After a steamy encounter with Asgard's Dark Prince unlocks her genetics, an unsuspecting scientist discovers not only are Gods real, she is one.
***
When Shannon boards her flight to London, she's stunned her seatmate is actor Tod Mogroddine. Their...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Baby! What baby?" Thor and I asked at the same time.
The healer looked a bit uncomfortable.
"Umm... this is a surprise?" she asked.
I got up from the bed, and the green energy beam shut off.
Thor started to laugh, smiling hugely. "I'm going to be an uncle!"
"I am going to kill your brother!" The wind started to pick up in the room.
"Now Shannon, calm down. The healers will never forgive us if we destroy their workspace." Thor was holding his hands out to me, palms out, entreating me to stop.
I snatched back control of the wind, drawing it with me as I strode out of the room and burst back into the hallway.
So angry and distraught, I almost mowed down the tall, elegant raven-haired woman coming towards me. In the nick of time, I halted, expending effort to tamp the swirling wind down. Even so, it was whipping her beautiful, silver brocade dress around her feet. I yanked at my control further. With one trembling hand, I shoved my hair back from my face.
She stopped as well, looking behind me with one dark eyebrow raised.
"Mother, this is Loki's Shannon."
A burst of energy surged out of me with Thor's introduction, along with an inarticulate short scream of anger.
"I am not Loki's Shannon. I am my own person, and I am going to kick Loki's ass from here through all the realms until he is a pathetic whimpering heap at my feet! He lied to me!"
The woman's lips quirked up, and she drew me in for a quick hug, startling me. She smelled of cinnamon and apples. Immediately comforting, I inhaled the familiar scent.
"I'm Frigga. I'm very glad to meet you, Shannon. Go away, Thor." She waved him off, and I heard him say he'd see us later as he left us alone.
With an arm around me, she steered me through a nearby arch and outside to a beautiful garden courtyard. Strolling arm-in-arm, she guided us along a pathway filled with greenery and brilliant flowers. "Now tell me what my infuriating, mischievous son has done to drive you to this state? Perhaps I'll help you kick his ass."
I blinked. Hearing their elegant mother, the queen, speak like that made me laugh, driving away some of my anger. The story spilled out in a torrent of words.
I told her of meeting him on a flight, thinking he was Tod, and how he invited me to join him for the movie. That he'd revealed himself as Loki, and I'd panicked and fled. How he'd stalked me as a cat at my conference until I made a bet to get him to show himself. I explained my reward for the bet, not knowing what Asgardian mead would do to me, and how it activated god genes. I confessed my anger, fear, and denial, not wanting to listen when Loki told me I couldn't tell anyone. How hard I'd worked to become a professor, and how everything I'd thought I'd known was now worthless. I admitted I'd again fled, ended up with Isis, who'd taught me how to use my powers. I spoke of the wonders I'd found, learning what I could do, and how it'd helped me start to come to terms with the changes in my reality. How Thor had found me, saved me when Isis discovered I was Loki's soulmate, which I wasn't sure I believed. Finally, I told her Thor had taken me to the healers, who'd revealed that I was Aos Sí, and also more than four months pregnant. My voice cracked as I said the last part, my mind a seething cauldron of anger, fear, loneliness, and yes, shock.
