Loki—well, that one needed no explanation. But in order to prevent the current end of the world from happening, she needed his help. Thus Rolf had been recovered at the god’s behest.
“Son?” Mormo glanced from the god to Rolf, noting the lack of resemblance no doubt. “Well, that would explain a lot.”
“I’m not his kid. Are you kidding me?” Rolf stood and brushed off his jeans covered with dirt and?—
“Is that a finger bone?” Morpheus blinked.
“Um, I think so.” Rolf tossed it.
Never one to condone a mess, Mormo murmured a spell, and the bone disappeared.
“Why am I here?” Rolf asked, his dark eyes flashing with annoyance. “Khent is heading into a dangerous situation.”
“We know.” Hecate sighed. “Look, if Khent does what I fear he’s going to do, chaos is coming early.”
“Oh, like Christmas coming early?” Rolf grinned.
Morpheus started laughing with Loki until Hecate glared them both into silence.
Mormo looked tired by it all. “Khent can’t save Valentine. If he does, the world goes to shit. Clear enough?”
“No,” Loki and Rolf said as one.
Loki paused, and Rolf sat back down with a wave at the trickster. “No, no, please. Let the old man ask his questions.”
Loki flipped him off. “If he were my son, I’d have strangled him with his own intestines by now.”
“Oh, I get it. I do,” Mormo said with feeling.
“But he’s mine in spirit, so what can you do?” Loki sighed. “Hecate, you came to me for a favor. One I’ll grant. You know my price.”
She glared at Rolf, who stared back at her in confusion. Oh, the little rat. He knew what he’d done but kept pretending he didn’t. “You owe me for this,” she told him, seriously annoyed.
Fortunately, he got her message because he cringed and leaned back before standing and pretending he hadn’t been afraid. Because of course, vampires didn’t know fear.
Though truthfully, he was probably pretending to be afraid to make her happy.
She sniffed.
Rolf smiled at her. “You really are very scary.”
“Oh, shut up, Rolf.”
“Look, Khent’s mated his human. I like her. More, I like her for him. She’s a little powerhouse.”
“Filled with the power of a forgotten god. If that god comes back, we don’t need to wait for the Darkness That Comes,” Hecate said. “We have life and death in all our realms for areason, Rolf. And Loki.” She glared at him. “Don’t think I don’t see you trying to weasel your way around this.”
The trickster god shrugged. “But Hecate, think of the chaos that would ensue if we all started coming back to life.”
“Hold on.” Rolf looked at them all, settling his gaze on Hecate. “You’re telling me if Khent saves Val from death, then a thing worse than the thing you gathered us for will become a thing that ends all things?”
Mormo glared. “Stop being confusing on purpose.”
“Yeah.” Morpheus slung his arm around Mormo, who shoved it off. “What? I was trying to be supportive.”
Hecate pointed a finger at the troublemaker she secretly adored. “Rolf, we don’t have time to play around. Go stop Khent from being a reaper who thinks he’s in love. You love shitty endings, don’t you?”
“Well, yeah.”
