God Of Mayhem (Fate's Warriors Book 2) Read online

  With the arrival of visitors outside his hut, perhaps Rho had been successful in securing other allies. He hoped so, because he was growing tired of the inactivity. There was very little for him to do here, apart from infusing the silver mirrors with magic and turning them into portals.

  “Lord Loki,” one of the Grimgorg said respectfully from the other side of the door.

  “You may enter,” Loki replied regally.

  The thin black cloth that acted as a privacy screen was thrust aside and three shamans entered. There was barely enough room for them all in the tiny space. Their eyes flicked to the still smoking ashes of the magical fire, then glanced away uneasily. It was yet another demonstration that the Asgardian was a powerful sorcerer in his own right. None of them would have been able to stop the flames from burning their dwellings down if they’d attempted the feat.

  “King Rho requests your presence,” one of them informed their guest.

  Loki tried to quell his excitement. If their ruler was asking to see him rather than merely passing on a message, he must have been successful in his negotiations. “Lead the way,” he invited and gestured at the doorway. He paused long enough to grab his sword before ducking out into the open after them.

  Straightening to his full height, he noted the envious glances that were sent his way. He towered over his diminutive, hunchbacked allies. With their lumpy green skin, huge yellow eyes and tiny mouths full of sharp, black teeth, the Grimgorg were far from attractive. It was a wonder that they could even bring themselves to breed with each other.

  Smirking at his own wit, he followed the shamans along the plank bridges to the hut at the center of the village. Far larger than the other buildings, it was King Rho’s idea of a palace. It also acted as a meeting place. Warlike, the Grimgorg regularly battled with nearby villages. They raided for females, food and other supplies that were hard to find. They fought with both magic and their pitted, rusty weapons. Only the possibility of leaving their dying world for somewhere far more pleasant had allowed them to band together beneath Rho’s rule. The strongest sorcerer on this horrid world, he’d proclaimed himself to be their king. No one had challenged him for the position as yet.

  A single portal with glowing blue edges waited in the center of the room. Loki’s heart lurched a little in poignant longing when he saw the golden palace of his home city. It was already beginning to show neglect. His kin had been collared and were no longer capable of thinking for themselves. King Rho cared nothing for beautiful gardens. As long as the city remained operational, the grounds could rot as far as he was concerned.

  Speaking of the Grimgorg ruler, Rho waited in Odin’s throne room. Far too short to sit on the golden chair, he’d had his own bronze throne carried inside instead. It was tiny and shabby in comparison, but at least he didn’t look like a misshapen child when he was perched on it.

  Some of his magicians were crowded behind him, watching someone Loki couldn’t see. His breath caught in his throat when a figure lurched into sight. Easily three times the height of the Grimgorg, the creature’s flesh was blue and his eyes were ruby. Ice coated him from his head to his feet. Loki held in a shiver at the fierce intelligence in the Frost Giant’s gaze when their eyes met.

  “Loki Laufeyson,” the Frost Giant said in derision. His contempt was palpable. “I might have known you were the one who engineered the defeat of Odin and his army. It comes as no surprise that a trickster like you would turn on your own kin.”

  Grinning sardonically, Loki thought it would be best if he refrained from mentioning that he was also kin to the Frost Giants. “Odin had it coming, as did his warriors,” he said. “I only turn on those who wrong me.” It was a warning that he wouldn’t hesitate to use whatever means were necessary to defend himself if his new allies turned on him.

  Rho spoke before their tentative alliance could fall apart. “General Kretu will be in charge of the Frost Giant troops. We have reached an agreement that he will be given one billion human slaves for his assistance, as will I.”

  It was the same agreement his counterparts in every other dimension had made. Loki just wished the beings that he’d approached could have conjured up a modicum of trust for him. Unfortunately, his reputation had preceded him time and time again. He’d had to rely on King Rho to contact the ruler of Jötunheim.

  It had taken the Grimgorg shaman months to reach an agreement with them. Frost Giants were a suspicious, skeptical bunch. Keeping Loki’s part in the plan to overthrow Odin a secret had been necessary. Now that General Kretu knew who he’d allied himself with, he was having second thoughts. “I trust a billion slaves will be enough?” Loki said, prodding him to make a decision.

  Kretu’s ruby eyes narrowed as he thought through the pros and cons of proceeding with his alliance. Loki was well known across the nine realms as someone not to be trusted. The fact that Asgard was now overrun with a primitive and backwards species of magic users was proof enough. Knowing his king wanted to expand his reach beyond Jötunheim, Kretu vowed to keep a close eye on the trickster. “They will suffice,” he agreed grudgingly.

  “We will begin sending portals to Jötunheim immediately,” Rho said. Loki was the only one who could transform them into doorways. He’d already used his magic to activate tens of thousands of them. Now all they needed to do was to take them to the Frost Giant’s frozen world. Then they could begin the process of invading Earth.

  ~~~

  Chapter Eight

  ~~~ Lexi’s World ~~~

  Mark retreated to the coms room and called an alpha werewolf that his team had dealt with several times. Lexi’s and Reece’s hearing was so acute that they could hear both ends of the conversation. They waited for Mark to give them the thumbs-up before they went into action. Aiden had agreed to meet with them and he was waiting for them to arrive.

  Lexi looked at Violet speculatively. Nat was down for the count, but it wouldn’t hurt to bring her other companion along. The only problem would be their method of travel. Violet’s claustrophobia would make traveling via the zombie highway a trial for her.

  “You want me to go with you?” Violet said before Lexi could ask. She wasn’t a mind reader, but the werewolf’s intentions were written all over her face.

  “I know it won’t be pleasant for you, but I’d like you to come along,” Lexi replied. She watched the struggle on the young warrior’s face before she mastered herself.

  “I’ll go,” Violet said with great reluctance. This was Lexi’s world and she had to trust her instincts. If she wanted her to go with them, then she would. “Who are we meeting with first?”

  “Werewolves, to start with,” Reece said as they stood. He led the way to the exit. “Their alpha is called Aiden. He and his team of misfits helped us a couple of times during our missions.” Reece hadn’t been a part of the team during one of the missions, but he’d heard all about how helpful the shifters had been.

  Violet’s brows rose. “Misfits?”

  Lexi thought about how best to describe the wolves. “They’re a pack of bikers who get drunk a lot and party way too hard.” By ‘party’, she meant they took drugs and got high as often as possible.

  “How did you become allied with bikers?”

  “We stumbled into their territory when we were trying to save Flynn after he was kidnaped by a supernatural creature.”

  Staring at Lexi incredulously, Violet could only shake her head. “It sounds like your life has been just as weird as Nat’s and mine.”

  “You’re all Fate’s champions,” Reece said as he shut the door behind them. “You all had to go through horrible trials to become the warriors she needed.”

  Heaving a quiet sigh, Violet just wished her trials were over. Instead, she’d been torn from her world and had been thrust back into the thick of battle again. “Let’s do this,” she said unhappily, dreading going through the sensation of being buried alive once more.

  Lexi didn’t drag it out. Taking Violet’s and Reece’s hands, she sank
into the ground. A moment later, they emerged at the bottom of a hill.

  Shuddering from head to toe, Violet shook dirt out of her hair and did her best to settle her nerves. Looking around, she saw arid ground and a narrow dirt road. It could almost have been hell, except for the bright sun shining down and the cacti that dotted the dismal landscape. “Where are we?” she asked.

  “Texas,” Lexi replied. “Aiden and his pack are waiting for us up there.” She pointed at the top of the hill where she could sense the shifters. They sensed her and Reece as well and waited patiently for them to climb up the slope.

  Aiden assessed the young blond girl who accompanied Lexi and Reece. She wasn’t a shifter, but there was something supernatural about her. His second in command grinned in appreciation, but he subsided at a glower from his alpha. Rick liked nothing better than to make a new conquest. This pretty little scrap of a girl suited him just fine.

  With twelve sets of eyes on her, Violet had to force herself not to call on her weapon. She picked out the alpha straight away. Wiry of build and somewhere in his thirties, Aiden stood at the front of the motley pack. Behind his right shoulder was a hulking, yet handsome bald black man. He was looking at her like she was lunch. On Aiden’s left was a tall, young, good looking guy with black hair and blue eyes. From the adoring way he was staring at Lexi, he had a massive crush on her. The rest of the pack were unremarkable. They all wore clothing of leather vests, worn jeans and stained t-shirts.

  “Aiden,” Lexi said and stepped forward to shake his hand. “Thanks for meeting with us.” They shook, then Reece stepped forward to shake with him as well.

  “Who’s she?” the alpha asked bluntly, pointing at the blond kid.

  “Her name is Violet,” Lexi replied. “She’s from another dimension.” She almost sniggered at their astonished looks.

  “For real?” Patrick asked. He tore his gaze away from the girl he’d once hoped to date and examined the waifish blond. She was just as pretty as Lexi, but from the way she was glaring at them all, she wasn’t anywhere near as friendly.

  “What are you?” Rick asked in a voice that was a deep rumble. His interest in the teen was piqued even more.

  “Let’s just say that getting on Violet’s bad side would be very detrimental to your health,” Lexi warned him. She knew Rick liked to walk a dangerous path, especially when it came to women.

  “I’m half demon, half angel,” Violet said. “It depends on which world I visit as to which of my personalities is stronger.”

  “Which one is stronger on our world?” Aiden asked.

  “Her angelic half,” Lexi replied. “You should have seen her on Nat’s world when her demonic half was stronger.” She didn’t even try to hold in her shudder.

  “Who is Nat?” Rick asked. While he was restricted from hitting on the supreme alpha of their species, he let his eyes roam all over the blond. She could be half troll for all he cared. She was smoking hot.

  “Natalie is another one of Fate’s warriors,” Reece replied. “Lexi, Nat and Violet have been chosen to save the universe from a new threat that is coming our way.”

  Heaving a sigh, Aiden looked up to the vast and cloudless sky. “What is the threat this time?” he asked in resignation. Despite his unease, he couldn’t deny the spark of excitement that shot through him. Things had been pretty quiet since his pack had helped save the world the last time. The prospect of being embroiled in another epic battle wasn’t as unwelcome as he was pretending. All wolves liked to hunt and werewolves were no exception.

  “An Asgardian called Loki will be turning up any day now,” Lexi said. Murmurs spread through the group at that news.

  “You mean the God of Mischief is real?” Patrick asked, half grinning as if this was all an elaborate joke.

  “He’s real alright,” Violet confirmed. “We managed to stop him and his allies when we were in Natalie’s dimension. Now we have to try to do the same thing again when he turns up here.”

  Eyes narrowing, Aiden sensed Lexi and Reece were worried. “What aren’t you telling us?”

  “What do you know about our origins?” Lexi asked.

  “Not much,” Aiden shrugged. “I don’t know how we originally came to be.”

  “Mark’s girlfriend, Ava, was there when it happened,” Lexi told him. “She saw the person who created us.”

  There was silence for a few seconds before Patrick spoke. “It wasn’t Loki, was it?”

  “Yep,” Reece said unhappily. “Some aliens called Viltarans invaded Earth a long time ago and the Asgardians turned up to fight them. Loki used his magic to change some humans into animals. He ordered them to attack the zombies that were created by the aliens. For three nights, the first of our kind hunted the zombies and the Viltarans to extinction. When they were done, they turned back into their human forms.”

  “I don’t suppose this happened during a full moon?” Aiden said dryly.

  “How did you guess?” Lexi said with a wry smile. “When the Asgardians left, Loki didn’t undo his magic to turn the humans back to normal again. We’re not sure what will happen to our kind when he returns.”

  Aiden grasped her meaning without being prompted. “You think he’ll be able to control us, like he’s an ultimate alpha?” He would have to be even more powerful than supreme alphas if he’d created their species.

  “It’s a possibility,” Reece replied. “We’re contacting our allies to give them a heads-up, and to ask if you’ll be willing to assist us again.”

  “Of course,” Aiden replied immediately. “We’re not going to let aliens invade our world without putting up a fight.”

  “Speaking of aliens, we know Loki will have creatures called Grimgorg fighting on his side,” Lexi warned them. “They’re about this big,” she held her hand up at her chin height to indicate how tall they were. “And they have green skin and yellow eyes and wear bronze armor. Some of them are shamans and use elemental magic like fire and ice when they attack. They wear black cloaks, so they’re easy enough to identify.”

  “Little green aliens called Grimgorg,” Rick said and shook his head. “What next?”

  It was a rhetorical question, but Reece replied anyway. “Loki will probably have other allies as well. On Nat’s world, they were Fire Giants. We have no way of knowing who he’s teamed up with this time until they turn up.”

  “Will they be using spaceships, or will they travel here using some other method?” Patrick asked. He’d been training to be a soldier before he’d become a werewolf. It looked like his training had stuck with him.

  “They’ll be using magical portals,” Lexi replied. “They attacked Denver in Nat’s dimension, but they could target any city in our world.” She was pretty sure Loki would focus on the US. America was the greatest threat to alien invaders. They had the weapons, the will and the manpower to mount a defense. Once the US was defeated, the rest of the world would know how slim their chances of beating the invaders were. They would be utterly demoralized even before they came under attack.

  “I take it we’ll just have to wait around for Mark to call us?” Aiden queried.

  “That’s the plan,” Lexi confirmed. There wasn’t much else they could do. Being forewarned was better than nothing. It wouldn’t be wise for them to gather in one place and form an army yet. They needed to ascertain how dangerous Loki would be to their kind before taking steps to defeat him. For now, their allies would have to stay put and wait to be called to action.

  ~~~

  Chapter Nine

  ~~~ Alpha World ~~~

  It only took Loki a few moments to race up the stairs to the rooftop, but half a dozen small Viltaran ships had already been brought down by the jets. Buckling his scabbard around his waist, he drew Lævateinn. Aiming his sword at a jet that hovered above the buildings near the edge of the city, silver light flared from the tip. Fueled by his rage, the electrical beam crossed the distance and slammed into the aircraft. Smoke burst from it when it became overloaded. The pilot
lost control and the aircraft began to spin in a circle. Then the engine failed and it nose-dived into the river.

  Aiming for a second jet, Loki lurched forward a few steps when someone shoved him from behind. Spinning to confront his attacker, he wasn’t at all surprised to see Fate glowering at him from behind her black mask. She wore the same tight-fitting black leather armor and black cape. Again, he couldn’t determine the color of her eyes.

  Enraged that she’d thwarted his attempt to take down the jet, he swung his sword at her. Moving too fast for him to correct his aim, she ducked beneath it and sprang forward. Feeling the prick of her dagger against his side, he froze. Her magic superseded his and she could easily cut through his defenses. Her expression was maddeningly serene behind her mask as she shook her head in disappointment. “I thought your plan was to subjugate the earthlings, not to destroy them,” she said in a chiding tone.

  “Does it really matter whether they live or die?” he asked. He couldn’t hide his frustration at losing to such a small foe yet again.

  “Of course it matters.”

  “To whom?” he demanded. “To you, or to those you serve?” Whomever they might be.

  “Does it really matter?” she said mockingly, throwing his words back at him. “Your soul is already stained beyond redemption and your heart is black with death. Your day of reckoning will soon be upon you. Do you really want to endanger yourself further by killing these humans?”

  Stealthily pulling a dagger from his belt, he readied himself to plunge it into her back. Knowing his intent, Fate was suddenly standing several feet away. With his dagger exposed, he couldn’t pretend that he hadn’t been planning on treachery. “When will you learn that there are better ways than using deceit and betrayal, Loki?”

  Her tone was aggrieved and he felt a small stab of guilt. “Probably never,” he admitted truthfully. “Do you really expect me to change after a lifetime of being who I am?”