Players (Lessons by Loki) by Aubrey Ross

concentrated on her breathing. But he was still there in her peripheral vision, patiently waiting for her to accept the fact that she was speaking with a figure out of Norse mythology.
    “You’re Loki.”
    “I thought we’d already established that much.” He flashed another playful smile as she turned her head back around. “Will it make you more comfortable if you call me something else?”
    “Wasn’t there some sort of battle that was supposed to have killed off all of you?”
    “Ragnarok was real, but the outcome was greatly exaggerated. We left Earth for several centuries. I’ve always liked this planet, so I came back.”
    “And when was that?”
    “Around the turn of the century.”
    She exhaled as he returned to the couch. “The turn of which century?” It didn’t really matter. She was just trying to adapt to the fantastic situation.
    “I returned to Earth in the year two thousand, according to your calendar. I spent the first few months in Norway, but it was too much same old, same old. So I worked my way through Europe then came to the United States.”
    Gradually her mind cleared and her spirit returned. “Why Denver?”
    “I’m drawn to conflict, always have been. The liberal ideals embraced along the ‘Front Range Corridor’ are in direct opposition to the conservative beliefs rampant in the rural communities. You know, small town stability versus fast and free city life. The dichotomy exists in many states, but it’s especially contentious in Colorado.”
    “Why are you drawn to conflict?” Once she’d accepted that this was real, her curious mind demanded details.
    “Conflict creates emotion and emotion creates energy.”
    A shiver raced down her spine as she realized the implication. “You feed on human energy?”
    “I do. I’m capable of processing food, but it doesn’t sustain me. As long as I don’t take too much, the donors are unaware of—”
    “The word ‘donor’ indicates something willingly offered. If the people you feed on are unaware, they are also unwilling.”
    “Not necessarily. I’ve had many people beg me to take their energy.” His sexy smile left little doubt about the sorts of things he was doing at the time. “For a human to willingly offer their energy, they must understand the nature of my existence. As you’ve just experienced, that’s easier said than done.”
    She nodded. She wasn’t sure how often he needed to feed, but it seemed dangerous to enlighten that many people.
    “I’ve indulged your curiosity. Now can we get back to the subject at hand?”
    “Absolutely.” She scooted to the edge of her seat and met his gaze. He claimed that he wanted to prevent her from becoming a pawn in Josiah and Chase’s game. Well, she refused to be anyone’s pawn and that included Loki. “You insinuate yourself into conflicts so you can siphon off energy. Why did you choose this particular conflict?”
    “You don’t think this is a worthy cause?”
    “No, I do.” Was he avoiding something he didn’t want her to know or was it just a habit to respond to questions with other questions? “How did you learn about the bet if you don’t have a sister?”
    “You’re a persistent little thing, aren’t you?”
    “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
    He chuckled then uncrossed his legs, a bit of the amusement fading from his eyes. “I was scanning, listening to random thoughts and absorbing scattered images. I was hoping to stumble across something interesting when I overheard Josiah and Chase talking about the bet. It was obvious they’d done it before and would likely do it again.”
    “What, specifically, made you decide to interfere?”
    “You.” His gaze narrowed and he pushed to his feet, his movements tense and measured. “As soon as I saw you, I knew I couldn’t let them toy with you.”
    She didn’t understand his sudden intensity, so she glanced away. She wasn’t even sure she believed him. There was certainly nothing about her