No wonder his mate had no suitor. If all the men on earth dressed like this then they didn’t stand a chance against him. How the hell could they woo a woman of his Chantelle’s beauty dressed like a bunch of beggars?
“Will we be wearing that?” Bragi pointed to Loki’s clothing.
“A little different, I assure you.”
With a wave of the prince’s hand both men felt their clothes twist and change against their bodies. In a matter of minutes the leather and armor they wore was replaced by denim and cotton. Both men now wore faded relaxed fit jeans and band tees; a far cry from their normal attire.
“Now let’s go, I have a mate to claim.”
The crowd at the Serpent’s Den was pressed tight on the dance floor. Body to body and back to back; everyone was moving in sync. The rhythm of the music pounding through their bodies.
Chantelle and Savannah had arrived ten minutes ago. The moment her eyes took in the crowd, Chantelle wanted to bolt. A crowd always overwhelmed her and tonight was no different. As a matter of fact it seemed worse, a side effect of not being out in a while. Crowds wreaked havoc on her empathic ability. She didn’t have the control yet to be able to block this many people. When most of them were drunk there was no telling what emotions they would be giving off.
There was no way she was going to be able to do this. It was too much already, Chantelle couldn’t imagine what she would be like when the night ended. Though one thing was for certain, she was going to have a headache that lasted two days.
Savannah must have noticed her balk because she pulled her toward the bar, “Let’s have a drink and loosen up first.”
“Good idea.”
Although Chantelle really didn’t want to know what her friend’s idea of loosening up was. It obviously had something to do with being dragged out on the dance floor and dancing with some random guy. Or in Savannah’s case multiply random guys.
They squeezed their way through the crowd and up to the bar. Chantelle watched as Savannah flirted with the red-headed bar tender. She didn’t know what it was with her best friend and ginger ninjas, but that’s all that seemed to get her going and the guy behind the bar flipping bottles was no exception.
She marveled at the way Savannah could just turn on the charm; not an ounce of shyness to be seen. She had a beguiling way about her, seeming to be able to infect anyone with her zeal for life. Chantelle often found herself following where Savannah led, hoping her confidence would rub off.
“What can I get for you two beauties?”
Oh, yeah. Savannah was going to work this guy and hard. Chantelle just knew it. Yet, at the end of the night she knew Savannah would go home alone. She always did. Chantelle didn’t blame her after what the men in her life had done to her.
“Well handsome, my friend will have a rum and coke and I’ll have a Bay Breeze and your number.”
Chantelle couldn’t believe her ears, did she just ask for this guy’s number? She didn’t think her best friend would really call a total stranger, but odder shit has happened in the last few days. So why not? It wasn’t like he would be able to mingle with her in the club tonight. He was working for Pete’s sake.
She couldn’t help but laugh when the bartender came back with their drinks. What really got her going was when he slipped Savannah a napkin with his number on it. Oh yeah, she had this guy wrapped around her finger already.
They were nursing their drinks, Chantelle with her back to the crowd when Savannah nudged her. She looked up into the laughter filled eyes of her friend. This couldn’t be good.
“Don’t look now but there’s a blond dude headed your way.”
“Great.” She wanted to run.
Chantelle considered her options and knew the best course of action would be to just wait and see what happened. Besides, whoever this guy was he could have been interested in Savannah for all she knew. At least that’s what she hoped. There was no way she would survive on the dance floor. There were too many people, too much noise. Too much lust. It had Chantelle longing for her couch and a pair of comfy pajamas.
She was already thinking of her Magic Man. After meeting the man who called himself Loki, today, she didn’t think anyone could compare. He was everything she had been dreaming about in a man and there was no man here tonight that would be able to change her mind.
Chantelle moved away from the bar and was almost out of the line of fire; a hand on her arm stopped her. She turned to look up into two of the bluest eyes she had ever seen, for a moment she wondered where she had been running to.
Before Chantelle could wrap her head around what was happening he was offering her his hand, “Care to dance?”
She cast a nervous look toward Savannah, but her friend just waved her on. Chantelle smiled at him and allowed him to lead her onto the dance floor. She was here to have a good time and she knew if she didn’t Emma would be pissed. So what harm could one little dance do? Chantelle should have remembered that Pandora thought the same thing about opening a box. Maybe then she would have gracefully declined, but the little bit of her drink she had already sipped, had her not thinking clearly. No doubt, Savannah would later tell her she was a light weight.
Chapter 15:
From deep in the shadows a pair of blue eyes watched in stillness. A smile tugged at Signe’s lips. She had come here prepared to make a mess of things for the mortal and a mess is exactly what she was making. Signe just hadn’t guessed how easy it would be. What a pleasant surprise. She knew there were three other immortals somewhere in the crowd. Signe was willing to bet one of them was Loki. That he no doubt had back up sent by the All Father, himself.
Chantelle wore the necklace Frigga had shown her all those years ago. If Signe lived from now until Ragnarok she would know that necklace with just one glance. It was meant to mark the chosen mate of Prince Loki.
If Frigga had her way they would be celebrating their bonding ceremony soon. That was if Signe didn’t get her way and from the looks of it she just might. Sending that stupid mortal to dance with Chantelle had been her best idea to date. There was no doubt in her mind that this would go over better than the therapy debacle.
She knew that if she could coax Loki’s beast to the surface he would scare Chantelle off all on his own. After all, she was a mortal and could not understand the complex nature of Fatum Anima. There was nothing written in their books on mythology about it; Signe had made sure of that.
Most of the things mortals believed about the gods and goddesses were false. Books on mythology were almost as reliable as a gossip magazine. She scoffed to herself; they really thought that Loki was the adopted brother of Odin. Stupid mortals.
Adopted he was, but as Odin and Frigga’s son. The Aesirs knew the truth. Frigga could not have any children after their youngest, Hoder was born. So when she had laid eyes on the tiny baby born of the Jotun race he became their youngest son. He was neither Aesir nor a blood son and yet Frigga placed his happiness above all others. The thought sickened Signe. This night would see the beginning of her true revenge. She was content to just sit back and watch the night unfold. Something told her she didn’t want to miss what was coming.
Before Chantelle knew it, one dance had turned into five and Savannah had come out onto the dance floor to find her. She was actually enjoying herself; but whether it was the liquor or the very buff Steve she was dancing with, Chantelle didn’t know.
She covertly glanced at her watch as the songs changed; 12:30. Chantelle hoped the night was drawing to a close soon, because she had begun to get a headache. It had nothing to do with the music though. She had tried to shake it off, but the longer she swayed to the music the harder her head pounded. A wave of jealousy swept over her every so often. As a matter of fact it would come crashing down on her whenever Steve got too hands on.
Chantelle needed to sit down for a bit. Steve leaned in asking her if she was alright. She could only shake her head in answer, but as soon as she found her voice she asked to sit down.
He led Chantelle and Savannah back to their table offering to get them drinks. She accepted politely and he scurried over to the bar. He probably thought that she was drunk and what could one more drink hurt. Well, Steve was wrong. Dead wrong. He could have looked like a Greek god and he still would not have made it out of the on deck circle. Let alone to first base.
She was here to have a few drinks and dance a little. Nothing more, nothing less. Chantelle wasn’t looking to go home with anyone. Besides, she couldn’t get her mind off of the man she had met earlier today.
The entire time she had been dancing with Steve her mind kept replaying the sound of the green-eyed man’s voice. Today in the shop she had thought he was crazy when he told her his name was Loki. But now as she thought about the shock she had felt from his touch she couldn’t care less if he was certifiable. No one had ever sparked her in the same way. With just one accidental touch he had her body going up in flames. Could he possibly be the man from her dreams? Once upon a time, Chantelle would have said no way. That things like that weren’t possible, but not anymore. Going to the Academy had changed all of that.
Maybe it was knowing that there was magic in the world. Or maybe it was because she had personally met the Sisters themselves. Imagine her shock when they introduced themselves as the headmistresses of the school. Now, everything has been mundane. Nothing compared to the things she had learned, or experienced under their tutelage.
“He’s hot.” Savannah had leaned in to get her attention.
“What?” Chantelle tried to shake the fog from her mind. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Savannah must have noticed something was off because she shook her a little. “You guess? That boy has the body of a sex god. And all you can say is I guess so?”
She wanted to tell her friend that Steve wasn’t her type. That what she was looking for was someone tall with dark hair and devastatingly green eyes. Someone like Loki. He was everything the man in her dreams was; accept he was flesh and blood.
Chantelle stopped the excuse that was forming on her lips; she would not justify such a question. Besides why was it so hard for her loved ones to understand that she didn’t want a guy in her life? Let alone some random stranger she picked up from a bar. Steve was good for an evening of dancing and that was all.
“I’m not here to pick anyone up. I just wanted a night out.”
Before Chantelle could advise her friend to leave well enough alone, Steve was back. The three of them sipped their drinks in silence for several minutes. Slowly she felt her head begin to clear and she flashed an apologetic smile in Savannah’s direction.
Steve must have noticed the tension between them ease, because in the next second he was whispering in Chantelle’s ear. She excused herself as they made their way onto the dance floor. A small ripple of unease passed over her, but Chantelle refused to allow anything to ruin her evening out.
Jade eyes watched her hips sway from across the room and he wondered what it would feel like to have her in his arms. Loki was not pleased that she was dancing in such an intimate way with that mortal. Chantelle should be dancing like that with him and only him. Just seeing her like that brought back too many bad memories. Memories of being passed over for a mortal thousands of years ago. And yet it was a wound that was still fresh and bleeding.
The longer he watched the higher his ire rose. His fists were clenched with his barely concealed rage. His highly creative mind working overtime to come up with a suitable punishment for the boy who dared to hold his woman.
He knew that Bragi and Hoder were ready just in case they needed to remove him from the club. Loki was a full blown immortal with enough power to decimate an entire realm and there in the crowd was his little mate oblivious to it all. This would not end well.
Loki stood from the table when the mortal dancing with Chantelle had begun to grind against her. In just a few hours he had seen more than enough to have this boy suffer for his entire mortal life.
Bragi and Hoder stood up as well, flanking him just in case things got ugly. Loki was just hoping it did get ugly, because he had a lot of frustration that he needed to work out. He wondered how one called another out in these times. Surely it was not still pistols at dawn. Loki didn’t even have his sword with him. Shit! Things were getting worse the longer he stood there.
His long fingers dug into the back of his seat; all at once there was an audible snap as the chair back cracked under the pressure. Loki was seeing red and there really was no telling what he would do if he got his hands on the mortal.
Thinking hard, Loki realized that he could not challenge him to a duel. He was sure he had heard that practice had gone out of style long ago. One sweep of the club with his jade eyes and he could see why. There was no longer any honor to defend. The women here were far from ladylike and the men had no manners at all. No wonder chivalry was dead and from the looks of it, turning over in its grave.
“Brother, calm yourself.”
“You would not be saying the same thing if she was your mate.”
An evil glimmer shone in the depths of his eyes as he moved away from their table. Not sparing either of them a second glance. All Loki could do was watch the boy touching Chantelle; if looks could kill, Steve would have been dead.
Loki was up to something and whatever it was it did not bode well for that mortal boy. Bragi and Hoder were going to have to work damage control and they weren’t quite sure how.
Bragi nodded at Hoder indicating that he would work his way over to the bouncer and try to keep him busy. That would at least buy Hoder some time to cool Loki down. Maybe if the Norns were on their side they would make it out of the club without having to take on a large group of mortal men.
A fight would mean exposure and that would bring the wrath of the Council of Immortals down on them all. It was bad enough that they didn’t take too kindly to Loki for all the tricks he had pulled; they didn’t need a legitimate reason to punish him.
Hoder followed Loki as Bragi broke off from them. Bragi made his way through the crowd intent on reaching his destination before his brothers reached theirs. But just then the crowd parted to let a little blond woman through and his world came to a standstill. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on.
All around him the music blared and people yelled to be heard and yet Bragi couldn’t hear anything other than her soft laugh. Their eyes met and she smiled at him. Bragi turned to face her fully, his destination forgotten with one look.
Savannah put her hand on his bulging bicep and leaned into his ear, “Care to dance?”
Bragi looked at her and realized that she was someone that could possibly give him a run for his money. He had never met any woman as forward as this little blond and he had bedded many in his time. He knew she wasn’t his mate, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t coax her into his bed. Bragi had never been with a mortal and this little creature before him looked tempting.
“What’s your name?”
She looked at him a moment longer, “Savannah. Yours?” She fluttered her eye lashes.
“Bragi.” He took her hand and tucked it into the crook of his elbow, “Let’s go outside for a little while and talk.”
When Savannah didn’t disagree, Bragi knew he had her. He planned on telling her whatever he had to, so he could get her into his bed. With his large hand at her back, Bragi escorted her out of the club. Forgetting that Loki needed him. He couldn’t remember his own name when faced with his raging lust for Savannah’s body.
The music pulsed through Chantelle’s body like blood through her veins. She felt her body respond to it; her hips swaying, her eyes closing. Steve was a good dancer, even though Chantelle’s mind kept drifting back to Loki. What an odd name for a modern man. Yet when she thought about it the name seemed to fit him somehow. In their one brief encounter he had been as exotic and mysterious as the name his parents gave him.
Loki, she whispered it in her mind as if it were a prayer. Somehow just t
he memory of his voice from this afternoon seemed to put her aching heart at ease. The strong woman that lived inside Chantelle wanted to scream that what she felt wasn’t real, yet her soul knew better.
Chantelle’s eyes flew open when she felt Steve grab her ass. What had started out as the two of them dancing had somehow gotten out of hand? Steve was now grinding against her as if his life depended on it. She shimmed; trying for all she was worth to get out of Steve’s arms. Just his touch was beginning to sicken her. It was nothing like the touch of Loki’s hand this afternoon.
A feral growl erupted from Loki’s chest when he saw the mortal boy grab her in such a crude manner. Heads were going to roll if he didn’t remove his hands from Chantelle. In that instant Loki could have taken on an army of giants and still come out the victor if it meant reaching Chantelle across the dance floor. So taking care of one little mortal would be like creating a butterfly from a handkerchief.
Loki moved through the crowd like an avenging angel, Hoder following close behind. He was upon them in mere moments, his jade eyes flashing like hellfire. The rage and jealousy flowed off of Loki in waves. In his anger Loki didn’t realize that Chantelle could feel his rage beating against her soul.
Chantelle felt her airway constrict and she pushed away from Steve. He was too close, there were too many people and she needed to get off the dance floor before she fainted. But Steve grabbed her about the waist, drawing her back to him, effectively trapping her against his body. She struggled as if her life depended on it. Because right now with the jealousy that was beating at her, Chantelle felt that she just might suffocate.
“Come on baby, don’t be like that. I’m having a good time.” His words were slurred and for the first time that night, she realized just how drunk he was.
“Well I’m not. So get your hands off me, now.”
Chantelle pushed at his chest again trying to put space between them. She needed to get enough room to swing at him if need be. It looked like tonight would be the night those self-defense classes would pay off. She had hoped she would never have to use them, but when you are a woman living without any male protection you could never be too sure.
Mischief's Mate (The Immortal Mates Book 1) Page 11