Page 9 of Thor

Thor nodded. “Then I’ll see you at the Throne.” He raised his arm to the sky and jumped.

CHAPTER4

“Take these to table one.”Val set three steins of beer on the tray in front of Elle and pointed to the table before returning to the shelf behind the bar and grabbing a bottle of rum.

Elle lifted the tray and headed to the table of humans. She set them down absently and walked back to the bar without realizing it. Ever since meeting Thor the night before, she’d been able to think of nothing else.

None of the stories she’d heard her father tell about the horrible monster of a man who brought nothing but death and destruction to all who opposed him in the nine realms seemed to fit the gentle giant who had thought of nothing but her peace of mind. And when he’d touched her hand, something had sparked inside her. Something she’d never felt before. A part of her she couldn’t reach on her own, nor define.

She rubbed her fingertips together trying to recreate the warmth he had produced within her.

“Elle!” Val grabbed her shoulder.

Val pushed a stein toward her and jerked her chin toward the corner. Elle picked up the stein and headed toward the table. She didn’t need anyone to tell her where it went or who it was for. The golden eyed immortal who worked as a bouncer in Frigg’s Raven Weaver topside pub was known to everyone of Norse descent.

She put on a smile and headed straight for the solemn hulking figure.

“Hello, Heimdall.” She slid the beer to him.

“Lady Elle. How are you today?”

No one had called her Lady back when she’d been princess of the fire giants, so to hear someone on Midgard call her that seemed especially strange.

“It’s Elle.”

Heimdall took a long swig of his drink. “You and I both know that is not true.”

Elle chuckled and rolled her eyes. Heimdall as well as Lady Frigg had treated her with nothing but the utmost respect since she’d arrived. In the past month they’d made her more welcome than she ever had been in her entire life back at her father’s court. Even so, the idea that someone would recognize her still made her nervous— and calling her Lady was one small step closer to being possibly recognized.

Heimdall squeezed her hand and winked at her. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

“What secret?” a deep voice rumbled behind her.

Elle turned at the sound and her cheeks heated as she pulled her hand from Heimdall’s grip. Her gaze traveled Thor’s handsome chiseled face to his fathomless eyes. But unlike the night before he was clean-shaven and the faint scent of soap and cologne wafted off him.

She shivered at the delicious mixture.

Thor smiled. “I’m kidding. Everyone has secrets.”

“Thor,” said Heimdall, “I can’t remember the last time you were on the Midgard side. Should I be afraid for my job?”

Thor moved around her, his body brushing up against hers and making her warm all over. He sat in the booth opposite Heimdall and stole a swig of beer.

“Buy your own,” Heimdall growled and pulled the stein back across the table.

A table down the row broke out into cheers and banged on the table for several minutes as they high fived and gulped down all their beer. She looked at the table calculating how many more pints she would need to bring them and then looked back to Thor. Her cheeks heated and she dropped her gaze.

“Would you like me to bring you a beer?”

“Please.”

She nodded and retreated quickly to the bar. Her heart pounded, and she chewed the skin around her nails, as she waited for Val to finish filling other orders. Confusion swirled inside her. She’d never felt so... strange before. It was like burning and freezing together. Though she’d been taught to stay quiet, to be seen and not be heard, something else caused her to lose her ability to speak when she was near Thor. She wasn’t sure if it was her fear of him finding out she was the daughter of his immortal enemy, or something else.

“What’s wrong?” Val stared at her.

“Uh... nothing.” Elle bit her thumb.

“Why are you flushed?”