Author's notes: Thank you to all of you who have favorited this story, favorited me as an author, followed this story, left me a review, or even just took the time to read what I've written so far! I can't tell you how happy it has made me. I'm very excited about this story. In fact, I've loved writing it so much, I have a lot of it written already, but I am constantly re-working it to make it perfect. I actually felt like the first chapter was my weakest of all, since it was all just set-up for the story I really wanted to tell, so please stay tuned!


Chapter 2 – Favor

The sound of footsteps echoed loudly in the grand expanse of the palace hallways as Loki led Jane to her new quarters, looking for all the world like a warden leading his prisoner to her cell. And she supposed that was what she was now, given she wasn't permitted to leave until they figured out how to remove the Aether from her body.

Jane did her best to keep up with Loki's brisk pace as she tried to take in the magnificence of her surroundings. It was absolutely incredible. She had to keep reminding herself to shut her mouth if she wanted to keep from looking like a gaping idiot.

Odin had said that she would need to be placed in an unoccupied portion of the palace, but Jane didn't have any idea where that might be in relation to where she had been. She hadn't seen much of the castle and a tour didn't exactly seem forthcoming now that she was being held in what was essentially quarantine.

Looking at her current surroundings, it would be almost impossible to figure out her way back to the room she had last seen Thor in. Loki had turned several times already, and everything looked the same for the most part; she was totally lost. Not that it mattered. It wasn't as if her wandering around the castle would be tolerated right now anyway. She didn't see much exploring in her future. The thought was disheartening but she figured she should be more concerned with other matters right now anyway.

She glanced back at Loki as he continued to lead her on in silence. It felt so awkward not to say anything to him the longer they were alone together, but she had no idea what to say. How does one make small-talk with a mass murderer, anyway?

'What's your favorite way to kill someone?' an incredibly stupid voice in her head helpfully supplied. She almost laughed until the question reminded her of the story she heard on the news about Loki carving the eyeball out of a man's head in the middle of a crowded hall.

She swallowed hard as a chill ran over her. Not the best thing to be thinking about right now given the rising feeling of panic enveloping her once more. Taking a deep breath in, she slowed her steps a bit, allowing a few more feet to separate her from him. As if that would somehow negate the fact that she was entirely at his mercy now.

Jane sighed. It didn't do her any good to dwell on his past right now. Besides, maybe he was different now? There had to be a reason why he was walking around freely. Maybe he regretted his actions and had repented?

She glanced at him again, taking in his stony expression. He sure didn't look like a man filled with remorse. But then, she supposed that might be a product of his upbringing. Odin didn't exactly hold a lot of empathy for humans, which made it not all that surprising that Loki didn't either. He had been raised by Odin. So had Thor but Thor had told her about how Odin found Loki when he was a baby, and that Loki had essentially been adopted into the family. Given that background, it stood to reason that Loki would feel a stronger need to emulate his new father and win his approval. That might explain why Thor had developed sentiment for lesser beings such as herself while Loki had not. Thor didn't feel the same desperate need for acceptance that Loki did.

An "oof!" sound emitted from her as she ran into Loki's back, having failed to notice that he had come to a stop in front of her. He was so solid, it felt like she had run into a wall. She rubbed her sore nose with her hand as he turned around to face her, an amused expression on his face. Thankfully, he said nothing of her clumsiness.

Jane was about to ask him why they had stopped when she noticed a tall door behind him and she could only assume they had arrived at the room she would be staying in. It certainly seemed remote. The long hallway they had stopped in had no other doors besides this one.

"These will be your quarters for the time being," Loki confirmed. "There is a main living space, a bedroom, and a bathroom. Food will be brought to you, so it will not be necessary for you to leave," he informed her imperiously.

Though he didn't say it, Jane received the implied message loud and clear: Don't consider taking so much as a step outside this door.

She nodded mutely, dropping her eyes to the floor when it became too much to continue holding his gaze. When he took a step forward into her personal bubble, Jane looked back up at him quickly, a bit startled by his sudden close proximity. Apparently, a single step was a bit larger for him than it was for her, given how much longer his legs were.

He was studying her critically, and Jane felt panic swarm her again as she struggled to figure out what he wanted. "Th-thank you," she stuttered out, figuring he might be waiting for a response to his generous hospitality. He didn't respond though, and only continued to look at her. Even though she fought it, her eyes darted away from his again, the tension too much for her to bear.

He certainly was imposing close up like this; it wasn't only that was he much larger than her - it was more than that. The power he had seemed to radiate from him, making her feel very small in comparison.

His sudden, deep chuckle caught her attention again. "Are you afraid of me, Jane?" He sounded far too amused by the idea.

"W-what?" she stuttered again, caught off guard by the question. Damn it, the stuttering certainly didn't help her case in proving that she wasn't afraid of him.

Nor did the fact that she totally was.

"No," she replied quickly, meeting and holding his gaze this time, though she was still fairly certain that she looked like a frightened mouse eyeing a hungry snake while doing so.

His lips quirked, and he took a deliberate step forward again, forcing her to back up if she wanted to maintain some distance from him. And she definitely did.

He was still smiling. "I think you are," he countered silkily.

She gulped and steeled her nerves, knowing that she couldn't allow herself appear weak in front of a predator like him.

Falling back on reason like she always did, she shot back, "Well, it would be understandable if I was, I would think. You did kill hundreds of people during your attack on New York. What makes me different from them? Why shouldn't I suspect you might hurt me?"

Something flashed in his eyes but she couldn't tell what it was before it vanished. "Ah, but you are different from them," he responded smoothly, taking another step towards her. She backed up again, hating herself for doing so, but unwilling to let him come so close to her.

"How?" she asked, only just barely managing not to stutter this time.

His smile grew and he stepped forward again. "Did you forget already?" He feigned hurt. "You and I are destined," he replied with affectation.

Jane found enough courage to scoff. "I know you don't care for humans. Why would you want one for a partner?"

Loki laughed like she must be very stupid. "I don't want one for a partner. What use is there in developing a bond with a creature as weak as mortals are? But any arrangement that causes Thor misery is an entertaining pursuit if nothing else. I don't imagine there's much else that would burn my brother more than me stealing his woman from him."

Jane glared at him, reacting on pure instinct as she shoved him back a step. She felt pleased when she actually succeeded in moving him, even if deep down she knew she had only moved him because he had allowed it.

"I love Thor. I don't care if this stupid parasite seems to favor you because I sure don't," she replied heatedly. Her bravado was short-lived however, as she watched the smile fade from his face, and suddenly she felt very stupid.

He stepped towards her again, more than gaining the distance she had pushed him back, and she discovered that she had run out of room to retreat as her back hit the wall behind her, a gasp escaping her at the sudden stop. Her heart hammered in her chest as she realized she was helplessly cornered. His hands shot forward and slammed against of the wall on either side of her, causing her to yelp and squeeze her eyes shut as she shrunk away from him as much as she could in her current position. She froze there, fearful of his next move.

When nothing happened, she peeked back up at him, watching as an easy smile slid back into place on his lips and he huffed out a laugh.

"Oh, it does seem to favor me, I'd wager," he murmured softly, tipping her head up and then placing the pad of one of his fingers against the side of her throat. She read the move as hostile and flinched instinctively, but then he began dragging his finger down the side of her throat slowly, an almost electric-like shiver following it as it dropped down to trace across her collarbone gently.

She sucked in a sharp breath as her eyes blinked closed slowly in pleasure. She inwardly cursed herself at the involuntary reaction to the unexpected, intimate touch.

He had only been trying to prove a point by showing her how easily he could touch her when others could not, but she had just proven far more than that for him by allowing him to see he how easily he affected her as well.

His smile took on a hint of male satisfaction as he pulled his hand back and turned around, stepping away from her. "In time, I suspect you might as well," he stated with confidence as he left her alone without another word.

Jane watched his retreating form as her legs finally gave out beneath her and she slid to the floor, the power to remain standing gone with him. The feeling of impending doom grew but whether it was the Aether or Loki that she feared would be her ruin, she wasn't sure anymore.


Thanks for reading chapter 2! If you have time to leave a review, I would really appreciate it! Knowing you guys are loving my work really fires me up to keep writing. Even if you have some constructive criticism or suggestions, I would love to hear those as well, since my goal is to keep getting better. This chapter was a little short, so with some encouragement, I think I might be able to update faster than in a week this time!