Yuletide Mischief (3 page)

Vivi turned and walked away with her head held high and didn’t look back even when she felt his stare. She knew the exact moment he disappeared—it was a
pop
in her ears and then she let out her breath and her back slumped. He was right. She was a freak. It was just her dumb luck that the first connection she’d had in a long time was with a second natured and the demigod Loki no less. Life definitely had a cruel sense of humor sometimes.

Chapter Three

Loki transported himself to a place where he could think, away from people. Central park. Though it was usually filled with people, it had snowed a few days earlier and now the beautiful landscape was an ice-encrusted mess of murky grays and blacks blended in with the once-pristine white.

“Damn human woman,” he muttered. In a fit of rage he punched the center of the tree closest to him, and it cracked in half like it was made of matchsticks. Before the large tree could fall, he snapped his fingers angrily and the tree was its old self once more. He continued walking, though marching like he was in military drills was more like it. Vivienne elicited feelings in him that he certainly didn’t like. He had flings, nothing more, but that was not what he felt when he kissed her. It was like an electric shock, a punch to the heart and groin.

Why do I want to do it again and again?
he wondered to himself. There had been many women in his life who kissed him and it was nice, but nothing like her kiss had been. Something about her knowing his faults and seeing his true self appealed to him. Yet the way he felt terrified him because he’d never felt anything like it before. No, that wasn’t true. Once he felt it and it almost crippled him and Loki had almost lost everything that he held dear. To this day he still dealt with the fallout. The stares and the whispers behind his back, the looks of distrust on everyone’s face and only a few knew the truth. If Vivienne knew the truth of why he was called the prince of chaos, maybe she would have less to accuse him of.

Loki made an impulsive decision. He closed his eyes and thought of where he needed to be. He felt the cold, wet snowflakes touch his face and smiled.
Home.
He could’ve blinked himself into the warmth of the great hall, but instead he walked across the snow-covered landscape of the North Pole as casually as if he was taking a spring stroll through the park. He was so deep in thought that he didn’t notice that his journey took him to the greenhouses until he was standing at the door. He turned the knob and stepped inside and was instantly assaulted by the smell of rich soil, flowers, fruits, and vegetables. The greenhouses were Joko’s domain, and she grew everything herself. When walking through the large room, one could find the rarest of orchids to the simplest of snap peas. He trailed his hands along the petals of a flower mindlessly and wondered if Vivienne’s skin felt the same.

“Loki in my green house? This is quite an honor.” Joko’s voice held humor and happiness. She always managed to make him smile even in his worst moods.

“It looks like you have added on.” Loki walked into her embrace and her warmth enveloped him. “How are you, Aunt?”

“You should call me mother by now, Loptr,” Joko said fondly. “I raised you, after all.”

“I don’t think the others would be too happy hearing me call you that,” Loki commented.

“They do not care and even if they did it wouldn’t matter. To me, you are my son,” Joko said. “I didn’t expect to see you until the festivals. I thought you were in the city of New York, enjoying the tall buildings and beautiful women?”

“I decided to come home early,” Loki said. “Asgard may be more fun.”

“Hmm. What happened, did you have a bit too much fun?” Joko said knowingly and held out her hand. “Walk with me.”

He chuckled and took her hand. “No, I was actually stopped by a mortal who can see us, our true nature.”

Joko looked up at him, startled. “Are you sure?”

Loki nodded. “She called me out for my nefarious deeds and named my mother and father. She used the old names.”

Joko laughed softly. “I like her already. It’s very, very rare for a mortal to see us. Did she scare you and that’s why you came home?”

“On the contrary, she intrigued me and I took her out to dinner,” Loki said. “I kissed her, Aunt.”

“Ah, and you actually felt something,” Joko said.

“I was cruel to her, called her a freak and told her she wasn’t wanted by her kind and would only be used by mine,” Loki admitted.

“If you were not bigger than I was I would turn you over my knee like I did when you were boys,” Joko said angrily. “I know you are mischievous, but you were never cruel. You go back and apologize.”

Loki stopped and looked down at the woman who raised him along with her own children. They were all a handful, but she kept them in line with a firm hand.

“Aunt, even if I could, she would never speak to me again,” Loki said. “And maybe I don’t want to apologize. I like who I am.”

“No, you don’t.” Joko sat on a bench and pulled him down next to her. “You let the myth become the man and not the other way around. We all know why your path changed and you kept on walking. Loptr, the reason you embraced being the mischief-maker so easily is because you wouldn’t have to try to be anything else. You found it to be the easiest path to take after what happened before.”

“She’s a Goody Two-shoes. Her parents died when she was young and the family lawyer tried to marry her for the money. I think he may have abused her.” Just thinking about it made Loki angry. “She uses her money for charity and works as a Christmas elf, no less.”

“She sounds wonderful.” Joko smiled. “Maybe you should spend the holidays with her.”

“I would prefer to be in Asgard. It is less complicated,” Loki said.

“Yes, I remember how much you loved the old ways when Odin had his many wives, the servant girls, the debauchery,” Joko said. “But you’ve seen your brothers—”

“Cousins,” Loki interjected.

His response got him a pinched ear and he winced, remembering how many times it happened as a child.

“As I was saying, the others found love, all except Thor. He is still sowing his wild oats,” Joko said. “I suspect that this girl made you feel alive for the first time in a long time, since…well, we won’t speak of it. But you are doing yourself a disservice by not seeing this through.”

“Aunt, I’m not meant for love,” Loki said softly, unwilling to believe. “I’m the father of chaos, the—”

“Shut up, Loptr. You are believing your own myth again,” Joko snapped. She stood and held his face between her hands, forcing him to look into her face. He loved her immortal beauty and the way she looked at him with no judgment at all. “Loptr, I know your heart and it’s not as cold as you would like people to think. It’s been centuries. It’s time to let someone else in and it may be this mortal.”

“Her name is Vivienne,” Loki said.

Joko nodded and smiled. “Vivienne it is. A beautiful name. Try for me, Loptr, please just try.”

Loki nodded. “Yes, Mother.”

It was the very first time he used that term to refer to the woman who had raised him. A smile beamed across her face and that alone made him vow to use the term more often. “See, already I like the change. Will you stay for a meal at the great table?”

“No, I think I’ll head back to the tall buildings,” Loki answered.

“Very well. I send you away with my love,” Joko said.

She kissed his forehead and he was again reminded of his childhood. It seemed so long ago, thousands of mortal years, but still it felt like yesterday. He left the greenhouse and walked across the snow crunching underfoot, feeling better and lighter than he’d felt in a long time. He’d been avoiding anything to do with love and emotional attachment for a long time. Maybe it was time to let someone in. An amazing creature named Vivienne, to be exact. Loki decided he would take Joko’s advice.

Feeling suddenly inspired, instead of making a beeline to Vivienne, he instead blinked himself to the Hamptons. Jonas Waverly needed a little havoc in his life as far as Loki was concerned. Vivienne said she didn’t want him harmed, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t make him suffer just a little. Being immortal had its perks. He didn’t need a phone book to find who he looked for. Just concentration on the name would give the exact location, and he’d transport there.

The lawyer who had tried to use Vivienne lived in what could be considered a mansion within walking distance from the beach. Loki kept himself invisible as he walked through the house. Fine art hung on the walls, a large fireplace roared with life, and a huge twinkling Christmas tree stood in the corner.

He found Jonas Waverly in what looked to be his office and stood in the corner silently watching the man for a few moments. He had thin, scraggly brown hair around the sides of his head and the top was completely bald. He probably was handsome once but now the round potbelly hung over his pants as he sat at his desk leering at the computer screen. His thick, sausage-like fingers fumbled over the computer keyboard. Loki felt a wave of disgust knowing this man tried to take advantage of Vivienne.

“Hey, baby, I can’ talk. She’s upstairs,” he said in a low voice into the cell phone he was holding against his ear.

So he’s an adulterer as well. This will be fun,
Loki thought darkly.

“Honey, of course I miss you. I’ll try to come into the city this weekend and spend some time with you,” Jonas said. “I’ll even bring you a present.”

He was looking at his computer screen and typing as he spoke into the cell. Loki wandered over behind the leather office chair to see what had the man’s attention. He had a split screen up on the large flat screen monitor. On one side he had porn playing with no sound and on the other he was chatting in an adult forum to another woman.

“Oh, baby, don’t be like that. You know I’m setting everything up to leave her,” Jonas said into the cell.

A man who can multitask. Let
’
s see how he handles this.
Loki felt wicked pleasure as he casually flicked his finger and the computer screen froze. Jonas pressed the keys repeatedly and cursed under his breath. “Oh, no, honey, not you. My computer froze. The damn thing is practically state of the art,” Jonas said. Loki wasn’t finished. Under his magic, the pipes froze in the house and the groan of the pipes warned that they couldn’t handle the pressure. They started to burst and a loud scream came from upstairs. Jonas didn’t even say good-bye; he dropped the phone and ran to the doorway as his wife appeared, hair wet and shivering.

“What’s going on, Jonas?” she screeched.

“I don’t know, dear. The inspector said the pipes were fine!”

Loki wasn’t done. He toppled the computer screen backward as Jonas’s wife walked into the room. The long wires and Loki’s magic kept the screen from going dark so she could see what her husband was up to. The pictures were provocative and the chat screen explicit in language. The room was silent as she looked on while Jonas’s face turned red.

“Care to explain this?” his wife said through clenched teeth.

“Babette, there is a perfectly good explanation for what you’re seeing. It had to do with work,” Jonas stammered.

No, there’s not, Babette.
Loki grinned and upped the ante. He pressed the speaker on the phone that Jonas had dropped and his girlfriend’s voice filled the room.

“Jonas, pookie, what’s going on? Is that bitch giving my sweet baby trouble?” the voice of the girlfriend said loudly.

“Pookie has a whole lot of trouble coming,” his wife muttered and she whirled on Jonas who had gone from red to pale white.

More pipes burst and complete turmoil reigned in the house as Jonas tried to calm his furious wife. Loki grinned as he blinked himself out of the house and casually walked down the street just as the enormous bedroom window opened and a handful of expensive-looking suits came flying out.

He had finished one objective and was ready to move on to the other. Vivienne could be his Achilles heel, the one thing that could bring him back into the world or make him leave it permanently. Joko’s words rang in his ears and he thought of the penthouse in Manhattan and that took him instantly there. He decided to use the night to think on how to approach Vivienne the next time he saw her.

* * * *

Vivienne didn’t like that she was brooding. In fact, it pissed her off because one run-in with Loki shouldn’t have left her in such a bad mood. It was Saturday and one week before Christmas. Barneys on Fifth Avenue was humming with activity, shopping, and children sitting on Santa’s lap to give him their final wishes and also so mom and dad could get the perfect picture. The theme in the store was winter wonderland and the Christmas trees were decorated thickly with blue and silver bulbs and ribbons. Different-sized crystal snowflakes hung from the high ceilings and Christmas songs blared from the speakers. Usually she would be alight with happiness, but it all reminded her of Loki.

Just one night and he left an impression, even though he was cruel in the end. She hated that he made her feel like this. Vivi knew that she should be steamed at his hateful words, yet she knew it was normal of any creature—mortal or not—to strike out when they were afraid.
Stop acting like you’re so destroyed by this, Vivi. You’ve had worse happen to
you!
she chastised herself and vowed to stop thinking about him. She had to get him out of her mind. But when the store closed and everyone was making plans to meet up later for a combination of dinner, drinks and dancing, he was still on her mind.

Vivi felt none of her usual cheer and claimed to be under the weather so she could just go home. She wanted her bed, a warm, comfy bathrobe, and a cup of hot chocolate. Even though she didn’t want to admit it, Vivi needed to have a good brood. She took a cab home and was happy to find the elevator empty on the ride up to her apartment.

One hour later, she was lounging in her comfy pajamas, wearing warm and fuzzy socks, and drinking hot chocolate with three giant marshmallows and watching the news. Who cared if it was only eight o’ clock on a Saturday night? She was happy at home where her colorful Christmas lights blinked merrily and her entire apartment smelled of pine from the live Christmas tree. She was taking the last drink of what was left of her hot chocolate when the newscaster spoke of an unusual accident in the Hamptons. Since that is where she used to live, she turned the volume up on the TV and sat forward with interest.