Odin's gaze narrowed. "That's true. I request half your property. If you want to be divorced, then you should pay for it."

  I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. The truth was, I'd never beat Odin in a test of magic. He was too strong, too powerful, too gifted in the magical arts for me to best.

  But he was arrogant to the extreme. He pressed his will against his people without a thought for how it might look. Odin was unfair and never applied the rules to himself. Forseti was never called in to settle disputes over his rule because the people were too scared to buck the establishment. They were terrified of him.

  "Forseti, I'd like to lodge a complaint against Odin, the All-Father," I said, making my voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

  Loki snorted softly over the murmurs of the townspeople. "You clever little witch," he whispered.

  Forseti's eyes twinkled as he gave me a slight bow. "Freya, former queen of Asgard, I will hear your complaint."

  Odin's eyes widened as he slowly began to realize what was happening.

  "Odin requests half of my property as a settlement in our divorce. I am willing to provide that to him -"

  Morrigan squeezed my arm in warning.

  "As long as I am awarded the same."

  The murmurs grew louder and more intense.

  "I have been the wife of the All-Father for most of my immortal life and, as such, have grown accustomed to the lifestyle which he gave me. The town I live in now is nowhere near the size or scope of Asgard, and I find I miss many things about my former lifestyle."

  I was lying through my teeth now because I didn't miss a single thing about this place. "Therefore, to honor Odin's request, I must request half of his property, too. If he would like to hold me to the human law of divorce, I'm afraid I must hold him to it as well. Therefore, I request half of Asgard, half of our royal subjects, half of the palace staff, and half of anything else Odin claims as his property." I let the devil show through my eyes when I added, "Including the harem of women he keeps at the edge of Asgard which he thinks I don't know about."

  Morrigan chuckled then, low and slow.

  Forseti's eyebrows rose and he nodded.

  Odin spluttered with outrage. "This is preposterous!" he boomed. "You are entitled to NOTHING, Freya! I gave you everything!"

  I said nothing, but I held my ground. Odin blustered for several moments before Forseti interrupted him.

  "I have to ask if what Freya says is true, Odin. Did you tell her the divorce should be handled by human law?"

  Odin's expression was thunderous. "Aye," he bit out.

  "Well," Foreti said, and I could tell he was holding back a smile, "human law is not so one-s
ided," he mused. "In fact, there is a very real possibility Freya could walk away with more than half of your assets, especially in light of your ahhhh ... infidelities," he finished. "It's a moral issue in many states, my king, and the courts do not look favorably on a spouse who strays outside of the oaths of marriage."

  Odin was purple with rage. "I am the ALL FATHER!" he bellowed.

  I shrugged. "And I was once the queen of Asgard, Odin," I said mildly. "If you insist on this path, I will insist on receiving what I am entitled to."

  "So you can give it to your new husband?" Odin sneered.

  Loki's posture was mildly lazy, but I could feel how tense he was. I rubbed a hand down Loki's arm and watched Odin's expression turn sour. "Loki has his own kingdom." I smiled at him, but it wasn't a nice smile. "If given half your property, I promise Loki and I will burn it down and dance on the ashes of it."

  Forseti blinked in surprise. I shrugged at his look. "I would have walked away with only the clothing on my back," I said honestly. "This is Odin's doing." I gave him a calculated look. "But he can walk away if he chooses to."

  "I want my spear back," Odin said.

  I knew I had him then. "I'm sorry," I said innocently. "I do not have it."

  Odin went pale. "Where is it?" he demanded.

  "It was given during a bargain." I shrugged. "I do not know of its whereabouts now."

  Morrigan's hand on my arm trembled. She was right to be afraid of him. I was barely keeping it together right now.

  Forseti cleared his throat. "Odin, would you like to walk away from this? If not, I am afraid I will have to rule in Freya's favor. She's right on all accounts. If you wish to pursue this, I will divide your court evenly down the middle and allow Freya to do whatever she wants with what she's given."

  Odin shut his eyes for a brief moment and when he opened them, they were white with lightning. "You might have won this one, Freya, but I swear to you, I will have my vengeance," he said quietly.

  "Your arrogance will be your downfall," I said. "You don't think the rules apply to you. But democracy is founded on the basis that it applies to everyone. If you don't believe in that, then you are ruling a dictatorship. Those never last forever." I bared my teeth at him. "Eventually, someone smarter than you will come along and take it all away."

  "It won't be you," he said.

  I shrugged. "Probably not. I don't want anything to do with you and when I leave here, I hope to never see your face again. But if you push me again, if you try to hurt anyone I love, if you try to take something that's mine away from me again ..." I let the fires of war flare in my eyes, "I will come for you. This is a warning, Odin. Stay away from what is mine."

  And for the first time since I married the man, his eyes flickered with wariness.

  Forseti bowed to both of us. "I consider the agreement between Freya and Odin nullified. Each will walk away with only the things they had at the time of their separation." He winked at me where Odin couldn't see it. "However, Freya should be allowed back into her chambers to gather any of her belongings that she left behind, and I bequeath two people of the royal household to her, provided they are willing to come. Freya may choose who she pleases with no interference from anyone in Odin's command or from Odin himself."

  My mouth opened in an O of surprise and tears gathered in my eyes. I cleared my throat. "Thank you, Forseti."

  He gave me a slight bow. "It is always my pleasure to serve someone with such foresight and quick intellect." He gave a curious look at Morrigan and inclined his head. "Phantom Queen."

  "Hey Forseti," she said and a laugh escaped me at her casual greeting.

  "Loki," Forseti said.

  The god of law gave one wary look to Odin, bowed deeply, and disappeared in a trail of silver smoke.

  "I bet you're so proud of yourself," Odin growled once the god had disappeared.

  Loki spoke up then. "If she isn't, I certainly am. My wife's intellect is to be admired." His emphasis on the word wife made Odin flinch.

  He spoke his next words with malice. "You have one hour, Freya. After that, you will be forever banned from Asgard."

  His words struck my heart. I was never banned officially before, though I was wise enough not to show back up here. I gave him a short nod and strolled up the palace steps, casual-like, even though my heart pounded with fear.

  I'd won. Oh my gods, I'd done it. I bested Odin.

  I knew I would eventually pay dearly for it.

  But today ... today was a victory.

  Epilogue

  I woke up with Loki staring at me. When he saw me open my eyes, his lips quirked in a smile.

  "You're being creepy," I grumped and rolled over.

  Loki laughed softly and pulled me against him to spoon. He buried his nose in my hair and inhaled.

  "Smelling me is creepy, too," I said, but I laughed at his antics.

  Things had been good ... really good since the showdown with Odin. We hadn't moved our bond to the physical. Yet. We both knew it was probably coming. I think Loki was respecting my space, though I did notice he was quick to touch me now.

  I no longer pushed him away.

  "I can't believe I'm married to such a fierce and strong woman like you," he said, his voice muffled through the fall of my hair.

  I stilled and squirmed until he let me turn around to face him. "And I can't believe I'm married to someone who lets me be me." I touched his jawline and walked my fingers up to his thick hair.

  He kissed me on top of the nose. "What can I say? I'm a sucker for a ferocious woman in leather." He sighed. "Plus it's nice not to have to do all the work for once."

  A surprised laugh escaped me and I smacked him in the chest.

  "Odin won't let it stand, you know," he said, his gaze sobering.

  My hand fell away. "I know. The wards are strong and he will need time to come up with something else."

  "That's all we have, Freya. Time." Loki pulled me closer and rested his chin on top of my head. "Morrigan seems to be adjusting well here."

  She had. The dark goddess hadn't made a lot of changes to her home, but she had added a spa and pool in the back, made completely out of amethyst and moonstone. It was beautiful and I'd been over there to swim several times. "It's nice having her here."

  Loki grunted his agreement. "The people like her, too." I felt his mouth move in a smile. "And she's tone down her scariness, too. She likes kids," he said disbelievingly. "I couldn't believe it when I saw her with them."

  "Yeah," I said, remembering the vision I had of her. I wasn't prone to have visions without them coming to fruition soon, but the mysterious man who'd shown up in mine hadn't made himself known. "Maybe one day she'll have them."

  Thunder crackled in the air just then. Loki and I broke apart.

  I grabbed my robe, shrugged it on, and stumbled through the house and out the door. The wards rang.

  Inhaling, I opened my senses.

  Morrigan came out of her house bleary-eyed and grumpy. "I need to tone the doorbell down," she complained. "That's loud enough to wake a dragon."

  I gasped as the man's face came into focus. He had bright amber eyes and hair the color of night. His face was sharp and wickedly handsome. Tiny lines at the edges of his eyes told me he laughed a lot, though his countenance was grim today. The man's lips were generous and full, and his jaw was so sharp, I could cut something with it. His clothing was leather, dark, and finely made. A massive club was slung across his shoulder and a harp was tied to the waistband of his pants.

  As soon as he sensed my presence, his eyes narrowed.

  It was the man in my vision. He was here. And he did not look pleased.

  "Freya," the man inquired. "I am not here to harm anyone in your settlement. I am here merely to claim my betrothed. If the Phantom Queen is here, please let her know Dagda awaits her pleasure." A grin lit his mouth. "And pleasure I will have."

  Dagda paused before he spoke again. “By the way, there is a positively adorable puppy out h
ere.” He bent to scoop it up and there was Hallie in all her goofy glory wriggling in Dagda’s arms like a worm. He chuckled with delight, a deep and warm sound that made think of warm campfires and apple pie.

  Delighted with the turn of events, I turned to face Morrigan. I was unsure if I should smile or be worried for her. I reached over to touch her, allowing her to see who was waiting outside the wards.

  "It's for you," I said.

  This was going to be delicious...

  About the Author

  USA Today Bestselling author S.E. Babin is a mom, a wife, and a military veteran. She has a passion for writing books with a paranormal twist filled with heroines you'd like to sit down and drink too much wine with and heroes who love those kind of girls. The recipient of several writing awards, Sheryl is content to keep hammering out fun novels with the shenanigans you've come to know her for. She swears some of those shenanigans have actually happened. Also, she likes writing about herself in third person.

  Sheryl's past is pretty simple. She spent way too much time in the library, killing any chance of her becoming a cheerleader or anything even remotely cool. Find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SEBabin or over on Twitter @hungrybiblio. She loves to hear from readers!

  Sign up for the newsletter to hear about her newest releases at sebabin.com.