Mayhem for Suckers

by Lacey Carter Andersen

  “What brought you here?” I ask.

  “I was looking for family too,” he says. His eyes are very bright as they stare into mine, almost mesmerizing. “I lost my wife in an accident years ago. My brother owned a house in Aberdeenshire, so I moved here. Seeing my nephews grow up gave me a bit of my life back. It wasn’t the one I expected, but that's all right. Life has a habit of throwing curveballs our way.”

  He hefts his glass toward me. “I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

  “Thank you. And I’m sorry about your wife.” Conversation over. He seems friendly, but I’m going to listen to my instincts.

  “It was many years ago.” He leans toward me, his eyes bright. When they meet mine, I can’t seem to tear my gaze away. “Why did you come here?”

  “To find my sister.” I can’t stop the words from leaving my lips, and I frown.

  “Oh, a long lost sister,” he murmurs. “What happened? How did you lose each other?”

  “When we were little, there was a house fire, and my mother managed to rescue us. But after that, I guess I was put into foster care. I never saw my mother or my sister again.”

  “Oh, do you think your mother kept her, but put you into foster care?” He sounds so sympathetic.

  I frown. The words suddenly make sense, but I’ve never thought about it that way. “No,” I say. “I’m sure she did her best. I’m sure she wanted me.”

  The words are a struggle to say. I’ve never been sure about that. Every kid in foster care clings to a story, and after a while of hearing everyone else’s, it becomes hard to believe your own. At least that’s the case for me.

  “What do you want with your sister?”

  “I want to save her,” I admit. Then I press my lips together, glaring at him.

  Somehow he’s using some kind of magic on me, I just know it. I don’t know how, but I would never spill my guts like this to a stranger. It’s hard enough for me to open up about these parts of my life with the men I love. I’m getting better at talking about it, at being vulnerable, every day that passes--but not with anyone but them.

  Another trickster, Loki murmurs in my ear. But not a god. He’s so much weaker than you are.

  And I should be better than Loki but this guy is trying to manipulate me and it pisses me off. Is he part of Thea’s crew? Maybe he’s even the man who’s tormented her so much, at least if Oliver’s stories are to be believed? He either took Thea from my mother or from foster care, and after what he insinuated, I’m desperate to know which. Suddenly it comes to me that I could transform into my mother, and see how he reacts. If that doesn’t work, well, there are all kinds of things I can transform into.

  Let’s show him just how weak he is, I think, and Loki exults in the back of my mind.

  I summon the memory of the photo of my mother, the one I found on the microfiche in the library the night this all began, and transform into her. It makes me ache, to imagine her features coming over mine.

  But it’s worth it, because he suddenly flails back, almost falling off the bar stool. He grips the edge of the counter, his eyes widening.

  I reach out to him with Loki’s trickster magic, the power to persuade people to see things the way you want them to…even beyond the simple ability to transform. I don’t want to use this power on anyone, because it’s more power than anyone should have… Anyone but him.

  I will him to believe it’s really my mother who sits across from him.

  His fingernails on the edge of the bar are white, and his eyes have gone wide. “It can’t be. I killed you!”

  The words send a shockwave through my chest. He killed my mother.

  “Get up,” I tell him pleasantly.

  He rises to his feet awkwardly. The bartender comes out just then with greasy paper bags.

  “I’ll be right back,” I tell him, forgetting that he won’t recognize me now. “We’re just stepping outside for a…smoke.”

  I’ve never smoked a cigarette in my life, and I can feel Loki laughing at me.

  This man and I march outside.

  “Who the hell are you?” I demand as we walk. He killed my mother. I’m going to kill him too.

  “My name is Viggo. But if you were who you’re pretending to be, you’d already know that,” he says. He walks with me but he cuts his eyes toward me as if he can tell I’ve got him under some kind of thrall.

  I’ve learned so much about my powers lately.

  Sometimes they scare me. But sometimes, like right now, they feel so right. Loki is thrilled. I can feel his joy shimmering through me, this restless, mischievous, bright energy. It feels so good. Addictive. Dangerous.

  “Why did you kill my mother?” I ask, before I push open the door.

  “Because she tried to keep me away from Izzy and Thea,” he says, and my throat is suddenly tight. “She had to be punished for thwarting me. I wanted to be the one to raise those two girls and she took them from me.”

  He wanted to steal us both. But somehow, he only found Thea.

  Would I be just as bad as she was if he’d found us both? If I’d grown up the way she had?

  Then the two of us are out in the drizzling afternoon, rounding the corner of the restaurant. I expect us to have privacy behind the pub, in the gravel parking lot with only a handful of cars.

  But Reid is out here. Magic sizzles through the air. He’s fighting with a god, and he looks at me wide-eyed.

  “I wondered where you were,” I say.

  The god turns toward me, throwing a bolt of magic my way. I leap into the air, already transforming into a bird, and fly above the bolt toward his head. He gawks at me, losing his focus just for a second. Then he’s trying to throw a second bolt, but he’s too late. Reid sends a blast of icy magic toward him, striking him in the chest, and the god falls.

  He scrambles away. I turn as the strange man throws a handful of powder at us, then I run off too. I’m about to chase them when my chest suddenly feels tight.

  Which is not good. Really not good. What the hell hurts a god?

  I realize he’s tried to poison us, but besides a few rasping breaths, it doesn’t have much effect.

  “I got held up,” Reid says with a cough. He grabs my shoulders. “Are you okay?”

  “Fine,” I promise. “That was so weird. That man… He’s the one who took Thea. He killed my mom.”

  Reid starts to fold me into a hug, but honestly, this time, that’s not what I need.

  “I’m going to kill him,” I say, and when Loki sings, I tell him to shut up.

  There’s no joy in killing, no matter how much some people need it.

  But some part of me has always hoped one day I’d find my mom again, and now I know I never will.

  It’s the end of the last of the stories I wanted to tell myself.

  “Let’s get our burgers and go back,” I tell Reid. “We’ve got work to do tonight.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Thea

  “Daughter of mine.” The dark voice carries a promise of pain. He only calls me daughter when he’s furious.

  I wince as the training room goes quiet. “Yes, Father?”

  Barret’s handsome face has that stoic expression he wears; I know he hates to see me hurt, but he’s long accepted the way we trained here. Connor stops and slings his training sword over his shoulder, giving me a cock-eyed smile; it should be handsome because he’s so good-looking, but the way he loves my pain makes it impossible to see him that way. Connor always seems to love pain.

  Oliver was the only one who was weak and soft about it; he cried to me when we were kids, crying about how he wanted to go home to his parents. I didn’t feel a lot of sympathy.

  I was with my parent, after all, for all the good it did me.

  “I thought I saw you out in town,” he says softly. “Without permission.”

  I shake my head, forcing myself to stay calm. I don’t dare look to Barret or Connor, but either of them can confirm I’ve been here the whole time. �
��No. I didn’t go anywhere. I have training to do.”

  He stares at me for a long second, then softens as if he realizes I’m speaking the truth. “Indeed.”

  Relief washes through me. We all try to be brave, but still, I dread and fear his punishments for our failures. I know Barret and Connor do too, even though neither of them will admit it.

  “No, I thought for a moment that I saw you,” he goes on, “but then I realized it was your twin I saw. Izzy. You failed me and now that girl and her little god-friends are here, when none of you are ready.”

  My heart hammers against my throat.

  “We’ll kill them,” I say. “We’ll go now. Together, we’re stronger.”

  He scoffs at that. “Are you? Are you strong enough to face Izzy and the others? I don’t think you are, Thea.” He suddenly thunders, “I got the wrong daughter! She’s more powerful than my magic…more powerful than any of you. She transforms so easily. No, we’ll have to trick them to have any chance to kill them all.”

  I nod. “We will.”

  My voice comes out so strong, but he levels a dark look my way. “My girl, I shouldn’t have been so lenient with your failure. Look at what it has cost us. She’s here at our door.”

  “Like you said, she’s strong. It wasn’t as easy to kill them, even with the godslayers, as we all thought.” He’s furious and he wants someone to hurt; I know nothing I say will help. “You just said she was stronger than you! Why are you so mad at me?”

  I know I’m saying the wrong thing, but sometimes I can’t hold myself back.

  His jaw tightens, his eyes narrowing. Connor whistles in the distance, making things even worse--of course.

  “I know just the ruse,” he says. “You’ll seek her out and appeal for help. Beaten, broken. She wants to save you. She’ll let you in.”

  I stare at him. She sounds so weak.

  So kind.

  “But first, to set up the ruse,” he says, motioning with his fingers.

  Barret and Connor suddenly seize my arms. I know it won’t help to fight them--in the end, they’ll all win out. We all take part in these punishments and I’ve helped hurt them both many times all these years we were growing up together--but I can’t help pulling away in a moment of desperation and fear.

  “It’s all right,” Barret says soothingly in my ear. “You’ll take the punishment you’ve always deserved. You talked your way out of it before, but you knew that wasn’t the right path, didn’t you? Now the debt will be paid and all will be well, Thea.”

  His words are like a caress even as he pushes me against the wheel at the end of the training room. “You’re so strong,” he murmurs. “You don't have to be afraid of a little pain. That’s for the weak. Not us. We embrace it.”

  Connor just shakes his head at Barret’s motivational speech, laughing to himself.

  “Good luck,” he mutters. He reaches for the strap to fasten my hands. Viggo doesn’t stop him. Sometimes he’s forced us to hold each other still or beat each other.

  But today, he wants to do it himself.

  “She’s so much better than you are,” he says, his voice disgusted.

  There’s a whispering sound as he drags the tip of the whip across the ground. I bite my lip hard and close my eyes.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Izzy

  We teleport into the living room. The guys are playing video games on a giant TV, and when Wilder sees the burgers, he leaps up, almost falling off the back of the couch. To my shock, he picks me up and spins me around until I’m laughing, then sets me down and kisses me a bunch before snagging the bags and running for the dining room.

  “Hey, I brought enough for everyone!” I call after him, laughing.

  Everyone’s grinning until Aiden spots Reid and the small cut on his bruised cheek. “What the hell happened to you?”

  He shrugs. “Got attacked by one of those idiot gods.”

  “Did you give it to him right back?” Aiden asks, his expression darkening.

  “You bet.”

  Aiden nods, then shoves his brother’s shoulder a little when he’s walking past.

  “All this emotion is beautiful,” I say, shaking my head.

  “Shut up,” Aiden mutters, but he’s smiling.

  “I mean, how can I when you basically just said you loved each other and embraced?”

  Reid laughs this time, then follows his brother into the dining room.

  Van is the last to go after the food. He’s watching me, those blue eyes of his intense. “You okay?”

  My smile falters. I’m not. Not really. But being around these guys helps. “Yeah, but I have some stuff to talk to you guys about when we’re done.”

  He looks like he’s going to move past me, but then stops and plants a soft kiss onto my lips. “Everything’s okay. We’re here.”

  I reach up and brush my fingers through that flawless blond hair of his. “I know.”

  A slight movement catches my eye, and I realize Oliver is watching us from the shadows of the hallway. He has the strangest look on his face, like he’s watching a miracle unfold, but when our eyes meet, his expression goes blank.

  I move away from Van, and he turns to watch me hurry to Oliver. The guy is leaning against the wall. He’s battered and bruised, with cuts that have turned to scabs all over his body, but his limbs are no longer twisted around him like they’ve been shattered into a thousand pieces. He does look pale though, and like he’s in pain.

  “Are you alright?”

  He closes his eyes for a second, and I see his jaw move. “You guys killed me. Again.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I rush out. “We would never just… We hadn’t meant to…”

  His eyes open again, and I can’t tell what he’s thinking.

  “I brought food.”

  He looks surprised. “For me?”

  I laugh. “What kind of jackass would bring food for everyone but one person?”

  “The kind that keeps killing me?” he asks, lifting a brow.

  Van is suddenly at his side. “You better watch it, buddy.”

  Oliver looks over my big man, then relents. “I didn’t mean it. I’m just hurting.”

  “Can you help him to the kitchen?” I ask.

  Van gives that only for you look, and takes him gently under one shoulder, then helps him limp along to the dining room. He sets him carefully into a chair, and Wilder looks up from where he’s handing out food and passes it on to Oliver. My heart glows a little. My guys might be protective of me, but they are good down to their cores.

  I sit down beside Oliver and take the burger I’m handed. “So, Oliver, what do you like to do?”

  “Do?” he asks, while unwrapping his food.

  “Yeah, for fun?”

  His movements slow. “We didn’t really do anything for fun. I mean, before Viggo took me, I was little. I watched cartoons with my parents on Saturday morning. I raced my bike around the neighborhood. I’d eat sugary cereal for breakfast.” He sounds happier and happier with each word, and then his face falls. “But now…we practice. We train. And if we fail in any way, we’re punished.”

  “Punished?” My stomach twists.

  “I’m lucky,” he says, his laugh painful. “For me, nothing leaves scars.”

  I feel sick. “Sometimes it’s better when people can see scars, because it’s easier for them to understand. It’s easier than the scars just being inside of you.”

  He looks at me with wide eyes. “Yeah. Exactly. I told Thea that once and…”

  My heart aches when he finishes unwrapping his burger and starts to eat. He looks like he’s been through hell, not just because of what we did, but because of what they did. Because of everything they took away from him.

  “After all this is over, do you want to go back to your parents?”

  He stops chewing the bite in his mouth, then visibly swallows. “If I go back with Viggo still alive, he’s promised to kill my parents. The only way to make sure they’re saf
e is if I never go back.”

  “Or we could kill him. And make it permanent,” Aiden says, and there’s complete wrath in his voice.

  Oliver looks surprised again. “Come on. You guys don’t care about me or what happens to my parents. You just want to make sure I help you defeat them.”

  Van sighs and settles back in his chair. “Look, buddy. Izzy is a saint. We’re mostly just assholes. But we’re not heartless. Whether we liked you or not, we wouldn’t let some sadistic, child-kidnapping asshole kill your parents. If they’ll never be safe with him alive, then he doesn’t need to stay alive.”

  “You can’t defeat him,” he says softly.

  “We’re more powerful than some sick guy,” Reid answers, just as quietly.

  “But you aren’t as cruel. And sometimes not having a limit to what you’re willing to do makes a person really dangerous.” He resumes eating, and I can tell by the look on his face that he’s done with our conversation.

  So I change the topic. “I saw the man who took my sister today. The same guy who took Oliver and is training the bad gods.”

  Everyone freezes.

  I continue, trying to hide just how upset I am. “I tricked him into telling me he killed my mother.”

  “Fuck,” Van mutters. “I’m so sorry.”

  “He could be lying,” Wilder says. “That monster is just the kind of person to say something like that just to get to you.”

  I shake my head. “He might be good at lying, but he wasn’t lying.”

  “He killed her,” Oliver says, staring down at his food. “She gave both of you up to keep you safe, but he tracked her down and tortured her. She never told him where she hid you, but then he started looking through the foster care system and found Thea.”

  I start to eat even though my stomach is turning. It’s hard to believe anyone is that evil. It’s hard to hear that it’s like a roll of the dice whether he found Thea or I. She’d just been the unlucky one.

  “I’m so sorry, Izzy,” Reid says.