Page 35 of Stuck with my Frenemy
“Ebs watch out,” Cherry yelled, and I spun in time, bending as far back as I could and avoiding another dagger an inch from my face.
Ash darted in front of me, his rapid punches and grunts punctuating his anger while the attacker doubled over with blood spraying from his busted face. The magic I’d sensed at his bar brushed against mine, strange and familiar at the same time. I got a little too focused on it to see his progress through whoever was left standing because it happened too fast for me to grasp how he managed to dispose of those that gave a last-ditch effort to have us beat. It felt like a quick workout that left us panting at the center of a small clearing with broken, bleeding bodies sprinkled around us.
I had an insatiable need to kiss him.
It was such a preposterous idea that the very shock of it snapped me out of the daze that had overtaken my mind. Cherry helped by rushing me so she could crush me in a hug. Shook to my bone marrow from the intense and truly unwanted feeling, I didn’t push her away like I normally would’ve. Instead, I sagged in her arms, my forehead pressed on her shoulder.
“You kicked their ass, Ebs.” Her voice trembled when she squeezed me with all her strength. “But if you ever scare me like that again, I swear to Cupid I’m going to shave your eyebrows while you sleep. You hear me?”
A snort escaped me before I could stop it. “Yes ma’am.” Mocking her earlier salute, I tapped her back so she would release me.
She didn’t.
I mean, of course she didn’t. This was Cherry I was dealing with. Lips pressed in a firm line, I was ready to push her away, but her next words made my arms go limp.
“Please don’t ever make me think you are hurt badly. I don’t think I can survive it if anything happens to you.” Voice thick, she shook where she stood. I couldn’t see her face because her cheek was squished on mine, but I didn’t need to. She was fighting tears, and knowing that made me feel like shit. My eyes locked on Ash’s gaze where he watched us mutely with his brother.
“Why?” I tried to lighten the situation for the first time in my life. “Your life would be all rainbows and glitter if I wasn’t around. Think of the sparkles.” My chuckle fell flat.
“You are my best friend, Ebony.” That made her pull back to hold me at arm’s length with a brutal grip on my upper arms. “You might not like me, and you might even think I’m stupid or something, but no one else has protected me by standing in front of danger like you do. I hate fighting, but I’ll scratch their eyes out, and their heart, too, if they ever try to hurt you.”
“You are fierce, too.” I shrugged uncomfortably because I didn’t like how her words made me feel. My chest was too tight, and I couldn’t breathe. “You repaid me for my protection. We are even.”
“I wasn’t trying to pay you back, silly.” Cherry beamed at me, thank fuck no longer ready to cry. There was no way I could deal with it. “Like I said, you are my best friend, and that’s what friends do. They have each other’s backs.”
A slow clap echoed around us.
We all moved at the same time, clustering together so we could face the next threat coming at us. I pushed Cherry behind me, her fingers twisting the shirt at my back, and my teeth clenched. I did exactly what she’d accused me of again. Without thinking, I’d placed myself between her and danger. I’d need to work on that insanity later, however, because a familiar face was smirking at me from the entrance of the casino.
“Quite impressive for younglings.” Loki kept up with the maddeningly slow clap and swaggered toward us. “I must admit, I did not expect you to solve this so fast.”
“You are an ass,” Cherry yelled at him from over my shoulder. “Tell him, Ebs.” I squeezed my eyes shut for a breath.
“I should’ve known it was you, Loki.” My comment made him grin wider, mischief glittering in his dark, phantomless eyes.
And it was the truth. The moment I heard that Thor’s hammer was our first task, I should’ve remembered seeing him chuckling at the gathering when Karma shackled me with Chery to do her bidding. He was too gleeful for someone who didn’t have a plan in mind to screw with me. Eventually, I’d learn to pay attention to details. Now, I’d have to settle for stewing in my anger because the arrogant god thought messing up my life was a great idea.
“You should’ve, little warrior, but you didn’t.” He tsked at me like I was some disobedient child. “Morrigan will be mighty displeased is my guess.”
“You wouldn’t.” Cherry gasped.
“What was your plan, huh?” Ignoring her incredulity, I narrowed my eyes on Loki. Thankfully, the brothers gaped at him but said nothing. “To set us up to fail? To die?”
“Why in all the realms would I want you dead?” He stopped a couple of feet in front of us dressed in an elegant dark green suit and black button-down shirt that matched his eyes. His too-perfect face, despite being too beautiful to look at, was cruel and relentless. “I love playing pranks on my brother, you see. Thor is too stiff and grumpy for my liking, which makes him the perfect target for my entertainment. I figured I would have my fun with him, and helped you two in the process.”
“By making us bleed and making sure the two humans suffered bad karma on top of pissing off Thor?” But he was examining the brothers like they were bugs under his shoe instead of looking at me. “Where is the hammer, Loki. Give it here and we will be out of your hair.”
“So impatient, just like your mother.”
“Fuck you.”
“This is the gratitude I get for making sure your adjustment in this world goes easy.” Loki shook his head, a lock of dark hair falling over his forehead. “Guiding you to your mates should earn me at least a bow if not a hug, no?”
“What?” I recoiled from him. “Cherry is not my mate.” She snickered behind me, and I wanted to slap her.
“Not Aphrodite’s offspring. These two”—His finger wiggled between the brothers—“descendants of Thor’s bloodline. Long removed, but the blood is not very diluted. You are welcome.”
“I knew it,” Cherry hissed and smacked my back. “That’s why I felt weird around Bernie, and you smile, you freaking smile girl when you look at Ash.”
My mouth opened and closed but nothing came out. There was a knowing look in Loki’s eyes that I didn’t like at all. A shiver raked my spine, and although I could feel Ash staring at me because his intent gaze was drilling a hole at the side of my head, I refused to return it. Whatever the game was, I wasn’t going to play it anymore. Fuck Loki, Karma, and all the gods with them.
I was done.
“Give me the fucking hammer so I can return it, Loki.” My words were barely understandable. “And after that, stay out of my way, or I will find a way to kill you. I swear it on everything I hold dear.”
He didn’t react the way I thought he would, but I got a nod. We waited for him to bring the weapon, and I snatched it away from him the second he was close enough. Then, I bolted out of there on foot. Running was for cowards. But sometimes, one needed to know when to fight.
And when to run.
