“She’d better not have reminded you of the story.”

That was Loki’s voice, and it sounded as soon as I stepped inside. “What story?” I asked in all innocence.

“I know who you were hanging out with.”

“I like her,” I admitted, brightly. But I was not admitting to any mention of the story concerned. That involved a goat.

“You would.” A pause. “Well, at least she won’t let any fire giants near you.”

I laughed. “No, she won’t. I also get the impression she’s quite up to freezing any guy who goes after a woman who isn’t interested.”

“Definitely.” He tossed me a small bag of candy. I knew without even looking it would be red hots or something like that. This was, after all, the great prankster we were talking about it.

I ate one anyway. Yup. Red hots. Well, there were worse tasting things in the universe. I set the bag down. “You aren’t here just to ask if Skadi was talking out of school.”

“It wasn’t Odin who set those possessed kids on you.”

“Do you know who it was, then?” It was the kind of test he might do, but if it wasn’t him, I was at a loss. “Tell me not another suitor.”

Loki laughed. “Magni has his eyes on you too, but if he decides to come courting he’ll be very obvious about it. He’s just like his dad in that regard.”

And he hadn’t decided to show up yet. That might actually be a point in his favor.

“No. It’s somebody who’s hoping you’ll help them with something.” Loki blew across his nails. “I told them outright their little test would make you less inclined to do it, even if nobody got hurt.”

I sighed. “I will eat all of the next batch of brownies if you don’t tell me who it is.”

“Such threats. Alright, alright. It’s not even a god that did it. It’s a very, very powerful witch.”

I thought of Clara, but she wasn’t that powerful, surely. “And they want me to beat something up for them that they can’t deal with by witchcraft.”

“Yup.”

“Well. So, the test wasn’t that I wouldn’t hurt those kids after all.” But that was Odin’s be careful. I’d just jumped to the wrong conclusion. “They wanted to see me fight. Screw them. They can go hire some muscle.”

“Just be careful. They’ll probably come talk to you.”

I grinned and held up the unlabeled candy. “I’m armed and dangerous.”

“Dangerous, at least.” He winked at me and faded out like the Cheshire cat, even down to his smile being the last thing to disappear.