by Lauren Dawes
After the brothers had failed to secure Taer, a layer of rage had begun to manifest. Unfortunately for Aubrey, he had been on the receiving end of that rage. The elf didn’t make a single sound, even when Loki began peeling the skin from his toes. He thought skinning someone alive would be enjoyable, but without the satisfaction of hearing his victim’s screams of pain, their pitiful moans for mercy, he had found the entire exercise distasteful.
Loki’s shoulders tightened when he heard the last step on the stairs creak. “Is he dead?” he snarled.
“No,” Freki replied, his voice low.
Loki whirled around to find the god covered in blood. “What happened? Where’s Geri?”
“Dead. The light elf is—”
“So you failed.” Loki spoke over him, cutting off the excuses he didn’t want to hear. “You and your brother both said you wanted to help me. First, I asked you to capture the female Mare and you failed in that. Second, I asked you to kill one light elf, and you couldn’t even manage that. Tell me, Freki, why do I even keep you around?”
The god looked down, his brows drawing close together. “I’ll try again.”
Loki snorted derisively. “Don’t bother. I’ll take care of him myself – something I should have done before.”
For a minute, they simply stared at each other. “What do you want me to do now?”
“You failed me. I want you to go.”
“But—”
Loki pulled a gun from the holster at the small of his back and took aim, training it between Freki’s eyes. “I have no problem sending you to Hel to join your brother.”
Freki’s eyes narrowed, his jaw jumping violently. “As you wish.”
The god disappeared from view, leaving Loki with an unconscious Aubrey and some time on his hands. He had no intention of torturing the elf if he was wasn’t awake to enjoy it. His gaze drifted around the room. Blood was congealing in puddles around the chair, more was spattered on the walls.
He approached the workbench, looking at his dangling carrot sitting there. Things were taking too long. Aubrey’s little Mare needed a hint, and he knew just the thing that would clue her in to her lover’s demise.
Finding a small box, Loki emptied its contents, dumping the small bottles of oil onto the ground. Lining it with some rags, he set his gift inside, then placed the box into a cardboard box, completing the illusion.
Loki faded to the Eye. Shifting his appearance, he became a generic UPS driver, changing his clothes to the drab brown uniform the company employees wore. All that was missing was the van the humans associated with the delivery service. He had already boxed up Aubrey’s hand, the parcel tucked under his arm as he stepped off the curb and approached the bouncer at the door.
The human took in his uniform and the box. “Deliveries out the back,” he said, jerking a thumb at the alleyway beside the club. Wordlessly, Loki followed the directive and walked down to the side door. Not much had changed since he’d last been here, except it seemed as if security had been improved. Instead of a simple camera above the door to identify whoever was there, there was now also a keypad to gain entry.
Loki knocked twice and stepped back.
The steel door opened, revealing the Valkyrie he’d spoken to in the club when he’d been in disguise before. The dancer was dressed in a sheer pink gown with a feather trim that hit her upper thigh. Underneath the garment, she was wearing lingerie the same shade of pink.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
“I have a delivery.”
The goddess’s eyes fixed on the box, an excited look forming in her eyes. “Who for?”
“Taer,” he replied, watching irritation replace her excitement.
She held out her hand. “I’ll give it to her.” Snatching it away from him, the Valkyrie closed the door in his face.
Loki shook off his disguise and moved from the alleyway. Turning the corner, he walked down the street, his footsteps echoing off the pavement. It was busy, the evening just starting to pick up. The sound of the passing traffic nearly drowned out every other noise, but there was one that brought him to a stop.
Air skimming over feathers.
A sharp beak snapping.
He looked behind him, then tilted his head back. A black bird dropped from the sky, swooping down toward him. With its beak clicking together in warning, Loki batted it away. He would have considered it a freak incident, except when a second bird dove down and grabbed a chunk of his ear, he knew it wasn’t simply a coincidence. Loki hissed in pain, placing his hand over the wound. And as he watched the bird fly away into the cold night, he felt the first trickle of blood seep between his fingers.
“Odin,” Loki growled under his breath. His blood-brother was stooping to new lows by sending his ravens after him. He ducked again when he heard the other bird coming in to attack for a second time.
“Don’t move,” Freki warned. Loki stilled, hearing the distinct sound of metal cutting through air. There was a sharp snick and the wet squelch of impaled flesh. The raven dropped at his feet, a knife sticking through its neck. Loki glanced over his shoulder to see Freki walking toward him.
“I’m impressed,” he said, as the other god stopped beside him. “I thought I told you to go.”
Freki grunted and bent down to take back the dagger. “This is Odin’s bird.”
“Was,” Loki corrected. “It’s dead now, thanks to you. Perhaps you are still useful to me.”
Chapter 20
Rhys had never felt this in control before. After his wolf had been allowed out and given free rein to kill at will, it had retreated back into his mind. It was silent now and Rhys almost felt … normal. He had returned to the Eye in the hopes that he could see the Valkyrie again. And luckily for him, she was working the door. He waited to cross Tremont Street, watching for a break in the traffic. He finally saw one, but had to start running when a cab unexpectedly pulled out. He flipped off the driver as he stepped onto the curb.
The blaring horn drew his unlikely savior’s attention as she let a group of women into the club. Rhys approached with his hand held out to her. After a beat, she took it and they shook.
“I just wanted to thank you,” he said, meeting her eyes. “And to introduce myself. I’m Rhys.”
She dropped his hand and turned her attention back to the next person in line. She motioned for the guy’s ID. “Mav and what for?”
“For what you did last night.” The human standing in front of Mav smirked and Rhys glared at him. “Is there somewhere else we can talk?”
Mav didn’t hesitate. “Yeah.” She handed the ID back to the human, then touched a button on her collar, speaking under her breath. A moment later, another security guard turned up. “Follow me,” Mav told Rhys as she stepped into the club.
Rhys’s eyes darted around the busy room as the Valkyrie led him to the other side of the bar. He bumped into a number of people on the way, but didn’t bother to apologize. When they finally waded through the crowd, Mav opened up a door and ushered him through. They stepped into a long, empty hallway, the door slamming shut behind them.
“I’m glad you came around tonight.” Her statement caught him off guard. She looked at him over her shoulder. “We need to talk.”
He followed her until she stopped at a closed door. She knocked and then opened it. Inside, a woman Rhys could only assume was Bryn was sitting behind a desk, her attention bouncing from a pile of paperwork in front of her to one of the computer screens.
“He’s here,” Mav said.
Were they expecting him?
Bryn looked up, her eyes assessing him carefully. Mav went to close the door, but the other Valkyrie stopped her.
“Korvain is coming.” A moment later, a large shadow stretched across the open doorway. Rhys turned his head. He’d heard of Korvain before – he was rumored to be the last full-blooded Mare – but Rhys hadn’t ever seen him. His very presence in the room seemed to fill it completely. Rhys shifted back a step as the guy sta
lked inside.
Bryn said, “Sit down. Please.”
He looked at the chair the Valkyrie was gesturing to. He slowly lowered himself into the seat.
“Can I get you a drink?” Bryn offered, leaning back into her chair.
Rhys shook his head, watching as Korvain perched himself on the edge of the desk and eyeballed him.
Bryn said, “Look, let’s not waste each other’s time here. We know what you are.” Rhys said nothing, only kept his steady gaze on her. “Mav’s told us you’re looking for Loki. Why?”
He balled his hands into fists. Just the casual mention of Galen’s killer made his rage surge. If he let his anger get the better of him, his wolf would awaken and the cycle would start again. He bowed his head and took a deep breath. “To kill him.”
“Why?” Korvain’s question drew Rhys’s attention, and the two of them just studied each other for a moment. There was absolutely no reason not to share information. Rhys had nothing to go on – not Odin’s location, and not Loki’s.
“He killed my best friend.”
The shadows around the room trembled and the lights dimmed, flickering a little. “Why did he kill him?” the Mare asked in a dangerously low voice.
Rhys shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
Bryn leaned back in her chair, the leather creaking. “How do you know Loki was the one to kill him then?”
“I was told as much.”
“By who?”
“Odin.”
Bryn sat forward. “When did he tell you this?”
“A couple of days ago, in Chicago.”
“What did he say exactly?”
“He told me Loki killed Galen, but—”
“Wait,” Korvain interrupted. “Did you say Galen?”
“Yes.”
“The same Galen who worked for Henry Craine?” Bryn demanded.
How could they have known that? He let his silence do the talking, and apparently it was saying a whole lot.
Maverick entered the conversation. “He came around here with an offer to buy a portion of the Eye, apparently at Craine’s request.”
Rhys turned around in his chair. “I wasn’t aware of that. All I knew was that he’d been sent here alone by Craine. When he returned, both Galen and I were supposed to come back here to …” His words drifted off.
“Come back here to?” Bryn prompted.
“That must have been when Loki killed him. That was the last time I saw him.” Rhys said the words to himself, remembering the meeting where he’d been dismissed so Craine could speak to Galen in private.
Korvain and Bryn shared a look before the Valkyrie said, “I’m not following.”
Rhys spoke quickly, afraid that if he didn’t get the words out now, he never would. “Craine said he wanted to speak with Galen alone. Galen told me to go home. I did, but Galen never returned. We were supposed to leave Chicago that night to come here.”
“Why were you coming back? To offer me another deal?” Bryn said.
Rhys’s eyes found Korvain. “Our orders were to kill him.”
The Mare reached for a curved blade strapped to his chest and pulled it free of the sheath. His lips were twisted into a snarl, the scowl on his face fierce. “I’d like to see you try,” he growled.
Rhys shook his head. “I don’t know why Craine wanted you dead though.”
“In what capacity were you working for Craine?” Mav asked, drawing everyone’s attention. Bryn was standing up behind her desk now, and Korvain had pulled another blade free.
“Wet man,” Rhys replied cautiously.
“So, you and Galen were hired killers. Craine wanted Korvain gone so he asks you two to do the job, only Loki kills your best friend before you can.” Mav talked the whole thing out, her brain obviously coming up with the next logical part of the puzzle – something Rhys hadn’t been able to do. She ran a finger over her tattoo, and her black sword was summoned. She held its tip so close to Rhys’s skin that he could feel the coolness of the blade. “Tell us why you’re really here, Rhys.”
He could feel a cold sweat break out on his brow. “I told you, to kill Loki,” he said, his voice steady and even.
Bryn looked above his head. “Is he telling the truth?”
He held his breath for a moment. How would Mav know whether he was being truthful or not? His pulse raced until finally the Valkyrie lowered her weapon.
“Yes,” she said, her voice low and coarse.
Bryn sat back down again, resting her elbows on the blotter. “All right, Craine wanted Korvain gone, but I can’t understand why. He had nothing to do with negotiations, only I did. Did he want to get rid of my security to scare me?”
“I …” Rhys paused. “I had no idea what Craine was thinking.”
“What if we’re looking at this the wrong way?” Mav said. “What if Craine was really Loki? What if Loki was pulling Rhys’s and Galen’s strings all this time? That would make the plan to get rid of Korvain make more sense. With him gone, Bryn, you would be more vulnerable. Loki kills Craine and takes over his life. He then uses Galen to try and get inside Bryn’s inner sanctum without drawing attention, because as far as everyone else is concerned, he’s just a human businessman sending his associate to negotiate a deal.”
“Why would Loki want to kill Bryn though?” Rhys asked.
“To get at Odin,” Bryn said. “It’s no secret that those two are enemies. He was just looking to strike at the All-Father by getting to me.”
“Which is why the bastard has to die,” Korvain tacked on through gritted teeth.
Rhys said, “That’s why I’m here, but there’s just one problem … I have no idea what Loki looks like. All Odin told me was that he was in Boston.”
“Could he be pretending to be Galen?” Mav asked.
“Sending Galen failed once. He wouldn’t use his identity again. Loki would have tried another line of attack,” said Bryn. She sighed and glanced at Korvain. “Odin is the only person who can decisively tell us where Loki is, and he and I are not on good terms right now.”
“I’ll talk to him then. I just need to know how to contact him.” Rhys’s voice held an edge of desperation he hated to hear. This was the closest he’d come to getting answers since arriving in Boston.
A heavy silence fell over the room. “Bryn,” Mav started. “Odin would come here for you. He’d do anything for you.”
The Valkyrie laughed derisively. “Yeah, especially if that anything directly benefited him.” Bryn’s jaw bulged for a moment, before she ground out, “I’ll think about it.”
A knock on the door drew their attention. Mav opened it and a young woman stepped inside. In her hands was a cardboard box. Her green eyes seemed to be fixed only on Korvain, and when Rhys looked at the Mare, he noticed how rigid he’d become.
“Taer, what is it? What’s wrong?”
The woman, Taer, shook her head, and tears welled in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but only a sob came out.
Bryn stood up. “We’ll be in touch,” she said, dismissing Rhys.
“Come on. I’ll walk you out,” Mav said.
Rhys stood and followed her from the room. She stopped at a metal door that he assumed led outside. “Thank you again,” he said.
She studied him. “You changed forms quickly. I’ve seen my fair share of shape shifters, but never any who could shift so quickly.”
He shrugged. The truth was even he didn’t know why he could change skins so quickly. His whole existence was a mystery he had never been able to figure out.
“If we find out Loki’s location before you, I’ll call you. What’s your number?”
He recited the digits, feeling his cell phone vibrate in his pocket when she dialed it.
“That’s mine.” She held out her hand to him. They shook and Rhys left the club. Grit crunched under his boots as he walked to the entranceway of the alleyway beside the club. He stepped out onto the street, joining the heavy flow of foot traffic. Not wanting to be penned
in by all the warm bodies, he maneuvered himself to the outer edge, moving swiftly along the gutter beside the parked cars. Just as he passed a Mercedes S550, the rear window retracted and his name was called out. Odin opened the rear door. “Get in. We have something to discuss.”
Rhys checked his surroundings before getting into the back. Odin looked different from the last time he’d seen him. It wasn’t his clothing, it was more his physical appearance. His face looked more haggard – wearier somehow; there was also a great sadness about him.
“You are yet to find Loki.”
That was not the opening statement Rhys was expecting. “I … I cannot find him without help. I don’t even know where to find him; I don’t know where to look.”
Odin put his hand up, stopping him. “I know. I’ve been watching your progress.”
“You have?” And Rhys had not sensed him?
“I also saw the fight between you and my former guards, Geri and Freki.”
“I killed one of them,” Rhys said. In his mind’s eye, he saw the blood, saw the half-eaten body.
“Geri was always the weaker fighter,” Odin said off-handedly. “Freki, on the other hand, was much better at judging his opponent. He must have seen that you and your wolf had the upper hand when it came to strength. And no doubt he went sniveling back to his new master to inform him of Geri’s death.”
“Loki,” Rhys breathed. His beast shifted beneath his skin.
Odin nodded. “Loki.”
“Where is he?” Rhys was desperate to know. He needed to avenge Galen so he could finally leave. With his best friend dead and Craine no longer giving him orders, Rhys feared what he would do if he were to stay in a large city like Chicago or Boston. Perhaps he would escape to one of the national parks out west and live in a small wooden house he would build with his own hands. Maybe he could go to Canada or Alaska and live out his days away from the temptation of hot blood and warm skin.
Odin handed him a piece of paper. “Loki is here, at this address. He has a prisoner he’s using to expose Bryn by luring her bodyguard away from her. Loki must be stopped before his prisoner’s usefulness is used up.”