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Epilogue

Panic struck me when I didn’t see the others. “What about—”

“I pulled them out as well, don’t worry. They’re all safe and sound at the Justice Complex. I just thought you might want to talk privately after all that.” He stepped away and looked around my place. “You know, this is the first time I’ve come to your house.”

“Yeah, you’re like a deadbeat dad.”

He laughed softly as he went around picking up random items, examining them.

Which gave me the chance to ask what we both knew I wanted to. “He called you Loki.”

“I figured you wouldn’t just let that go.”

“He doesn’t mean, like,thatLoki, does he?”

Knot turned back toward me and leaned against the edge of a side table, crossing his arms, somehow looking less like the childish guy I was used to. Maybe it was what happened, maybe it was the name, but something caused him to appear different. “I never liked that name, but yeah, that’s me.”

I swallowed hard, feeling weird all of a sudden. I’d known him for years now, was used to how I saw him, but to think he was actually a real, honest to fuckgodwas something I struggled to grasp.

“And that makes him…”

“There are a lot of names for him, but the one you probably know the best? Odin.”

I frowned, unable to quietly sort through that mess. My Norse mythology wasn’t exactly up to snuff, and the idea that the Odin of those stories—or at least the being they were based on—had just nearly killed me didn’t sit well.

“Are you afraid of me now?” He kept his gaze locked on mine, not giving me any space to escape it, to lessen the impact. It went to show how even he behaved differently, as though he’d been careful to not expose me to this side of him. Was this some sort of dare? Was he testing me?

“You know me,” I offered with a crooked smile. “I’m not smart enough to be afraid. I’m a bit annoyed. If you were a god all along, why the fuck have I had to still work? You should have been a better sugar daddy.”

He stared back at me, still and silent, until he busted out laughing. “You know, you really were the right choice. Sometimes I worry, think I made a mistake with you, but then you open your mouth and I know that I you were the only choice.”

I lifted an eyebrow as I thought back to my Norse mythology education, which I hadn’t really paid much attention to. “So, are all gods from Norse mythology?”

He shook his head. “No. We’ve been in most civilizations in one way or another, so most cultures have some story about us under different names, different descriptions. Some stories are complete bullshit, too, so you can’t trust a word of most of it.”

“Is that man really going to do what he said?”

Knot sighed, his expression screaming that he really would rathernottell me the truth. It made me wonder if he would. Finally, his shoulders sagged. “Yeah, he will. He always has. I warned you that the old ones weren’t what you were used to. They aren’t human in any way, don’t care about humans or Spirits.”

“You’re one of them.”

“Technically, yeah, but clearly, I’ve never fit in. They’d never seen me as one of them, either. I’m not human, not a Spirit, and the others like me, well, they suck, so I’ve never really had a place where I fit. That’s why I tend to just wander, staying just as long as something is fun.”

“I don’t think what we just went through was fun,” I pointed out.

“No, it really wasn’t. I guess I wasn’t just kidding—you are special. You’re the only one I’d do something this not fun for.” The words were quiet, serious, not a speck of humor in them.

It took me back to what he’d said before, to Odin, how he’d told him I was special. I’d never understood where exactly I fit with Knot, what we were, but clearly it was far more complicated than I’d even figured. What did I think about that?

My brain seemed to short circuit at that, unwilling to work out exactly what I thought about Knot, to see him in a way I wasn’t prepared for. It was going to takemuchlonger to come to terms with that.

“So what now?” I asked.

“Odin slept for a long time—he won’t be able to do much right away. It’s gonna take some time to get his power back. I’m pretty sure he’ll seek out some of his old allies as well. They don’t play together much, but when they do, it’s a problem for everyone. In short? We’ve got some time. It’s a problem, but it won’t be a today or tomorrow problem.” He came over and sat on the couch beside me, a bit less carefree than he usually was. “I’m serious, little crow, what does this all mean for us? Are you going to treat me differently? Because I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want that to happen. Maybe I should have told you sooner, but I thought you’d never find out and then we wouldn’t have to have the conversation.”

I knew he wanted a real answer, and I owed him that much. Even if he was absentee—he always showed up exactly when I needed him. It felt like he was always watching over me in some way, even if I couldn’t see it all the time. “It means I’m going to expect you to pull your weight more and get me better birthday presents. Other than that?” I leaned against his side. “We’re good.”

He let out a long, slow breath, a shuddering like he couldn’t believe I’d agreed, that I’d accepted him. “Seems like a pretty good deal to me. Besides, with Odin sniffing around, I’ll be sticking pretty close by, so you’d better get used to that.”