The woman stopped and pointed at herself. When I nodded, she approached our table, her greyish blue eyes wary.
I gestured toward the silver dragon curled around her neck. “I love your necklace. Do you mind telling me where you got it?”
A silver chain connected the dragon’s tail to the stones of flame exiting its mouth. Each stone had varying shades of blue, red, yellow and orange to represent fire.
The woman’s fingers skimmed the back of the dragon. “Actually I designed it.” She pointed to a shop diagonal from us to the right. “I own Bitchin’ Baubles.”
There was something about the necklace that spoke to me. I wasn’t one for flashy jewelry, but for some reason, I needed to have this piece. “Do you by chance have any more for sale?”
She shook her head. “This is the only one I currently have. I tend to focus more on winter themed pieces.”
My heart sank at her words and I had no idea why not having this necklace affected me so much.
The woman must have sensed my disappointment, because she quickly added, “I could have another one made specifically for you, if you’d like?”
“That would be amazing. Thank you.”
She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a business card, setting it on the table, she pushed it toward me. “My name is Thora. Call me tomorrow with any customizations you would like and I can get started on it right away.”
“Thanks again.” I waved to Thora and watched her continue in the direction of her shop. I belatedly realized that I never asked how much the piece cost. Not that it really mattered. To me it was priceless.
“What was that all about?” Peppermint asked. “You rarely wear jewelry and that dragon is a bold statement piece. Don’t get me wrong, it’s stunning. It just doesn’t seem like anything you would wear.”
I shrugged. “I have no idea. When I saw it, I just knew I had to have it.”
Peppermint was focused on her plate, coating another fry in ketchup. “Isn’t one of Willow’s boyfriends a dragon shifter? You could always give it to her for her birthday.”
My chest tightened at the thought of giving the necklace to someone else. I knew it was a completely irrational thought. Even though I didn’t even own it yet, I felt almost possessive over the necklace. I was grateful Peppermint didn’t see the expression on my face, otherwise I would have to explain why my reaction was so foolish.
“Ooh,” Peppermint exclaimed. “Before we leave, you have to try one of Candela’s cupcakes. Her salted caramel ones are amazing. Better than sex amazing.”
Now she was speaking my language. Cupcakes were my favorite dessert. “I guess if they’re that good, I better get a dozen. It’s been a while since I’ve had a decent orgasm.”
3
Hades
It was late in the day as I stalked through the plaza of the Silver Springs Ice Rink. Why I chose to answer the summons from Loki was beyond me. I wasn’t in the mood for whatever game he was playing. But I had a responsibility to see what he was up to since I have friends that live in this town. Besides, if Loki was here to wreak havoc then I would have to stop him.
I finally found Loki on a bench lacing up a pair of hockey skates. I’d been here minutes and already this looked like a set up. My gut warned me that whatever Loki was planning couldn’t be good. As my shadow loomed over him, Loki glanced up and smiled, patting the empty spot on the bench next to him. “Have a seat, I grabbed a pair of skates for you too.”
I widened my stance and crossed my arms in annoyance. I knew Loki was insane, but this was on a whole other level. “Please tell me you did not invite me here to skate with you.”
Loki had the nerve to look at me like I’d asked a stupid question. “What else would we be doing at an ice rink?”
I clenched my jaw praying for patience, something I had a small reserve of lately. Today was not the day to screw with me. “I have no idea. You invited me here with urgent news.”
Loki swung his arm out, his expression wistful. “I didn’t want you to miss out on this view. Isn’t it magnificent? I bet you don’t see this in the underworld.”
I closed my eyes and shook my head. This was a fool’s errand and I should have never come. I was about to turn and walk away when Loki spoke, “Wait.”
And like the fool Loki obviously thought I was, I followed his instructions and stopped.
“I apologize for assuming you could use a bit of fun in your life.” Loki shrugged and dropped his gaze. If I didn’t know any better, I would have believed he was actually being sincere. “As a fellow god I understand the pressures that are placed on us.”
When I heard him mumble under his breath about the stick in my ass, I dropped my arms and took a step toward him. Loki had zero clue what it meant to be responsible for an entire realm. To be the sole person responsible if anything went awry. He lived his life as a trickster. Meddling in people’s lives for fun.
Loki held his hands out in front of him. “Okay. I’ll get to the point.”
“If you continue to waste my time, you will find yourself with a permanent residence in the underworld,” I threatened. Though I wasn’t sure I would actually want him anywhere near me. If it came down to it, I would have to find somewhere else to banish him. Let him be someone else’s problem.
The corner of Loki’s mouth twitched. Whether in irritation or mischief I had no idea. Either way, I wouldn’t be so easily fooled by him. “You’re sure you don’t want to skate? I hear it’s an experience like no other.”
When I scowled in response, Loki snapped his fingers and the skates on his feet were replaced by a black pair of dress shoes. He stood and tucked his hands into his pockets, a false smile lining his lips. “Fine. Have it your way. The reason I have found myself in this quaint little town is as a means of atonement for alleged accusations against me.”
I laughed at his declaration of alleged. For all of the wrong Loki had done in his long existence, a trial was not needed to prove his innocence anymore. Now he was considered guilty until proven innocent. And rightly so.
Glaring at me, Loki flattened his hand against his chest and continued, “Out of the kindness of my heart and knowing of the previous excitement in town involving a horde of the undead, I thought you might like to know another misdeed is happening in this town.”
I threw my hands up in frustration. “Have you been in Silver Springs long enough to see that strange events happen every day?”
“I’m a god. Of course I know this town is different. If you don’t care to listen to the truth then you can be on your way.”
The shooing motion Loki made toward me had me clenching my hands. I slowly inhaled and exhaled a deep breath to keep myself from punching him in the face. How I had managed to keep myself under control this long was a miracle in itself.
“Continue,” I growled.
“To be honest, I don’t know exactly what is happening, but whatever it is, I feel it has some sort of connection to the underworld.”
How could Loki sense something here when I didn’t? It was impossible. The underworld was my domain to rule. The zombie horde he spoke of was orchestrated by Hecate to help speed along her daughter, Willow, in finding her mates. With Willow currently out of town, Hecate would have no reason to be here to stir up trouble.