Mischief's Mate (The Immortal Mates Book 1) (26 page)

Chantelle rose before dawn; the down blanket heavy against her sleep laden limbs. She ran her hands over the soft grey material languidly. For one forbidden moment she thought about running her fingers through Loki’s long black hair and in that instant her bed felt empty.

A frustrated sigh escaped her lips and she lay back down amongst the pillows. Slowly last night’s meal replayed in her mind and her heart sank. The meal had been good; Loki proved to be an excellent cook. It was the somber mood amongst her eating companions that curbed her appetite.

Even Thor and Arabella had been quiet, which was truly a rare occurrence. They were always quick with a joke or story. They would always somehow get around to comparing scars. Chantelle was sure after their first day of driving she knew every battle Thor had ever fought.

She couldn’t meet Loki’s eyes, for fear of the anguish she might see in them. She knew she had hurt him with her words. How could she not have? Chantelle had renounced a man who claimed to love her with his very soul. Throughout the meal, Chantelle kept her eyes on her plate. She was too ashamed to meet any of their eyes.

They all thought that she was meant to save Loki’s soul; yet she hadn’t the strength to even try. They thought she would be good for Loki, but she knew it wasn’t true. Chantelle was too strong willed, too opinionated, too broken. He deserved someone who could love him wholeheartedly; the way he loved her.

Stretching, Chantelle rose from her bed, pulling on her jeans and a sweater. The floor of the tent was warm against her bare feet. She could only assume it was some sort of heating spell that made for the warmth. A pang of guilt filled her, knowing it was Loki who set the spell. Though she was sure Loki only had his coat to keep him warm. Her heart fell at the thought. She had been so cruel to him.

She knew he was too proud to ask Hoder or Thor to share their tent. He would rather freeze than seek shelter from his brothers. Chantelle saw a lot of her own traits in Loki. It was that alone that scared her the most.

Slipping on her boots she pulled a blanket off the bed. Chantelle quietly crept out of her tent and went in search of Loki. She didn’t need to go far, as he was sleeping near the camp fire. She drank in the sight of his long muscled body stretched out before the fire. Loki’s face was smooth in sleep; gone were the hard lines of worry. His black coat was tucked about him, like a makeshift blanket.

Chantelle edged closer to him, carefully draping the blanket over his sleeping form. Looking down upon him she realized she needed to right the wrong she had done to him. She knew he loved her in his own way. Everything he did was to please her. If he didn’t care for her Loki would not have slept on the cold hard ground. He would have demanded she share her bed with him, as was his right. After all he was a prince and his word was law, regardless of her protests.

She tenderly brushed a lock of hair from his face then turned to start breakfast. As she fried the bacon and eggs and prepared the bread, Chantelle promised to stop fighting her feelings for Loki.

Arabella plopped down beside her, “About damn time.”

Chantelle chose to ignore her; hoping that in doing so Arabella wouldn’t wake Loki up. She wanted to be able to watch him sleep as she made breakfast, even if it was only for a little longer.

There was no denying that she cared deeply for the man claiming to be her husband. Maybe she even loved him. As a matter of fact, the longer she thought about it the easier it was to admit she loved Loki. Perhaps she always had.

Her musings took her through the making of breakfast. Soon the food was ready and Thor and Hoder joined them by the fire. Arabella was telling them jokes and the echo of the crown prince’s hearty laugh woke Loki from his slumber.

His green eyes moved from the blanket that now covered him to Chantelle. A secret smile crossed her lips and she nodded toward him. He knew she had been the one to cover him. Loki only hoped it was her way of calling a truce between them.

He took a seat beside her at the fire. Arabella watched them, a look of understanding on her face. As if she knew that Chantelle was trying to make an effort with Loki. Having everyone’s eyes on her made her nervous.

The silence that stretched before them as Chantelle served breakfast was comfortable; a vast contrast to the night before. It was a change but one Chantelle welcomed with open arms.

“Thank you, princess.” Hoder nodded as she handed him a heaping plate of food.

Thor scoffed, “I would not call her that just yet. She has not even allowed our brother into their marriage bed.” Thor gestured toward the fire and then stared Loki down. As if he dared him to deny the truth. “Instead, he sleeps by the fire like a dog.”

“Perhaps you should have been the one to sleep there instead.” Arabella said before putting a fork full of food into her mouth. Chantelle knew she was getting ready to watch the show down between the brothers.

Anger flashed in Loki’s eyes but he wouldn’t give Thor the satisfaction of an answer. Instead he rose from his seat and headed toward his tent. Loki hadn’t slept well the night before and could not be held responsible for his temper. It was best to just walk away and allow Thor to think he had won.

That was just what Thor thought. He figured that with one well-placed blow Chantelle would see reason. He thought that if he shamed his new little sister enough, she would come to her senses. That was until he turned to face Chantelle. The look of rage on her face would have made the bravest warrior cringe. That one look let Thor know he had really stepped in it this time. Where Loki had walked away Chantelle was ready to stay and defend his honor.

“How dare you talk to him like that?” In her anger Chantelle began to gather the rest of the food on a platter.

“Have I said something untrue? Do you not have the same doubts about bedding a Jotun as Signe did?”

Arabella sucked in a breath; he had gone and done it now. Chantelle felt her trepidation from across the fire.

Standing tall, the rest of breakfast in her arms she answered, “How dare you suggest that Loki is unlovable because of his blood line?”

“Then why cast him from your bed?” He quirked a golden eyebrow at her. “If you were my woman I would teach you your place.”

Chantelle felt her temper rising at the audacity of his words. Crown prince or not someone needed to take Thor down a peg.

“Then I thank the Sisters I am not stuck with a caveman like you.” Thor just looked at her gob smacked. “As to why your brother chose to sleep out here; he is a gentleman and not an ogre. And that is why I love him.”

Both of Loki’s brothers eyed her in shock. Arabella just smiled that knowing smile of hers that tended to piss Chantelle off. She had just admitted to loving Loki yet again. Thor was stunned into silence and that was a good thing. Because Chantelle was sure she would have throttled him in another minute.

Yet the silence did not last when he saw Chantelle start off with the rest of breakfast. “Where are you taking my food?”

She turned back toward him just as she reached her tent. “I do believe my mate needs to eat.” Chantelle eyed Thor across the camp, as if daring him to say one more word.

“What of me?”

“I am sure a big man like you can find a woman to drag back here. Perhaps you could even teach her where her place is. And if she doesn’t hit you over the head with the frying pan, maybe she will cook you breakfast with it.”

Chantelle turned from him and entered the tent which she now intended on sharing with Loki. The sound of Hoder and Arabella’s laughter followed behind her.

Loki sat at the roughhewn table, his head in his hands. He had heard everything that was said between Chantelle and his brother. Every single word. Thor was going to be tough to ride with the rest of their journey. Made grouchy because a woman put him in his place and not just any woman; Loki’s mate.

He almost laughed when he heard Chantelle’s parting shot. No one had ever had the courage to stand up to Thor. Loki had tried time and again to put him in his place, but the effort was futile. Though what had amazed Loki most was when she admitted to loving him yet again. The words had given him pause and he hadn’t thought he heard right. Perhaps he hadn’t.

They were the words he had longed to hear since he first laid eyes on Chantelle. Yet now he was too afraid to hope he had heard correctly. Could fate be so cruel? To make him imagine those words from her lips more than once.

Loki wondered how someone as selfless as Chantelle could want him at all. He had learned so long ago that most people were only out for themselves. Signe had taught him that. The centuries had taught him that most people only cared to have their egos stroked. So what if all anyone ever told them was lies, so long as it was what they wanted to hear. Immortals had become jaded in their search for happiness and he was no exception.

So why had the Sisters given him Chantelle? She was sweet and loving; he had seen the way she cared for Emma. She gave without any thought of herself. Whereas, Loki had long ago embraced the darkness within him. Loki did not care to cage his beast like other immortals did. Yet when he looked at Chantelle the darkness within him seemed to recede. As if she was the sun after the rain. It was Chantelle’s easy spirit that soothed his beast.

Before his thoughts could carry him further into despair, Chantelle walked in. The tent flap parted and a small triangle of light announced her presence. With her near, he felt his mood lighten instantly. She had a tendency to put him at ease, even when she disagreed with him. It was her quick wit that intrigued him; the way she always knew how to put her opponent in their place; no matter their size.

Chantelle made her way to the table and placed the heavy laden plate down. “I thought you might be hungry.”

He watched her as a cat does a canary. Her every move mesmerizing as she plated his breakfast. Gently she placed the plate in front of him. Turning then to fix a plate one of her own, but Loki had other ideas, a way to build their bond. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her down onto his lap. A blush bloomed on her cheeks at the intimate position she was in.

“Leave it. You may have some of mine.”

Chantelle averted her eyes, too embarrassed to meet his gaze. Loki tilted her chin up so she had no choice but to look at him. He found her embarrassment endearing.

“Do you not find this to your liking?”

She placed her hands on his shoulders, trying to stand from his lap. The moment Chantelle slid her hands across his chest, electricity shot through her veins. A shiver of desire coursed through her body.

“I just want you to enjoy your meal.”

Her words sounded phony even to her own ears. But what bothered Chantelle the most was that she sounded like a chick out of a romance novel; all breathy and soft. Your typical damsel in distress.

Loki began to caress her cheek, “I will enjoy it far more if you stay right here.”

The stark honesty shone in his jade eyes made her wonder when he had begun to care. When she had become more than a possession? At what moment he had gone from calling her pet to calling her love? Chantelle wondered when she had begun to care what he thought of her anyway.

Just hearing him say he wanted her near him had her heart singing. No one other than Emma and her two friends had ever needed her. Not even her parents had wanted her. They had never found the time for her. Not as a child or as an adult. Chantelle often wondered why they ever even had children to begin with.

The soft brushing of his lips against her pulse brought Chantelle out of her musings. She turned to say something to him but Loki’s lips caught hers. His tongue traced the seam of her lips, begging for entrance. Slowly she opened for him and Loki didn’t waste one moment. He took possession of her mouth. Sliding his tongue against her own. She matched him stroke for stroke.

A low rumble sounded from deep in Loki’s chest. He turned Chantelle around so she was straddling him. His lips releasing hers to travel down the column of her throat. Chantelle whimpered at the feel of his hands gripping her hips. Pulling her closer then she thought possible. The hard press of his cock against her core had her needing more of him.

Loki wanted more of her. All she was willing to give him, but thought better of it. If he continued this with her now, Loki had no doubt he would be claiming her body on the breakfast table. There was no need to push her. Chantelle had already admitted she loved him. Loki could cage his beast a little longer. At least until she was ready.

Reluctantly, Loki pulled his lips away from her skin. Her brown eyes fluttered open and it took all he had not to give in to his need for her.

“We must stop, my love.”

A look of hurt ghosted over Chantelle’s face. For a fleeting moment he could have sworn her eyes shown with rejection. The hurt in her eyes brought him to his knees.

“I am sorry. I didn’t mean…” Chantelle quickly averted her eyes and tried to untangle herself from him, but Loki held fast.

“Do you think I do not desire you?” His only answer was a nod of her head.

Loki brushed the pad of his finger over her kiss swollen lips. How could she ever think he didn’t want her? He would have stopped the stars in the heavens if she wanted it.

“Oh Chantelle, I want you with every fiber of my being. But I do not want you to regret my claiming of you.”