Mischief's Mate (The Immortal Mates Book 1)
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Authors: Nicolette Scarletti
Mischief’s Mate
Immortal Mates Series (Book 1)
Nicolette Scarletti
Mischief’s Mate
Copyright 2015© by Nicolette Scarletti
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the above author of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brand, media and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. This book contains mature material. The author acknowledges the trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with or sponsored by the trademark owners.
For more information about this and other books written by Nicolette Scarletti you can visit her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/NicoletteScarletti
Fate whisper
To the
Warrior,
“You cannot
Withstand the storm.”
And the warrior whispers back,
“I am the
Storm.”
Dedication:
To God Alone Be the Glory.
This book is dedicated to Amanda, Kimber & Nannette.
No truer friends could I have.
Other Books
By Nicolette Scarletti:
The Indigo Eye Series:
Whatever It Takes (Book 1)
Price Of Iniquity (Book 2) Coming 2016
Asgard, A Millennium Ago
The musical peals of crystal bells floated through Signe’s balcony doors as she finished adjusting the hood of her traveling cloak. With trembling fingers she tucked in the stubborn strands of her hair that refused to stay hidden. She was taking great pains to conceal her golden tresses, lest they give her away.
Her eyes darted toward the open doors of her balcony as worry lines marred her perfect immortal face. What worried Signe most were the red-gold rays of dawn painting the sky above the home she had begun to think of as a prison. By now she should have been halfway to the Bifrost but something seemed to have held up her lady-in-waiting.
As the minutes passed she felt her fear and agitation grow in leaps and bounds. With each graceful sweep of the room her gossamer cloak trailed behind her like mist over water. Her worry was only made worse by the pacing. Signe knew she had waited too long, that she should have left the moment she realized her lady-in-waiting was late. Something was wrong and if she had any sense she wouldn’t stay around any longer to find out what it was. The last of her nerve abandoning her, Signe made her way to the door.
Slowly she turned, her eyes sweeping the room one final time. Their cold blue stare took in everything from the fine silk bedding to the soft warm rugs. Finally they landed on her trunk; she knew it would have to stay behind. Everything; all of her clothes and jewels. It mattered not; Bram would make sure she had all that she had left behind in this wretched place and more.
He already catered to her every whim. She had made sure that spending lavishly on their wedding had become an obsession to him. Bram had bought her all new jewels as a wedding present. If he wanted to give her fine things who was Signe to stop him; spoiling her seemed to make him happy and far be it from her to make the love of her life unhappy.
As she took in the room she called a prison, one last time, Signe smiled a smile of triumph. Straightening her spine she vowed that it would no longer hold her captive. She would be free of a promise that had been made for her too many years ago to count.
With a quick catlike movement Signe had turned and reached for the knob. At that exact moment the door burst open and she was startled backwards into the room. Signe’s heart fluttered in her throat for a moment; a blush painting her cheeks.
“Finally…”
But it wasn’t her lady in waiting standing before her. No, the woman before her was far more imposing and her reprimand died on her ruby red lips. Standing tall and straight just inside her doorway was Queen Frigga. Signe thought she was gazing into the eyes of a Valkyrie instead of those of her queen. The deep pools of green were ablaze with a fury so hot that it burned like ice.
Signe knew she would have to appease her, but how? In her confidence she hadn’t thought to make up a cover story. She hadn’t assumed she would be caught and having no backup plan had been a fatal oversight.
“My queen, I was just coming to find you.” The lie sounded flat even to her own ears.
Signe dropped to her knees and bowed her head, a sign of submission to those of a higher class. Until Signe married up in life she was only an immortal of high birth and not a royal. She needed to remember that as she dealt with the queen. One such as herself had no right to even look an immortal on the Council in the eyes. All she could do was wait with baited breath until Queen Frigga acknowledged her.
The queen moved into the room, closing the door behind her. The click of the lock resounding throughout the room, yet Signe swore the whole castle heard it break the silence of the early morning hours.
Once more silence filled the room and Signe could only kneel there and wait, the hammering of her heart the only thing keeping her grounded. Despite her fear she knew she had to push forward with her lie. Once the spider cast the first strand the web must be finished.
“I thought we could discuss the wedding.”
If it were possible Frigga straightened her spine even further. Her eyes searching out the lies from the truth and there were plenty for her to find. Both women knew it.
“Silence. You have spun a big enough web of lies and greed. Now you will hear me.” The queen paced the floor in front of her would be daughter-in-law. “You dare lie to me? I who have seen all of this long ago.”
There was no way she could get out of this; Signe could only hang her head. Not only had she gotten caught trying to run, but now she was lying as well. To the queen that was a crime punishable by banishment.
“I suggest you confess your crimes now. It will be far easier to be a fair queen if you give me reason to be.”
Mercy? Frigga was willing to show her mercy and Signe was ready to take it. Far be it from her to look down her nose at such a luxury; one that was seldom afforded to any of the queen’s enemies.
“Please my queen; I was headed to the Bifrost. I was going to Midgard and to Bram; my one true love.”
Frigga placed her hand beneath Signe’s chin and forced her to look into her eyes. “You have not only broken your vow to the Council, but you have brought disgrace on your house. And for what the love of a mortal?”
“But my queen have you forgotten what it is to be in love? The fury of the Council of Immortals does not matter to the heart.” Signe was hoping against hope to play upon the queen’s soft spot.
Frigga turned the full force of her ire on the young courtesan, “I have known a love deeper than all others. A love that is neither self-serving nor deceitful; for I have known the love of a mother.”
Signe rose to her feet as her own anger began to match that of her queen’s. “A mother? Is that what you are to Loki? He doesn’t even share your bloodline. He isn’t even heir to the throne!”
A resounding crack filled the room, as Frigga’s hand connected with Signe’s cheek. With her hand on her flaming cheek Signe stepped away from the queen. One look at the older woman and Signe knew she should be happy it was only a slap.
“Never speak of my son like that again. You aren’t worthy to shine his boots, you self-serving vermin.”
“Vermin? I doubt Loki will side with you when he knows the truth of his birth. As a matter of fact, I doubt he would want me to bear a child with tainted blood.”
Her anger had made her so bold that she had forgotten her place. Signe now found herself standing toe to toe with a furious queen who held her fate in her hands. Not a very wise place for one to be if they wanted to get away with something. Yet Signe didn’t care, her ego had been hurt and she wanted to make the queen feel her pain. The look in her eyes dared Frigga to call Loki in to choose a side.
“Some child of a mortal would be better? He can offer you nothing.”
Signe seized her moment and made her final plea. She hoped to appeal to Frigga’s vanity, since appealing to her heart hadn’t worked. “He is a lord amongst his people. I shall be exalted in his lands. I cannot say the same if I stay here.”
Frigga nodded her head as if she understood Signe’s plight. The young would-be princess was glad the queen was seeing things her way. Maybe if fate was on her side she would get to the Bifrost without any further delay.
“I see. So you really are in love, child.” A bright smile spread across her petal pink lips; as if she understood exactly where the young woman was coming from.
An equally bright smile lit Signe’s face, “Thank you, my queen. I knew you would understand the workings of a woman’s heart.”
“I understand that you’re in love but…” The once bright smile on the queen’s face turned into a sneer. “The only thing you love, dear, sweet, manipulative Signe, is power.”
Her smile faltered and she backed up, she was losing precious ground. There seemed to be no way to make her queen see reason. There was no lie she could think of quick enough to tell the woman before her and have her believe it as truth. Signe had dug herself a hole; one that she had no way of getting out of.
If she turned tail and ran she wouldn’t even have her pride. Signe would be damned if the woman before her shamed her into marrying a man she couldn’t love. How could she love a Jotun like the youngest prince in Odin’s line? He would never even come to power; the freak that he was.
She wanted to stand there and fight Queen Frigga, but a move like that would sign her death warrant. Both women knew there was nothing Signe could say or do to get out of this without losing something.
Racking her brain for every angle she could play, Signe kept coming up empty. She couldn’t very well play the arranged marriage card. Frigga wouldn’t understand being held to an oath you didn’t even make. Not when the queen of Asgard had married for love; her hand had never been forced. So how could she understand Signe’s point of view?
No, Queen Frigga had been lucky enough to marry King Odin, a man she had loved since before time itself. The rumor around the castle was that they were immortal mates blessed by the Council itself; destined to be before time had even been recorded. By a stupid prophecy that only a fool would believe in, at least that was Signe’s opinion.
The prophecy had been made by the Wyrd Sisters long ago when immortal females were in short supply. They had seen the destruction that mortal love was capable of. How men lied and cheated on the women who loved them and stood beside them. The Sisters swore that their people would never feel that kind of pain, so the prophecy of Fatum Anima, the fated soul was born. One male destined for one female for all time. Though the snafu in their prophecy was the males could only find a mate from amongst Halflings. Something Signe wasn’t and yet she was still being forced to marry someone she didn’t love to help inter-kingdom relations.
What galled Signe the most was that even though Frigga had been handed a husband lesser woman would kill for, she wanted to force her to marry. The queen hadn’t even taken into account that her son would never rise to the throne.
The young would-be princess’s ire had now risen to its highest point. “And you my queen have never wanted power?” She spat the word queen as if it was a slur and not a title. “Is that not why King Odin spirited Loki away? He is nothing more than a bargaining chip.”
“Enough! You will not question my motives for loving my son. Not when you stand before me charged with treason.”
Frigga allowed her words to sink in before she continued. Signe’s eyes went wide at the accusation. Throwing herself at the feet of her queen, her hands clutched at the hem of Frigga’s lavender gown.
“Please, my queen, I have always been loyal to the house of Odin.”
Frigga smiled down at her, “You have only ever been loyal to yourself. The sight of you sickens me. So I shall grant you your freedom.”
Signe looked up from her spot near the queen’s feet. She couldn’t dare hope to get off without punishment, not in her wildest dreams. The Queen’s mercy was often spoken of, but never could Signe wish to receive it after hurting Frigga’s favorite son.
Frigga saw the glimmer of hope flash in her eyes and her own resolve stiffened. That one look reminded her of the look Loki bore when she had told him he would be wed. She knew he had hoped to belong after all the years of uncertainty about his place in life. Being his mother, she knew how the prospect of being loved had filled his heart with joy. When news of this scandal reached him, he would be devastated.
There was no telling what vengeance he would seek on the mortal race for stealing his bride away. Whatever happened as a result of her sending Signe away, so be it. She could not stand by and watch her son marry a woman who would never love him. Besides, Frigga had a small prophecy all her own to grant her son.
“I shall send you to Midgard, so you may marry Bram. But know this…”
Frigga watched as a wave of fear swept across her face. “You shall live a half-life. For you will no longer know the youth of an immortal and yet you shall never die.”
Horror dawned in Signe’s eyes; her punishment would never end. She wanted to scream at the woman who had just damned her to a nightmare beyond compare. Signe wanted to know how punishing her would make Loki feel better.
“What will that prove, my queen? Only that you are unmerciful.”
A laugh passed Frigga’s lips. “Just whom do I need to prove myself to?” She waited for an answer she knew she wasn’t going to get, her smile coming back. “I wasn’t finished, but when I am through here, those deserving of my mercy shall have it.”
“Many years from now there will be one from a bloodline born of Halflings that will take your place. One who is self-sacrificing and overflowing with love. She would live in a shack and think it’s a palace so long as her love is with her.” Signe began to rise and Frigga opened her hand and a pendant appeared. It was an owl with big searching eyes perched atop a circle of jade. “And this is how I shall mark her.”
Signe outstretched her hand to take the necklace, but Frigga snatched it away. There was no way she would allow her to touch it.
“You were trusted once with something precious to me, but not again. I shall see it gets to its rightful owner when the time comes.”
Frigga banished Signe from Asgard that day. She also set out to find the Wyrd Sisters. To see if the rumor of the immortal soul trapped in a mortal body was true. To see if there really was hope for her son in the prophecy the Sisters had given ages ago.