Mischief's Mate (The Immortal Mates Book 1)

by Scarletti, Nicolette

  “I’m sorry.” A tear slid down her cheek.

  “Chantelle you cannot take back what just happened.” He had sat up at the speed of light, holding her at arm’s length.

  Her big chocolate eyes were wide. Just what was he accusing her of? Surely he didn’t think she regretted what had passed between them.

  “I only meant…”

  “No, there is no going back once you have begun the bounding of two mates.”

  Chantelle felt her breathing quicken. She finally figured out that he was her soul mate. The one person she knew she could not live another day without and here he thought she didn’t want him. Would the pain from his past ever allow them to be on the same page.

  Loki set her on the bed and stood to pace the tent. Her heart sank as she watched him pull on a pair of pants. His hands running threw his long black hair. She knew that was his way of claiming his inner beast.

  Pulling the sheet around herself, Chantelle stood from the bed. On slightly shaking legs she moved to stand closer to him. She didn’t know if it was for his comfort or her own. As she came closer to Loki, his jade eyes jumped to her face. They searched hers for a moment. Whatever he found there it must have eased his worries. For in one quick motion he pulled her into his arms, his chin resting on her curls.

  “If you wish for your freedom Chantelle. I shall grant it to you. May the Sisters of Fate help me I cannot keep you bound to me, if you do not wish it.”

  Chantelle couldn’t form words. Whatever Signe had said to renounce him had caused lasting damage to her Norse immortal. She couldn’t understand how such a powerful man could be made to feel so weak; as if he wasn’t worthy of his own happiness. Her soul raged at her to take his hurt away. To take this fallen prince before her, into her arms and ease his broken heart. To hold on and never let go.

  Loki’s heart seemed to stop in his chest at her words. She was apologizing for what just happened. Even after he told her they couldn’t go back.

  Chantelle’s hands cupped his cheeks of their own accord. “Please my love, just listen to me.”

  His eyes had been closed up until Chantelle had spoken. As her words settled in the air around them, Loki drew in a breath. His eyes snapping open. He wasn’t sure if he had heard her right. In fact he was afraid to even hope he had.

  Loki couldn’t begin to understand how a woman like Chantelle could claim he was her love. She was honest and loyal. Something Loki hadn’t been for a long time. Anger had filled his heart like a poison. It was eating him alive from the inside out. Here was a young beautiful woman offering to be his antidote. To somehow heal his tattered and broken soul. With Chantelle by his side nothing was impossible. Maybe he would even be welcomed by his parents’ people.

  “I truly am sorry. But not for what we did; only that I fought you for so long.”

  Loki rested his forehead against her’s. The smell of jasmine and vanilla; a scent he would forever associate with his dreams of her, invaded his senses.

  “Why?” His breath stirred the curls that framed her face.

  “I was afraid. I have lost so many people I loved.” She took a steading breath, “As long as I didn’t love you, losing you couldn’t possibly hurt.”

  Loki brushed his lips against hers. She didn’t realize just how strong she was. Because the Sisters had chosen her for him she would never be alone again. So long as he drew breath Chantelle would never know heartache again.

  “My love, you are far braver to admit your fear then you think.”

  “The fear is still there. Whether I admit it or not.”

  Of course it would be. No one lost people they loved and just simply got over it. The heart that loved the most stood to lose the most. The heart took the longest of all body parts to heal when scarred.

  “Remember, life only put obstacles in your path to see if what you really want is worth fighting for.”

  “You are worth all the suffering our enemies could dream up. I love you.”

  Loki captured her lips. A fire blazed within her soul at his touch. Chantelle felt her soul shift toward him. She felt the urge to be bound fully with him. As if it was the only way she could be complete.

  “Will you bind us? I mean could you here and now? Even if there was no one to witness it?”

  She fingered the Compes around his left bicep. It was silver with intricate Norse runes etched into it. Loki had received it after birth. And he would forever wear it until he claimed his Fatum Anima. Once the bonding ceremony was complete it would disappear; becoming the rings that they would both wear; forever marking the bonding of their souls.

  “Say it again.”

  She smiled up at him, “I would say it even with my last breath. Make us one, my love.”

  She could not have said anything better. Loki wanted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. Because he knew there was no way he could ever deserve Chantelle. Not with how dark his soul had become.

  Loki took her left hand into his own, twining their fingers together. There was a small athame in his hand, and he saw Chantelle cringe.

  “We need to draw a small amount of blood from our hands. Then I’ll say my vow to you and you will repeat the process.” He nodded to encourage her.

  With shaking hands Chantelle took the athame from him. Her heart was beating as if a humming bird was trapped in her chest. She didn’t want to hurt him, or have him hurt her for that matter.

  Loki cupped her cheek with his free hand. “Little one, it is necessary for the ceremony. The magic that will bind us will take the sting of the blade from us. I promise.”

  Taking a deep breath Chantelle steadied herself. She could do this. All she needed to do was trust him.

  “Now, just a small cut to my right hand.”

  With her hand shaking she brought the athame up and pressed the tip against his palm. A gasp fell from her lips as soon as a bead of blood welled up. Loki raised his hand and wiped the blood on the silver Compes.

  “You are mine as I am yours, forever.”

  The silver band glowed a bright green, about his arm. As the light subsided, Loki nodded for Chantelle to do the same. Without hesitation she raised her right hand to him. Loki took the athame from her outstretched hand and placed the blade against her palm. Slowly he pressed the tip into her palm. Chantelle was shocked when she didn’t even feel the tiniest hint of pain.

  As he pulled the blade back from her skin, she followed his earlier actions. Wiping her blood over his. “You are mine as I am yours, forever.”

  Loki leaned forward and kissed her. The moment their lips met the magic of their bond took over. Pulling apart, Chantelle watched as the Compes melted away. Their ring fingers began to glow. A warm tingling filled their hands. As the light finally subsided Chantelle noticed they both now wore platinum and jade bands. The matching rings formed a twisted ribbon look; the jade intertwined with the platinum.

  Chantelle felt as if her body was humming and she raised a quizzical eyebrow in Loki’s direction. “I feel different.”

  “You now share my magic. We are bound in every way possible. Your emergence will only heighten the magic I have given to you.”

  “Oh, so this is really forever.”

  A wave of relief swept over her. She had feared that Loki would soon tire of her and leave her to pick up the pieces. Chantelle had worried that if he realized she was breakable he wouldn’t want to waste anymore of his time with her. But now he had shared his power with her, they truly were equals.

  “Did you think I was going to let you get away from me?” Loki pulled her tighter to his bare chest, “Not after I have lived so long without you. Here in my arms is where you were meant to be and it is where you will stay.”

  Chantelle pulled back from him, a wide smile lightening her face. She tugged his hand, “Let’s go back to bed. I would like to make love to my husband.”

  Loki didn’t miss the blush that painted her cheeks when she spoke of them making love. With his heart a little lighter n
ow that they were bound, he allowed her to lead them to their marriage bed.

  The riders followed a black cloaked figure, single file. They had pushed their horses for the last few hours, and they were ready to drop. The leader of their group raised her hand and they slowed their pace to a trot.

  For the last hour there had been grumbles amongst the riders. It was nearing dusk and they still hadn’t reached their destination. If they continued like this they would be out here for who knew how long.

  Signe drew her horse to a stop. Each man watched as she dismounted, waiting with baited breath. Slender boned hands pulled back the hood to reveal a withered old crone. The men looked at each other with looks of disgust. When they had started out on this journey she had been young and vibrant, but now she was a shell of her former self.

  She had pulled back the spell she had Emma under. Signe knew that it would make her revert back to the old withered witch she was damned by Frigga to become. But with her endgame in sight she didn’t give a damn.

  “Now, we are a half hour on foot to the enemy camp. Dismount and secure the horses.”

  A broad red-haired warrior near the front spoke up, “Walk? Have you gone feeble as well as ugly? We should have taken a vehicle, not horses. And now you want us to walk?”

  If the warrior had known better he would have stayed quiet. But all good pawns are nothing more than fools. One wouldn’t want them smart enough to know that they’re disposable.

  Signe moved forward; close enough to see the flecks of green in his eyes. A maniacal smile pulled at her lips. “Perhaps?”

  She waved her hand and the man turned into a fox. He jumped off the horse’s back and disappeared into the woods. With a second flick of her wrist a pack of wild dogs came out of nowhere. The lead dog sniffed the air and took off after the fox. The rest of the pack following close behind.

  “Perhaps not.” Facing the rest of the men she spread her arms, “Any further questions?”

  There were murmurs and shuffling from the group. But no one was fool enough to speak out of turn. Signe had shown them just how evil she could be, and they weren’t taking any chances.

  “Good, now tie up the horses and lets move out.”

  Chapter 39:

  Chantelle had been standing in front of her small closet in nothing but her bra and black leather pants for the better part of ten minutes. She found herself wanting to look good when Loki returned from hunting.

  Everything that had happened between them had gone so fast. One minute she was pushing him away and the next she was pulling him close. Chantelle loved Loki with every fiber of her being. And after what they had shared she knew that she had loved him for a long time.

  So now, here she stood wanting to look good for a man who had seen her at her worst. Funny the things one thinks about when they’re in love. As the last of her thoughts quieted, her eyes alighted on a brilliant ruby corset top.

  Chantelle was reaching for it when a breeze played against her bare back and she smiled. It seemed Loki was back early. Funny she had felt so empty since he had left; she reasoned that it was just their bond. But for some reason the emptiness was still there. Chantelle decided to push the feeling aside. Maybe she could ask him about it later. Right now she needed to be in his arms.

  She turned not caring about her nakedness. “I missed…” But the rest of her words died on her lips. And all at once Chantelle realized why she still felt empty.

  Her hands flew up to cover her breasts; it hadn’t been Loki returning after all. There before her stood two surly looking men. Her stomach seemed to summersault as if she was on a rollercoaster. Something was wrong and she didn’t know where Loki was.

  The bigger of the two stalked forward and tried to grab her but Chantelle dodged his outstretched hand. Her eyes darted about the tent searching of Loki’s sword. She knew better than to think she could defeat two grown warriors. They were Signe’s warriors out to claim their query.

  But perhaps, if the Sisters were good to her this night, she could stall them. Hopefully long enough for Loki to return. Her heart skipped a beat at that thought. She couldn’t let Loki walk into whatever trap Signe had lain for him.

  It was obvious that they meant to do some kind of harm. Chantelle was sure that they intended to not only harm her but Loki as well. Just the thought of Loki hurt had her heart rate doubling. She could imagine what these men would do if Loki came back and they were still here.

  Chantelle wasn’t worried about herself. They would do whatever they pleased with her regardless of Loki’s presence or not. She wasn’t fool enough to think that Signe had only come with two warriors.

  If Loki witnessed what they had planned for her, he would be rendered helpless. Chantelle knew that if emotions came into play her mate would not win. No, she had to keep them from accomplishing whatever they had planned.

  Chantelle sent a silent plea heavenward. She hoped that Thor and the others would get back soon. No matter how much magic Loki possessed there was no way the two of them could take on an army alone.

  Her thoughts ceased when the second, much smaller man tackled her to the ground. She struggled against his hold and then she did something she never thought she would do. Chantelle let out a bloodcurdling scream. Her captor’s hand clamped down over her mouth. She took the opportunity and sunk her teeth into him, drawing blood.

  In one swift movement Chantelle found herself upright. But only for as long as it took for the dark haired man to slap her. With her hand against her cheek, Chantelle glared at him from the floor. Her nakedness all but forgotten.

  “You nasty little bitch. We were going to go easy on you. But now...” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Now we’ll let your little prince watch as we have our fun with you.”

  “And while we dance in your blood.”

  Chantelle tried to sound strong. As if she knew just what Loki would do to avenge her disgrace? But her threat fell flat and she knew the men before her could sense her fear.

  “Not before I’ve had my fill of your pretty little body.”

  “Enough.”

  The two men backed away from Chantelle and she caught a glimpse of the newcomer. To her horror the being in the flowing black robe looked like it had crawled out of her nightmares. But there was no mistaking who it was. Chantelle refused to be on her knees before this monster. After all, she was a princess now and Signe was nothing more than a cautionary tale, which immortals told their children in hopes that they would behave.

  Slowly she rose to her feet, trying not to show any fear. She was facing the woman who tried to steal everything from her and she refused to cower. Instead she drew on her anger for this creature before her.

  “Nice to see you aren’t the coward I thought you were. I took you as someone who would let her minions do all the dirty work.”

  She watched as Signe clenched and unclenched her fists. That was all Chantelle needed, to know she had pushed the right buttons. It was so easy to rile an opponent who was insecure.

  Chantelle waved her left hand toward the two men, “Maybe you should send them to get you some warm milk. I’m sure it’s past your bedtime.”

  The dying light in the tent caught her ring. Drawing Signe’s gaze to the tell-tale hand, in that instant she knew she had arrived just behind the game. Signe closed the distance between them while distracting Chantelle long enough for one of the men to grab her. With a wave of her hand the corset that was on the bed was now covering Chantelle.

  “I promise to keep your ring after I kill you. Loki will need a reminder of just how expendable you were, as he warms my bed.”

  Chantelle felt her hackles rise. How dare she think Loki would even look at her? Signe had thrown him away like so much trash and now she wanted him back.

  “That’s very unlikely. Even if you did kill me, Loki’s heart is still mine.”

  The wrinkled old women cackled, just like the wicked witch she was. “That still remains to be seen.”

  A blazing anger
surged through Chantelle’s veins, “Why don’t you call off your lap dogs and fight me?”

  Signe shook her head, “You should have taken my advice when I told you to fight him. Because now you shall suffer along with your sister.”

  Chantelle struggled against her captors. “That was you? I should have known. My offer still stands; fight me and we’ll end this now.”

  “I have not the time to play games with little children.” Signe smiled at her, as if to say either way she would come out the victor.

  “Chicken shit.” The two guards holding her snickered, but quickly coughed to cover it up.

  “You can call me all the names you like, mortal. But when my men return with Loki I am going to let him watch you die.”

  She motioned the men to bring Chantelle outside. Everything had to be just right for when the others returned with Loki.

  The men had fanned out and searched the entire woods surrounding the campsite. Yet after an exhaustive search they had found nothing. Not one sign of the prince was to be found. Chantelle laughed at their incompetence, annoying Signe.

  “It seems your men are as incapable of finding my mate, as you are of taking over the immortal race.”

  Signe turned to her, “What makes you think I care to rule immortals?”

  Chantelle smiled a knowing smile, “I know your kind. You’ll never stop until you rule everyone.” She paused to let it all sink in. “The only problem with that is you’ll lose most of your warriors in the process. And you’ll never have enough power to satisfy yourself.”

  Signe stepped forward and slapped her so hard that Chantelle sagged in the arms of the two men that held her. “Learn your place, mortal.”

  Loki cringed when Signe’s hand connected with Chantelle’s cheek. He watched everything unfold from the treetops. Holding the form of a small owl since they had seized the camp.

  His inner beast had reared its head and caused him to almost run in there and try to rescue Chantelle. But the strategist in him took over and he knew running headlong into a battle would only make things worse.