Approximate time: Two months before chapter 18 and "Thor"
"Have you restocked the bandages?"
Dyre clenched her jaws together, biting back a snarky comment while she paused in cutting herbs. "Yes, Mother." Silence met her ears, allowing her to resume her work. She slammed her knife against the table in a harder chop as Eir's voice rang out again.
"What of the vials? Have you cleaned them?"
"Yes, Mother." Her chops became sharp and short.
"And the scalpels?"
The knife slipped and she nicked her skin. She pulled away, dropping the knife with a curse as her growing impatience hit its peak.
"Dyre?" Eir stuck her head out of her adjoining room. "The scalpels?"
Dyre hid her bleeding finger under the table. "Washed and dried. All supplies are restocked and cleaned. Herbs are chopped and ready to be made into medicine." Under the table she ran her opposite hand over the gash and slowly closed the wound.
Eir frowned and Dyre knew her mother could understand her tone. "You're becoming terse. What has you so impatient and short tempered?"
Dyre bit her tongue, not wanting to tell her mother the true reason she was irritable. She had been cut off from her outlet for sex for over a week while he was hunting with his brother. "I haven't noticed a change," she lied, flexing the newly mended digit below the table. "I apologize if I've been short with you."
Her lips thinned in worry. "You can talk to me, Dyre."
"I honestly do not know what is wrong." She wiped the blood on her black dress and stood. "If you don't mind, I will retire for the night."
Eir sighed and crossed her arms. "I'm old, Dyre, not blind. I see the looks you give him. The looks he gives you when he thinks no one is watching. I know what is going on."
She felt her nerves flash but her face remained neutral. "I don't know who you mean." A knock on the double doors interrupted her mother and Dyre had never felt so grateful for a patient. She rushed over to the barriers and opened them, feeling her heart skip a beat entirely.
On the other side, a battered and bruised Loki stood, four long gashes slashed across his chest through his broken armor. "I hope it isn't too late."
She let out a breath she hadn't noticed she was holding. "What on Asgard happened?" Regardless, she moved aside and let him in, looking at his disheveled features. A sleeve was torn on his jacket and more gashes shined in the high light of the candles. Beyond him, she saw her mother give her a reproachful look, but retired to her room nevertheless. To Dyre's surprise, she felt no guilt in her mother's actions. She turned her attention back to Loki who had seated himself on one of the empty beds.
"We were attacked by a pack of wolves on the way back. Beasts must have smelled the boar we hunted."
She glanced at the door. "Where are the others?"
"They did not have a lapse in judgment as I did. I used daggers when I should have phase shifted."
She shook her head and chuckled. "Shirt off then. Let me see the extent of the damage."
Despite his visible injuries, he made a sound similar to a purr. "With your mother in the other room? Naughty girl."
"If you weren't injured I'd slap you a few times. Don't tease." She cleared the round center table of her chopped herbs while he did as asked, placing the herbs into their proper jars. When she turned around, her breath caught in her throat as she watched his lean muscles ripple while he pulled the shirt off his shoulders. She shook her head and swallowed, focusing on the bloody gashes. "Can't you heal yourself?"
He smirked. "Where's the fun in that when you have a better talent with healing?"
She returned the gesture. "Prat. What if you were to bleed out on your way?"
"If the wounds were life threatening it would be a different story entirely." He gestured to the injuries. "Do you mind?"
Without a word she stood in front of him and took his arm, summoning healing energies to her hand. She lingered over his skin after the wounds were healed and all that remained was dried blood. She trailed her fingers up his arm and down his chest, a small smile gracing her features as she saw gooseflesh rise under her touch. Within moments the four cuts were closed, though she kept her hands in place.
He cleared his throat. "I see you've been keeping busy the past week."
She rolled her eyes and took her hands back. "Mother's been making sure of that. She's been keeping me so busy, asking me questions every few minutes to remind me to do things I've already done." She collapsed into the bed adjacent to him, her left leg propped up and exposed from a slit in her dress "I need a vacation."
"I may be able to use my infamous silver tongue to get us out of here for a small amount of time."
She grinned as he got up to kneel over her body and slid her arms up around his neck. "Why don't you show me what else your infamous silver tongue can do?"
He let a breath of a laugh out of his nose. "I return for barely more than a half hour and you already want me in your bed?"
"I've wanted you in my bed for a few days now."
He chuckled and ran his hand up her exposed leg, trailing his fingers down her thigh. "I missed you too." He ignored the budding warmth that spread in his chest and ran his tongue over her throat. He brushed it off as lust as he pressed his lips to hers. He heard her take in a sharp breath through her nose and felt her arch her back, pressing her chest to his.
She shifted her lips open, wanting to feel as much of him as possible. He greedily accepted the invitation and he groaned against her skin. It may have only been a week, but to her, it felt like forever. She forced down her emotions that refused to be locked away. She had known the truth for awhile, but given their arrangement, the emotions could ruin it, despite what he had said after Malak's trial.
He felt his control slip and he knew he would have to stop too soon. He was still surprised at how easily she could make him forget himself, forget his problems. Her hands slid down his throat and rested against his bare chest, tracing the contours of his skin. With a mental curse he pulled away, letting them realize how short of breath they were.
She pouted and ran her bare leg over his. "I thought you were to show me everything your silver tongue could do."
He chuckled and gave her a shorter kiss. "I will when the time is right, my temptress. I've no desire to be caught by your mother in the middle of making you scream for me."
She sighed but allowed him to get up to redress himself. "Valid point aside, how would we get out? And where would we even go? You hate Midgard, and not many other worlds are as interesting in their cultures."
"I don't hate Midgard. I hate the inhabitants." He paused in adjusting his leathers, a sly grin sneaking on his face. "I have just the idea that could make this interesting."
She arched a brow and crossed her arms, letting her bell sleeves fall over her belly. "Would you like to tell me what would make it interesting?"
"Wouldn't be a surprise if I did. Gather a few things and be ready to leave within the hour. Leave a note for your mother."
"Could you be any more vague?"
"I could be, but then you wouldn't be properly prepared. Nice things that would be acceptable on that miserable planet."
She narrowed her eyes as she watched him leave for the door. "What are you playing at?"
"You'll see."
Hours later, Dyre found herself pleasantly tipsy on the dance floor of a club off the side of a beach, blending in fantastically with the humans. She had found nothing she could use in her closet, and so insisted she be taught how to shift her clothes with magic.
While she learned, she was happy they had been in her room, due to her first attempt leaving her entirely topless, which delayed their departure quite a bit.
After she got the hang of it, she shifted her clothes to a pair of jeans and a black halter top that zipped together in the front. The top also delayed their departure longer, since he insisted on "testing the zipper to make sure it worked properly".
She swayed her hips in time to the music, not caring that the music was more deafening than she was used to back home. The beat was interesting, and they played all sorts of varieties. She tensed for only a moment as a set of hands held on to her hips. A quick glance over her shoulder made her relax and smile.
"Have I told you how fantastic your ass looks tonight?" he muttered in her ear.
"You did now. And before we left Asgard." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Though you were also saying a few other things while we were… engaged in other activities." She shivered at his laugh as he pressed against her.
"You can say what it is. Or are you still an innocent little girl, afraid to curse outside the bedroom?" He discreetly bit at her ear, making the shiver erupt again. "I remember you swearing quite a bit as I claimed you for my own."
"Mm, do you? You were swearing just as much as I rode you." She grinned as he growled and pressed his lips to her neck. "I think you like it when I fuck you, don't you?"
He gave her a sharp bite in response, but kept the actions minimal. "Woman, if you don't stop, I'll claim you right on this floor."
"There's a matter of the humans around us, however."
"I think the population can be thinned slightly, don't you?"
She placed her hands on his and lifted them from her hips so she could turn to look at him. He had taken the simple route and chose slacks with a button up shirt. She glanced beyond him and saw a few women looking their way, an obvious gaze of lust gracing their features. One even curled her tongue around the straw of her drink in case Loki would turn around to see her. Dyre arched a brow and felt a strange urge to lay claim to what was hers. "I'm starting to agree with you, in a way."
He followed her line of sight, and saw the same woman wink. He curled his lip. "Lie with a human woman? How repulsive." He turned his attention back to her and nodded to the second floor. "Let's get away from here."
On their way to the stairs, Dyre pointed to the woman now giggling with her friends. With a small effort of will, she made the woman's drink tip forward over her white shirt, immediately soaking it through with cherry-red.
"That was completely uncalled for," he said, though laughed regardless.
She looked to the stage, seeing a man operate a laptop. A grin graced her features. "Oh I haven't even started." She leaned against the railing and sipped her drink, finding herself longing for the potent liquor hiding in the room they had reserved. A few sips had put her in a better mood, and the Midgardian alcohol was keeping her buzz around.
He leaned against the railing next to her. "What do you see?"
She scanned the crowd, looking for victims that deserved chaos. A drunk man stumbled through the people, looking for a way to score for the night. He didn't appear to take hints very well. With a grin, Dyre made the man's drink spill over the current woman he was talking to, and she head the satisfactory shriek of the woman. Out of his own doing, the man tried wiping off the mess with his hand on impulse, awarding him a sharp slap across the face. Dyre purred as Loki pressed against her, his hands gripping the railing beside hers.
"Do you know how sexy it is when you ruin someone's night?" He watched with a satisfied smirk as the woman stormed off. "Though I believe it's my turn." He found his next target, but hesitated for a moment. "Don't slap me for this one."
She only looked on in interest as a woman who had stepped up to a stripper pole started trying her metal. She wasn't bad, but she wasn't good either. Dyre started laughing as Loki's magic made the woman's top untie, and the woman, already drunk, flailed trying to catch it. In her attempt, her grip on the pole wavered and she managed to fall right off the stage. The resounding gasp that filled the club made Dyre laugh harder. "Fine, you win. You're still the master prankster."
"Is that all I'm the master of?" he said, curling his tongue around her ear, making her shiver. He felt her jump as his fingers pressed against the front of her jeans, hidden from the lower level by the solid barrier in front of them.
"Mm, not exactly." It didn't slip her notice as the current song faded into another, finding it humorous as she listened to the lyrics. "If you want it to be good, girl, get yourself a bad boy…" She gasped as he hit a particularly sweet spot and covered his hand with hers. "Loki, someone will see."
"And I'll kill them if they say anything." With discreet skill, he loosened her jeans just enough to slip his fingers below the fabric, loving her hiss of pleasure. "Now, what else am I the master of, Pet?"
She was grateful the majority of the house lights were focused on the dance floor below, leaving the second level fairly dark. And the way he stood possessively behind her blocked the view of anyone on their sides. The rush of knowing they could still be caught heightened her pleasure, making her lean forward against the railing as his fingers circled around her clit. "Me. You are my master."
"Am I?" He leaned against her, pushing his fingers inside her to coat them properly. He pulled them out again to resume his circling strokes. "Then your master commands you to cause more mischief. Give the humans hell."
She found it hard to focus on more than his motions and wanted nothing more than to leave the club to the privacy of their room. She wanted him on her, thrusting against her until they could both bear it no longer. She almost whimpered as he stopped. "Loki…"
"Do as I say."
She bit her lip as he started again, testing her focus. She needed something more than a spilled drink or a wardrobe malfunction. She smirked as she saw another woman approach the stripper pole and hop on it drunkenly. She pointed her finger at it and waited for the woman to enter a spin. With a single thought, all the supportive screws holding it in place vanished, and with the force of the spin, the woman and the pole both went flying into the waiting crowd with a shriek. To please him further, she reached behind her and put pressure to the bulge in his slacks, feeling him press against her hand. "I did well?"
"You did very well, Love." He quickened his finger's strokes, making her knees buckle. He traced her jawline and her lips with his free hand, and a shock of pleasure coursed through his body as she took the fingers in her mouth and sucked on them as if they were another part of his body. Her tongue rolled around the digits and her lips vibrated as she closed in on her peek. His breath hitched in his throat as his head went light, unsure of what to do. He looked to see if anyone had noticed. If they had, they didn't keep looking. For now, attention was on the fallen woman who had been hurt a bit more than originally thought. He clenched his jaw and moaned, pressing against her hand to relieve the growing pressure as she nipped his fingers playfully. "I can tell you want something else in your mouth, don't you Dyre?"
She nodded and rolled her tongue around again, running it up a single digit. The coil he had been creating in her belly tightened and she clenched her eyes shut, grasping on to the bulge in his pants. She heard his groan of pure pleasure.
He could tell she was getting close by how her hips were trying to match his pace. He pulled his fingers from her lips and covered her mouth with his palm. "Don't hold back," he muttered into her ear. Not a second more her hips jerked away from his fingers and she let out a muffled scream no one else could hear due to the music and his hand. He refused to stop stroking her clit and fought to keep her in place until he knew she could bear no more. He kissed her neck and pulled his fingers from her pants, feeling her attempt to catch her breath. The warmth from before returned, and he knew he couldn't keep lying to himself. He couldn't continue brushing it off as lust. It was there every time he looked at her. He had said months ago love would change nothing in their agreement, but he didn't want to risk it. What they had was too good, and he needed it. To everyone else, he was a mischievous prince who needed to learn his place. To her, he was more than that. He was a lover, a friend, a protector. She would listen to him when he needed to be heard, when things would become unbearable with his brother. She would soothe him, calm him down. Would she still do what she did if he felt more than lust for her?
"Loki? You're quiet. Is everything alright?"
He cleared his throat and stood straight. "Yes, everything is fine. I could use some air though." He offered his arm and led her out of the club, ignoring the nagging thoughts in the back of his mind.
Dyre took the bottle of Asgardian Amber when it was offered to her, and she felt her head spinning. She let out a snorting laugh as a thought passed through her cloudy mind.
"What do you find so amusing?" Loki responded, well past his own limits for handling the liquor.
"I only glanced down and saw a pair walking in the sand."
He frowned and narrowed his eyes into the dark, peering off their balcony to where she was looking before. "Ah yes. I see them. What is amusing about them?"
"I only wondered… ah, it was a silly thought."
He made a grabbing motion in the air between them after she took another sip. "I thought one of our agreements was to share what was on our minds, no matter how trivial."
"You'll find me stupid."
He took some more of the liquor in. "I might. I can't tell you for sure what I'll think if I've no idea what you're talking about."
"I was only wondering what it would be like to have something like that. Something that wasn't just sex." The alcohol made the words flow past her usual filter, and she had no desire to stop them. She chanced a glance to him, seeing him tap the neck of the bottle against his lower lip in thought, keeping his gaze on the moonlit surf. "I know the terms were no strings attached. However, it doesn't seem like my heart wants to cooperate." She fell silent as she kept her gaze on the couple below, her heart sinking as she watched the man pick his woman up and spin her around, listening to her shriek in surprise and laugh. The couple fell back into the sand and from the looks of it where Dyre was sitting, they had begun one of those romantic kisses she saw in a few movies when they were hiding in Midgard.
He still remained silent, as if deep in thought. She almost wondered if he had heard her at all. Bitterness edged its way into her drunken stupor. She saw the bottle tilt back again out of the corner of her eye, but she said nothing more, only reached for it. When he handed it to her, she took more than a few sips at a time.
He only looked on as she winced at the burning sensation of the Amber. He stared at the bottle, seeing almost a third of it gone. They had started the trip with a full bottle. Without a word he took it back and replaced the cork.
"I'm sorry."
He didn't look up. "Why are you sorry?"
"For breaking our rules. This was to just be sex and minimal companionship, nothing more. I shouldn't have said anything." She rose to her feet, gripping on to the railing of their balcony to find her balance. She looked back to the couple, seeing them still lying on the beach in their embrace. She sent her power towards the ocean, summoning a large wave to wash over them. The intimacy was making her sicker than the alcohol was. She turned to him again, seeing him still look off to the surf, though instead of the bottle, he had his thumb placed to his teeth in thought. "I'll understand if you want this to end." She moved to go back inside, though he put his arm out to stop her, grabbing on to her wrist.
In one swift motion he brought her to his lap, holding her firmly in place. Just as quickly he pulled her face to his, crashing his lips with hers. He had known for some time that she was not able to keep to their agreement. Even so, even after they both said they did not love each other, he still let her close. Too close, it seemed. He had cared for her in the past, he wouldn't deny it, but he had no love for her then. If what she had said was true, it would have been the same for her. He reached between them for the zipper to her halter top, not breaking their kiss. Instead, she intensified it and frantically unfastened his shirt, popping one of the buttons clean off. Once the zipper was down he tugged it off her and let it fall to the ground as he met her pace, taking a deep pull of air through his nose as to not end their connection. He regretfully pulled away, letting them catch their breath. He put his forehead to hers, his chest heaving as his lungs filled with air again. "I don't want this to end. I broke our rules as well."
She pulled back to look at him. "What do you mean?"
He gave her a small smile. "I mean we've both complicated our agreement with keeping emotions out of it. We made the rule knowing it would be broken regardless."
She frowned, but then realization hit her. "You mean you—?"
"Yes. But it can go no further than us. I doubt anyone would understand as it is. They don't understand it now."
She looked away, rubbing at her now bare arms. "Mother knows. She does not agree with it."
"And how would she know?"
"Apparently we are not as crafty as we think with stealing glances." She played with the edges of his shirt, slipping under the folds to feel his skin. "So what happens now?"
"Nothing changes." He picked her up, letting her squeak in surprise as he took her back inside their rented room. He deposited her on the bed and knelt over her, pinning her figure down. "Though I hear the sex is more amazing when love is introduced."
She was surprised with how sober she felt after hearing what he told her. Her smile faded. "We're both drunk though. How can I know you're telling the truth?"
"We'll have to see if what they say is true." He loosened her jeans and pulled them off her body, leaving her bare for him.
Without a word she shifted to her knees and did the same for him, slipping the ruined shirt off his shoulders first. As she stared at his lean figure, she realized it had been a long time since she saw him fully naked. Recently they had to steal time away from their lives to just have the smallest time alone, which usually meant unzipped pants and hiked up dresses.
He started up their kiss again, slowly lowering her to her back, hovering over her to keep his weight off her form. He felt her leg ride up his side and rest over his own, making him hiss as it opened herself to him. If he wanted to he could have taken her easily in their position, but he held off, wanting to take it slow. He wasn't sure if it was due to the alcohol, or if it was his sober mind that had made him confess, but he wanted nothing more than to prove he wasn't lying to her. He groaned against her lips, stroking her tongue with his, eliciting a moan from her. The intensity grew again, making his head swim despite his inebriation. He drew in a hissing breath as her hands took hold of his harder self, stroking just how he had taught her to do. "You won't make this easy, will you?"
She shook her head, smirking as his head lowered to latch on to the skin of her throat, hearing the muffled moans and gasps as she played with him. She didn't want it to be easy; there was no fun in it. She loved being the source of his pleasure, the reason why he was able to lose himself completely. She bit her lip as he let out a curse, his expression strained as he held back his release. She loosened her grip and felt him buck his hips out of reflex against her, trying to relieve the pressure she built between his legs.
The instant she let go of him he trailed his lips down her body, pressing against her skin every so often. He spread her legs, kissing the inside of her thigh to tease her. Without a word he trailed his tongue over her slit, feeling for her clit. He knew he found it when she mewled softly and wound her fingers in his hair. He held her folds open and lavished his prize, wanting to hear her cry out for him. He knew she wouldn't scream just yet; that would come later. For now he was content with her moans, and by the way she twitched her hips against him. He held her down, his tongue relentless against her. He couldn't take the pressure of his own body much longer, but he refused to take her without giving her pleasure first.
She was reaching her peek, unable to hold it off. Without warning her head tilted back and her body twitched out of her control, a long, satisfied cry escaping her lips. Even so, he didn't stop. He wanted to draw it out as long as she could bear it.
He replaced his tongue with his fingers, quickening his pace, sending her immediately over the edge again. He couldn't wait. It had only been a few hours since they were together last, but it was still nothing like it was now. Then he had only wanted her, turned on by her exposed skin. Now he needed her. He felt as if he couldn't be inside her, he would break. He knelt over her again and held himself at her entrance. He met her gaze as she nodded, the only invitation he ever needed. Her walls were still tight from her orgasm, making it difficult to slip inside the first try. He pushed a few times, getting deeper each time, coating more of himself with her juices.
She gasped at each push and reached to the hand he had placed over her head, locking their fingers together as he filled her past her breaking point. She closed her eyes, focusing only on where they were connected. He was moving much slower than normal, and for the first time, she was grateful for it.
He saw her keep her eyes closed, and he bent forward to claim her lips again for only a moment. He hissed as she tightened around him, and he cursed the talent she had learned over the months. "Dyre, look at me." He gently held her face until she opened her eyes to him. His breath caught in his throat as he saw her blue eyes shine with unshed tears. "I want you to look at me. I need to see you."
She raised her hips for him as he slid his hands under her thighs, lifting her up for more depth. Her nails bit into his back as he hit a sweet spot, sending her head reeling. As soon as one orgasm began to fade, another took its place. She held on to his neck, running her hands through his hair as he kissed whatever part of her he could reach, moaning and sighing against her skin.
He clenched his teeth and pulled his lips back as she squeezed too tight, making him check his pace. He couldn't let it end so soon. He didn't want to fuck her. He wanted, for the first time, to love her. She moved against him as well, and he groaned as her nails ran down his back again, causing his hips to give a sharp jerk out of instinct, hearing her gasp and moan his name. He let out a long curse and held still, regaining his control. The alcohol took over for a moment, making him forget their positions. "Tell me you love me."
"Mm, I do." She placed a soft kiss to his lips, and another. "I love you, Loki."
He couldn't hold back any longer. His grip on her thighs tightened into a bruising hold and they both began thrusting shallowly against the other. He held on to her and rolled them over so she was on top, letting her take control temporarily. His eyes rolled back as she moved, still surprised she could make him feel like this. However, she threw him for a loop.
"What of you? What does your heart tell you?"
He bit his lip, muffling a grunt of pleasure. He hadn't expected her to ask in return. He shifted his legs under her, giving him more stability. He held her hips and thrust into her, almost knocking her off balance at the increased thrusts. She fell forward, leaning over his body, and he held her close with one arm, keeping his other hand on her hip. He'd later blame his words on the liquor. "I love you as well, Dyre." He felt the pressure build until it could build no more. He clenched his jaw, almost straining against the pleasure.
Dyre lost count at the amount of times she had climaxed. Her throat was becoming hoarse with her screams of bliss. At his answer she rolled her hips against his, hearing his hiss of a response. She felt her walls tighten around him a final time, her mind going blank as she cried out for him. It felt far too good.
"I love when you do that," he said with a strain in his voice and his head tilted back with a final curse. "I'm coming…" He forced her on her back and gave a few more powerful strokes before pulling out, spilling onto her belly. Their breathing came out heavy as he twitched a few times, sensitive to all forms of touch. Her squeezing had done him in, but he knew there was nothing bad in it. And now that he had done sex with emotion behind it, he knew what the warmth was, and he knew what it would bring in the future.
She watched him fall back in exhaustion, staring at his chest as it rose and fell. She frowned as he rolled off the bed to retrieve a towel from the bathroom, watching his backside as he left. "Did you mean it?"
He returned, holding out the white material for her. "I did."
"It wasn't the alcohol?"
"The Amber helped. Didn't it feel different?"
She smiled as she took the cloth to clean up their mess. "It did, yes." She reached up to gently cup his face as he sat behind her, content to just hold her for awhile. She leaned her head against his, lowering her gaze. "What happens now?"
"As I said, we keep this between us. No one has to know. It would be better if no one knew."
Her smile became sly. "So we are to fool both our families? Bad boy."
He laughed into her skin. "You're not any purer than I."
They fell into a comfortable silence, content to just sit there for awhile. She knew she would probably never get him to admit anything like that again, and so she was willing to take anything she could get. She frowned as her last few tugs of the Amber started to hit her and she fell back against him, unable to hold herself up. "I feel dizzy…"
"Just the alcohol, Love. You'll be fine." He glanced at the clock provided to each room, surprised to see it was so late in the night. Without a word he helped her under the sheets and retrieved a glass of water from the bathroom to keep it by her. He knew he shouldn't have let her take the bottle the last time, but he didn't see the harm in it when she had. By the time he slipped under the sheets with her, she was asleep, her breathing even and calm. He propped himself up on his elbow and studied her with his lips pressed in a fine line, trying to remember just when he had slipped up. He had always cared for her, even when they were children, but this… this was nothing like then. Even their shared moment under the stars did not compare.
It was more than a longing to be inside her, to be close to her. It was as if she couldn't be by his side, he would lose his mind. She had become his anchor when his days turned to shit, when he could turn to no one else to be reminded he was still loved by someone. He cursed his weak heart for allowing him to fall so far without realizing it. He wondered if the right course of action would be to turn her away, but he quickly dismissed the thought. Everything they did felt too right to even dwell on the idea. The banter, the intimacy, the mischief making, everything fit into place better than he thought they would when he teased her about her virginity over a year ago. He hadn't expected things to go so far for so long. In a way, he had to thank the dark elf for forcing them into seclusion. If the elf had not appeared, he would have dismissed the one good thing in his life. He laid close to her, intoxicated by her skin. She still smelled of the native flowers of Asgard but her taste… He couldn't get enough of her. His heart wanted more, but his body protested, having already claimed her three times that night. And he knew she needed to sleep off the alcohol. Her tolerance had gone up the past year, but she still couldn't match him.
He kissed her bare shoulder, still unsure of how to deal with himself, or with what would come. To anyone who asked, they would only have a simple arrangement for sex if stress became too much, as was their excuse if anyone bothered to ask before. The emotions would be their secret. How long they would continue their dance he was not sure, but he didn't want to dwell on the thought of losing her. What was unconventional to others worked for them, and he did not want to change a second of it.
As he drifted off to sleep, he listened to the crashing waves of the ocean below and realized he had left the door open the entire time they had been screaming into each other's skin. He cracked a grin and stifled his laughs, hoping she wouldn't realize they most likely woke their neighbors for the night with their cries of passion. With a great deal of effort, he dropped his hand to rest over her side and joined her in sweet unconsciousness.
Dyre hissed as she woke up, feeling a dull pain in her head. Alcohol never agreed with her before, and last night changed nothing about that. She looked over, seeing the bed empty. The showerhead in the bathroom made her turn her attention to it, and she carefully got up to look. She tested the door and found it unlocked. She opened the door slowly, making absolutely no noise. With a mischievous smile, she twisted her wrist, changing the temperature of the water for just a moment, laughing as she heard his startled shout. She laughed even harder as he pulled the curtain aside to glare at her. "I'm sorry, Loki. I had to."
He rolled his eyes while she let her hair fall from its usual half ponytail binding. "I was waking up slowly. Now thanks to you, I'm up." He grinned at her. "And since you're awake, I want you in here, right now."
"So you can douse me in cold water? I don't think so." She yelped as he phase shifted from the shower and grabbed her, shifting back into the tub. Almost immediately she felt the cold spray of the showerhead and she pushed against his chest, laughing. "Let go, you giant ass!"
He let the temperature return to normal, but did not retract his hold. "Do not attempt to prank your master. It will not work well."
"So it would seem." She gave up fighting his grip and instead accepted it, feeling the warm water soak into her skin. "Must we return today?"
"I could not sneak away for longer. Though I would like nothing more than to stay here and fuck you until you begged for mercy."
She let out a soft laugh. "I know you would." He smile fell. "Will we need to continue sneaking around?"
"Yes. It is how it must be."
"Even though we—"
"It doesn't matter what was said. When I said it changes nothing, I meant nothing. We will still need to steal time to be intimate. That's the downfall of having a secret life."
She sighed and pulled away. "If that is how it must be, then it will stay that way."
"For now. There is no telling what the future will bring." They bathed in silence, stealing kisses here and there. Neither felt in the mood enough to do much more.
They snuck in to the palace through a few side entrances upon their return to Asgard. He only hoped that, if their absence was noticed, it did not raise any alarms. They reached her room first and from the looks of it, no one noticed they were gone all night. He stood in her doorway, arms crossed, watching her hide the bottle of Amber in her nightstand. "This is where we part for now."
She nodded, clearing her throat as she stood. "I know preparations for the coronation in two months will take some time. How has he been with Mjolnir?"
"His training is rocky, but Tyr is certain he will get better in a matter of weeks." He waited for her to approach him before he took her hand in his. "I will see you the moment I can."
She smiled. "Don't keep me waiting."
"Never." He retreated down the hall, hearing the click of her latch behind him. It had all been worth it. Even as he was reprimanded by Thor for being late to practice, he would not have changed a thing. The usual jabs thrown out by the Warriors Three did not affect him that day, which Thor did not fail to notice.
Thor took his brother aside, dropping his voice. "You are in unusually good spirits. What has happened?"
"Nothing at all. I just don't find the taunting effective. They're losing their touch, it would seem." He tried to resume sharpening his remaining daggers, but Thor would not drop it.
"I tried to find you last night to see how you faired once you were healed. I could not find you nor Dyre anywhere. What happened?"
Loki rolled his eyes and tossed the dagger on the table in front of him housing his other ones for the moment. "Don't you have other matters to attend to than my personal life?"
"I am only concerned. I know you continue to sleep with her despite my warnings to end it. I wish to know if she is being treated well."
He felt a snap of anger break through his good mood. "Do you honestly think I treat her so horribly? If I did, why would she continuously come back? Why would she allow me into her bed?" He eyed his brother cautiously, still being careful where he tread. He checked his tone. "Listen and listen well, I do not do anything she does not consent to. I would die before I hurt her. I know she is your friend as well, but you must trust me when I say I— I don't want her hurt." He caught himself, knowing he had almost told the truth to his brother.
Thor studied him for a moment longer before nodding. "I will hold you to that." He left him alone to return to his friends, allowing the god of mischief to let out a sigh of relief. It would take effort to keep himself from telling the truth if he was to be harassed by his brother. True his past encounters with women did not help his cause, but he had hoped that staying with the same one for over a year would make Thor back off.
He stared at the daggers he still had to sharpen. His reputation did not help him either. All his life he had been calm, calculating, always thinking a few steps ahead, mainly to avoid getting caught. He knew nothing would change between he and Dyre, but at the same time, much would. In public they could keep up the appearance of just good friends that occasionally found themselves in each other's beds. In private, they would have something only they knew about and that they could be in a lot of trouble for it they were caught. He tapped a dagger against the wood of the table, staring at nothing in particular. He could hear a phantom of a whisper in his ear, her voice, calming him down. However, the phantom went further back, making him close his eyes to see it.
"Thor has told me what you have done to Eir's daughter. Is it true?"
He licked his lips and nodded, eyes widened in fear at facing his father.
"I have had no quarrels with your extended friendship. I like the girl well enough, and her father is one of my best hunters, not to mention her mother's talents in alchemy." Odin stared down at his son. "But you as an Odinson, as a prince of Asgard, must learn your place. It is not between the legs of a young medicine woman."
He looked away finally, his heart sinking as he knew his father's words to be true. When he spoke, his voice was soft. "Father, I love her."
"You only believe you do. You have been together for all your lives. It is only natural you would believe you would feel something more." Odin shook his head and sat in his throne, holding his staff firm. "I'm aware Andren has ordered her to stay away from you and Thor from now on. He believes she is too old to be friends with young men. I agree with him."
He remained silent, keeping his gaze to the floor.
Odin's tough façade broke as he looked upon his son. "Loki, I am only looking out for you. A prince cannot marry a medicine woman."
"I know I can't."
"Common women must be pure upon their wedding days."
"I know."
"Nothing could come from a relationship with her." He loosened the grasp on his staff. "For your sake, put an end to your emotions. No good will come from it."
He had forgotten for so long that he had loved her once before, but it had been stopped before it could bloom. Before he had even reached an age where he could understand the emotion. He had learned his lesson ages ago, and so knew to never tell Thor his intentions. So long as Odin believed Dyre asked for it, and continued to do so, he could do nothing more. It had been her choice to agree to lose her virginity to him, and they were older this time around. Odin could only have a say if he knew about the progression of the relationship. He looked to Thor, in the process of being reprimanded by Sif, and wondered what it would be like to have a public relationship. His rational mind said nothing but trouble, but he still wanted to know. He collected his daggers, both the sharp and unsharpened ones and replaced them in his jacket. He ignored his brother's inquiry of where he was going and returned to the hallway that kept both his and her chambers. He stalked past his own and stopped before hers, pausing with his hand over the latch. Without a second thought he opened it, seeing her reading on her bed.
Dyre frowned, looking up from her book and hooking her loose black hair behind her ear. "I thought you'd be gone all day."
"My place is here right now." He closed the door behind him and knelt over her body, plucking the book from her grasp and tossing it to the side. She didn't protest, only accepted his advances, and pulled his lips to hers. Everything felt right with the world again. Even it was to be just for a small time, or a longer amount, he felt right where he belonged. The jabs, the insults, the insinuations, none of it mattered. All that mattered was right beneath him. If she was to be all he had in his world to keep himself from murdering everyone for testing his patience, he could deal with it. Thor could believe what he wanted. So long as they knew the truth, it didn't matter if anyone else knew. He paused only to stare into her eyes before he started their kiss again, more frantic, more passionate. Nothing else mattered, and for once, he was glad nothing did.
