“Only when they get to date number three. The rest is all you.” Loki held his hand up before she could reply. “But Brad had intentions I would have killed him for if I hadn’t driven him away to prevent them. Trust me on that much, daughter mine.”
Well, that explained her dating curse. And I’d been right about a supernatural stalker after all, though I never would’ve imagined her own damn father. That was a whole other level of invasion. Even my Father didn’t go so far.
Well, not that I was aware of.
She pushed off the wall, her body trembling with rage. I stood instinctively, and Loki followed. “I’ll give you a chance to tell your story later,” she told me, her steady voice at odds with her shaking fists, “but right now, I need to leave. I can’t process anymore tonight.” She pointed at Loki. “But we are not finished with this conversation.”
Lexi pressed the heels of her hands to her temples as she left, and I followed the sound of her footsteps as she bypassed my collection without stopping. The front door opened and shut with considerably more care than I would’ve had in her position. I’d never seen her so angry before tonight and I wasn’t sure if the deliberate calm was a good sign or bad.
“Well, that’s my cue to leave.” Loki gave me a sympathetic smile as the lights around us flickered. “Gotta make sure my kid gets home safe, whether she wants me to or not.”
I grabbed his arm without thinking. “Before you go, does this have to do with the prophecy you mentioned that night? Were you hoping Lexi and I would fulfill it?”
“Yes.”
“That’s not happening,” I growled, tightening my hold on his arm. He glanced down at it, a warning, and I let go. “She’s not some tool to be used for your amusement.”
Loki raised an eyebrow. “Got attached to her quickly, didn’t you?”
Avoiding the question, I asked, “Why did you make her angry with you? If you were going to use her—use the both of us—then why piss her off?”
He laid a hand on my shoulder. “I wanted the focus of her anger on me rather than you. It’ll give you both the chance to figure out what it is you truly want.”
His pocket started playing a Charlie Daniels song I hated and he vanished, and I was left alone to figure out exactly what the fuck I wanted.
Lexi.
Maybe so, but things had just gotten complicated. A witch and a demigoddess. It wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the specific god who happened to be her father. Loki had been spouting this prophecy about me and his kid for decades, but I didn’t think he would go so far as to manipulate the situation to force it to happen.
I should’ve known better.
My thoughts were a dangerous place to be at that moment, but I was at a loss for what to do just then. Astaroth’s team were the only ones anywhere nearby, and if Loki had us shielded, then no one else would be coming to play. I went to my study to make plans. Abaddon needed to fall, no matter what, and I couldn’t afford to play the patience game anymore. Not when they came after me and put her in danger.
When Lexi cooled down, we would have a discussion. I wanted her by my side, and I refused to deny it any longer, but our situation had changed. If Loki was to be believed, something about our relationship was supposed to trigger Ragnarok. It was a stretch to think he’d manipulate my settling in Boston after my escape, where his daughter just happened to go to school, but Loki was a master at long games.
I drew the amulet out of my pocket and traced my thumb over the design. It was nearly identical to the first one, a bronze dragon encircling a blood orange stone. I tapped it against my fingers. They weren’t doing me any good, and now I had two of them.
Maybe I could give one to Lexi. They had magic embedded in them that masked power to a degree, and she had a lot to be masked. It might also double as a peace offering, if she would wear it.
After she got her answers from me, I was planning to ask her to join the fight with me. I’d met demigods before—they were much more prevalent in Zeus’s time—and their power levels varied from non-existent to something comparable to a demon general. Lexi was too powerful for just a demigoddess. She was almost of a level with me.
But that was a thought for later.
She was strong, and a phenomenal fighter if she came out of that fight without so much as a scratch. With her fighting beside me, plus whatever allies I could gather, I could retake my throne. I could leave this wretched meat suit and go back to where I belonged.
First step, though, was Lexi.
Chapter 18
Lexi
It was a minor miracle I didn’t get distracted by the amazing things in Sam's—dammit, Lucifer’s!—house on my way out the door. Even in my anger, there was no shortage of fascination for ancient history. But I did it, and I made it five whole steps down the front walk when I stumbled and fell to my knees. I huffed and squeezed my eyes shut against the agonizing pressure behind my eyes, behind my ears, my throat locking down a scream before it escaped.
A sharp, high-pitched ringing filled my ears as I folded in on myself, pressing my hands against my head harder. It felt like my skull was about to explode the Sophiee way I’d done to those demons. A single tear escaped as icy fingers slid through my head, the pressure doubling. Over the sound of the ringing, I heard loud popping sounds. I opened my eyes to see a shower of sparks erupting from the streetlights in the neighborhood.
No, no, no, no!
I grasped at my magic, trying to reel it in before I blacked out the neighborhood or myself. Something was wrong. I fumbled for my phone, thankful my dad at least made sure I’d kept that with me, and dialed Sophie. It rang twice before she picked up, her bubbly voice pulling me back.
