Page 61 of Loki

She swallowed hard and stared at the glass. “What the hell?”

“As I said, Mana of the Gods. What did it taste like?”

“What do you mean? You tasted it.”

“Yes, but it’s different for everyone.” He sipped his glass again.

Val lifted his glass and sniffed it before sniffing her own. They smelled the same.

“Mine tastes like chocolate dripped over strawberries with a hint of cinnamon toast at the end,” said Loki.

“Mine is butterscotch-covered ice cream with notes of Irish crème, nutmeg, and peanut butter cookies. There are other flavors as well but too many to catch them all.”

Loki nodded and sipped his again. “And over the years, the taste will change depending on you as well.”

Val took another sip. It was the coolest thing ever.

“Thor!” The woman who’d been talking to Odin ran over and hugged Thor.

“Hey sis. Meili, this is Elle. Elle, this is my sister Meili.”

Meili hugged Elle, and then Hödr walked over to greet her as well.

“Does Hödr blame you for what happened with Baldur?”

Loki shrugged. “If he does, he’s not let on. Hödr s... different. He’s not like the others. He takes everything in stride and doesn’t hold on to the past. He’s the only sane one of us.”

Val laughed. She’d never met Hödr before. Váli had killed him before she’d been born. It amazed her that with all the Gods had gone through, they were relatively civil to one another.

“Who is that?” she pointed to a handsome, short-haired blond man on the sofa.

“Váli. And next to him with the long blond hair is Vidarr. You know Tyr and Hermódr.”

She nodded. She’d fought alongside both of them before. Tyr, the God of War, and Hermódr, his best friend and messenger of the Gods and the fastest being she’d ever seen. By far faster than Almax.

“Chow’s ready,” Odin called.

Loki finished his drink and led Val to the atrium. The massive room with a high ceiling went directly up into what appeared to be the actual sky, but it could have been an exceedingly intricate painting. White fabric and glowing light bulbs floated from beam to beam, creating an intimate, romantic effect. In the center of the room stood an enormous rustic wood table.

Odin carried a whole platter of meat to the table and set it in the middle. Only one small bruise remained from their encounter.

He smiled at her. “Valkyrie. Thank you for joining us.”

His words punched her. What was she supposed to say to that? He’d smiled at her, welcomed her, and not called her daughter.

“Thank you for inviting me.” The words fell from her lips mechanically, and she couldn’t believe she’d said them.

Odin bowed to her and walked back to the fire pit.

“Wow,” Loki whispered. “You showed amazing restraint. I had no idea you could do that.”

She glared at him, and he smiled.

She sat in the seat in front of her and watched Odin as the others took their seats.

After a moment of chatting with Hermódr, Loki sat next to her and slipped his hand between her thighs, making her body heat.

Thor pulled out a seat for Elle next to Val, and Val brushed Loki’s hand away. He chuckled and put his hand right back in the same place.

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