He still owed me one for what he said. I’d collect later, though. For right now, I was…stuck waiting while other people tied up the loose ends. With school over for the year, I had plenty of time for extra work and for keeping my eye open for the next problem.

But I couldn’t do anything about the problems we already had. Except for the one leaning against the outside of a building and smirking.

“Thanks,” Tyz’vel said as I approached.

I kept my distance, but brought myself within conversational range. “For?”

“Dealing with the bombs.”

“Sorry, but the angels did that one.”

“Lending me your friend.”

“Sorry, but she’s not mine to lend.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Also, she told me you suck in bed.”

“She just wasn’t up to appreciating my charms.” He did a little twirl of his hips.

“You’re just used to succubi, and they’re used to faking it.” Which might or might not be true. “Either way, she certainly didn’t give me a report that made me more inclined to go with you.”

I still wondered just who was protecting Monica. I liked her, but she wasn’t one of ours. Greek, maybe? Egyptian? I could ask Zaid on the latter, I supposed, with him being a priest and all. He could ask Ra about it. Or maybe she was and I just didn’t know or hadn’t been told.

There were other possibilities. And I did wonder that whoever did it was hiding from me.

“Who’s protecting her soul?”

I shrugged. “No clue. Not Asgardian as far as I can tell, so not really my business. Maybe she has a really good and very tolerant guardian angel.”

Tyz’vel snorted. “They don’t waste those on anyone who isn’t really special these days.”

“Maybe she is. Or maybe they lent her one.” Or maybe he was lying. In any case, I wanted to find out as much as he did. “You’re really curious, aren’t you.”

He nodded. “I’ve always been able to tell who. Until now.”

And I realized he thought there might be a new player on the scene. But how? How could there be a player that wasn’t connected to anyone or anything else?

Unless, of course, I was completely wrong about Monica. Unless she wasn’t human at all and had fooled both of us.

Who or what could do that? “Well, how about a truce on this one front. You find out, you tell me and vice versa?”

“I could agree to that.” A pause. “I’d rather have a truce,” he admitted.
“We could have one. All you have to do is give up and leave my friends alone.”

He hesitated, then shook his head, snapped his fingers, and vanished.

I did calm down. He hadn’t meant it that way. Or had he? Did Asgardians keep slaves?

Did they keep mortals as pets, and was that how he saw our relationship? Kanesha was not a pet. She was my girlfriend. She might never be my wife, but she was still more than, I don’t know, a cat to sit on my lap.

If she wasn’t, then…

But I did calm down. I knew what he meant. I knew he hadn’t meant to be offensive. And he was also Loki, being offensive was kind of part of who he was.

Implying he wouldn’t try Tyz’vel. That thought cheered me up. I did wonder if he’d turn into a woman to do so or if he was fine with man on man.

I wondered if he actually cared. I was pretty sure I knew where I got my own tendencies, at this point.

Still. I had to come up with a different word. I didn’t care if everyone else in Asgard saw Kanesha as a servant. I didn’t and wouldn’t. Maybe it was even something to talk to Odin about.

She was not my, what was the word, thrall. Maybe thane? That was a warrior or something. Ironically, Kanesha would know, but I knew I couldn’t tell her if I ever wanted this one to be forgiven or forgotten.

Or maybe I could. Maybe she saw herself that way at some levels. She said she wouldn’t trust anyone else with her soul.

If things were different I knew what she would be to me, and that thought scared me. It reminded me of who I was, what I might become.

Then there came a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

It was Loki, and he was slinking. “I came to apologize.”

“For the ownership comment?”

“I don’t always think about things like, oh, American history.”

I managed a laugh. “Even if it wasn’t that, I’m not…you know. I can’t think of myself as that far above her.”

“You are, though. She accepts it better than you do.”

I wondered if they had had a conversation. “And I don’t want to be. And part of it is the race thing. I know part of it is.”

“Part of it is that you still don’t remember.”

“Part of it is that I wish…” I tailed off. “It’s not possible, right.”

Loki fell silent. “You know, I’ve taken many mortal lovers.”

“But you don’t love anyone but my mother.”

He looked at me. “Don’t you dare tell that to anyone. And you have power over her. You can decide how much to exercise it.”
“She’s not my thrall.”

“No. She’s your shieldmaiden.”
And that fit in an odd way. It didn’t mean I didn’t want to change it. It didn’t mean part of me wouldn’t give up everything I was to be her equal.

But it would, for now, do. Somebody who owed me allegiance as well as love. I could live with that.

Mostly.

What Monica had given me was snark ammo against Tyz’vel, but it wouldn’t do me any good for getting rid of him.

Of course, his admission to her might, but no. I wasn’t going to go there. I wasn’t going to cross that particular line and talk to the scariest demon of all.

No. I was going to pass on the ammo to somebody who might know what to do with it. Which, of course, meant cayenne brownies.

He showed up right as I was getting them out of the oven. “Your timing’s perfect!” I called as he let himself in.

No. He didn’t have a key. “Give me one of those.”

I put one on a plate and handed it over, then grabbed a second for himself. I idly wondered if Monica would like one. “Apparently, Tyz’vel’s lousy in bed.”

“I won’t try him then,” Loki quipped.

I rolled my eyes. “Who says you’re good in bed?”

He started to count off his fingers.

I laughed then took a bite out of the brownie. “Lousy in bed and planning on making a move on Lucifer.”

“Hrm. Somebody should…I know this very nice young succubus who would be quite interested in giving the boss a piece of news like that. Whether or not it’s true.”

I grinned. “I’m not about to go talking to him, but…”

But Loki knowing succubi? Not a surprise. “…but really? Succubi?”

“I was distracting her,” he excused. “She was really after a very nice young man who didn’t deserve to end up in Hell. As I can’t end up in Hell.”

“…and Monica did the same thing for me. Except she can. She’s mortal as far as I could tell. So how could she spend a night with him and not be tainted? She thinks it’s because she’s good at casual sex.”

Loki pursed his lips. “More likely she’s under somebody’s protection and doesn’t know it.”

“She said she always wanted all of this to be true. But…”

“She doesn’t have to agree for simple protection. She only has to agree for, well…ownership.”

“Don’t put it that way!”

He frowned, just for a moment.
“We got over white people owning black people…”

“Got a better term?”

I had to think about it. “Protection isn’t enough. Guardianship? No, that’s what animal rights people say about pets.”

He bit into his brownie. “I know, I know. But you understand my point. Heck, somebody could have seen what was going on and put a shield over her to spite Tyz’vel. A certain angel, perhaps?”

“Maybe. But I’m going to have to keep an eye on her.”

“She’s not likely to be one of ours, I don’t think. But you never know.”

“I’m not going to try and recruit her.” Plus, that ownership thing still stung. I wasn’t entirely happy with him.

Kanesha was not my property.

Not being that kind of person, of course, was a challenge for the future. I felt satisfied, at least, that Kanesha was…well…dealing with the situation.

Monica showed up at the agency. She looked intact and, amazingly, uninfluenced. “You alright?”

Monica just gave me this look. “Let’s talk inside.”
We ducked into the ladies room, always a good place for privacy. “So…”

“So? Your demon friend?”
“What about him?”

“He’s lousy in bed.”

I started to laugh. “He…”

“He is really, really bad in bed. I think he’s the worst I’ve ever had. I guess it’s absolute selfishness.”

“I guess that’s how you…I’m not sensing his influence on you at all.”

Monica laughed. “I’m used to no strings sex.”

I had a feeling it wasn’t that simple, but I’d never sensed her as anything supernatural. “So, let me guess, he…”

“You’re seventeen.”

I blushed. “I’m not a virgin, Monica.”

“Let’s just say he’s one of those guys who’s only interested in his own and doesn’t care about yours, then.”

“He is a demon. And I suspect most of his practice is with succubi, and I bet they fake it.”

Monica blinked. “You’re seventeen!”

“I’m in high school. You think anyone can get through an American high school without knowing about faking orgasm?”

“Point.”

“Probably why abstinence only doesn’t work. The teachers try to tell us it isn’t fun. Everyone else keeps telling us they’re wrong.” I shrugged a bit. “I figured he would be.”

“He apparently wants to make you queen of Hell. Heck, he was waffling on about unseating Lucifer.”
“And you believe him?”

I thought again about the temptation to talk to Lucifer, but I was fairly sure I didn’t want to. I was fairly sure it would damage alliances.

“I do. I’ve always hoped this stuff was real. And I’ve seen stuff that made me wonder.”

“Probably because you hoped it was real. What I’d like to know is what protected you from him.”

I really wanted to know that. Especially if it was a trick that could be taught.

“No idea.”

“You’re not a supernatural yourself. I’d know.”

Monica nodded slowly. “I figure you would. But I have no idea how I did it. Except, you know, profound not caring about anything but having a bit of fun.”

I thought that the church wouldn’t like to hear that particular answer. “Eh. I’ll see you at the shoot on Sunday.”

She fluffed up her hair. “I’ll see you there.”

For that long conversation I took her out to dinner. We went to the best and cheapest steakhouse in town. You wouldn’t believe those two were the same thing, but they are. Apparently not being pretentious means you can serve really good steak for less.
“Kanesha…how’s the arm?”

“Much better.”

I paused. “Look. This is…”
“Stop.” She reached across the table. “I choose you. I don’t care about the consequences. I don’t care about the fate of my immortal soul…well, I do, but who else would I trust with it?”

I blushed. “And if…”

“…you wouldn’t be the first person in history to have a political marriage and keep the one you really want. Would you?”

I fell silent at that. “No, but…”

“And I wouldn’t even mind if you…I don’t mind sharing.” She blushed too.

“Not both at once!” I exclaimed, loud enough to get a head turn from a nearby table. I laughed, trying to cover it. “I mean, I’m not…I mean…”

I was probably redder than the inside of my rare steak at this point. I didn’t want a threesome. Especially not that kind of threesome. “That’s a bisexual stereotype!” I finally managed.

She was trying not to laugh. “I know you aren’t. I…didn’t…I didn’t mean both at once and didn’t realize it…oh dear. I meant I wouldn’t mind if you loved somebody else.”

I hesitated. “I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m wired to be in love with more than one person.” I knew some people were. I wasn’t sure I was one of them. “But…look. I found out something today. I don’t want to feel…I don’t want to feel I forced you into something when I figured we were just going to be girlfriends.”

“And you didn’t. I worked it out. I knew that if I didn’t break it off right away, this could be where it ended up.” She fell silent for a moment.

I used eating some steak as an excuse not to say more. But I knew I couldn’t stay quiet. “I didn’t.”

“I’m the academic. I’m the one who studies stuff, remember. And it’s…surprising how many books there are. And Clara’s mother’s coven has more they’re willing to let me borrow.”

“Books are good. But there’s precedent for…”

“More precedent for gods having kids with mortals then elevating the kids. But this is…”

“…me accidentally claiming a soul because I’m half trained and don’t know what I’m doing.” I found the humor in the situation. “It’s really ridiculous.”

“No it isn’t. I mean, godding has to take work.”

“You’d think it would come with an instruction manual. Or maybe it does and I just forgot.”

Or maybe I’d known somewhere deep within myself and not cared. And that thought about myself scared me.

I didn’t want to be that kind of a person.

Only to stop in his strides. He looked between the two of us. “Oh my.” Then to the angel. “Am I in trouble?”

“Your faith has not been shaken. Some men, I would indeed tell to avoid her.”

I thought that was a massive compliment to the priest.

Will relaxed. “So, what is this about?”

“We both had the same idea. Of seeing if you could talk the woman…a nun…making the spirit bombs into, well, stopping.” I glanced at the angel. “Apparently, she doesn’t want to believe he’s a real angel.”

“He must be saying something she doesn’t like,” Father Will quipped. “Some people don’t want to hear God unless He agrees with their own narrow interpretation of the Bible.”

“And some people will not follow unless they believe only they are right.”

I had to challenge that. “Are those really the kind of followers you want? I’d rather have people make the positive choice.”

The angel shrugged. I saw the shadow of wings behind him. It was an I don’t make policy kind of shrug. “We can, perhaps, debate philosophy later.”

I nodded. “If it wouldn’t get you in trouble. So…”

“I can try. She isn’t going to hurt me, and you’re right…she might listen to a priest. Or I can find out what order she’s in…” He tailed off.

I liked the way he thought. Find out who her temporal boss was and get them to talk to her. Maybe even order her to stop. Threaten to pull off her habit or whatever if she didn’t. “Can nuns be defrocked?”

“Yes,” they both said, more or less together.

“I hate leaving loose ends to other people, but I don’t think I have much choice with this one. You’ll take care of it, right?”

What I got was a nod from both of them. Which allowed me to graciously withdraw from the sacred precinct. Outside, the air was warm and humid. Summer. I felt as comfortable as I had during winter.

I was still worried about Monica. She was a big girl, but she had done what she did. Or maybe her motivation would keep her protected. Doing something to protect somebody else had to count for something.

Your faith has not been shaken.

I thought about that. It bothered me. I might be Loki’s daughter, but lying to people so they kept their faith? That had led to this. It had led to the fyrhund being destroyed and me and Kanesha being hurt.

It had led to all kinds of abuses, I thought. I realized I had a problem with Christianity after all. But it was their choice, I supposed, to do things their way.

I would do them mine. And that, I thought, meant having a long conversation with Kanesha.

Of course, I’d left one loose end. I’d left the angels to clean up the witches, but that clean up probably hadn’t included whoever made the spirit bombs.

Almost certainly hadn’t, in fact.

He or she was still out there, still messing with this stuff. Still causing trouble with it, in fact. The kind of trouble that I didn’t want to deal with.

I wanted to tie off that particular loose end, but I knew who I needed to ask about it. Which was what found me, once more, in Father William’s church.

“I’m spending so much time here I’m going to be accused of defecting,” I grumbled.

The angel stepped around from behind the altar. “Not possible.”

“You seem in a better mood,” I noted. “Was that a good workout?”

He blinked slowly. Then he laughed. “How like an Asgardian.”

“Thinking of fighting as a good workout?” Now I thought about it, it was rather a trait. “You still look in a better mood.”
“I was able to save some of them.”

I nodded. “As in, you managed to get them to see they were being idiots?”

He tilted his head, then nodded firmly. “That was the point.”

It was something I couldn’t have done. It was something he definitely had the, well, skills and position for. They couldn’t argue he was a demon. “Have you tried that on the person making the bombs?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, she’s rather more stubborn.”

“She? I rather thought it was a priest.”
“No. A sister.”

“If I promise not to kill her, will you tell me where she is? We can try some other forms of persuasion.” I paused. “Okay. Kill or do permanent damage.”

“She probably would just set a bomb off if you tried. Unless…”

“I was thinking…no.” I furrowed my brow. “Why didn’t you talking to her work?”

“She tried to argue I was a demon in disguise.”

“Then…how about we send somebody who’s mortal to all of her senses and whom she’s obligated to respect?” I pointed to the vestry.

“Who do you think I’m waiting for?”

I laughed. “You aren’t nearly as stuck up as I thought.”

“I have to be careful. Fraternizing with members of other pantheons.”

“I understand that. But you already said defecting is impossible and I’m not here collecting souls. I wouldn’t know what to do with them.”

He laughed again. At that point, though, Father Will stepped out of the vestry.

He hadn’t even bothered with a new disguise. He’d just aged “Martin” up to about 29. I sighed inwardly.

One of the other girls was already moving into position, though, and he was talking to the photographer.

I murmured. “Yeah. This guy’s trouble of the worst kind.”

“Should I stab him with a stiletto?”

I didn’t answer that, because I wasn’t convinced that he couldn’t hear us. But the heels might make a decent improvised weapon.

If weapons had any impact. And he moved to the girl, moving her into position…and casually copping a feel.

Monica just nodded as her creepazoid suspicions were confirmed.

I forced myself to relax. Was he demonstrating that he could do this, could get a little bit of temporary power over me? Trying to make me jealous?

Planning on doing…oh…no.

He was doing something to the girl, I could feel it. “Do you trust me?” I asked Monica again, reaching for her hand.
Could I extend some protection and then just remove it afterwards?

“Yes.”

I grasped her hand for a moment. “Okay. This guy’s up to something. I can’t explain, but…”

And he looked right at me. “Caught out, I suppose.”
Gliding over towards us. He lifted a hand and the three other girls froze in place.

“Oh,” Monica said.

He glanced at her. “That one…I wonder if she’ll remember. Always an interesting…experiment.”

“Leave them alone, Tyz’vel.” A reminder that I had his true name. Perhaps a gift for Monica if she had the wit to use it. Right now, she was just standing there open-mouthed.

“Why? Well, maybe if you came with me.”

“Tyz’vel, find yourself a nice succubus.”
“They’re not a challenge. By definition.”

“How about me?” Monica stepped forward. “I’ll sleep with you, if that’s what you want.”

I tried to shoot her a warning look. I’d told her what he was. She just grinned at me.

That didn’t make me feel any better. If anyone could handle bad men, it was Monica. Handling bad demons?

He looked her up and down. “You tempt me, but she is the one destined to…”

I snorted. “Oh, bull. Don’t even try and pull that. I’m pretty sure the Norns don’t even have a thread for you.”

That was an insult. He took it as such.

Monica shook her head. “Oh come on. There’s no such thing as a soulmate. Unless you make one. And you…” She walked up to him. “…clearly need to get laid.”

What could I do? I was worried about her soul, but I also had the feeling she knew what she was doing.

Somehow. And wonder of wonders, she distracted him enough that I was able to get away. At least that much.

With Mike’s legal problems having pretty much vanished and the bombs dealt with, I supposed I could hope for a bit of downtime before whatever Tyz’vel tried next materialized.

I trusted the witches not to keep any of the bombs, either. I wanted those things gone and destroyed, before anyone else got hurt.

I wanted Tyz’vel gone, but not destroyed. At least, I figured, he wouldn’t try the same thing twice.

I was right. When I left school there was a call from the studio. The sunburn had, at least, healed to the point where I could hide it. Somebody had asked for me and a few other girls by name. I felt proud, but a little worried.

Was being famous a good thing? Well, I was a long way from famous, and it was definitely worth a bit of pride that I was starting to get a good professional reputation. People asking for you by name was good.

Monica was one of the others. Six of us, and it was going to be a dress up job. Prom dresses. It was the time of year for it, after all.

“I think this guy might be a creeper,” Monica warned.

I frowned. “I suppose it happens.” I went to try the fingernail test on the mirror, then remembered that had been debunked. But it was the designer’s place, so you could never be sure.

“You get rid of your stalker yet?”

“No, and he upset my girlfriend so much she had to take a day off school.” It was probably unfair to blame him for the bombs, but I liked blaming him for things.

Love and hate are very close together. But I was sure what he felt for me wasn’t love. Lust, maybe. Lust for me, lust for power.
Then I felt him. Very close. The other side of the wall with the mirror in it.

I glanced at Monica, glanced at the mirror. She got the message and we casually moved the rack of clothes to block the view.

“Good thinking.”

I pulled on the deep red dress I was supposed to be wearing. “I bet designers do that all the time.”

“And not just the guys, always. But you’d know about that, I suppose.”

I considered. “Yeah. I’m sure there are obnoxious lesbians out there too. And straight women who might do this to the guys.”

I got the dress settled into place. It fit perfectly…better even than most things I wore. I knew they used photoshop to fix the fit sometimes.

This fit perfectly and I hated it already. Quietly. “Monica, be very careful. We might be in real danger.”

She shot me a glance. “You’re weird.”

I nodded. “I know.”

I was one of the weirdest people around, after all. Not much I could do about it.

“But, oddly enough, I believe you. And I couldn’t run in these heels.”

“Looks like they kick off easily enough. Okay. Let’s do this.”

The other three girls had looked over at us when we moved the rack, startled. Monica was the only one of the five who didn’t vaguely look like me.

I suspected she was here because I liked her. Because she would make a good hostage. If Kanesha had signed up…she would have begged off because she was sick.

Monica, though, was somebody I would protect. Was I getting predictable?

Maybe I needed to be just a little bit more like my father. I glanced at her and we stepped out into the studio.

“Do you believe in magic, Monica?”

“I believe in…a strange universe. Maybe. I don’t know that I believe in God.”

“Then…” And I hesitated. “Do you trust me?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then if I say run….kick off those heels and run.”

I got a nod, and then we were out into the studio which, for once, wasn’t that much more brightly lit than the changing room.

With its two-way mirror.

Black wings glided overhead as I headed for school – alone. Kanesha was calling in sick and I didn’t blame her.

Still, she was recovering. Thruor thought she’d be fine in a couple of days. Prue had called and said that Marie’s coven were setting up bomb disposal duty and I should stay clear.

I was fine with that. I figured the witches could be trusted well enough with it.

But I glanced up at the raven. “Hello, Hunin.”

“Munin,” it cawed back.

“Hey, I had a fifty fifty chance.” The raven settled to my shoulder. “I have a problem.”

“We know. Although it doesn’t have to be one.”

“Maybe if I hadn’t lost my memory I wouldn’t have actually fallen in love with her. I’d have kept my perspective.”

“She is not completely unworthy of you.”

I smiled at the raven. “Thank you. But I still worry now about…”

“About the fact that you may not be the best protector. Don’t worry. If anything happens to her, Odin will keep her.”

I relaxed. “Thanks. Because I have no clue what I’d do…if…”

“You will have your hall one day.”

I nodded. “But you can’t tell me when.”

“I’m not my brother,” Munin pointed out.

“I know. Do you have a memory for me?”

Perhaps he did, because I did remember. Green fields and at their center a city of sorts. Asgard. Not the shining city from the comic books, but not the more rural place I’d envisioned either. Odin’s hall. I smiled a bit. It felt right. “Thanks.”

“You will remember the rest when you have succeeded.”

“A reward?”

“No. The memories would get in the way.” And as if remembering he was Memory, the raven flew off.

“Okay,” came a voice. “That was far too cool.”

“Hello, Clara. Are you alright?”

She nodded. “They just tied me up and preached at me. Was that a raven?”

“Yes. Be honored he let you see him.”

She shivered a bit. “I am.”

Being honored by the gods probably did warrant a shiver. I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to induce one. Then again, I wasn’t Odin.

I would never have that much power.