2 Natasha

Natasha followed Sif and Loki into the throne room; as he caught her eye his eyes narrowed with lust. In all her years she had never been in such a delicious situation – two lovers at once, both skilled at making her body thrum with pleasure.

Sif went in first and Loki waited to whisper in Natasha's ear. "Stop looking so giddy or I will take you behind the throne and have you again this minute." His eyes slid over her body like perfumed oil. "How can you appear so luscious at each turn? Gods, I just had you and I want you again."

"Go and do your AllFather thing," she cautioned him, although she couldn't stop her lips curving under his intense scrutiny. "And by the way, no need to gloat or be an ass to your brother. Try to be human."

"But I am not human." Loki chanced a quick look and indicated Sif and Thor talking together. "And how can I prevent wearing an air of triumph? I have the loveliest woman in all nine realms to share my bed."

He tried to steal one last kiss, but she avoided it. "Go on." She prodded him into the room.

The other two were already deep in conversation; Thor appeared to be astounded as he listened to Sif talk. "But is this true?" he asked her as Natasha and Loki approached. "You are the future queen?"

"It is not that unimaginable," Sif snapped. Natasha grinned at her sharp tone: That's my girl.

"Hey, Thor." Natasha pulled him in for a quick hug; she always enjoyed Thor's full-body embrace. "Wassup?"

"Wassup?" He grinned and stuck out his tongue. "Natasha taught me that greeting and response during my time on Midgard," he added.

"Was - sup." Sif repeated the word carefully. "Is it an incantation?"

"Shall we stand here like buffoons?" Loki's nostrils flared, and the white line above his lips tightened.

Casting a glance around the group, Natasha thought it was time to get things on a more relaxed level. "I could really use another tankard of ale – unless you're only supposed to drink mead or wine in a throne room."

A smiled tugged at Loki's lips and he gestured to a servant. "Bring us ale."

"And food." Thor's voice rose as he called out after the departing servant. "I miss eating a real roast," he added. "Meat on Midgard is good, but different." Silence greeted this statement, and he cleared his throat. "Perhaps we could sit down together?"

Natasha shrugged and plunked her butt down on the steps of the dais; it wasn't fancy, but it worked. Loki needed to buy a few LazyBoys or at least a decent couch, she reflected - unless he liked having his visitors stand in front of the throne while he reclined in splendor. She snuck a look at him as he crossed his arms and tilted up his chin, brows knitted in dark concentration. Yes, that was probably the exact sort of thing he would like.

A few seconds later Sif joined her, followed more slowly by Thor and Loki. "How are things on Midgard?" she asked.

Thor darted a look at Loki. "To be honest, I find life on your realm confusing. Jane was very patient, but of course she has her own work and cannot give as much time she would like – or I need – to help acclimate me to a new world."

"Are you returning to us with your tail between your legs, in that case?"

"Loki!" Sif and Natasha spoke at the same time.

But Thor merely nodded. "'Tis much the truth of it. We have decided to take a spell apart, before my own confusion turned to bitter argument. And I missed you all – and the palace." He heaved a huge sigh. "But of course things are much changed here as well. Perhaps I am caught without a realm to call my own - a melancholy feeling."

"It was your own choice," Loki started, but Sif interrupted.

"You of all people can relate, if you think before you speak for once." Sif leaned back on the step and considered Thor where he sat with knees wide, his head and both hands hanging down.

"How goes the realm?" Thor asked.

"Well enough. It takes a great deal of work and sensibility. And sensitivity, something quite foreign to your nature." Loki's cheekbones seemed to grow more prominent as he spoke.

Natasha bit back any number of responses: Listen to your lying ass... You were doing a crappy job two months ago... It's thanks to Sif that Asgard has started to come back from the brink of disaster... Instead she leaned forward to speak to Thor. "Any news from SHIELD?"

"We solved several cases in your absence. Still, the quest at the asylum lies unfulfilled – 'tis a most tangled affair."

"Right?" Her cheeks warmed with interest. "Loki gave me some great leads, but I still can't figure it all out. It's my first order of business as soon as I get back."

"Do not rush away just yet." Loki's tone was light, but the intensity of his gaze gave him away. You might as well just grab my tits right in front of everyone! Natasha thought.

With a rush of relief, she seized a large tankard of ale as a servant entered and offered a tray. Thor took one as well and drank quickly, his throat moving above the edge of his metal collar. "Ah! That is good." He forked a slab of roast onto an offered plate, cut off a piece the size of New Jersey. His eyes closed with delight as he started to chew, .

"I see your appetites are no less since your sojourn." Loki waved away the offered tray of meat; the toe of his boot edged to touch Natasha's shoe.

"AllFather, may I ask for a favor?" Sif put down her tankard.

"What is it?"

"May I walk with Thor apace and speak to him?"

"Why should you want to do that?"

Natasha put her hand on Loki's arm. "Perhaps you could take me to Midgard and look at the Lushton case while these two chat about old times. It would be a huge help, as I said – I've run into a dead end."

"Is he trying to win back Sif and the throne a moment after he reappears in Asgard?" Loki was already in a lather of bad temper when they appeared in Natasha's apartment. "Such a heavy, graceless fool, and yet women fall over themselves to reach his bed! By the Gods, I will not have it!"

"Not this woman." She tugged his arm. "Nor Sif either – they are friends, nothing more." Loki's temper came not from jealousy, she knew that much, but his constant desire to hold what he considered his.

"I would be a fool myself if I ever thought Sif lost her love for my brother." Despite his tantrum he allowed himself to be towed to her couch. "She has been pining for him during the span of centuries."

"Of course that's beyond my comprehension - I don't have the same concept of time as you and Sif." Natasha opened her laptop and pulled up the reports from Karnilla and the asylum cases. "Yet another good reason to marry her…"

"Enough about my marriage," Loki shouted. "I am thoroughly tired of the subject."

She measured him for a moment. "I beg your pardon."

He thrust out his long legs, crossed them at the ankles, and leaned back to regard the ceiling. "We were happy in the bath before he had to appear and ruin it all."

"Nothing is ruined, you know." Impulsively Natasha lifted his hand to her lips, and he moved it to cup and caress her cheek. "It was so lovely – the three of us."

"And now? Do you think the two of us can be as happy when we are alone together?"

She felt a bubble of laughter escape. "Loki, you and I have never had any trouble in that department."

A long curl of breath heavy with relief escaped his mouth, and he grasped her waist. "By the Nine, this is true. Sif could run to Thor, the realm could choose him as AllFather, but as long as I have you…"

The conversation had turned too potent for her liking. "Thanks to your little tattoo on my thigh, you always know where to find me. Now, will you review the files on my laptop?"

They ended up stretched out on the couch, Natasha between his legs and her head thrown back on his chest. It was easier, Loki insisted, to read the file that way; naturally he took the opportunity to stroke her thighs whenever he could. "Look at this," she said, ignoring his brazen caresses. "Sylvie Lushton was a normal person – all her files add up to a very ordinary life. She lived in Broxton, Oklahoma and had a job there - a boyfriend, too. Just got a small raise before she disappeared."

"I would assumed that is illogical," Loki said.

"You're right, it is. You'd expect her to go on a shopping trip to the mall, or have drinks with friends to celebrate, but her credit card purchases cease abruptly after that. Next she reappears on Karnilla, employed by Jeremy Briggs as a subcontractor. But when I worked there I never saw her, not until Sif and I returned. By that time the rig was deserted except for us and Sylvie. Oh, and two decapitated heads, but that was only to be expected – Agnija and Rostislav were assholes."

Loki chuckled and pushed her curls over one shoulder to blow gently in her ear. "I love when you become as bloodthirsty as a Viking. And what was Sylvie like when you saw her?"

"Distraught. Difficult to comprehend. She said she was sick and growing sicker."

"What were her exact words - can you recall?"

Natasha thought for a moment. "It sounded like something from a Dungeons and Dragons fiction: 'This shadow flits between the realms and has no home.' It was such a strange statement I memorized it."

He nodded. "It sounds as though she was possessed by another – very dark magic indeed. There is only one other who can accomplish it."

"Other than you?"

"Yes."

"Amora?"

"Yes."

"Son of a bitch." Natasha opened the asylum files. "Everything keeps leading back to her. And as for the asylum – I still can't figure that one out. I know I keep saying that over and over, but it's true."

He leaned forward, his fascination switching from her neck to the screen. "Can you bring up both of those information boxes? The sequence of events within the asylum and the Lushton mortal's lifespan?"

Natasha centered the files side by side. "There's nothing here that shows any connection…"

"Except the dates." Loki pointed at the screen. "Look at the date of her disappearance and when the asylum opened for business."

They were close enough to warrant investigation. "Dr. Holmes's little mind palace is closed off by SHIELD, but I suppose I can get back in and look around in a few weeks," Natasha mused.

"Damnation!" Loki smacked the wall with his fist, causing a large crack and a trickle of plaster. "I want to accompany you, but instead I must attend the council meetings on the trade between Alfheim and Vanaheim, as well as a host of royal duties. There is no other choice - I will tell them I cannot attend them so I can be with you instead."

"Are they still arguing about that?" Natasha snickered. "Sheesh, and I thought the Middle East conflict was bad. Still, no worries – you've got to do your AllFather thing - don't even think of bagging your duties to be my protector or some shit like that. I'll go in, find what I need, and bring it to Asgard."

"Wait for me in that case." His hands closed around her wrists.

"No way. I really need to get in there as soon as I get clearance or Clint can sneak me in. Amora is a powerful opponent, and I want to keep on top of anything she has planned before it escalates."

"All the more reason to wait for me. I am the one being who can protect you against her."

"I don't need protection," Natasha insisted, "and your grip is pretty tight. Please don't actually break the bones in my hand or I'll have to break out my Widow's Bites."

"Ridiculous! If I spoke thus you would tell me I was in a 'pissing contest'."

"You have no idea how many enemies I have faced down. And defeated." She tapped her forehead. "The real strength lies up here, you know."

Loki closed his eyes and shook his head. "Gods, it is as though I am arguing with myself. Almost I begin to have some sympathy for Thor. Just promise me one thing – inform me or Sif before you travel anywhere. I want to know your location at all times."

A few more grains of plaster trickled down the wall. "Very well," Natasha agreed. "I'm not rushing off anywhere just yet. But if I get an unexpected lead, I may have to chase it down. It's the nature of the job." He opened his mouth to argue, but she clicked on another file. "Look at this – Bruce has been analyzing the lithium you and I were given in the asylum. Its hexameric structure is the same, but the compound has been intensified – see how there are three of them?I would say it's chemically impossible to manufacture."

His hawked nose twitching with interest, Loki leaned closer. "And so the effects would be strong enough to overcome your super serum – and my own physique."

His intelligence made her heart beat faster; of its own volition her arm reached up to cup the back of his neck, pull him closer. His breath mingled with hers. "I want to get a sample of the opiate powder from Asgard for Bruce's lab. Can you do that for me?"

"Perhaps." Firmly he closed her laptop, turned her to lie on top of him, and sucked a particularly tender spot on her neck. "Come to bed with me for the night and I will consider it."

"Do you really deserve it?" Natasha was determined not to give in to her desires. "After all, you just cracked my wall."

Loki pushed up her shirt and thumbed her nipples under her bra. "Be glad I do not pulverize your dwelling when you refuse me as your guard, Agent."

"I don't…"

He thrust up between her legs, brushing her Kenaz rune with his swollen prick. The feeling from the mark blossomed into a series of quivers running up her thighs, making her clit throb unmercifully. "One night."

"You bastard, using your erotic magic on me." She caught his throat in her hand and gritted her teeth. "Just wait until I get you back for that - I really think I will break out those Bites now."

"I cannot wait any longer." Loki pushed himself up from the couch with her in his arms and strode towards her bed. "We are going to start this instant."

"Hey..." Natasha's protest was cut off as he kissed her mercilessly; a moment later he kicked her bedroom open. The door swung on one hinge before splintering and falling to the floor with a loud crash. "Hey!" she repeated.

"What is it?" Loki smiled benignly as they fell on the bed.

"Several things. My door, and my wall. No, seriously - I'm getting out the Bites and the Kisses."

"Oooh, the Bites and Kisses. Excellent."

She sat on his chest and bit one earlobe, ignoring his protest. "First you seduce me with magic, and then..."

"I did no such thing." Loki slid his fingers over her thigh and traced Kenaz; the feeling in her clit increased, as though a moth was imprisoned there between her thighs. "Now, this is seduction with magic." With one lazy wave her clothes disappeared and he resumed tracing his mark. "Shall I conjure several apparitions of myself to pleasure you - would you like that, Agent?"

Natasha imagined three or four Lokis at once, all reaching for her. It made the breath hitch in her throat, but she shook her head. "Not to get all feely and stuff, but all I really need is you."

"Oh..." His voice became a whisper, and he rolled her underneath him. She turned away, not wanting things to get too intimate, but firmly he forced her to face him with one finger under her chin. "Agent, if I am betrothed to Sif, what does that make us?"

"Hm." She grinned. "Lovers, of course, but I suppose I'm the royal mistress. Not such a bad deal, actually - I always liked Madame Pompadour. She was smart as hell and beautiful as sin."

"Is sin beautiful?"

Pulling him up for a kiss, Natasha nodded. "Of course it is, or it wouldn't be so seductive."

"Well reasoned." Loki braced himself above her, deepened the kiss, and carefully slid his erect length against her vibrating core. Her body responded, as it always did, with a series of shocks and a rush of fluid; Natasha gasped as the head caught her clit and slid between her legs. "He knows just where she lives," he whispered.

"He?" Natasha bit his lower lip.

"That impudent fellow between my legs - now between yours as well." His smile widened. "And if you are my mistress, you must tell me what to do. I spend my days ordering people about - now it is your turn."

"In that case, employ that tongue of yours. Get me thoroughly ready for you, and I want to taste myself on your lips when you fuck me." Natasha pushed him down; his long hair trailed over her stomach and tickled her thighs. As he spread her with his fingers and tasted her, interspersing teasing flickers with full licks from clit to core. The sensation built under his knowing, wicked mouth and inside as well, until she screamed and bent back, shaking with her release.

He gave her no time to recover, already prowling back to lie between her legs. Wet as she was, his shaft slipped between her lower lips easily. They both groaned as he eased himself inside, pushing slowly, inch by delicious inch, until he was fully sheathed within before resuming the same rhythm - teasing her with shallow thrusts and full, sudden plunges within. Just as she thought she couldn't take it, Loki's fingers spread over Kenaz, and her entire body seemed to light on fire.

"Damn you fucker bastard what are you doing fuck me now fuck me Loki..." she gabbled and spread her hands on his chest, scratching her Perthro mark. Instantly he reared up, breath hissing between his teeth.

"Mistress."

The one word made her come apart again, in his arms and around him, the walls shivering around that hard length, feeling him spurt in turn to make her wet warmth even wetter and ... ohhhhh, god, it was divine. Staring into each other's eyes, they fell back among the pillows. Grasping for skin, wrestling to be even closer, churning in there. Yes, that wonderful feeling inside had to be her cunt, right? Not anything else.

"Mistress," Loki repeated, and touched her eyelids with kisses soft as a lost dream in the night.