“I knew she would be safe. Now as for the rest of you…” The others listened on in rapt attention, “I am going to drive you to Castle Malus. I have camping gear in the trunk. The drive is a little over five days. So please for the love of all that is holy, don’t start shit with each other.”
Chantelle just watched her friend with tired eyes. She wanted to argue with her. To tell her that placing Emma in danger to assist fate wasn’t cool. But all her words and accusations died in her mouth. She knew that Arabella’s gift didn’t allow her to divulge info in one big plot synopsis. It was more like magic eight ball answers. No, she couldn’t be mad at her. Not when she was risking herself trying to help them.
As Arabella began to drive off, Chantelle settled her body against Loki’s. She was tired, not getting any sleep the night before. Instead Chantelle had opted to stay with Emma all night.
She felt Loki take her hand in his, “Sleep my love. You are going to need your rest.”
Chantelle snuggled closer to the warmth of his body. She knew that at some point in time she would have to be taught to fight as a warrior. That the sparring Savannah and the Academy had taught her wouldn’t be enough. Chantelle was playing for keeps. Soon she would face the woman who dared to try to take her happiness.
For now though she would shut everything off and just rest. There was no doubt in her mind that Loki would take care of her. She wanted so desperately to rest in the assurance of his love.
Savannah found herself wondering about Valhöll. She couldn’t seem to sleep with all of her pent up energy over what had happened the last few weeks. She needed to move about. To burn off all her anxiety.
Rounding a corner her heart plummeted to her knees. There in a very precarious position was Bragi and some bite-sized bimbo. She wanted to storm over there and slap the taste out of the girl’s mouth, but then she thought better of it.
Clearing her throat, Savannah watched as Bragi pulled away from the dark haired girl. He quickly rearranged himself and turned to face her.
“Savannah, what are you doing up this late?”
Standing a little taller, she promised herself she wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She should have known that he was a lying bastard, her gift told her they weren’t mates. But Bragi had used such pretty words to charm her.
Gesturing to his crotch, “I guess I could ask you the same thing?”
Bragi stepped toward her, “I can assure you it’s not what it looks like.”
He thought she was stupid, that had to be it. Because that was the lamest thing Savannah had ever heard in her life. In her life she had heard a lot of crap from guys like Bragi.
She might have given him the benefit of the doubt if the tart hadn’t spoken up, “No, it’s so much more.”
Savannah looked over at the girl. She wanted to scream, but decided that if she had to be a bitch at least she would be a classy one.
“If I knew you were into sloppy seconds I would have brought you the rest of my dinner.”
A bright smile painted Savannah’s lips when all the girl could do was gape. Humming softly she turned and headed in the direction of Emma’s room.
“Wait.” Bragi called after her but she kept walking as if he hadn’t said a word. “Savannah, I said wait.”
He grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. Savannah had the presence of mind to pull away from him. Whatever he had to say she knew she didn’t want to hear. More lies. What other deception could he come up with? Savannah had been lied to her whole life, so what was one more liar, really?
“It really wasn’t what it looked like back there.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, my mistake. Did you drop your pants and then just fall into her?” Savannah tapped her foot as if waiting for an answer.
“I…”
Shaking her head she held up her hand, “Stop. Just stop. I may not be as old as you, but I’m not a child either. Go back to whatever it was you weren’t doing and leave me the hell alone.”
Without a backwards glance she left a dumbstruck Bragi standing there. Savannah didn’t have time for any of this. With her gift she knew Bragi wasn’t her Fatum Anima. But he didn’t need to lie to her. She wouldn’t have minded if he would have been honest. With her gift, to see the destined mates of others, she knew that they weren’t meant to be. But a little honesty would have been nice.
Rounding the corner she entered Emma’s room. She had promised to keep watch over her when Chantelle went off with Loki to kick some ass and take some names. Now she found herself alone with the healer.
Tomas, she remembered Bragi telling her his name. Savannah had seen the tight lipped smile he had given the healer. She wondered why there was tension between them. And then she realized that there was just bad blood between them.
Shaking her head she began to pace the room. Her eyes darted between Emma and Tomas. His dark brow furrowed in concentration. He seemed as if nothing else in the room or the world mattered. Nothing except saving Emma. Tomas straightened in his chair beside the bed. Savannah moved closer to the bed and sat down taking Emma’s hand.
“How is she doing?” Her voice trembled with unshed tears.
“There has been no change. But I do not expect any for at least a week.”
A week, where the hell were they headed, no man’s land? Savannah didn’t understand why when they had the power of magic they did not use it to travel.
She fussed with Emma’s hair, “Why so long?”
Tomas searched her eyes. She knew he was looking for understanding, but she wasn’t taught any of this at the Academy. They had focused on training the girls to wield their powers and to ready them for mates.
He stood from his seat and closed the distance between them. Tomas kneeled down in front of her taking her hands in his. The moment their skin touched an electric current shot through her and her breath caught in her throat.
She found herself wondering why Bragi hadn’t filled her in. But then the memory of what she had seen in the hallway flashed in her mind. Pushing it aside she swore she would forget the tall redhead. As a matter of fact, she never wanted to see another ginger ninja, again.
“They cannot use magic. It causes a subtle shift in the environment. Anyone who possesses magic would feel the shift.”
She nodded. That made perfect sense. Now that she knew the reason behind their thinking, she found herself feeling a little better. Tomas seemed capable enough to keep Emma safe. As soon as they had brought Signe to justice, everything would be well again. Emma would be whole and they would return home. Chantelle would return and they could start their new lives together.
Savannah stood from the chair and began to pace again. Waiting had never been something she was good at. But she needed to find something to keep her busy.
“How did you become a healer?”
Tomas took her place on the bed, “I did not become a healer I was born one. I am a Dryad.”
Savannah tilted her head to examine him. Come to think of it he did have a very earth Spirit look about him; dark wavy hair and hazel eyes. The more she thought about it the more she found him darkly attractive. A stark contrast to the fair skinned redheads she normally liked. But it was a welcome change. It caused an odd shift in the area of her heart and Savannah pushed it aside.
“I thought Dryads were only women?”
His chuckle was deep and it sent shivers down her spine. Standing he walked toward her and stopped mere inches from her. His power flowed over her and she welcomed the tingle over her skin.
“Did they teach you nothing at the Academy?” Savannah shook her head. “Most mortal books about myths have the incorrect information.”
“They were a little more focused on us learning how to control our gifts.”
Savannah blushed, all of a sudden she felt stupid. As if she didn’t know how to talk to him. That was never a problem for her, but for some reason he just left her tongue tied.
Tomas took her hand and led her toward th
e bed. She felt her heartbeat speed up. Savannah found herself wishing they were in her room and it was her bed he was leading her to. At the thought guilt flashed through her mind. Here was Emma laying there holding on to life by her fingertips and she was ready to jump Tomas. What’s gotten into her with these immortal men?
Savannah needed to keep busy, “What should we do while we wait?”
“I could instruct you in healing.” He gestured toward Emma and Savannah nodded.
For hours he instructed her in the art of healing. By the time the sun set, Savannah was well on her way to learning the basics and on her way to feeling the pull of destined mates.
Chapter 29:
The late autumn sun shone around the clearing; wildflowers of every color stood out in stark relief. A cascading waterfall emptied into a stone encircled pool. There was a nice border of trees that surrounded the clearing. It was the perfect place to make camp.
Chantelle’s dark eyes darted about, trying to take everything in. The beauty of the clearing was overwhelming. Never in her twenty-four years had she ever seen something more breathtaking. She likened it to the Garden of Eden.
A movement in her peripheral vision alerted her to the rest of the group. Coming out of her trance Chantelle noticed Thor and Hoder opening the trunk. She watched as they pulled the gear out and began to set up camp.
“We will have your tent up in a moment, princess.” Hoder called to her as he unrolled a green and silver tent.
Chantelle shook her head, not able to get over being called princess. “Please call me Chantelle.”
Arabella smiled at her from her perch on top of the Hummer’s hood. Chantelle knew there was something that she wasn’t saying and it was grating on her. She hated it when her friend sat there like some all-knowing wiseass.
“That is your title, so get used to it.”
Loki had come up behind her and spoke in her ear. The feeling of his breath stirring her hair had her wanting to lean into him. The sound of his voice heating her blood.
She refused to answer him, afraid her voice would give her away. So she watched as his brothers went about setting up the tent. Chantelle refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing his presence set her off. That just the sound of his voice had her forgetting why falling for him was a bad idea.
After a few moments he hadn’t moved and she desperately wanted to put space between them. “Have you never learned the concept of personal space?” She glanced up into his face waiting for his answer.
His chuckle sent shivers down her spine, “I thought you enjoyed my touch?”
Chantelle felt his fingertips brush against her arm, setting her body on fire. For a brief moment she wondered if coming on this journey was one of her stupider ideas. How was she supposed to survive with Loki this close all the time? Instead of leaving her alone in the car, he had opted to ride next to her. Chantelle seriously doubted that he would allow her to sit with either of his brothers so she hadn’t even bothered to ask.
Somehow she plucked up the nerve to answer him. “Where did you ever get such a ridiculous idea?” Her voice was breathy, too breathy.
Chantelle couldn’t lie to herself and she knew she couldn’t fool him either. Loki knew her better than anyone ever had. Even better than she knew herself. The moment he neared her, Chantelle felt her body gravitate toward him. He was like a damn black hole. He pulled her in and made all her common sense disappear. There was something in his touch that called to her soul. It was something primal. It had begun as nothing more than a spark. Yet before long it had grown to a raging bonfire. Just what had he done to her?
Loki brushed her hair aside and placed a soft kiss just behind her ear. She felt him smile against her skin when she shuddered.
“I believe, my mate, your response to my touch gives you away.”
His arrogance annoyed her. How dare he think that because her body responded to him she was his? Anyone in their right mind would respond to a man who looked like Loki. Though just the thought of another woman responding to him set her teeth on edge. Chantelle was never a jealous person. But something about her mate had her feeling possessive. She had gone through too many changes since meeting Loki and right now she didn’t want to deal with any of it.
A huff escaped her lips as she pulled away from him. She turned to face him then, her hands on her hips and eyes flashing. “Keep trying to convince yourself of that.” With a swish of her hair, Chantelle flounced off toward Arabella.
She needed to put space between them before she gave in to him. It was his eyes. When Loki looked at her she felt like he saw into her soul. As if with one look she could know his heart and soul. Chantelle could swear she felt his sorrow with one glance. And God help her, it was that sorrow that made her love him.
Wait, did she just admit to loving Loki again? Chantelle shook her head, trying to clear her mind. How could she love a man she didn’t know? She refused to count their dream encounters as knowing each other. She wasn’t willing to admit anything that would help Loki’s case for her heart.
She approached the car and noticed that Arabella lounged on the roof of the Hummer’s hood watching the two warriors work. Hoder held the last rope as Thor pounded it in with Mjolnir. It seemed that having a mystical hammer made things move faster than normal.
It also seemed that her friend was enjoying the view. Chantelle didn’t understand what she found so interesting. If you asked her, Hoder was rather plain looking and Thor, well he was a little too rough around the edges. Neither of them was as sexy as Loki.
“You shouldn’t stare.”
Arabella patted the hood of the car. “Let’s talk.”
They hadn’t had a good chat since Academy. Lord knows, she had been on the move for some time now. Slaying everything related to the Acolytes. But Arabella couldn’t tell her friends that.
Once Chantelle was situated, “About what? How you feed me to the wolves?”
“Wolves? Oh, no! Did I introduce you to the wrong mate?” Chantelle shot her an annoyed look. “I was sure Loki was part giant, not wolf.”
Chantelle glared at her and Arabella had a hard time not laughing in her face. This was too funny. She knew that Chantelle had dreamed about him her whole life. As a matter of fact just a year ago Arabella had a vision of them together.
“Stop scowling. It’ll give you wrinkles.”
“Who cares? So I’ll be forever wrinkled.”
Arabella eyed her, “What has you so upset, Chantelle?”
Chantelle looked off toward the two men working, “Gee, I don’t know. Maybe my so called friend set me up.”
A smile lit her face and her ice blue eyes sparkled, “Just because I can see the future doesn’t mean I can’t see the present.” Arabella jumped off the hood of the car and headed off to the woods, “Come on. Let’s gather some firewood. You might even open up to me, princess.”
Chantelle threw a scathing look in her direction. If one more person called her princess she was going to scream.
“If you’re lucky I just might.” They laughed as they made their way into the forest.
The woods were filled with birdsong and Chantelle breathed in the chill autumn air. Trying to clear her head of all that had happened in the last few weeks. It was all too much to take in, there was just too much between them. Her sister being sick, a crazed immortal who wanted Loki for her own and his hatred for mortals. Even Romeo and Juliet had a better chance of making their relationship work.
Arabella bent down to pick up some twigs and Chantelle followed suit. She really didn’t think the clothes that Loki had provided were a good choice to go rummaging through the woods. She cringed every time she stepped into a puddle with her black leather Marc Jacobs boots.
Her musing was cut short, “So what’s going on between you and Loki?” Arabella’s words brought her up short.
Just what was she fishing for? There was nothing but a promise between them. He had promised to save Emma, so long as she had agreed to give h
im her friendship. Nothing more, nothing less. And that was just the way it was going to stay if Chantelle had anything to do with it.
Yet something in Arabella’s words were stirring up memories of Loki’s last words. Was it so obvious what he did to her? With just one look he made her want to love him. Forget about what just one touch from him did to her.
His evergreen eyes spoke volumes. When she was alone with him, he was no longer the immortal dubbed the God of Mischief, but the immortal of misunderstood pain. Chantelle was beginning to realize that their bond was growing. Heaven help her, she was falling in love with him.
“I don’t know what you mean. We have an agreement. What is between us is nothing more than business.” She began to pluck a few berries, trying to avoid the gaze of her future seeing friend.
“You know him a few weeks and you’re already picking up his bad habits.”
Chantelle threw her hands up in frustration, “Whatever. I don’t know what you want to hear me say.”
She was trying to draw in deep steadying breaths but it wasn’t working. Arabella’s accusations were pissing her off. And the fact that she was right was even worse.
“You and I both know that I am nothing more than a game to him.”
Just saying those words broke her a little. Thinking it to herself and saying it out loud were two very different things. It shook her to her very core. She wanted desperately to believe he cared for her. That if he had to choose between a mere mortal and a fallen immortal, Loki would choose her. But he had kept so many things from her.
Chantelle found herself wondering if Loki had been manipulating her dreams all along. What if her feelings were only there because he had manufactured them? What if she was nothing more than a puppet to him? Someone else to control with his lies. Someone to pass the time with. His backup plan, just in case Signe really had meant what she said to him all those years ago.
“I don’t think you should let Loki hear you say that.”
Chantelle wanted to tell her that she had said worse to the handsome immortal. But one look at her friend told her she already knew what words had passed between them and it looked like Arabella didn’t approve. Well, too damn bad.
Mischief's Mate (The Immortal Mates Book 1) Page 22
