Page 46 of Loki

Elle shook her head. “Not like you mean it. Maybe we should argue more often.”

Val snorted. “Uh, how about we don’t.”

“Do you promise to hug me again?”

Val couldn’t help but smile. Elle always lightened her spirits.

“I promise I will hug you again.”

Elle nodded. “In the next month?”

“Don’t push it.”

Elle giggled and hugged Val again. “It’s encouraging to see you happy, Val. I worried so much you would never be happy.”

Elle worried about her happiness. Val had always looked after and worried about Elle. She’d never thought about Elle worrying about her.

“Ok. Ok. Let’s not get mushy. I’m gonna be late.” She patted Elle on the back.

Elle let go. “You... go do whatever it is you are doing. With whomever, you are doing it with. And, I will be here. I’m going to work on some of my jewelry. I’ll make you something.”

“But I don’t wear jewelry.”

Elle grinned. “You’re changing. Maybe you’ll wear some if I make it.”

“Don’t get your hopes up.”

Elle nodded. “Certainly not.”

Val wished she didn’t have to go. For the first time, she just wanted to sit with Elle, talk to her, and hang out. They’d done so little of it since being in Midgard. All the working and worrying had made Val beyond tense. And she’d been unable to relax enough to do anything... ordinary women might do. Not that there was anything normal about her.

“Go.” Elle teased. “You don’t want to keep Benjinn waiting.”

Val made her way to the portal. “It’s not Benjinn.”

“Okay... a hot demon.”

Val waved, and her expression grew serious as she turned from Elle.Oh, it’s a demon, all right. But not a hot one— a dead one.

It surprised Val how easily she recalled the way to Valhalla’s Throne, considering she hadn’t paid attention when she and Loki had walked there. But her feet carried her like they’d been there a million times. She stopped under the bright lights, tempted to go inside and buy a drink before the fight.No.She had a job and needed to do it for Elle’s sake and her own.

She walked to the small darkened stairwell which led down to the ring and knocked on the door. The window opened, and Gadius peeked out.

“Hey. Do you remember me? I was with Loki.”

The cyclops nodded. “Yup. You beat Odin bad.”

She nodded. “Right. Well, I have a match, so can you let me in?”

“Password?”

She scratched her head. “Uh... Hjaldr.”

“Sorry. Old word.”

She thought they only changed it once a week. “I don’t think Loki told me a new password, but he’s the one who told me to come, so...”

“No password. No entrance. Sorry.”

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