Page 43 of Hallow Hill at Halloween: Part Two

Loki, who’d been kind of fascinated by the exchange between the vampire and the werewolf, swiveled his head my way. His face spread into a smile that could’ve been wicked, but his beauty always served as the best disguise.

“Anything for you, Rita.”

Apparently, Keir had seen what was happening through Lochlan’s front windows and came charging across the street. As he stepped onto the porch, he said to me, “I’ve been gone five minutes!”

“I know.” I raised my hands helplessly. “So, a Norse god, a vampire, and a werewolf gathered on a magistrate’s porch…”

Ignoring my exchange with my spouse, Loki laid hands on Vuk and disappeared. A few seconds later he returned with no werewolf and started toward the vampire. “Stop right there,” said John David.

Loki wasn’t good at following orders. He grabbed John David and, again, disappeared.

In seconds he was back. “What did you do with them, Loki?”

“I left them far enough away that they won’t be bothering you soon,” he said.

“Okay.” Looking at Keir, I said, “What should we do about John David’s horse?”

Keir gaped. “You think that’s the question, Rita? Not, how do we get rid of Loki?”

“Hey,” Loki said, clearly offended. “You were supposed to tell the Valkyrie when Rita woke up.”

I looked at Keir. “Did you promise to do that?”

Keir looked sheepish. “I didn’t exactly promise.”

“Yes, he did,” Loki said.

“Imagine this,” said Keir. “He was standing inourbedroom refusing to leave.” I had to feel sorry for my hubby because I knew what a pain Loki could be. “We had to do something.”

“Who’s we?”

“Lochlan and me.”

“Yeah,” Loki said. “That clerk was in on it, too.”

I took in as much breath as my lungs would hold. “Loki, with as much brevity as is possible, please describe what is so urgent.”

“I met a woman.”

“That was succinct,” I said. “Very good. A human woman?”

He pulled his chin in. “Of course not. What would I do with a human woman?”

Gods curse me, I got an image. “Go on. You met a woman and…”

“And I like her.”

Keir’s relief was palpable. He smiled, then practically threw himself into the nearest porch chair like a teenager, indicating that he wasn’t leaving until he heard the rest.

“So far I don’t get why I need to know this.”

“She doesn’t like me.”

“Oh. Is she married?”

“No.”

“Romantically attached? Or promised?”