Dark Desire by Lauren Dawes Read Free Book Online Page A

fingers with a paper napkin and dumping his rubbish into the small bin attached to the cart.
    “His son is,” the god replied, taking out a warmed bun for his next customer. Turning to Loki he added, “Thor is there.”
    Loki let the words sink in. He couldn’t believe how single-minded he’d been. He’d been going after Odin by taking away all those he loved. His wife was gone. Six out of ten of his Valkyries were dead. But Thor was still alive. How could he have overlooked the god of thunder? Thor had been present at Loki’s imprisonment, had taken pleasure in his pain, had laughed along with his father as Loki writhed in agony.
    Contemplating the information carefully, Loki walked away from the Aesir, already planning how he could possibly use Thor against the All-Father. Loki still wanted Bryn first, especially after she had escaped him last time. But if he should fail in a second attempt, the All-Father’s most favored son would be the perfect substitute.
    Knowing that preparedness was the key to a well-executed plan, Loki faded away from Boston Common. The vibration ran through his whole body for mere seconds, and then he was standing in the vast, modern, steel-and-glass city of Chicago. Not knowing where to begin, Loki started walking, keeping his eyes and senses open for anything that might lead him to Thor or Odin.
    It wasn’t until nightfall that he stumbled across a building that had been shielded from human sight with very old Vanir magic. Standing across the road, hidden in shadows, Loki watched light elves and giants, Aesirean gods and dwarves enter the establishment, all without drawing any attention from the humans sharing the sidewalk with them.
    Changing his features subtly, Loki ensured he looked like a demigod of some description by changing his green eyes to brown, and lengthening and darkening his blond hair until it brushed against his shoulders.
    Satisfied with his ubiquitous appearance, Loki crossed the road and pushed open the door. Stepping into Ice was like stepping back into the past. The bar was run by the very ice giant who had helped Odin imprison Loki all those years ago. It was her snake that had been used to torture and torment him while his mind had rotted away in that cave. It had been her who walked away, mourning the loss of her serpent rather than the eternity of pain and agony she had condemned him to.
    For an ice giant, she was beautiful, but the last time Loki had seen her, she had not had the albino serpent tattoos covering both her arms and disappearing into the short sleeves of her shirt.
    It appeared that time had changed her, too.
    Loki walked further inside, taking a seat near the back of the bar, making sure he could see the entire floor and all its occupants. All the races of the Nine Worlds were there, talking and drinking together. On occasion, he saw one of the Aesir he had known before his imprisonment, but it was one of the gods that caught and held his attention longer than any other.
    Tyr was drowning himself in a tankard of ale. Seeing his stump lying motionless on the table beside his cup made Loki smile. He remembered the day Tyr had lost his hand very well indeed …
    After observing everything, and taking note of everyone’s location in the building, Loki made his way over to a group of gods who were playing pool on the opposite side of the bar. There were four of them altogether, and from what he could tell, they were all Aesireans. Loki stopped a dozen feet from the table, his shoulder resting against the wall casually.
    “We’re almost done with our game, buddy,” one of them said, the echo of his shot still resonating around the room.
    Loki pushed off the wall and approached the men. “I don’t want to play. I need to ask you all a few questions.”
    Another man in the group chalked the end of his cue before lining up his shot. The white ball cracked into the solid green, sending it rolling into a corner pocket. “What kind of questions?” he