Lily tossed and turned in the darkness. Sleep evaded her despite the bottle of wine and two rounds of intense lovemaking they had shared. Beside her, Rowan’s deep, even breaths echoed in the darkness, giving her little distraction. She couldn’t seem to wipe from her mind the look of fury Rowan showed when they discussed her plan.
You do know he will expect more than a platonic relationship, he’d reminded her. She knew. Though she wasn’t thrilled by the prospect of letting Loki—or Loren, whichever he chose to be—paw her like a high-school freshman at his first party, she was willing to sacrifice a little of her dignity for the cause.
Just not all of it.
Her heart belonged to Rowan. After his statement in the car, she knew it. The moment he uttered that small reassurance, she fell completely and irrevocably in love with him. And while she knew that would not change, she also knew the unspoken truth between them.
That her boss and soon-to-be Lord and Master would expect much more than a kiss or some heavy petting. As his underling, he would expect everything she had to offer, and would take it without hesitation. Lily couldn’t give him that. And in denying him, Loki would understand the ruse.
She flipped over again, and jumped when she looked directly into Rowan’s sparkling, and mildly worried, eyes.
“I thought I had sufficiently worn you out,” he muttered, his sleepy voice full of gravel. “I suppose I did not do it right.”
“You did,” she reassured him, and her insides gave a little shiver of pleasure as she thought about it. “But my brain still has adrenaline to burn.” Rowan opened his mouth in a deep yawn, then reached out and towed her across the bed to him. Lily snuggled down against his chest, enjoying his warmth.
“Worrying tonight will not help you tomorrow, my love.”
“Can’t help it.”
“Just because I hate your plan does not mean I do not think it is a good one.”
“I just hope I can follow through.”
His chest rumbled with laughter. She crushed her ear to his skin, listening. “Sleeping with the enemy is a daunting task, is it not?”
“Who says I will be sleeping with him?”
Rowan stilled, his breath a near-imperceptible huff against the top of her head. “You know—”
“I’m choosing not to think about it,” she cut him off, her voice flat. “Hopefully you will figure this out before I have to resort to that.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you. You’re the grand strategist. I’m just the decoy.”
Rowan laughed again, and kissed the top of her head. “You are quite the beautiful distraction. I will give you that.” He squeezed her, his arms threatening to pop bones as he did. “With you around, Loki may just forget about the ring.” Releasing her, Rowan gently brushed her hair back from her face. “Sleep now.” His fingertips traced lazy circles up and down her spine. “We can sort it all out in the morning.”
“Maybe you should take the ring back and hide it,” she murmured as he lulled her back toward sleepiness.
“The last place Loki will think to look is right under his nose. Just promise me you will not give it to anyone if they ask…not even me.”
“Why would I not give it to you?” Lily leaned up to look at him, but he tucked her back down under his arm.
“Just do this for me, please.” She nodded against his chest. Lily still had more to say, but it was lost as she slipped into unconsciousness.
* * * * *
At nine o’clock sharp, Lily stood in the gallery, sleepy, and looking at her handiwork. She’d grudgingly risen at six-thirty to scrub herself clean, then slipped away from Rowan’s questing grasp with the promise to call him every chance she got. The ring still hung on the chain around her neck, and she prayed Loki wouldn’t notice it.
He still had yet to put in an appearance this morning. That suited her just fine, but the anticipation racing through her was sheer misery. He did tell her he would give her twenty-four hours, but she didn’t want to wait to give him the news. Seeing that the interns had the details under control, she slipped out of the gallery and found a quiet stairwell. Lily lowered herself to a cold, concrete step and dialed Loki’s telephone number.
“I assume you have an answer.” Right to the point. She had to admire that about him.
“I do.”
“I’m on my way.” The line went dead before she could reply, and by the time she closed the phone he was sitting on the step next to her. His sudden appearance caused her to jump, and she covered her mouth with one hand to stifle a surprised shriek.
“First,” she snapped when she could breathe again, “don’t ever do that to me again.” He brought his fist to his chest and bowed slightly.
“My apologies.” Loki straightened, the thinnest of smiles on his lips. “You were going to tell me something.”
“I am, but I need to preface this conversation by saying that I am not some waif you can throw around at will. You are not in the Old Country anymore, and Asgard’s rules do not apply in the modern world. You have to respect my boundaries.”
“Fair enough.”
“Yes, I have a history with Rowan.”
“Understood.”
“He is part of my past.”
Loki raised one curious eyebrow at her. “Is he now?”
“Leave him alone,” she said sharply. Lily fixed him with a hard stare and fought the urge to wither as he held her gaze. “He is of no consequence to you. You have me. You win. Now leave it.” His lips curled in a way that reminded Lily of the Grinch from the old Dr. Seuss cartoon. His eyes cycled through colors, and some small, nearly imperceptible thing changed about him. Lily swallowed.
“You see, that is entirely untrue.” His voice shifted again, into that strong, almost regal sound that frightened her. “The dog has something that belongs to me, and until I get it back and the dragon’s bloodline is no more, I will continue to hunt him.”
Lily fought hard to rein in her terror. “Even if you had this proverbial ring, you would still kill him?”
“You are no longer with him, Lily. What does it matter?”
“Killing people is wrong, you idiot!” she shrieked, and rose to her feet. “You can’t just go around destroying people you don’t like!”
“Watch. Your. Tongue.”
Lily blinked, and let the anger rise. “No,” she snarled. “I will not watch my tongue just to satisfy your foolish pride. God or not, you live as a man and you damn well better start acting like one, or I’m done with both of you.” She turned on her heels and stalked across the small landing toward the door. “I have work to do. You and I will discuss this later, when I’m not quite so ready to throttle you.”
“I would much like to see you try,” he replied, and his laughter followed her back into the gallery before the door could slam on it.
Growling, Lily snatched her phone out of her pocket and shot off a quick text message to Rowan.
He’s absolutely insufferable. Don’t know if I can do this.
Deleting the evidence of her lie, she stuffed the phone back into its place and grabbed her clipboard from her bag. Two days to go, and things were already perfect. Her interns were doing little more than polishing cases and adjusting the case lights to better showcase each item. Her heart jumped into her throat when she looked above the far wall to see the huge sword hanging on a plaque, its sharp blade still coated in black. She had no doubt now that it was everything he’d accused it of being, and possibly more. And as she stared at it, and glanced around at the rest of the collection, she realized that she had just spent the last month single-handedly restoring the private arsenal of a god. Scattered between the weapons were pieces of gold in the form of goblets, jewelry, scepters, and various other tidbits the kings of lore had died for.
And she realized another thing. Loki already had the majority of the treasure. But…how did he get it? Snatching her phone back from her pocket, she shot off a second message.
Loki has the treasur
e?
The time lag between that message and Rowan’s response seemed endless.
Parts of it. Stole it years ago. Wants the ring.
She already knew that. And she also knew that if he wanted Rowan dead, any one of the items she’d meticulously cleaned, catalogued, and displayed could easily do it. Lily felt sick. Regardless of whether Loki—Loren—whatever his name was—caught her, she grabbed her phone and fired off another message to Rowan.
Restored his arsenal. He wants to kill you. What do we do?
Within seconds, the light on her phone winked at her, and she read his reply.
End this. Opening is Saturday. He will not risk losing face in front of others. Stay safe.
* * * * *
Rowan stared at the messages Lily had sent. His blood was near boiling in his veins. Loki had her, he had the sword and the majority of the treasure, and the ring was within arm’s reach… but the one thing Rowan had over him?
Determination.
And an absolute lack of desire to own the damned ring. Keeping it out of Loki’s hands was the most important task…the only true reason for his existence. Rowan trusted Lily not to fail him—her heart was pure, and he had faith that she would do the right thing when she needed to.
She said he had an arsenal. No doubt Loki would collect weaponry. Likely tokens of affection from his followers, or maybe battle trophies of deceased foes. Either way, Rowan knew he was in for a fight. But that fight could very well be the end of him. He needed to get his mind off of Lily, and to worry about the task at hand.
Let me worry about me.
He promised her he would focus, but his focus had narrowed to only include her, and so long as she was in direct danger, there was little he could do in the way of planning to take down an old god.
“Dane!” Rowan shouted. Within moments, his assistant appeared and Rowan bit back a smile, remembering how Lily gave a delicate shudder and called him Lurch when they last spoke of him. “I need a ticket to the Gallery opening on Friday.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And Dane?”
“Sir?”
“Lighten up. You are too much like Lurch.” For the first time that Rowan remembered, the young man cracked a smile.
“Your ticket is already on your desk,” he replied. “I ordered it last week.” The small smile turned into a broad grin as he turned and walked away. Rowan only shook his head. He was nothing if not efficient.
Now that he’d secured passage, he just had to figure out exactly how he would go about separating Loki’s head from the rest of him.
* * * * *
“Have dinner with me tonight.” His voice so close behind her nearly caused Lily to drop her clipboard.
“I already told you not to sneak up on me,” she said through gritted teeth. She sighed and turned to face him. “Do I really have any other option?”
“Not really. However, you get to decide where we go.” Lily briefly considered looking up the most expensive restaurant in Savannah just to exact a bit of childish revenge, but her conscience refused to allow it. He would surely expect repayment in some form. Instead, she shrugged.
“Surprise me,” she offered. He smiled again, but it didn’t touch his eyes the way Rowan’s did. Her gut twisted.
“Oh, I’m full of surprises.” He closed the distance between them with two steps and tipped her head back to brush a soft kiss across her lips. Shudders of repulsion hovered just beneath the surface of her skin. “But you already knew that.” How someone so cold could be so tender amazed her, and she hated him for it. Behind her, the college kids working for her hooted and catcalled. Lily’s face flamed. She felt his influence tugging on her mind, wanting her to fall into him, to accept him. “You blush so beautifully, Lily,” he whispered, “I wonder if you turn pink all over.”
Chapter Fifteen
Rowan was waiting just inside the living room when Lily got home. Without a word, he crossed the room, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her roughly. Again he tasted like whiskey, and the wicked way his tongue danced across hers reminded her of all the wonderful, depraved things he could do with it. Rowan crushed her body to him, claiming her with enough force to make her squeak in discomfort.
“I apologize,” he said as he broke away. “But I cannot bear the thought of you being with him.” Lily wrapped her arms around him and laid her head against his chest.
“It has to be this way.”
“I still hate it.”
“I do too, but he’ll be here to pick me up for dinner soon, and if he catches you here he’ll kill both of us.”
Rowan sighed, long and loud. He cradled her face in his hands and looked deep into her eyes. Lily swore he could see her very soul. Her mind momentarily flat-lined. All she could think about was him. The way he smelled. The feel of his hands on her skin. The warmth radiating from him. The memory of him moving inside her.
“I hate this, Lily.”
“I know.”
“I do not want to let you go with him.”
“The sooner you end this, the less time I’ll have to be with him.”
“I know.”
Sighing, Lily pushed up on her toes and kissed him. His arms went around her waist again, and he crushed her close, molding her form to him as his hands traveled from her shoulders down around her rear. Lily let him hold her close while she drew his tongue into her mouth and suckled it gently. When she finally took his face in her hands and pulled back, they were both breathless.
“We have to stop,” she gasped, and carefully disentangled herself from his grasp. “As much as I want to keep you, you need to go and I need to get ready.”
Rowan groaned. “I know,” he said. He sounded so heartbroken. Her chest ached for him.
“End this,” she said, and squeezed his arm as she passed by and locked herself into the bathroom. As she started the shower, she heard the faint click of the back door closing. Lily blinked back tears as she climbed under the hot stream and washed away his scent from her body.
* * * * *
The dog had been here. Recently. Despite her best efforts to remove it, his stink still permeated the air. In the back of the house, the washing machine ran. Windows stood open despite the bitter cold and melting icicles hanging from the eaves. The window had already been replaced. The house smelled of winter and strawberries, and he knew by the sound of her feet on the carpet that she was stalling. Lily was always efficient to a fault. She never took extra time to do something.
“Everything okay?” he called out, and heard the soft thump of something hitting the floor.
“Coming!” she shouted back, and he picked up on the low curse she muttered. As she scurried up the hall, Loki considered his options. He should cut his losses and kill her now. He should…but the temptation to cut her pretty little throat in front of the wolf was still too strong. She would be the tool he needed to bring Keir to his knees and give up the treasure once and for all.
Plus, the temptation to strip her of her dignity as well as her clothing was ever-present. Debauchery with her would be the ultimate insult to the wolf. And, Loki really did want to know if she flushed all over when something knocked her off balance.
* * * * *
His eyes sparkled like they were imbedded with a thousand tiny jewels. Lily gave a delicate shiver as she crossed the room and painted a too-broad smile on her face.
“I’m sorry about that,” she said, her voice too airy, too bright.
“What kept you?”
“Oh…my mom called,” she lied. He didn’t buy it—she knew that—but said nothing.
“I hope she’s well.” He offered his arm. “Dinner awaits.” Reluctantly, Lily accepted his outstretched elbow and allowed him to lead her to the car. He smelled nice, and he was attractive enough, but the thrill of his company was nothing. Desire didn’t whip through her at the sight of him. He didn’t fuel her imagination the way Rowan did. When Loki wasn’t around, it was easy to tell herself she could allow him the
things he wanted, but in his presence she knew that was never going to happen.
She only hoped she could use his intimidating nature and a little ego-stroking to throw him off.
Naturally, Loki chose the most expensive restaurant in the whole of Savannah. Lily wanted to groan, but she knew there would be no benefit in it. Be strong, she reminded herself, and stepped onto the sidewalk. Lily and Loren—at least, what she pretended was Loren—lapsed into a tense silence as they took their seats in a remote corner of the restaurant. Around them, the low hum of contented diners filled the air. Glasses and silverware clinked. Linens rushed against legs and chairs. The soft churn of the old building’s furnace filled the space between silence and sound. Lily folded her hands in her lap and stared at her wine glass. The liquid inside looked like blood.
“This isn’t working, is it?” Lily asked. Across the table, Loki remained immobile.
“I am afraid it isn’t.”
“Well, you didn’t give me much choice, you know.” She accented the sentence with a pointed look over the lip of her glass. “Besides, this time yesterday you stopped time and gave me an ultimatum. Forgive me for being tense,” she growled. He smiled. It made her want to slap him.
“Self preservation is a strong motivator.”
“It is,” she agreed, reining in her anger. “It’s the only thing keeping me in this chair.”
“He came to see you today.”
“He did. I told him that it was over.”
“Keir doesn’t take hints well.”
“No, but I think he values his life enough that he won’t be any more trouble for you.”
“So long as he breathes, he will be trouble for me.”
Their dinner appeared, halting their conversation. Lily had no appetite, and found she could only push her dinner around her plate. Loki ate as if he hadn’t a care in the world.
“One of the things I have come to appreciate about the modern world is the cuisine,” he said between bites. “Indefinite existence is made much better by the addition of a good meal.”
Loki's Game Page 15
