God Of Mayhem (Fate's Warriors Book 2)

by J. C. Diem

  She studied him for a long moment. “For your sake, I hope so.”

  Her answer shook him. He broke their eye contact to slip his dagger back in its sheath. She was gone when he looked up again. Unwilling to chance her ire by destroying the other jets, he altered his spell. Instead of sending electricity at the vessels, he sent a small blast of raw magic at them. It was enough to send their electronics haywire and to force them to retreat. The downside was that it cost him dearly to use his reserves. Ever since Fate had drained him of his power, using a lot of magic left him feeling weak and dizzy.

  Leaving the building, he moved closer to the outskirts of Manhattan. He needed to hunt down the remaining jets before they could blast more spaceships out of the sky. It was time consuming, but he managed to save several thousand slaves. They were a negligible number against the two billion that would either be turned into clones, sent to Asgard, or sent to the Viltaran mothership. It irked him to have to pander to Fate’s wishes. It annoyed him even more that she held power over him. Whenever she was near, he felt a strange tug inside his mind. Perhaps his psyche was crying out to be reunited with his magic.

  He was in a foul mood by the time he returned to Bianca. The look she gave him was guarded, yet it held a hint of gratitude. The news was replaying images of him chasing off the jets, rather than forcing them to crash. It seemed the one he’d brought down hadn’t been captured on camera. If it had been, he was certain she would have been feeling something very different to gratitude.

  He sank wearily onto the couch and took the mug of coffee that Bianca brought him. She’d made it without needing to be asked. She was an effective servant and she was also nice to hold at night. Uncomfortable with that line of thought, he ignored the girl when she took a seat on the far end of the couch from him.

  During Loki’s absence, Bianca had debated about trying to run dozens of times. Watching him chasing away the jets on TV, a feeling that none of this was real had swept through her, leaving her feeling confused and alone. The sensation had faded by the time he returned several hours later. His mood was dark and she opted to remain quiet and to try not to draw his attention. He seemed tired, so she made him coffee. It was hard to tell from his expressionless face, but he seemed to appreciate it.

  Her musings were interrupted when he heaved himself off the couch. She watched him enter the bedroom. A moment later, she heard water running in the bath. She hadn’t gained the courage to try to leave when he’d been gone and she couldn’t muster it now that he was bathing.

  “Bianca,” he called imperiously after he’d been soaking for half an hour.

  “What?” she called back. She had no intention of entering the bathroom to see what he wanted.

  “I wish for you to tend to me.”

  His imperious tone immediately set her teeth on edge and she spoke without thinking. “Tend to yourself!” she said in outrage. “I’m not your servant!” She was suspicious about exactly what he might want her to tend to.

  “You are whatever I say you are,” he replied coldly. “Now, come here.”

  Seriously debating about running now, Bianca reluctantly stood and dragged her feet over to the bathroom and stood in the doorway. His tone meant he would be very annoyed with her if she didn’t obey him. She’d seen what happened to people who displeased him and she didn’t want to be skewered with his sword.

  Loki stared at Bianca until she lifted her eyes to meet his. Hers were tinged with green, which he’d come to realize meant she was scared. “Do not look at me like that,” he said more sharply than he’d intended to.

  “Like what?” she asked in a thick voice that spoke of impending tears.

  “Like I’m going to throw you down and ravage your body,” he snapped. “I have no interest in bedding you whatsoever.” That wasn’t completely true, but he quashed the flare of desire at the idea of being naked with her again.

  “What do you want then?”

  “I am hungry,” he said simply.

  “Oh.” Bianca hadn’t been expecting anything as mundane as that and she was taken aback. “I’ll make you a sandwich then.”

  “Do so,” he commanded with a dismissive wave of one hand, then leaned back and closed his eyes.

  Fleeing to the kitchen, Bianca’s cheeks went red in shame when she recalled his scorn at the thought of sleeping with her. She was less than a gnat to a powerful man like Loki. It was ludicrous to think that a being as ancient and powerful as the God of Mischief could possibly be interested in her.

  She’d calmed herself down by the time she finished making sandwiches for herself and Loki. He appeared just as she was placing their plates on the dining table. He took a seat and looked at the food dubiously, but he made no comment as he picked up the sandwich and took a tentative bite.

  Bianca had found a freshly roasted chicken in the fridge and had added avocado, tomato and lettuce to the sandwich. With so many of her countrymen and women being snatched away, how long would it be before everything started to shut down? They would soon lose electricity, then their food and water supplies would dry up. It would take decades to get the country running again if anyone managed to survive this apocalypse. A picture of broken buildings and deserted streets floated into her mind in startling detail. It was almost as if she’d witnessed the aftermath of a disaster like this already.

  “Why do you look at me with such ire?” Loki asked when Bianca shot a glare at him. Her eyes were now a dark and stormy gray. The longer they spent together, the easier it was becoming to read her moods.

  “You’ve ruined my life and the lives of everyone on this planet,” she said and pushed her half-eaten sandwich away. “Nothing will ever be the same again,” she added miserably.

  “That is true,” he agreed. “Your fellow humans will now serve a purpose far greater than their previous mundane lives could ever have held.”

  “Sure they will,” she said with heavy sarcasm. “They’re going to be cannon fodder for you while you wreak havoc on other unsuspecting worlds.”

  He’d never heard the term ‘cannon fodder’ before, yet he understood the meaning. Her arms were crossed and she pouted in a manner that was disturbingly endearing. “Your planet and its people will survive,” he said. Once he tired of conquering other worlds, he would rule Earth with an iron fist. He would control the population so the planet wouldn’t become overrun with humans again. He suspected she wouldn’t take that news well and opted to keep it to himself.

  “We’ll be a regular breeding farm for you, won’t we? Every few generations or so, you’ll come back and steal more soldiers and drag them off to do your bidding.” Her expression was bitter.

  “That is my plan,” he agreed and he thought it was a rather clever one.

  “What happened to you to make you so malicious?” Bianca asked. His expression immediately went blank and he turned away from her.

  “Perhaps I was unloved as a child,” he said mockingly and continued eating his sandwich. He would never admit it, but that was closer to the truth than she could possibly realize. His mother had never spoken about it, but she hadn’t willingly lain with the creature who had impregnated her. While she didn’t hate her son, Laufey had left him to the care of her servants. Seeing her son reminded her of the ordeal she’d suffered, so she’d shunned him since his birth.

  Seeing a flicker of pain cross Loki’s face, Bianca felt a flare of pity for him. It was stupid, but some part of her almost felt a kinship with him. She had no idea why he evoked these feelings in her. They had absolutely nothing in common. She had to remind herself that she was just another helpless human who would suffer beneath his tyranny.

  ~~~

  Chapter Ten

  ~~~ Lexi’s World ~~~

  Lexi wanted to visit another ally before they left Texas. Waving goodbye to the werewolves, they descended into the ground again. This time, she only took Reece and Violet a short distance away and they emerged at the mouth of a cave.

  Violet’s upper lip lift
ed at the overpowering stench of bird droppings that wafted out from the opening. “Ugh! Why did you bring us here? Surely no one actually lives in that cave?”

  “Well, excuse me for not cleaning up before you arrived, your Ladyship,” a sour voice said from the depths of the cavern. “I guess my maid must have taken the year off.”

  Lexi smirked and Reece struggled to contain a grin. They were used to the snarky old werebird. “Oracle, I’d like you to meet Violet Harper,” Lexi said.

  Someone shuffled forward and a white-haired woman appeared in the mouth of the cave. She wore ratty old animal skins that had been skillfully sewn together. Violet almost started when she saw the gaping eye sockets in the Oracle’s ravaged face. It looked like claws had raked across her eyes at least a couple of decades ago.

  Taking a deep breath to smell the air, the shifter cocked her head to the side. She almost seemed to be examining Violet despite her lack of eyes. “You’re not a shifter, girl, yet you’re not human, either.”

  “Technically, she is a shapeshifter,” Lexi said. “She can take on other forms, but they’re different to ours.”

  The Oracle switched topics abruptly. “I take it you’re not here just to pay me a visit.”

  Lexi launched into her warning that Loki was coming and how dangerous he might be to their kind. A gigantic eagle appeared and landed on the Oracle’s narrow shoulder halfway through her tale. Its gaze latched onto Violet and she had the sense that the old woman was deeply connected to it. That meant she had to be a werebird of some sort.

  Huffing out a breath when Lexi finished her story, the old woman shook her head. Filthy and matted, her hair hadn’t been washed in a very long time. That didn’t really come as a surprise, since it appeared that she didn’t have running water in her cave. “I knew our trials weren’t over,” she muttered. “Now we have a demi-god and his alien minions to contend with.”

  “Can we count on you for help?” Reece asked.

  “I don’t know what difference one were-eagle will make,” the Oracle said grumpily. “But if you need my assistance that desperately, then I suppose you can call on me if it comes down to it.”

  Knowing this was as gracious a reply as they were likely to get, Lexi nodded. “Thanks. We’ll keep in contact with Aiden and he can give you updates.”

  Grumbling beneath her breath, the Oracle turned and shuffled back into her cave.

  “What help will a blind shifter be?” Violet asked quietly when the old woman was out of earshot.

  “The Oracle is an alpha,” Lexi said just as quietly. “She learned how to link with birds and she can use their eyes to see.”

  “Freaky,” Violet muttered.

  Lexi just shrugged. The Oracle wasn’t the only one who possessed that talent. All alphas could probably become attuned to the species of animal that they resembled, but it usually took years of practice to achieve it.

  Reece’s phone beeped and he took it out to check the message. “Bruce and his alpha are going to meet us at the parking lot near their favorite campsite.”

  Lexi knew the place he was talking about. It was where a succubus had kidnaped a camper. It would take the werebears at least half an hour to get there, but she preferred to wait in the cool forest rather than to stay in the Texan heat.

  “Where are we going this time?” Violet asked in an attempt to delay the inevitable for a few more seconds.

  “To a forest in Kentucky,” Reece replied. It was a few hours away from their base in West Virginia. The Shifter Squad had been through some very trying times in both states and he wasn’t in a rush to go back there.

  “Are you ready?” Lexi asked.

  “No,” Violet grumbled. “But don’t let that stop you.”

  They sank into the ground again and emerged in a cleared space in a forest. It was the middle of the week, so the parking lot was empty. A car was driving past as they rose out of the ground. The driver was focused on the road ahead, but a small girl in the backseat gaped at them in wonder. In the past, before the utter destruction of the human race had been averted, they’d had to hide their abilities. Now, it didn’t matter if people witnessed their supernatural talents. Lexi gave the girl a wave and her tiny hand rose hesitantly in return. Then the car was gone and they settled down to wait.

  Half an hour later, a dark green jeep approached. Violet’s brows rose when a giant of a man emerged from the driver’s seat. Six-foot-six, he had a barrel of a chest and wide shoulders. A bushy brown beard hid the lower half of his face. In stark contrast, his hair was so short that his scalp shone through. He wore jeans and a dark blue, long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

  Grinning from ear to ear, he strode forward and picked Lexi up in a bearhug. “It’s good to see you two kids,” he said and smacked a noisy kiss on her cheek. Putting her down, his huge hand engulfed Reece’s and he pumped his arm up and down a few times. Turning to Violet, his surprise was almost comical when he didn’t recognize her. “Are you a new member of the Shifter Squad?”

  “Only temporarily,” Lexi replied. “Ranger Bruce Delgado, this is Violet Harper.” He wasn’t wearing his uniform, which meant it was probably his day off.

  Violet shook hands with the giant, then switched her attention to a woman as she rounded the jeep and approached them. She wore jeans and a plain white t-shirt. Around six feet tall, she was muscular and had messy, longish brown hair. She was the female equivalent of the ranger, minus the beard. Both were in their forties, but they didn’t seem to be a couple.

  “Leanne is the alpha of the werebears in Kentucky,” Reece said.

  “Werebears?” Violet said. “Somehow, I’m not surprised to hear that.”

  Leanne grinned at the teen’s dry tone. When they shook hands, her grip was so tight that it would have been painful if Violet had been a frail human. “What sort of mayhem are we likely to end up with this time?” she asked Lexi.

  “Mischief would be more accurate,” Lexi replied. “The God of Mischief, to be precise.”

  Leanne’s face drained of color. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

  Reece ruined her hopes by shaking his head. “Loki is coming back to Earth. We think he’ll be here any day now.”

  Bruce was just as shaken as his alpha was to hear this news. They clearly knew about their origins and were aware of how dangerous this could be for them all. “This is bad,” he said. His voice was a deep rumble. “This is very, very bad.”

  “How do you know he’s coming here?” Leanne asked.

  Lexi and Reece launched into the story about the Asgardian’s multi-dimensional quest for ultimate domination. Violet mostly listened in and only spoke when the other two gestured for her to tell her part. She was content to take a backseat again. When they were on her world, she would no doubt have to become the focus of attention again.

  “So, we’ll be dealing with horrible little things called Grimgorg, and another type of aliens you aren’t sure about yet?” Leanne summed up when they were done.

  “That about covers it,” Lexi confirmed.

  Exchanging a look, Leanne and Bruce didn’t bother to hide their trepidation. “If Loki can assume control of us and he sends us after humans, we’ll be doomed,” Leanne said.

  “What do you mean?” Violet asked.

  “If shifters consume human flesh, they develop a taste for it,” Reece explained. He’d had firsthand experience at dealing with shapeshifters who had dined on people. “One of our jobs is to hunt rogues down and put them out of their misery.” Lexi slid her arm around his waist and he hugged her to his side.

  Violet realized that they’d both had to perform this task before and that it had left its mark on them. “If you two are supreme alphas, can’t you override any commands that Loki gives you?” she asked.

  “We’re not sure,” Lexi said with a shrug. “We have no idea what our version of Loki will be capable of.”

  “I’ll call a meeting with the rest of our pack,” Leanne said. “We�
�ll be ready to join you whenever you need us.”

  After more hugs and handshakes, the werebears drove away.

  “Three down, one to go,” Lexi said, then grimaced. There were hundreds of packs of shifters spread out all over the country, but she’d only met the bulk of them once. The ones they were meeting today were far more familiar to her and the rest of the squad.

  “Why do I get the feeling you aren’t looking forward to this last visit?” Violet asked.

  “You’ll understand once you meet Cole and his pride,” Reece replied. His morose expression mirrored his mate’s perfectly.

  If this Cole guy had a pride, that meant they were werecats of some sort. Remembering Kala’s reaction at having to deal with them, Violet had a feeling they were going to be memorable.

  ~~~

  Chapter Eleven

  ~~~ Grimgorg World ~~~

  Grimgorg was a miserable hellhole, but Loki was content to bide his time in his tiny hut while the shamans ferried portals to Jötunheim. He preferred his solitude in this small shack to watching his allies overrun his former home. He knew it was necessary to relinquish Asgard to Rho, but Earth would be a poor substitute.

  He wasn’t worried about the thousands of portals being taken to Jötunheim. There was no danger that the Frost Giants would invade any world other than Earth. Grimgorg magicians were the only ones who could tune the portals. Not even he could achieve that alone. A shaman had to be channeling their magic into the device while he pictured the world that he wished to see for it to work.

  Once General Kretu had assisted him to subdue Earth, his army would retreat to his home world with their billion human slaves. The portals would then be tuned to the worlds Loki had chosen to give to the Frost Giants. Like his counterparts in other dimensions, he was willing to sacrifice some planets that were of little interest to him. Once he was powerful enough, he could always wage a war against the Frost Giants and win the worlds back.