Page 5 of Thor

Sutrelle stepped up to the table trying to remember what Aphrodite had told her she needed. “I... I need a number.”

“Of course.” The woman handed Sutrelle a form. “Sign at the bottom and I’ll give you your table number.”

Sutrelle took the paper and scanned it, fighting the urge to nibble her thumb.

“Are you new?” asked the woman. “I haven’t seen you before.”

Alarm bells went off in Sutrelle’s mind, but she forced herself to calm down remembering that Lady Frigg had told her DeLux was safe. She had no reason to not believe Lady Frigg, she’d been nothing but kind to Sutrelle and Val since they’d arrived at her doorstep the month before. In a small way Lady Frigg had made Sutrelle think of what it might have been like if she’d grown up with a mother instead of with her father.

Sutrelle hovered over the spot where she was to sign her name and reminded herself what to write.Elle.

She handed the form back to the woman behind the table.

“Elle, what a sweet name. I’m glad you decided to join us.” She handed Elle a paper with a number on it. “That’s your table number. You’re allowed five minutes with each person and then you switch tables.”

Switch? “Uh... okay.” Sutrelle looked at the number on her paper. Table three. She glanced around and found the table number. There were only two seats per table.

“I... I have a friend. Val. Can she sit at my table?”

“No, sorry. We encourage you to mingle with people you don’t know. I can give her a table number if she wants to participate though. The two of you can chat after the meeting about your potential matches.”

Sutrelle had no idea what the woman was talking about. “Well, Val came to meet Loki. Lady Frigg—”

The woman chuckled. “Frigg does like to meddle in our events. And technically I’m not supposed to show favoritism but if Lady Frigg has her eye on your friend for Loki, I’ll make an exception and let your friend sit with him first. He is quite popular at our events, for sure.”

“Thank you.”

“What’s your friend’s name?”

“Valkyrie— uh... Val. Just Val.” Sutrelle’s hands shook. She needed to keep it together.

The woman reached out with a soft hand and squeezed Sutrelle’s hand. “Don’t be nervous sweetheart. A girl as beautiful as you is sure to make a match. If not today then a different Wednesday. Try to relax and be yourself. Think of it as a learning experience. If you don’t make a match, that’s not a bad thing. It simply means your perfect partner is still waiting for you.”

Sutrelle had no idea what the woman meant, but she nodded and thanked her, not wanting to appear ignorant.

The woman handed her a flute of something bubbly. “Here, this will help you relax a little.”

Sutrelle took the drink and sipped it. The tangy sweetness lingered on her tongue and the bubbles tickled her nose.

“Good luck, Elle.” The woman waved goodbye to Sutrelle as a centaur walked up behind her and took the next paper and clipboard and signed it.

Sutrelle sipped her drink and scanned the room. People mingled and chatted. Several people sat at tables alone, waiting for something or someone. She would have thought it was a party from the decorations but the nervous atmosphere made her think otherwise.

Sutrelle sipped her drink again and pressed down her black skirt, though it had not a single wrinkle in it.

“Did you figure it out?” asked Val, coming up beside her.

Sutrelle jumped. “Here. They said they would let you talk to Loki first. Apparently, he’s popular.”

Val snorted. “Yeah... He’s always been an attention whore.”

“You know him?”

Val shrugged. “I’ve seen him. And let’s say I had a lot of sister Valkyrie who... spent time with him. His reputation precedes him even larger than his ego.”

Sutrelle’s cheeks flushed. Val had always tried to shield her from the crasser parts of life, too bad her father hadn’t been the same. He and his men had spoken about their many conquests on and off the field as if she hadn’t been in the room. Not to mention the times his men had gotten... a little too friendly with the servants at the feasts after a battle.

Sutrelle may still be a virgin, but she’d witnessed enough to know what sex was and how pleasurable it could be for a man.