Page 22 of Her World In His Hands

“Alright, okay, but promise me you’ll stay calm — "

“I am not promising anything…Tell Me!” she demanded taking a threatening step towards him.

Hastily moving back, he held up his palms. “Okay, okay, calm down, Sassa. Around the time you and Njord were forced to part, I had a run in with that bitch Skadi, and the bitch really hurt me! Njord could have saved me a lot of pain, I begged for his help and he laughed and swam away — ”

“DOUGLAS!” she yelled.

“Yes?”

“WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?”

He hung his head, muttering as he scuffed his foot.

“I didn’t catch that?”

He raised his head and looked directly at her. “I’m Loki, the God of mischief.” he stated clearly.

She stared at him aghast. “You,you’reLoki,but you married me as Douglas.Why would you do that?”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to explain!” he rolled his eyes. “It was after Thiazi’s the giant’s death, that his daughter Skadi, arrived in Asgard demanding restitution for the slaying of her father. One of her many unreasonable demands was that the gods had to make her laugh, something which only I - Loki - was able to do. To accomplish this, I tied one end of a rope to the beard of a goat and the other end to my testicles, both the goat and I squealed as one pulled one way and the other pulled the other way. It hurt, but it was hilarious. Anyway, eventually I stumbled into Skadi’s enormous lap, and the giantess couldn’t help but laugh at the absurd spectacle. I once again came to the aid of the gods simply by being silly and outlandish, but did they appreciate me? NO! As usualno oneappreciated my brilliance and no one thanked me!”

Sassa took a deep breath and counted to ten. “Loki,” she growled warningly.

He tossed his head petulantly. “Well, to cut a long story short, I wanted to make sure you were okay, my dear, and so I came up with a sweet little plan to have revenge on both SkadiandNjord. I discovered where you were, and well… you know the rest.” He shrugged.

Quick as a flash her palm cracked across his cheek. The slap resounded with the satisfying impact. “You complete and utterbastard! Why did you disappear on me like that? I searched for you for months after you went missing as Douglas! I spent a fortune trying to discover what had happened to you, not to mention the anguish I felt imagining you suffering torture at our enemies’ hands!”

“You did? Ah, that’s so sweet of you. No one has cared about what happens to me before. I had no idea that I’d meant that much to you,” Loki preened.

“Aarrgh! You were myhusband,you oaf, what did you expect I’d do, dance a jig and move on?” she replied sarcastically.

“I don’t know, maybe, after all, that’s what most Goddess’s would do,” he agreed.

“Why does that not surprise me? Thanks for rescuing me, but forgive me if I don’t invite you home for Bannocks and tea after your callous revelations. Good bye,Douglas!” She strode off towards home.

Loki fell into step beside her. “Aww, come on. Don’t be like this, little Sassy. I need your help to get the others on board so I —”

“No, go away! I want the whole damn lot of you out of my club, and out of my life! GOT THAT?” she interrupted with a shriek of rage.

“Fine!” he yelled and vanished.

“Fine and good riddance!” she uttered vehemently under her breath, and stomped back to Ardmachree.

CHAPTERNINE

Loki foundhimself gripped in a strangle-hold as soon as he appeared in front of Njord who happened to be standing in the hallway of Sassa’s manor house. “Where the hell is she, you slimeball?” The larger god growled.

“If you loosened your hold on his throat, he might be able to answer you,” a woman suggested dryly.

The horrible gurgling noise Loki emitted diminished as Njord followed the woman’s advice.

“Thanks,” Loki stuttered. His eyes alighted on the young beauty and travelled the length of her lithe form with lewd interest.

Njord tightened his hold again. “Keep your filthy gaze off my daughter, you putz!” he growled. “For the last time, where is Sassa?”

“Skadi,” Loki managed to choke out the single word. In a split second he was released, and took a restoring gulp of air. “Such barbarians!” he said and straightened his clothes. Flicking off an imaginary piece of lint from his trousers.

“Loki, what are you doing here and where’s Njord?”

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