And she was nobody’s booty call. Fury and hurt rushed through her. She wasn’t going to let this eat at her. She was going back.
Except, the roads had gone from clear to covered in several inches of snow, almost faster than she could blink. She slowed, eyes focused on the road. Maybe she’d go back after the storm let up.
Lightning reflected off the clouds hiding the sky, adding an eerie glow to the dawn, for the briefest second. Something cracked nearby, louder than a gunshot, and Marley’s heart hammered in her chest. She didn’t like this weather. She gripped the wheel until her fingers ached, squinting through the falling white. Maybe she’d be better off without her headlights. There was no one else on the road, and with the sudden storm making it so dark, all they were doing was reflecting back at her.
Another crack lit the sky enough to blind her further. Her eyes grew wide, and she slammed on the brakes when she saw the tree just a few feet in front of her. The car slid toward the fallen trunk, not listening to her attempts to avoid the obstacle. She spun the steering wheel with the skid, the way she’d been taught, and the car listened. It drifted away from the tree at the last second. It tumbled over the drop-off, and her world tilted as the vehicle rolled.
Marley’s world went black.
****
“Marley.” The voice clawed at the edges of nothing fogging her brain.
She knew that voice, so why couldn’t she remember?
“Marley!” He was persistent.
Eli. Right. He sounded worried. Snippets of memory floated back to her. He should be. He’d been an asshole.
“Open your eyes. Talk to me. Something.”
It sounded like a reasonable request. Her skull screamed in protest, as she forced her eyelids open. More of her world crawled into focus. She was cold. All of her. Except the warm bits on her neck and cheeks where his hands rested.
“Thank you.” Relief shone through his concern. A smile cracked his solemn expression.
She shifted to sit up. It didn’t hurt the way it should. Wait, why should it hurt? She looked around her. She was sitting in the snow, several feet from her car, which lay on its roof. Was she thrown clear? Red splattered the ground. So much red. She raised her hand to her head, and brought it away sticky and covered with… Was that blood? It couldn’t be her blood. She felt fine. “What are you doing here?” she asked Eli. “What am I doing here?”
He opened his mouth. A giant white ball of light slammed into his gut, tearing him away from her, and tossing him back several feet until he collided with a tree.
“Fuck, you’re persistent.” Loki floated to the ground next to her, feet never touching the snow.
Wait, floated? Ball of lightning? She had to be hallucinating. She remembered the tree in the road. Was she unconscious?
Loki’s gaze raked over her, chilling her more than the snow she sat in. “I was worried about you. I wasn’t ready for this to be over quite yet.”
What? Out the corner of her eye, she saw Eli pick himself up. His posture shifted, every muscle tense, eyes tight.
Loki held up a hand. “Time out.”
She had to be dreaming. That was the only explanation for this bizarre scene. She was really lying unconscious in her car. She hoped someone would find her soon.
Eli didn’t relax, but disbelief marred his expression. “Are you serious? I don’t care what the fates say; I told you what I’d do to you, if you touched her.”
At least in her dreams, Eli was still sweet. Overzealous maybe, but sweet.
“Ditto.” Loki smirked. “And we should get to that. But someone wants an explanation. I’ll give you a minute to tell our lovely guest what’s going on, and then we can resume seeing if one of us can die.”
Wow, she was screwed up in the head. She looked between the two of them. Eli tense, fury etched in his icy expression. Loki calm, still floating—possibly chuckling? Terror slid into her veins. If this wasn’t a dream, she was fucked. If this was real, she didn’t want an answer from Loki. Something about his demeanor terrified her.
Then again, if she wasn’t dreaming, Eli had been holding back some pretty significant things too.
Chapter Nine
Marley looked back and forth between the two brothers again. Even if this was some sick, twisted dream, she wasn’t going to cave to the creeping fear inside. She locked her gaze on Eli. “Tell me what’s going on.” Her voice cracked, and she hid a wince. “All of it.”
Eli’s fingers twitched by his side, and he bounced on his toes. He took a step closer, and she narrowed her eyes to keep him at arm’s length. Part of her wanted the comfort he could provide. But she wasn’t going to sink into it. Even if they’d had that kind of relationship—the kind where he wrapped her up and kept her safe, instead of just listening to her vent on a bad day—she wouldn’t let that happen right now. She needed answers.
His entire frame shook when he exhaled, but he never relaxed. “The story I told you the other night? The curse about the three brothers? It’s actually about me. About all three of us. The first time I heard it was thousands of years ago, when I was just a kid.”
Loki laughed. “You actually told her the story already? And neither of you has…” His chuckle echoed over snow and trees. He looked at Marley, something icy hiding in his eyes. “You know a curse isn’t meant to be straightforward, right? You’re familiar with Grimm. Aesop. Disney? You never take that crap at face value, especially if you’ve only heard part of it.”
She struggled to wrap her thoughts around the information. Thousands of years ago? Aesop—like the fables? The answers should be right there, but all she could think was these men were trying to tell her they were actually immortal. Or at least really, really old. The last twenty-four hours had to be getting to her. Unless this was all a joke.
The new idea gnawed at her thoughts. They’d said his name was Loki. As in the trickster god. What if this was all some sort of elaborate hoax? Because that’s more logical? She ignored her own, nagging question.
“We’re gods.” Eli interrupted her spiraling thoughts. “All of us. Loki wasn’t inconveniently named by parents with a sense of humor. He’s the Loki.”
“No.” She shook her head. A tiny voice in the back of her mind insisted she listen. That she take him seriously. But it was insane. There was no way this was real. Was it all just a joke? The resignation at the Christmas party. The night before, with Eli. Was it all some sort of cruel prank she didn’t understand? Were there wires holding Loki up? She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, not wanting to study him too hard and prove her theories wrong.
Terror snaked in to join her doubt. No. People didn’t float. Gods didn’t walk the earth working tech jobs, and she was afraid of a shadow. It was nothing. So why was the fear under her skin more convinced by their stories than her rationalizations?
“Marley?” Eli took another step forward. At least the concern in his voice was familiar.
And maybe part of the same sick joke that landed her here. She boxed her cowering nerves in the back of her mind, and stood. She wouldn’t look at Loki. Whatever he had to do with this, it was all incidental. Eli had been at the heart of it the entire time. Playing…some kind of sick game with her. “I’m calling the auto club,” she said. There. That at least sounded like a rational thing to do. She should have done it to start with.
Her feet sank into the snow, as she trudged in Eli’s direction. She tried to ignore that hers were the only footprints in the clearing. That her car was the only vehicle. She didn’t look at Eli, as she brushed past him and headed for the slope leading to the main road.
“You even brought her back to life. Twice.” Loki’s taunt hit her back. “And she still doesn’t believe you. How incredible is that?”
He was just spewing words. It didn’t mean anything. She repeated the mantra over and over again, as she made her way toward the highway. The fact his words made her gut clench, and her head ache, and her logic wonder if he was telling the truth, d
idn’t mean anything.
And she definitely wasn’t the tiniest bit disappointed Eli wasn’t coming after her. No. That didn’t hurt most of all. She didn’t care what he did with his life. He’d made it clear she wasn’t a part of it.
*
Eli watched Marley climb back toward the street. Every inch of him pleaded to go after her. To wrap her up. To comfort her until she was calm, and then talk her through the truth of who he was, slowly and rationally. To run her a bath. Rinse away the tension and the grime. Make lo—
He cut the thought off, before it could manifest completely. That was a dangerous path to go down. In fact—he turned his attention to Loki—he had other priorities. Like keeping her alive. His desires weren’t as important as her survival
He sneered, and balled his hands into fists again. Even if it wasn’t the curse, the accidents all hinged on Loki. And that meant, because of his own interaction with her, Eli had put her in danger. He wasn’t going to let her suffer again, but he could turn his frustration on Loki. “Seriously, what’s your issue with her?”
Loki rolled his eyes. “I already told you. I hate seeing you happy.”
Eli roared and lunged. He had to make sure she was safe. That this wouldn’t happen again.
Loki shook his head. “Not today. Probably not for several centuries.” He vanished before Eli reached him.
Chapter Ten
Marley pulled on her favorite bathrobe, and tried to sink into the fluffy terry cloth. She toweled her hair dry, scowled at the fog on the mirror, and left her bathroom behind. The shower hadn’t helped chase away her confusion. Was ten am too early to drink?
She made her way to her living room. When she’d climbed back to the road, leaving Eli and Loki in the clearing, she realized she didn’t have her phone on her. She normally kept it mounted on her dashboard when she drove, because she liked listening to music in the car but hated morning radio programs.
There was no way she was walking back into that clearing. Her logic circuits couldn’t handle that sight again. Especially as other pieces of her memory started to click into place. Odd things she’d seen Eli do in the past. Accepting she’d watched him crush steel plates, and make flashlights glow, and get knocked into a tree by a ball of lightning and not die, meant admitting to concepts she wasn’t ready to deal with.
So instead of calling the auto club, she’d walked until someone picked her up. She’d been covered in blood, so that had taken a while.
It was nice to finally be home. She just wished she understood what had happened. She still couldn’t wrap her brain around what took place in the clearing. And she couldn’t get rid of the pit in her gut, either. Couldn’t ignore how incredible the night before had been. And how it was apparently a lie. Or a joke. Or something. She didn’t even know anymore.
Part of her brain asked why someone would set up such an elaborate prank just for her. Or for anyone, really. Unless she was on hidden camera. She resisted the urge to look around her.
That same part of her insisted she couldn’t rationalize this away. The pieces didn’t click into any explanation other than the one Eli had given her. But gods? No. It wasn’t true. She was remembering things wrong. She’d rolled her car. Even if she had walked away unscathed, she had to have hit her head, for there to be so much blood. Never mind that she hadn’t found a wound. Her memory couldn’t be trusted.
A knock on the door jerked her from the rationalizations. Eli? No. She shoved the hope aside. She didn’t want to see him. Not ever again. Even though just thinking something so final pricked her eyelids. It was probably a…
She didn’t even know. Her gut flipped in on itself and she pulled her robe tighter around her, when she opened the door and saw who was on the other side.
“I had to make sure you were all right.” Loki’s cold tone didn’t match the sympathetic statement.
Ice snaked down her spine, erasing the warm comfort of the shower she’d just left behind. “I’m fine. Thank you. But I think you need to leave.” She swung the door shut as she talked.
He didn’t say anything else, and the door latched shut between them. She snapped the deadbolt into place, and an irrational fear pulsed inside. Why didn’t she have more locks?
“I’m not a vampire.” Loki’s voice startled her, and she whirled. He stood in the middle of her living room. “You don’t have to invite me in. Knocking was only a courtesy.”
Her pulse screamed into overdrive, carrying a whisper of terror with it. She swallowed it all. How had he done that? A magician’s trick or something. There was no way Eli’s story was true. Was there? “How did you know where I live?”
He held up her phone. “You left this in the clearing. Who actually keeps their own address in their contact list?”
“What do you want?” It was the most she could manage without her voice shaking.
Phone still in his hand, he sank onto her sofa, and leaned back. “You’re a really rude hostess. Aren’t you going to offer me a drink?”
She forced steel into her voice. Whoever this asshole thought he was, she wouldn’t be intimidated. “You’re not a guest. Answer my question or leave. Both, preferably.”
“Smart, mouthy, obnoxious… No wonder Eli loves you.”
Love. The word slid past her entire jumble of thoughts, and tugged at her heart. She pushed the reaction aside. “Eli doesn’t love me. Eli is terrified of commitment.”
Loki shrugged. “Believe what you want. You’re right about the second one…” He trailed off. “Anyway. All that matters is you believe it, and so does he. It means I succeeded.”
He was being cryptic, right? There was no way she was just being dim. His words didn’t make any sense. Was he insane? Normal, rational people didn’t break into their brother’s employee’s apartments. Right? Especially not to make vague small talk? She needed to get him out of here. He’d tossed her phone on the coffee table less than a foot away. If she called the cops, would they get here before he could do something?
Call Eli.
She banished the thought immediately. Trusting Eli hadn’t done her a lot of good to date. Not if he was keeping things from her like being a god who had a psychotic brother.
Loki stood, and was directly in front of her in a few short strides.
Panic joined her mounting fear, and she stepped back. Or she tried. Her feet wouldn’t move. Her panic grew. She tried to put her arms up, to twist, to turn, but it was like something invisible had bound her.
He traced a finger down the side of her face, over her jaw, and along her collarbone. His touch made her skin crawl. An odd tone lined his voice. “I only ever wanted one date. Just to give you a test-drive. But no, you had to fall hard and fast for my brother from day one.”
She hadn’t fallen for anyone. Well, maybe she had, but not that quickly. She struggled harder, but nothing moved. His tone terrified her. What was going on?
“Don’t misunderstand.” He dipped his head toward hers, and trailed his nose along her neck, breath hot as he spoke. “This isn’t some misplaced crush. I just wanted to know if you were any good in bed.” He tugged the edge of her bathrobe. It wasn’t enough to pull it open, but it left more of her chest exposed. “Not that it matters now. The game is almost over. Or at least, your part in it is.”
“What game?” She could still talk. Every inch of her itched to recoil from his touch. What was he going to do with her? Helplessness made her pull harder at her invisible bonds, but it didn’t do any good. Shit, he really was a god. Or something equally terrifying, and he had her bound and helpless.
“Life. Yours, anyway.” He smiled, and she swore he was part wolf at that moment. Looking to play with his food before he killed it. “Everyone’s life is a game.” He traced a finger over her lips. “Here’s the thing about the curse. Eli is a bit narcissistic.” He chuckled. “I guess it runs in the family. But he hides it better than the rest of us. He’s only ever focused on that one verse. The one bit he thought related to him.”
“He always ignored the part about ruling our father’s kingdom. Dad can’t stay in charge forever. Eli always glosses over the bit that says the first son to discover his happiness will rule the kingdom, with his partner by his side. He ignores it, because he’s already decided he’s destined to lose his true love, if he ever finds her.”
Loki tangled his fingers in her hair and kissed her hard. He pressed close, every inch of his hard frame rubbing against her. His tongue forced its way into her mouth, as he held her captive. Her skin threatened to crawl away from both his touch and the power in it.
He broke away and stepped back. “Meh. Not sure what the big deal is about you.” His gaze raked over her. “But Eli’s not as bright as he thinks he is, so to each his own. The thing is, he thinks confessing his love to you is going to kill you. That whole, ‘She’ll draw her last mortal breath’ thing. It doesn’t mean death. It means your immortality. I’m not guessing this. Not the way he did. I know. It’s happened before.
“But this works in my favor—his belief of your impending doom. As long as you don’t believe he loves you, and he won’t admit it to himself, you’ll just die when I kill you. BAM!”
The shouted word made her jump. Tears of fear pricked her eyelids. He was insane. A mad god held her captive in her own living room. Her heart threatened to hammer out of her chest. “If he doesn’t believe it, you don’t have to kill me.”
Loki smirked and winked at her. “Nice try. Thing is, even if he won’t admit it, it’s true. He almost burst a blood vessel just watching me flirt with you, and sweetheart, you’re not close to worth my time. Watching you die…that’s going to devastate him. It’ll be centuries before he even looks at another woman the way he looks at you. And that’s plenty of time to make sure he’s not the heir.”
Courting Mortality (Brothers of Fate Book 1) Page 6