Page 8 of Thor

He realized she hadn’t pulled away from him and their hands were still connected. Her power radiated from her fingertips like a warm pulse of energy. He wanted to ask her what she was but didn’t want to pry. The way she looked at him made him think that one wrong question or stern word, and she might crumple into a terrified ball. He knew his appearance wasn’t at its best, but she looked at him like he was a void dragon.

“Do you want me to take you back to Midgard? Can you find your place from there?”

“If... we go through the Weaving Raven.”

His eyebrows scrunched together. “Frigg’s place?”

“I... work there.”

It wasn’t possible. He’d been a bouncer at Frigg’s weekly almost since the beginning, and he’d never seen her there.

“How long—”

The door to DeLux burst open and a blonde beauty with storm gray eyes and a deadly look on her face stomped out. The woman who’d been sitting with Loki. She pulled a long coat around her shoulders and strode toward them.

“Elle!” she scolded. “What are you doing out here? I told you to wait for me inside.”

Elle wrapped her arms around herself. “But... I was supposed to talk to different men in there.”

The woman quickly retracted a blade at her wrist and stepped up to Elle and pulled her from Thor’s grip.

“Hey,” he protested. “Now wait a minute. Who are you?”

“Val,” said Loki exiting the café.

Val glowered at Loki. “I am more than capable of taking care of myself, thank you.”

“So you’ve told me. Twice already,” Loki replied.

Val rolled her eyes. “We should go.”

“Wait.” Thor grabbed Elle’s hand again.

Val pulled his hand from Elle’s. “No. No waiting, Odin’s son. We are leaving.”

Thor wanted to say something else but didn’t know what. He had no idea what the relationship was between the two women but he knew if it had been anything untoward Loki wouldn’t have simply stood by.

Elle stared at him for a moment and then dropped her gaze to the ground. “Thank you for your kindness, Thor Odin’s son.”

The way she said his name shot him straight to the heart.

“When do you work next?” he called without thinking.

Elle turned over her shoulder. “I work every day.”

Val said something to her and Elle continued down the cobblestone street and into the mists beyond.

Thor stared at where he’d last seen them. Who was Elle that she needed a caretaker as well as to move to the underworld? He rubbed his fingers together remembering the strange warmth which had stirred within him at the touch of her soft delicate hand.

Loki chuckled and slapped him on the shoulder. “Has the mighty Thor finally found a match?”

Thor eyed him. “And what about you? You seemed in unusually bantery form with her friend Val.”

Loki gritted his teeth and focused on the direction the women had gone. “Business nothing more.”

Thor snorted and pulled Mjölnir from his jacket pocket. “You keep telling yourself that, cousin. Are you fighting tonight?”

“Yes,” said Loki. “I promised Balder a rematch. Again.”

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