Mischief's Mate (The Immortal Mates Book 1)

by Scarletti, Nicolette

  “Why? I just found out that two people I hold dear stabbed me in the back. I can only wonder how long this has been going on.” She gestured about the room; just to be sure they knew what had her so upset.

  And stab her in the back they had. Chantelle could feel her heart break at the looks they both were giving her. She knew that whatever they had to say she wasn’t going to like it.

  “We just wanted you to be happy. To have someone to take care of you for once.”

  Emma’s voice held steady, even though Chantelle knew she wanted to cry. She could feel the sorrow rolling off her sister.

  “You are just a child and don’t know any better; so I’m going to let this slide. But Frigga, I want to know what you have to say about all of this?” She gestured between them.

  Chantelle saw that Emma wanted to answer her. To plead her case. Maybe to plead all of their cases, but with one look her sister clammed up. A very wise choice.

  When the older woman looked at Chantelle she was ready to cry. Chantelle could see the remorse in her eyes; almost taste it. In that moment she wanted nothing more than to soften and forgive her.

  “Perhaps I should explain, mother.” Loki’s green eyes flicked between the two women.

  He looked as if he wanted to ease her tension. Loki had worry written all over his face. What he didn’t know was that it was his last words that sent Chantelle over the edge. After today in the shop she had suspected but Chantelle thought to cast it aside as being paranoid. Now she knew better. She guessed that a lesson learned too late was better than one that was never learned at all.

  As soon as his soft words fell on her ears her ire rose, “You’re his mother? Of course you are. I should have known.”

  Savannah who had been standing beside her friend in silent support even flinched at the sound of her voice. Chantelle was never this angry. Most times it was Savannah telling her she shouldn’t be a doormat.

  “Oh damn, someone is going to get it!” There was shock soaking her words.

  Frigga’s eyes were glazed over with unshed tears, “Chantelle, I really should have told you sooner. If you will allow me to explain, then everything will be clear.”

  Chantelle longed to hear what she had to say; to just forget everything. What she wouldn’t give to turn back time and never have overheard their conversation? To simply act as if nothing was different.

  But that was the weak version of Chantelle. Someone she had been long ago. Long before she had the responsibilities she had now. The new and improved Chantelle wasn’t going to stand for any of this.

  “Do you think?” When Frigga sat back down in stunned silence, Chantelle continued, “Forget it; you don’t need to explain anything.” She waved her off.

  Loki took that as his cue to praise his mate for her good judgment. “I am glad you have come to your senses.”

  Emma turned to stare at him as if he was the three headed dog that guarded the gates to the underworld. Loki just looked at her wondering what he had done wrong. He didn’t realize that it would have served his cause better had he stayed quiet. Because now Chantelle’s eyes shot fire in his direction. Come to her senses? Was he joking? Surely he couldn’t think his caveman attitude would endear him to her?

  “Get your coat Emma, we’re leaving.”

  “But you have to…” She didn’t get a chance to finish her protest.

  “There is nothing that I have to do. Now go get your coat.” Chantelle didn’t even spare Emma a glance.

  She had never raised her voice in anger to Emma. Chantelle’s angry words caused tears to spring to Emma’s eyes.

  Jumping to her feet, Emma sent Chantelle her parting shot, “Nor anything you want to.”

  Chantelle just let her go. She knew there would be time enough tonight to argue with Emma; to make her see reason. But what Chantelle didn’t know was that her sister was thinking the same thing.

  Frigga stood from the couch as if she was going to go after Emma, but Chantelle stood tall blocking her way out of the room. There was no way she was going to allow Frigga near Emma again. She had done enough damage here tonight.

  Her eyes never wavered from Loki’s. “As for coming to my senses, you’re right I have. And I can see exactly who my true friends are.” She turned then to face Frigga, “I’m sorry but I’ll no longer be able to work for you.”

  Chantelle nodded to Savannah and they left without a backward glance. She had to walk away quickly before the tears spilled down her cheeks. She would not show either of them how hurt she was. Tears showed weakness and she had cried her last a long time ago. Besides why should she cry over any of them? If they truly cared about her, there would have been no lies between them. Nor betrayal.

  Once they were in the car Savannah’s eyes jumped to the rearview mirror. She was watching Emma look out the small back window. The young girl’s eyes never left the house even when the engine roared to life. Her cheeks were pink and stained with tears.

  “You ok, ‘Telle?”

  Chantelle turned her doe eyes to look at her friend. “Sure. Fine. Just peachy.”

  There was nothing either of them could say to ease the hurt in Chantelle’s heart. She would have to get beyond the pain on her own. After the incident tonight it would be a while before Chantelle trusted anyone again.

  As they drove further from the house Chantelle’s anger began to cool and was replaced by something else. It was a pulling in the area of her solar plexus. As if her soul was reaching for something else. Something she was leaving behind.

  Loki watched as the three woman piled into the little blue sports car. He stood with his hands behind his back by the front window, hoping that Chantelle would come to her senses and come back to him. But the moment the car pulled away he fell to his knees and clutched his chest.

  The pain that radiated from his soul was too great a weight for him to bear. Chantelle was meant to be the light to his darkness. The one that would chase the loneliness away. Yet his female wouldn’t even listen to the reasons behind why she was kept in the dark.

  “What is wrong with him, mother?”

  Through his pain Loki barely registered what Bragi was asking. All he could think about was what Chantelle had felt like in his arms. Now he would never feel her against him again. That was something he couldn’t allow to happen. He would have to get her address from his mother. Loki vowed to the Sisters that he would win her heart.

  “Do you not feel it too?” Loki continued to clutch at his chest. The further she moved away from him the greater the pain became.

  Hoder moved forward trying to ease Loki’s pain, “Yes brother, I feel a pulling in the area of my heart as well.”

  Hoder and Bragi began to pull him to his feet. He staggered as if shot. It took all their strength to lead him to a chair and help him sit.

  “It seems that Chantelle is angry and will not accept your brother’s claim.”

  Yeah, that was an understatement. Loki knew that if they were going to fix this then Chantelle needed to calm down. Though he wasn’t sure if he could give her the time that she needed. Slowly as if learning to walk, Loki rose and headed for the door. But his brother’s blocked the way.

  “Get out of my way.” The menace in his voice told his brother’s exactly what he would do if they didn’t.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Frigga put a calming hand on his arm.

  “I am going to bring Chantelle back here, mother.” Loki shrugged out of her hand and tried to move past his brothers but they stood firm.

  “I think you should leave well enough alone.” Frigga’s voice cracked with her unshed tears.

  Loki rounded on her, “Just like you did? If you had not taken it upon yourself to find me a suitable mate then we would not be in this mess.”

  His words were out before he could stop them. Loki knew that his mother was only trying to do what was best for him. Yet here he was trying to put the blame for this evening on her shoulders alone.

  There was no
way this was even partially Frigga’s fault. If he had stayed calm at the club and explained everything to Chantelle then she would not have left. Loki knew that she had only wanted the truth. And the one woman he was supposed to give the truth to no matter what, he had failed.

  Frigga whispered, “Please, Loki give her time.”

  He nodded his head even though he doubted he had any time left to give. Loki could feel the darkness spreading across his soul. He may not have fought in as many battles as Thor, but the volatile nature of their males was still there, within him. Within all of them.

  Without his Fatum Anima it was just a matter of time before he lost the battle for his soul. Loki knew that once the darkness took over there would be no going back for him. May the Sisters help those who were in his path, because he would no longer be able to see reason.

  He nodded, “I doubt she would speak to me this night anyway. I shall give Chantelle a fortnight, if she has not returned to me by then, I shall seek her out. I shall explain everything. I vow that I shall be the man she needs.” He eyed his family, “And none of you shall interfere.”

  Loki didn’t wait for their answer; he just pushed past his brothers and went to his room. He needed to regroup. To figure out what he would say to Chantelle when she came to her senses and returned to him. Loki knew one thing for sure; he was going to make it clear that she respect him from now on.

  Chapter 20:

  Savannah had left Chantelle and Emma off in front of their home, promising to call in the morning. Chantelle was grateful that her friend understood that she needed time alone. Time to process the hurt she felt over being betrayed, by the two people she trusted most.

  Slowly she trudged up the walk; Emma pushed her way past Chantelle in her haste to get inside. She didn’t even wait for Chantelle to enter the darkened house first. Something was definitely wrong with her; she never went into the house alone. Being afraid of the dark was the only fear her sister had. Chantelle knew that for her to not care, she must have been pissed.

  Coming into the now bright living room Chantelle found her sister crying in the chair by the window. Just the sight of Emma’s tears had her feeling horrible about what had happened earlier. She hadn’t meant to yell at her, but she was hurt.

  In all the years that they had leaned on each other for support there had never been secrets between them. Then the first time Emma decides to keep one, it’s like Area 51 big. You know, the type of secret you should want to tell others but don’t because you were sworn to secrecy.

  Chantelle felt herself softening at the sight of her sister’s tears. She began to rub small circles on Emma’s back. It wasn’t any good for her to get all worked up.

  “Shh, listen I’m not mad at you. This wasn’t….”

  Emma was up and out of arms reach as fast as her frail body would allow. Anger raged just under the surface of her tears. Chantelle could almost taste how angry she was.

  “You’re not mad? Well I really don’t give a flying elephant or a bag of chips.” Emma stood there with her hands on her hips, her chest heaving with each breath she took.

  Chantelle just stood there staring at her across the room. Emma had never spoken to her like this. Even when she had been diagnosed with her tumor, she had never lashed out in such a way. Emma had always just gone with the flow as she did with everything else.

  “Don’t take that tone with me. I have every right to be angry.”

  She just shook her head, “Oh, do you? And why the hell do you think your feelings are worth more than any of the rest of ours?”

  Hearing Emma accuse her of being selfish made her heart ache. Chantelle had given her whole life for her sister. Never once in the sixteen years that Emma had walked the earth, had Chantelle regretted taking care of her. Yet, here she stood before her accusing Chantelle of being uncaring. It just boggled her mind. Where in any of this had Chantelle been the one to do something wrong?

  “I hope you aren’t accusing me of not caring about others.” Chantelle’s voice was calm, even as she felt herself dying inside. “Because I hate to toot my own horn, but I am the furthest thing from selfish you will ever know.”

  Emma closed her eyes and when she opened them again to look at Chantelle, there was nothing there but anger, “You were more than selfish back there, ‘Telle. Do you know what your stubbornness has cost him?”

  Oh, so that was it. Loki had sweet talked her into believing whatever delusion he was suffering from. Great, just great. Emma was too young to understand the workings of relationships. Definitely not the workings of a mated immortal couple; it was too complex even for Chantelle. Right now Chantelle was regretting that she had never talked to her about the birds and the bees.

  “So he filled your head with lies. I never knew you were so weak. A few nice words and you think he's a prince.”

  Chantelle knew her words were untrue. Emma was anything but weak. She was too trusting at times, but Chantelle knew she shouldn’t fault her for that. It appeared that she had been the same way with Frigga.

  “Listen to yourself. He is a prince, damn it.” Emma didn’t even flinch when Chantelle eyed her for cussing. “But that’s beside the point, isn’t it? You are the only woman who can make him whole. You are his other half. His Fatum Anima. Without you there is no hope for him.”

  Chantelle sat down on the chair her sister had vacated. This was all too much for her to take in right now. She could not afford to have some guy waltz into her life and take over. Mating be damned.

  “Where the hell did you hear that?”

  She knew that Emma was too young to have learned about fated souls. The Academy wouldn’t be teaching her that for another two years. But there she was talking about it as if she knew exactly what she was talking about.

  Emma heaved a long suffering sigh. “The way Loki explained it is that you are the one woman he has searched for his entire life. He’s immortal so I gather it has been a pretty long search.”

  She was going to kill him when she got her hands on him. How dare he tell Emma about all this? Chantelle had hoped that Emma would never be forced to love someone because it was destined. She hoped that her sister would meet a nice normal guy and settle down. Maybe have a few kids and finally be whole and happy. But not now; not after this.

  No, Loki had ruined that with his stupid stories about fated souls. She knew Emma would cling to something like that. That she would want something that was spiritually deep. And this, this Fatum Anima, was right up her sister’s alley. Dammit.

  “Let’s just say he is a millenniums old immortal, Emma. And that we are meant to be. What am I supposed to do then? Just let him run roughshod all over my life. He has serious control issues.”

  “You may think I’m weak, because I listened to what he had to say, instead of blowing up like a hothead. But I think you’re a coward for not listening at all. For making excuses.”

  Emma didn’t even give Chantelle time to respond. With one last look at her she stormed out of the living room. Making it clear that not only had Chantelle hurt Loki and Frigga tonight, but she had hurt her as well.

  A single tear escaped her eyes as she watched her sister leave the room. They never fought, not even over the TV. Chantelle couldn’t understand why this was so important to Emma. What did it matter whether she like Loki or not? Who Chantelle dated had no bearing on her sister’s life.

  Slowly, Emma’s words came back to her. It was not so much the words her sister had spoken in anger, but the ones she had said about Loki. She claimed that he was her Fatum Anima and by the Academy’s standards that was some deep shit. A connection that ran through all lifetimes. It meant they were two halves of the same whole. Chantelle found herself almost believing that. It was only when she dreamed of Loki that she ever felt like she belonged.

  Tonight when they had danced in the club, she had been willing to forget about every other man. It had only been Loki and her in that sea of people. Chantelle had felt as if she had found her place the mome
nt she had stepped into his arms.

  The chiming of the grandfather clock in the hallway told her that she had been down here with her thoughts for over two hours. Chantelle rose from the chair and made her way up to Emma’s room; hoping that she was still awake so she could apologize to her.

  When she pushed open her door she saw her fast asleep; her favorite teddy bear, Lancelot, in her frail arms. It looked like she had cried herself to sleep and Chantelle felt worse than ever for the way she had acted. Moving into the room she pulled the lavender duvet over her sleeping form. Kissing her on the head, she left Emma to sleep.

  Pulling the door closed, Chantelle made her way to her own room. Hoping that the comfort of her bed would chase away the memories of the evening, even though she knew it wouldn’t.

  There was no way she would ever forget the look on Emma’s face when they had argued. With a shake of her head, as if to dislodge the memory, Chantelle got undressed. The moment her head hit the pillow sleep pulled her under, that’s where her dreams found her.

  Chantelle found herself in the middle of an exotic garden, wildflowers of every color in bloom. Their heady fragrance filled the air around her, causing her eyes to grow heavy. The thought that this would be the perfect place to spend a romantic afternoon with someone you loved, came unbidden to her mind.

  “I knew you would come.” His voice was like velvet sliding over her skin; it caused a shiver to run the length of her spine.

  She spun around to see his green eyes boring into her brown ones. Even after his betrayal was made so painfully clear, Chantelle found herself drawn to him. As if she needed him to make her whole. Her dream-self remembered Emma’s words.

  She shook her head, her dark curls spilling from the neat bun atop her head. “Not of my own free will. I don’t belong here and you know it.” Her right hand waved to indicate the space between them.

  Loki advanced on her, a great sleek jungle cat, stalking and ready to pounce at a moment’s notice. Chantelle found herself taking a step back for every one he took forward. Her head kept telling her that she needed to keep a safe distance from him. For no matter how much her soul cried out to his, he was dangerous. Everything about him screamed danger; from his regal posture to the way he could make her heart melt with one whispered word. Chantelle just hoped that she woke up before she gave into his pleading eyes.