Nordic Heat Read online

  Nordic Heat

  Lizzie T. Leaf

  Nordic Heat

  Copyright © Lizzie T. Leaf, 2014

  All Rights Reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher.

  This e-Book is a work of fiction. While references may be made to actual places or events, the names, characters, incidents, and locations within are from the author’s imagination and are not a resemblance to actual living or dead persons, businesses, or events. Any similarity is coincidental.

  Celtic Hearts Publishing

  6327 Utica Court

  Arvada, Colorado 80003

  Published by Celtic Hearts Publishing, 2014

  Nordic Heat is a re-edited and revised version of the award winning Struck by Lightning, first published by Triskelion Publishing 2006.

  This e-Book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. No part of this eBook can be reproduced or sold by any person or business without the express permission of the publisher.

  Edited by: Kris Jacen

  Cover by: Kelly Shorten

  PROLOGUE

  Asgard

  Present Day

  “I cannot understand this fascination you have with mortal women, Galvin. Surely you can find an immortal to your liking.” Sif furrowed her brow in frustration as she studied her youngest son.

  By the powers that be, he was a feast for the eyes even by the standards of a goddess. Strong and muscular in build, he had her pale blond hair, shot with streaks of red inherited from his father, Thor. Why he chose to wear a short mortal hair style was beyond her. She preferred a longer version, the way her husband wore his.

  Galvin’s dark blue eyes appeared to have the wisdom to see into the windows of the soul when one met his gaze, which Sif tried not to do often. She attributed this ability to his grandfather, Odin, along with several other characteristics inherited from him. Of course, Odin paid dearly for his wisdom with the loss of an eye, but her baby boy’s legacy included much of the knowledge and abilities his grandfather now took for granted.

  “Mother, I know you’d like me to settle down and produce grandchildren for you to bounce on your knee, but the immortals with whom I come in contact…” Galvin paused as if he knew what he was about to say would not please her.

  “Yes?” Sif looked at her son expectantly.

  “Well, you’re going to have to settle for the grandchildren your other sons have given you. In truth, the immortal women bore me. They only can talk about what deity did this, or what herbal remedy to use to prevent that, or even more boring is all their talk of casting spells. They are minor goddesses with no real capabilities or strengths of their own.” Galvin paced in front of her.

  “Do you need a wife to have powers, given the might that is yours?”

  Galvin stopped pacing. “Exactly my point. Why do I need a wife with power? Do I need the competition given all of my abilities? Selecting a wife from the earth realm should be of no issue.”

  Sif realized her error and tried to recover. “Son, you do need a wife who is aware of your strengths. How can you expect to hide them from a mortal? She wouldn’t understand.”

  “The mortal I chose will be strong and intelligent. I will be able to share everything about myself with her. Instead of being frightened, she will find my aptitudes a benefit. She will help me discover ways to apply my powers for the good of all.” Galvin gave the mischievous smile Sif found so hard to resist.

  She tried another tactic. “I am sure your father could arrange to send you to Mount Olympus to check out the females there. I know he does not condone the interaction of the godly realms, but he would make an exception in this matter. Shall I ask him to talk with Zeus? After all, Zeus is your godfather and has said many times to Thor and Odin how much he enjoys your visits.”

  “No. My mind is made up about this, Mother. I would think your being a fertility goddess, you would want me to procreate.”

  “But, with a human? The child will be a…a half-blood.” Sif wrinkled her nose. “There are enough of those running around from the lascivious escapades of the gods like your grandfather. Not to mention the depraved Gods of other Realms, especially those male Olympians.” Sif shuddered at the thought.

  Many mortals bore the blood of the gods and were not aware of it. They only knew at times things happened to them or were created by them that others didn’t experience or couldn’t do. Some ended up in what the inhabitants of earth called mental institutions. Sif sighed out loud. The thought of this fate befalling a grandchild of hers was more than she could bear.

  “Mother.” Galvin kissed her cheek. “I can read your thoughts you know. Any child I create with a mortal woman will know its father as well as its mother. We will be husband and wife, and our child will know love. I have always taken precautions when I have the need to fulfill my carnal desires with an immortal. I promise the same with a mortal.”

  Sif heard voices coming down the hall and patted her son’s arm. “You have always been my most reliable son.”

  “And, your favorite. Do not forget that.” Galvin kissed her cheek again.

  “Ah, Sif, here you are.” Thor entered the room with Loki on his heels as usual.

  Sif’s posture straightened as she looked at the trickster. How the son of a giant and giantess could be considered a deity was beyond her, but it wasn’t her place to question these things.

  “Sif, your hair looks especially lovely today.” Loki tipped his head in greeting.

  “Thank you, Loki.” She fixed a smile on her lips. Understanding his dig, she chose to ignore him and not give a response. Protocol required her to accept his presence, but she would never forgive this creature the loss of her beautiful yellow locks. No matter how fine the gold he had the dwarfs spin to replace her own hair, it was not the same. How Thor forgave him so readily would always be a mystery to her. Males, whether immortal or mortal, would be always beyond her understanding.

  “I see our youngest son is here, too.” Thor’s eyes came to rest on Galvin. “What news do you have for us? I hear you have been locked away with the lovely Siera for several days. Did you come to share the news of your impending nuptials?”

  A gasp sprang from Sif before she could pinch her lips together. “Nuptials? But, I thought—”

  “Mother, my father is jesting. We can attribute his humor to the company he keeps.” Galvin shot a dark look toward Loki. “No, Father, I have no such news. Just the opposite I am afraid.”

  “The opposite? What does this mean?” Thor’s brow furrowed.

  “I have been sharing with Mother my desire to seek a wife in the mortal world.”

  “WHAT!?!”

  Sif felt the floor tremble. Thank goodness mortals are gullible. They’ll shrug Thor’s shout off as thunder on Earth.

  “A mortal wife. Such nonsense. To take a pilgrimage to Earth and sow a few wild oats is one thing. In fact, your grandfather encouraged me to do it in my youth. But, to go there in search of a wife, that is ridiculous. Immortals do not lower themselves to marry a...a...a human.” Thor spit out the word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. “Galvin. Be reasonable here. Mortal women are only good for dalliance, not commitment by one such as yourself. You are the son of Thor, grandson of Odin the Powerful One and Jord, the Goddess Earth. The most gifted of my sons.”

  “Father, I am well aware of my heritage. I am also an individual with a mind of my own. I need a wife who will give me more tha
n sexual stimulation. The available immortals are a bunch of spoiled, self-centered females who hold no interest outside the bedroom.”

  “Why would one need the interest of a female outside the bedroom?” Loki murmured.

  Hearing his remark, Sif shot The Lord Jester a look of contempt and turned her attention back to Thor and Galvin.

  Fortunately, Thialfi, Thor’s loyal servant, distracted Loki before he could comment on her reaction. “What is it, Thialfi? Can’t you see we’re busy here?” the Jester demanded, but allowed the thin man to whisper in his ear.

  Ignoring the happenings between Loki and Thialfi, she watched her two men stand eye-to-eye glaring. I now understand why Thor’s mother fought to bring life back to her son. If she had not stepped in when he ingested the venom from me thanks to the Midgard Serpent’s bite, she would have lost him. Thor risked his life for me and I love him. But now he fights with our son and I feel Galvin’s pain.

  “I have made my decision, Father.” Galvin didn’t drop his glare

  “I FORBID A MORTAL UNION!”

  She flinched at Thor’s thunder. Even Loki jumped. Only Galvin seemed unmoved.

  “I am past the age of your forbidding me to follow my desires, Father.” His voice remained calm.

  The muscles of Thor’s cheek twitched and Sif couldn’t allow what was about to happen. The two men who mattered the most to her would be throwing lightning bolts at each other at any moment.

  If she had to choose between her husband and her son, to her there was no choice. This was the child of her heart, possibly, because he came to her so late in life, when she thought there would be no more. Now her baby prepared to do battle with his father. There would be no question of where her loyalties lie.

  She stepped forward and pushed between father and son. “Stop it, both of you. This is no way for gods to behave.” She shoved the two apart.

  Galvin stepped back and took a deep breath. “You are correct, Mother. Thank you for saving me from going against my father. I would hate any harm I do to him.”

  “Harm? To me?” Thor lunged forward.

  “Wait, Thor.” Loki grabbed Thor by the arm in an attempt to restrain the Thunder God from reaching Galvin. He struggled to pull him backward as he grunted, “You have business to attend to. Your servant, Thialfi, has brought a message. There appears something on Earth is happening of which you should be aware.” Loki swept his hand to the side and a meadow surrounded by woodland appeared.

  Four women of various sizes and shapes held hands as they danced in a circle and chanted.

  “Listen to their words. By the gods, they are trying to conjure up an immortal.” Loki laughed with obvious delight.

  “Hmmm.” Thor caressed his red beard. Deep lines furrowed his forehead a long moment before he grinned.

  The four voyeurs in Valhalla watched as the circle broke up and the women stumbled out of the meadow.

  “That felt positive,” the slim one with the straight black hair rotated her neck. “Yeah. I think we’ve struck a blow for womankind,” the remaining two nodded in agreement.

  The one with the curly dark hair frowned. “I agreed to go along with this nonsense because I’m as drunk as the rest of you. But, I’m not an idiot. I’d have a better chance of being struck by lightning than our stupid spell working.”

  Sif studied Galvin as he stared in fascination at the group below them. She shifted her attention to Thor and became concerned as a large smile played across her husband’s lips. A grin as large as that could only indicate trouble.

  “That can be arranged, my beauty.” The Thunder God held his right arm out straight and pointed a finger toward Earth as he released a lightning bolt.

  A chill ran down Sif’s spine. Oh husband, my heart tells me you have unleashed more than you intended with that childish display.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Isabella Girardi opened one eye and quickly shuttered the lid as the light in the dimly lit room triggered a bolt of pain through her head. “Shit.” Fireworks exploded at the sound of her voice, and she rolled over, worming her head between the two pillows on her bed.

  She needed to stop drinking those damned blue martinis. Why did she let herself get caught up in the moment every time she got together with the girls? Any sane person drank one and called it good, but no, not her. They went down so smoothly, before she knew it her glass was empty and the little voice in her mind, encouraged her to guzzle one more.

  The phone rang and the Flamenco dancer in her head applied his taps with relish. Fumbling for the current cause of pain, she finally located the phone and pulled the hand-set under the pillows where her head was still buried. “What?”

  “Aren’t we Miss Sunshine this morning?” Diane Michaels chirped in her ear.

  “Fuck, Diane. What the hell are you doing calling at the crack of dawn?” Isabella lowered her voice as her verbal response to her friend’s perkiness created another explosion in her skull.

  “Darling, it’s after one. As in one p.m. I’m calling as a friend to make sure you’re okay. That lightning bolt came pretty close to you last night. Are you sure you weren’t hit?”

  “Lightning bolt?” Isabella struggled to focus on what Diane rambled on about.

  “Strange. I’ve never seen anything so bizarre since there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. But I have to admit it was pretty funny after we knew you were all right. Imagine, making a statement about having a better chance of being struck by lightning than our spell working, then wham! You were almost struck by lightning.” Diane started to giggle. “Do you think that ups your chances on meeting an immortal?” Her giggle changed to a roar of laughter, forcing Isabella to push the phone away from her ear.

  “You were always too fucking cheerful when we were roommates in college, and I see things haven’t changed.” Isabella wondered why she stayed friends with such a positive person.

  “Ahh, come on Bella. Be a sport. If it’d been one of us you’d have laughed your ass off. Seriously, are you okay?”

  “Other than the whole Army marching band blaring through my head, I’m fine. I vaguely remember some of what happened. Didn’t we end up in Central Park doing a weird dance and this stupid chant thing?”

  “Yeah. We were all too drunk to drive to Tonya’s suggested spot out in the country, so we compromised and went to the park instead.”

  Isabella hated Diane right now. She drank more than most of the group last night, yet didn’t sound any the worse for wear today. But then, she’d always been like that in college, too. “What were we were trying to accomplish?” Besides a rotten hangover. “I’m still fuzzy on the details.”

  “Tonya came up with the brilliant idea we need to find an immortal male, since the men we get stuck with aren’t meeting our needs. They’re only interested in the under thirty bimbos with cup sizes larger than their IQs.” Diane chipper recollection of the prior night filled-in the blanks in Isabella’s memory.

  “Oh, yeah. Something about her grandmother’s stories, shape shifters and such shit.” More of their prior evening shenanigans were coming back to Isabella and she wasn’t sure she wanted to remember. Talk about grown women making fools of themselves.

  “Hey, a girl’s gotta do whatever it takes. Our clocks are ticking here. We’re all beyond our mid-thirties and not getting any younger. I wouldn’t mind some gorgeous vamp putting the bite on me.” Diane, as usual laughed at her own humor.

  Isabella pulled the pillows off her head and looked over at the clock on her nightstand. Diane was right about the time. Time? Was there something she needed to do? “Hey Diane, thanks for calling to check on me. You’re a real friend, but I’d better get myself into the shower and see if I can accomplish a few things today.”

  “Okay. Do you want to go out tonight? There’s a new club over on the Eastside, we could see what kind of action is going on there.”

  The woman was out of her mind. No way would she, Isabella, go out tonight. Her body couldn’t handle two nights in a row lik
e last night. She wasn’t twenty-one any more. “Thanks, but I’m going to pass.”

  “Okay.” The dejection in Diane’s single word reply almost made her feel guilty, but she wasn’t about to fall into the guilt trap.

  Finally ending the conversation with Diane, Isabella headed for the bathroom, stumbling over something on the floor. “Damn. What the hell? Where did this book come from?”

  Picking up the object in question, she closed one eye and attempted to focus with the other as she read the title. “How to Hook Up with Immortals…Conjure Your True Love. Crap. Diane must’ve helped me get home last night and left this as a joke.”

  Disgusted, she tossed the book on the dresser and winced as tome slid down behind it, hitting the floor with a thud. Screw it. I’ll fish the damn thing out later. My body isn’t up to bending down or moving massive pieces of furniture.

  Continuing into the bathroom, she turned on the hot water and dropped her bathrobe to do her normal Saturday morning body appraisal. At thirty-eight, she admitted to a little more meat on her bones than in her college years, but that gave the illusion of more curves under her clothes. Okay, so her tits sagged a little. That’s why she invested a fortune in her bras. With any luck the support would delay further deterioration of what she considered her best feature. Thighs, a little cellulite, but not too flabby yet. Better spend more time in the gym.

  The phone shrilled again as she tested the water coming from the shower head. Probably another of her crazy friends checking on her. Well, the water still wasn’t hot enough anyway, so she’d let whoever was calling know she still lived.

  “Bella, honey. Where are you?” Her mother’s voice vibrated in her head.

  “I’m home, Ma. Where do you think I am since you called my home number?” Sometimes her mother was so dense.

  “I realize you’re home, dear and don’t take that tone with me. I mean why aren’t you here at the decorator store? You promised to help me pick out curtains for the living room today.”