Second chapter of the day, woo hoo! Don't miss Chapter 9, also uploaded today! Read it first!

xo

A familiar voice drew Lottie out of a deep sleep that night. She was lost in the endless nothingness of a sleep without dreams, when a whisper threaded its way into her consciousness.

Lottie.

Instantly, she was awake. Her ring was buzzing with electricity, and glowed with a pale light. Barely aware that she was only dressed in an oversized, black T-shirt that barely reached mid-thigh, she slipped out of bed, shivering when her feet touched the cold floor. Silently, she made her way out the door and cautiously closed it behind her. Outside, the rain had stopped, and the branches of the few trees that stood near the trailer glimmered with the light of a thousand jewels as moonlight reflected off the raindrops clinging to them. There was a nearly holy hush in the air. Above, the moon peered out from behind a cloud cover, its pale, ghostly light drifting across the desolate landscape. Lottie took it all in in a glance, before her gaze was fixed on him.

His silhouette was black, and glowed around the edges with moonlight, an eerie spectre come to earth from a distant world. His back was to her, and he stood on a distant rise, hands clasped behind his back. She walked quietly toward him. He turned when she was halfway there, watching her silently with a searching gaze.

What can he want with me? She wondered. She had asked herself that question thousands of times in the last eight years. There he stood, a dark, powerful god from another world, watching her, waiting for her.

She reached him, her heart hammering against her ribs in a strange and delicious anticipation. She looked up at him, but for the first time ever, she couldn't hold his gaze. She dropped her eyes to the ground, waiting for him to speak, to move, to do something other than stand there watching her with those cat-like eyes. There was something predatory in his look. Something she'd never seen in him before.

"Look at me," he finally said.

Biting her lip, she slowly raised her head and met his eyes. They were definitely on different ground tonight. Something had shifted in their relationship, and both of them felt it.

Therefore, he surprised her when he said, "There's danger coming. You will need to know things that I can teach you." He circled to stand behind her, continuing to speak. "I've told you bits of the truth, but you don't know all of it." His fingers brushed her hand and a thrill ran through her. "The ring I gave you when you were younger is not just a piece of jewelry, as you've probably noticed. It has powers that make you stronger than you know. It binds you to me, allowing us to share thoughts, emotions, dreams."

Her dream of the night before flew threw her mind, and a shudder than through her. His nearness was not helping her concentration. As if sensing that, he stepped away before continuing.

"It also gives you my powers. You must learn how to use them."

She stared at him blankly, trying to process that information. Suddenly he appearance seemed to shift, to blur slightly, and she was staring at her sister.

"Jane?" she asked incredulously.

Jane smiled at her, walking forward until she stood mere inches from Charlotte.

"Hello Lottie," she whispered, before she blurred again and Loki was standing in front of her. He smiled at her shocked expression. Before she could recover, he had morphed again, and now Thor stood in front of her, in all of his blond, muscly glory. He stepped forward so that he was brushing against her, bending toward her so that their lips were mere centimeters apart.

"Charlotte," he breathed, his blue eyes searching hers.

She stepped away, uncertain what to think of the situation. Suddenly Loki was back, and there was a grin on his face.

"I see you have better taste than your sister," he purred.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I guess so."

His grin was suddenly gone, replaced again by that predatory stare than made her heart race. She should be scared. To hell with that, she should be running, but instead she stood rooted to the spot as he walked slowly toward her, the intensity in his eyes awakening some strange yearning inside of her. It was the same longing that she saw reflected in him, an emotion she never expected to see on his face. She knew its name. Desire. He stopped a mere breath away from her, and her world stopped spinning as his icy fingers trailed along her jawline. His pupils were dilated, his breathing heavy, and his glance slid down to her lips as a shudder ran through her.

He moved away abruptly, and the magic shattered. The breeze started blowing again, the world spun on its axis, and Lottie's breathing improved notably.

He spent the next few hours teaching her things that she had thought only existed in books. She watched his pale, powerful hands as they wove things out of nothing; she watched the sensuous curve of his lips as they spoke spells; she watched the chiseled lines of his body as he transformed himself into fantastic creatures. She discovered abilities within herself that she didn't know existed, a raging inferno of raw power that morphed her into more than just a small mortal girl.

It was strange, it was glorious, and it was all hers, but only because of him. Her teacher, her friend, her liberator and the captor of her mind.

The one creature for whom her whole being raged with longing.

Loki.