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and by the time he stepped back up to the bar, two overflowing mugs had been set in front of him. Placing a couple of bills on the rough bar top, Galen took the drinks and made his way over to Rhys.
    He shivered when he sat down, catching the last two feet of the snake’s pale, thin tail slithering around the other end of the bar.
    “That fucking snake defies logic,” he muttered under his breath.
    “What?” Rhys asked, tipping back his tankard and draining half his beer.
    “Skadi keeps the temperature hovering near freezing in this damn place, yet that thing crawls around here like it’s got a goddamn rocket up its ass.”
    Rhys’s lips twitched—just about as close to a smile as the guy got—but he didn’t say anything more. Galen kept an eye on where the snake had disappeared around the bar while he took the first long drink from his ale. Rhys stood up a minute later, wandering over towards the bar.
    His mug was empty already.
    Fuck, the guy either needed to get flat-on-his-ass drunk or laid … and soon.
    Galen relaxed back into the booth and took another sip from his glass, his eyes moving around the outer perimeter. There were probably twenty or so gods and goddesses, giants and elves in the bar tonight.
    But he didn’t care about ninety-nine percent of them—all he was looking for was a female he and Rhys could use for a couple of hours—and then his eyes latched on to a goddess he hadn’t ever seen around before.
    She was standing by the jukebox, carefully selecting some music to play.
    Her corn-silk hair was curled, inching down to the small of her back, highlighting her small waist and large bust. From his current angle, Galen couldn’t see what color her eyes were, but if she were Aesirean like he thought she was, they were probably going to be blue.
    Rhys returned to the table, another drink in his hand. Galen pointed out the goddess to Rhys with a covert nod of his head in the direction of the jukebox. His best friend’s eyes zeroed in on the female, dragging down her body and lingering on her ass. His tongue swiped along his bottom lip.
    Ding, ding, ding.
    We have a winner.
    Galen stood up and wandered over to her, leaving the near-mute Rhys to sit back and watch the magic happen. As he got to within a few feet of her, his nostrils flared, taking in the delicate scent of rosewater. She looked up, startled, as he sidled up beside her.
    “Hi,” he said, holding her pale blue gaze.
    She smiled demurely and looked away for a moment, a blush sending a flush of color across her cheeks. “Hello,” she replied, keeping her eyes on the jukebox.
    “What’s your name, beautiful?” Taking her free hand, he brought it to his mouth, brushing his lips over her delicate knuckles. She wasn’t the usual type he’d go for. He preferred a woman who looked like she could take what he and Rhys dished out.
    She didn’t look like she could, but she was the only acceptable choice, the only unattached female in the place other than Skadi.
    “Amanea,” she replied, brushing some of her long hair back and sweeping it behind her ear … her slightly elongated ear. She was a light elf—not one of the Aesir as he’d thought.
    “Amanea,” he repeated thoughtfully. “Beautiful whisper.”
    Amanea’s eyes widened before she dropped her gaze again.
    “Come and have a drink with me and my friend,” Galen coaxed, pulling at her hand. The light elf looked over in Rhys’s direction and froze—a mouse ensnared in the hypnotic stare of a stalking cat.
    Leaning in, Galen whispered into her ear. “He’s harmless, I promise … besides, I can protect you.” Pulling back, he watched Amanea’s body relax slightly. With one more gentle tug, he had her following him back to the table. “What are you drinking?” he asked, still grasping her hand as she lowered herself down into one of the chairs.
    “Red wine?” she replied, her inflection making it more question than answer.
    “You got it. Be right