Immortal Need (25 page)

“Perimeter?” Sevani asked Alexander as they all moved into the living room.

“Yes. I’d say they are at least a mile out.”

“Load up,” Sevani ordered.

Lei disappeared into the parlor room. When he returned, he was carrying multiple rifles. He gave Alexander two of them, handed Sevani one, and took the rest for himself. Valerie palmed the handguns he had given her before and holstered them at her hips.

“Grab me another handgun,” Sevani told Lei. The man was gone for only a second and brought back a nine millimeter. Sevani put it in Ayah’s hands.

“If it comes toward you, shoot it. Don’t ask any questions. We can’t get you somewhere else right now. Flashing you would take some of our energy, and we’ll need it for Freya.”

Ayah nodded her understanding.

“Get into the corner. That way nothing can sneak up on you. Keep your eyes roving.”

She did as she was told. Valerie, Lei, Sevani, and Alexander stood in the middle of the room in a loose circle, back to back. Alexander was facing the screens, Sevani the front door, Lei the back, and Valerie the side where Ayah had hidden.

“Coming closer, and fast too,” Alexander said.

“How many?” Valerie asked.

“One,” came the response.

“Now, children, is that any way to treat someone who’s trying to help you?” A voice filtered into the room just before the door blasted open.

Chapter Seventeen

Loki was different than the other gods. While the others liked making themselves look as much like humans as possible, albeit powerful ones, Loki had decided to go for the unusual factor. Sevani thought that was perhaps because he wasn’t born like the other gods. Loki was not the true son of Odin, but adopted. He was the child of the great Jotnar of the realm, the giant king and queen no less. When the giants had been banished to their own side of Aesir, Loki had been left behind. Odin had taken pity on the squalling child and taken him in to raise as his own along with Thor. To make it so that no other god or goddess could gainsay his choice, he shared his all-powerful blood with Loki, making him a god. But the gods never let Loki forget that he had not been born one of them. They taunted and messed with him and made sure he knew he was not nearly as wise as Odin or as beautiful as Thor. The child-god Loki began gaining their attention in a much different manner. If they would make fun of him for not being one of them, then they surely would pay attention to him meddling in their lives.

Slowly the young god became known as a trickster, hiding their belongings where they couldn’t find them or switching their mead with sour juice. Slowly Loki was not only known for being the adopted son of Odin, but also as the trickster god, and, as such, became the god of mischief. He became synonymous with annoyance, or irritation, but never to deadly proportions.

Odin, perhaps, finally pushed Loki too far. Loki was older than the golden son Thor by a year, but Thor was the one who was chosen to hold the great hammer, Thor was the one chosen as heir to Odin’s great empire, and Thor was the one who was picked to be known as the prince of the gods. Loki’s determination to be noticed turned to rage. The death of Baldur, and the onset of Ragnarok in the distant future, was the result.

Now that same lying bastard stood before them, in all his glory, as if he wasn’t the most hated god of all. If Odin, Freya, or any of the other remaining active gods caught wind of his trail, save Valerie, they would try to kill him on sight to stop Ragnarok from happening. Valerie, Sevani was happy to say, would follow his orders first. Loki had a lot of balls coming to them.

He was massive, as his birthright, standing close to eight feet, if Sevani could caution a guess. Long bloodred hair hung in thick bands down nearly to his waist. His eyes were the same color as his hair and flickered with life. His lips were spread into a wide smile, showing off gleaming white teeth under a slightly curled-downward nose. He was as thick as an ascending oak tree, with thick thighs and thick-banded arms. He wore intricate gold armbands around his bulging biceps and slightly thicker ones on his wrists. His dark red tunic matched his head, and his black pants were tucked into dark, thick rawhide boots. Sevani could make out the hilt of a great sword just over Loki’s shoulder. Seeing Loki like this reminded Sevani of ancient times when he’d lived, not as a Watcher, but a man. The odd sense of nostalgia piqued him. He never should have looked at Loki with anything other than disgust. He was the god who had caused so much calamity and, however indirectly, brought about the creation of the Watchers. He was just as guilty as Freya for the pain they had all lived through.

“Loki,” Sevani growled then.

“Nice to meet you too,” the god replied. He leaned back, slightly, against the doorframe, his head resting on the wall above it. “Sorry about that.” He pointed to the door barely holding on. “But then again, not really.” Then he laughed at his own joke.

“What is it that you want?” Valerie asked.

“What I want is the same thing that you want. Why can’t we be friends?” Loki asked.

“It’s your fault that we are who we are,” Alexander answered.

“Then you should thank me,” Loki returned quickly. “You wouldn’t have that beautiful woman behind you if not for me.” He looked at Sevani pointedly. “You would have just died an unremarkable death and gone to Hel for killing Nila. You should thank your lucky stars that I pissed Freya off royally and wanted to kill all the gods.” Loki clapped for himself as he laughed. “Thank you. Thank you very much,” he finished in a perfect Elvis impersonation. This had to be one of the most bizarre conversations Sevani had ever had. He was not amused.

“What do you want?” Sevani said through clenched teeth. He unsheathed his sword and gripped it tightly. He wouldn’t trust the god to come here for no reason. There were always terms.

“Not a problem. Not a problem. I’ll get to that soon enough. But first I would like to say hello to family,” Loki said, and his gaze swung to Valerie. “Well met, Goddess of the Seed.”

Valerie frowned. “Family?” she asked.

“Oh, this is delicious,” Loki said with a laugh. “Would you like me to tell you a secret?” His smile broadened. “Have you ever wondered why all the gods seem to own you? Have you ever wondered why you could never be quite free of them?”

“And how can I expect you to tell me the truth?” Valerie spit out.

“You can’t. Of course not,” Loki answered. “But, ponder this: I could want to tell you the truth, because I’d love the wonderful chaos it would cause around you. You would know who birthed you,” he continued, counting off points on his fingers. “For you to find wrath and destruction, your friends would want to kill that person even more. The other Watchers would want to support you, and in doing so, succeed,” he finished, gasping with mock surprise. “Ta-da! Chaos ensues, I get what I want, you get what you want, and we both win the day. Ragnarok, come on.”

“Explain,” Alexander grumbled.

“Oh, always the sour pot,” Loki groaned. “Why can’t you just take things at face value? Oh, that’s right, you’re the thinker of the group.” He used his fingers to frame quotes around the word “thinker.” “Very well. I’ll go through the very
boring
explanation of who, what, when, where, how, and why. Will that make you happy?”

“Very,” Sevani answered.

“Then I won’t do it,” Loki said, laughing uproariously.

Again, Sevani was not amused. He didn’t have time for bullshit and games. The longer Loki was in their area, the more likely they’d have visits from other gods. The gods had long been wanting a piece of Loki, anything for a chance to stop Ragnarok. On top of that, he knew that Freya would be coming soon enough.

“Fine. We don’t want to know,” Sevani replied, sheathing his blade as if Loki meant nothing. “Alexander, keep scanning for any sign of Freya on the horizon. Valerie, go ahead and get Ayah locked down for safety. Lei can get our weapons done. Go ahead and move out.”

“Wait,” Loki said then, the entire force of his power as a god behind his words.

They all froze immediately, turning to stare at him.

“I see that Freya has taught you well,” he continued and inclined his head in a slight bow toward them. “It’s no fun to play with someone who’s so serious all the time. But no matter. Valerie, my dear,” Loki said and walked toward her. “You are quite beautiful. Goddess of the seed, also known to the others as goddess of immortality. It is your seeds that can turn humans into immortals and dwarfs into gods. It is a priceless treasure, and it is also tied to fertility.”

“Fertility? How is that supposed to answer our questions?” Valerie asked.

“Think, Alexander,” Loki answered. “I’m sure you wouldn’t think I’d make it that easy for you? But at least I am answering you.”

Sevani gritted his teeth. Loki would never make anything easy. It was not in his nature to do so.

Alexander shrugged. “You’re going to have to give me a little more than that,” he replied.

Loki sighed dramatically. “Fine. I did consider her family, didn’t I? I suppose I should say I’m her adopted in-law.”

Alexander froze. But it was Sevani who answered. He had made the connection.

“Fertility. Adopted in-law. Family…She’s related to Freya?” Sevani asked incredulously.

“Ding, ding, ding. But how?” Loki asked.

Sevani knew that the gods could not give their powers, so to speak, entirely to another person. What they could do was mate with others and bear children who had some form of their parents’ powers. If Valerie’s ability to produce seeds gave immortality, and was attached to fertility, then that could only mean…

“Valerie is Freya’s
daughter
?” Sevani blasted his question out.

“Correct again,” Loki answered.

“But Odin and Freya only had three children,” Alexander argued. “Hnoss, Gersemi, and Baldur. That was it.”

“Yes,” Loki agreed. “But Freya did have a child before then, before the war. Before she came into Aesir like Hellene of Troy, she was mated to Ivaldi, emperor of dwarfs, who gave her that dazzling necklace she wears all the time. But he didn’t only give her that. He also gave her Valerie. So you see, Goddess of the Seed, you are the child of the woman who’s been torturing you all this time. Isn’t it fabulous?

“Odin didn’t necessarily like raising a daughter from a previous union. The war had left him angered at the fact that he had to turn over his beloved Frigga to Hel, and take on Freya. The lust for her quickly died after the birthing of their children and after she went crazy after Baldur’s death. My best work yet, mind you,” Loki complimented himself, picking invisible lint from his tunic.

“He may have adopted me, but he obviously learned from his mistake in that endeavor. The only way that Freya could keep you alive was to keep you in servitude and to bond you to the other gods. In doing so, your talents then belonged to them to do with as they pleased. And so they tossed you around, from one to the other, like a strumpet. But, my dear,” Loki said, pointing one finger into the air, “every thrall can find their way out of servitude. What you must do is simply find out what that price was. And I can tell it to you.”

“Why are you telling us this?” Valerie asked instead.

“Isn’t it obvious? Duh?” Loki asked. “I want you to kill Freya. You kill Freya, my biggest adversary for Ragnarok, and I win. Odin is too busy trying to stop me with knowledge that he won’t have enough manpower to defeat me when the time comes. He
will
die, and so will his other followers. He may believe that Thor will take over, but that will not be the case. But that, children, is another story for another time, and, actually, sort of not your business.”

“Just because you’ve told us that I’m Freya’s daughter, and that there is a way to break my connection with her, doesn’t mean we will be able to kill her—especially to help you in Ragnarok,” Valerie argued.

“I give you my word as a god, or Scout’s honor, if you prefer, that Ragnarok is a long, long time away. You will have plenty of time to enjoy life until then. Why not take the chance? With Freya gone, you all will be saved. No more having to worry about Alexander being still tied to her. No more stressing over how exactly you will be free from her coming after you, if you
do
escape her control. Oh yes,” he said then, when Sevani started at his words. “I have been watching. It’s been a pleasure watching you guys anger Freya and distract her. I felt you needed a reward for such good behavior.”

Sevani didn’t know what to think. Loki could very well be telling the truth. Just as he said, it would create confusion, anger, and issues between them all, especially for Freya, his ultimate enemy. It would be right up Loki’s alley. Or he could be telling them lies to create problems for the Watchers. They couldn’t afford to check out both options. Time was of the essence. But what he said eerily made sense. There had to be a reason that Valerie, a goddess in her own right, was beholden to the others. There had to be a way to stop Freya. He had at least answered the question about Valerie’s origin, despite it being much different than what they had always believed. If such was the case, then Valerie could find a way to earn her freedom from the gods. And Loki also had it right, that by defeating Freya they would be free. But defeating Freya, as Loki also admitted, could take away his strongest enemy for Ragnarok. Sevani wasn’t sure they wanted to do that. But they may not have a choice. Freya would always come against them. He sighed roughly. There was just so much at work.

But Sevani, though it bothered him, believed that he may just be willing to do anything to keep Ayah safe. His gaze found her, still standing in the corner, holding her weapon, and looking at him. If he believed Loki and took out Freya, then he could spend his life with her. Valerie’s seeds would make her immortal. He could have peace in his life. Ragnarok was, perhaps, eons away, and they would have a life full of happiness. They could convince her family she was going away to live life like she hadn’t before, to hide her immortality. They could disappear. The thought was tantalizing.