“Unless you get there first.” Loki sighed and extended his hand.

“Come, kinsman. Let us quarrel no more.”

Ignoring Loki’s offer of assistance, Hrimgrimir heaved himself to his feet and shook himself like a woolly mammoth in molt. He opened his broad mouth, closed it again, and dropped his head between his shoulders.

“What do you want us to do now?” he asked sullenly. “I’ll be meeting with a few of my shady characters tomorrow,” he said. “They don’t know just how much their petty lives are about to change.”

“When we take over,” Hrimgrimir said.

“It will not be done in a day. We must move slowly and with subtlety.”

“You mean you don’t want us to have any fun.”

The other Jotunn, silent until that moment, muttered and shifted restlessly. Loki gave them a quelling glance.

“I do not know how to make it any clearer,” he said. “You will have your ‘fun’ when matters are arranged to my satisfaction, and no sooner. When that happens, however . . .” He strode to the window and flung his arms wide. “This city shall quite literally be your stomping ground.” He turned around again. “In the meantime, continue what you’ve been doing—without the failure, of course. Keep watch on the loft and on the streets. Report anything of interest to me before you act.” He dropped his arms. “Now, go. And go quietly. I don’t want to find myself in the position of covering up any clumsy mistakes.”

Hrimgrimir looked into Loki’s eyes for a measure of a dozen heartbeats and then lowered his head. “We will make no mistakes,”

he said. “But will you, Laufeyson? What about him?”

“Your concern is touching,” Loki said in a dangerously soft voice, “but he cannot take me off guard again. I fully intend to draw him away from Freya’s daughter. Now get out.”

Hrimgrimir thumped out the door of the suite, his lieutenants at his heels, all taking on more ordinary forms as they left. Loki stared at the door, lost in thought. On the city streets far below he could hear the wail of a siren, approaching and then fading away.

There were likely to be plenty more where that came from if the Jotunar broke too soon. But he didn’t think they would. He was no fool, and they knew it.

He was certainly not fool enough to tell them what he had discovered about Freya’s plans for Mist.

Returning to the bathroom, Loki untied the robe and let it fall to his feet. He conjured up a conservative, rather ordinary-looking business suit and critically studied the effect. He’d already made arrangements to have representatives from Saks, Wilkes Bashford, Armani, and Bottega Veneta come to his room at eight in the morning with their best selection of fine ready-made menswear.

But nothing could match the hedonistic pleasure of having a $10,000 handmade suit cut from the finest fabrics mortal money could buy, even if he could only wear it in private for the time being. When he was satisfied with his appearance, he placed a call to Fredkin and Associates and made an appointment for the next morning. After making clear to the tailor that he would be giving them regular business and was more than willing to pay for a rush order over the Yule holidays, he grabbed his cane and went downstairs to the magnificent dining room. He was shown to the best table in the place and ordered a Blood and Sand.

He sipped the drink, his mind busy with strategic calculations.

Sometime over the next few days, while he handled any number of other problems and concerns, he would be meeting Briggs for a long and very private discussion about his vital role in shaping the senator’s very promising future. And then there was the matter of the criminal element, who would soon learn that this city was theirs no longer. And once he had opened the bridges again, he wouldn’t only bring more Jotunar into Midgard.

Fenrisulfr, Loki thought, would be first. They had not always been on good terms, but the boy knew that his failure to kill Odin was a nearly unforgivable black mark against him and would therefore be unquestioningly obedient and enthusiastic in his work. The crisply dressed server, a young man with bedroom eyes and very kissable lips, expertly delivered a second cocktail, smiling with more-than-professional enthusiasm. A female server had stopped a few feet behind him, a water tray balance on one hand, and was staring at Loki with a rapt expression. She licked her lips.

Midgard, Loki thought, was a world of endless opportunities. He sipped his drink again and crooked a finger.

13

Ryan and Gabi huddled together in the darkness, sitting on the sleeping bag Mist had dug up for Gabi. The house had grown quiet, which meant Mist and Dainn had probably gone to bed . . .

Together? Ryan wondered. “Cousin,” Mist had said, but Ryan didn’t believe it. There had definitely been something going on between those two.

That was one reason he couldn’t seem to sleep.

“Caramba,” Gabi said, her voice thick with drowsiness. “I don’t remember when I had so much to eat.”

Ryan couldn’t, either. He knew it was right to be here. He’d known it since Mist came to his rescue. It was already more than he’d ever expected.

And he was scared shitless.

“Hey,” Gabi said, punching him gently in the shoulder. “What’s wrong? You change your mind or something?”

“No.”

“I know you’re not loco, Ry, but everything else about this is crazy. Magic swords and giants and all that shit . . .”

Ryan drew his legs up to his chest. It amazed him that his only friend in the world had trusted him enough to accept the things he’d told her and hadn’t just decided he wasn’t worth bothering with anymore.

“And elves,” he said, “and dwarves.”

“Oh, yeah. Almost forgot about those. And what about her?” She pointed toward the door as if Mist were standing right outside it. “Who is she, anyway? Sure, she looks tough, and she’s supposed to be some kind of warrior. But she don’t look so important to me. Shouldn’t she live in a castle or something?”

“This isn’t a fairy tale, Gab,” Ryan said, resting his chin on his knees. “It’s real. There are going to be more of those giants, and a war that could destroy the whole world.”

“Yeah. I seen that movie, too.”

“Bad stuff is coming. We have to be ready.”

“Then we should get out of here.”

“You know I can’t leave.” He touched the center of his chest. “It isn’t just the dreams. It’s knowing I’m supposed to be here. You, too.”

“Me?” Gabi laughed. “I’m only here because of you.”

“So you’d go back to the streets if you could?”

“What makes you think we’ll still be here tomorrow? She didn’t say nothing about us staying after tonight.”

“No,” Ryan said, closing his eyes. “But we will.”

“It’s not like you’ve ever been wrong before, Ry, but I’m the one who keeps us alive.”

“I haven’t really been alive in a long time,” Ryan said. “Neither have you. We both have a new chance now.”

She snorted. “To get killed.”

“He won’t let that happen.”

“He?” Gabi looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “The elf guy? If it wasn’t for the pointed ears, I’d never believe it. Everyone knows elves are those little things with wings.”

“That’s fairies,” Ryan said, flushing.

“Elves, fairies, whatever.” She lowered her voice. “You like him, don’t you?”

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