Author's note: I'm sure you're all tired of my apologies for taking so long to post, but being an adult does have its major drawbacks. In my absence, I've been working on actual books to hopefully publish, as well as working my mundane adulting job. Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this chapter.

Loki heard Thor before he turned the corner on the garden path. Then he heard Niya's laugh, warm and melodic on the night breeze. On instinct he cast an illusion around himself, turning invisible before continuing forward. He stopped on the path when he saw Niya sat pressed against Thor's side, smiling up at him as though he were the sun. Still smiling, she leaned her head against his shoulder and he stroked her hair. She looked so comfortable with Thor. The sight of them sent a frozen shard through his chest.

"Thank you for tonight," she said. "I was starting to forget what happiness felt like."

"You know I'll always be here for you."

Niya nestled even closer, looping her arms around Thor for a hug. "That's why I love you." She released him and stretched. "It's late. I should have been asleep hours ago."

"Sleep well, Niya." Thor pressed a kiss to her forehead.

She smiled as she stood. "Sleep well." She leaned close to plant a kiss of her own before walking away.

Loki had to step aside to avoid her running into him. Still she stepped so close he could count the constellation of freckles on her cheek, smell her soothing scent of vanilla and sandalwood, and see the concealed smile pressed in the corner of her lips. He thought he heard her sigh before stepping out of sight.

"I know you're there, Loki," Thor called.

Loki let the glamour fall but stayed where he was. "What gave it away?"

"You still have a slight shimmer around you," he gestured around Loki. "You never were so good at invisibility."

"Well I'd like to see you try," Loki shot back halfheartedly. "I see that you and Niya have gotten close."

Thor grinned. "She's truly wonderful. You're a lucky man."

Loki frowned. "Lucky? She nothing but barbed words and icy distance."

Thor shook his head. "Not after you get to know her. She just needs some time. Once she gets comfortable around you, brother, you'll see. She may be guarded and prickly at times, but as are you." He laughed. "You'll be a lovely pair."

"I doubt she'll ever let me in." Loki sat on the bench where Niya had minutes before. "But you? She seems to love you."

"Sure, but it's not my name on her wrist."

Loki knew Thor was trying to be comforting, but the words felt more like a taunt. As if Niya wished the gods had chosen Thor for her instead. "Well you can't always get what you want," Loki grumbled. Without waiting for a response, or to even know if Thor heard, he turned to storm back to the castle.

. . .

Niya and Loki walked in tense silence towards the Bifrost. They were heading back to Vanaheim to discover the reason for the Gorm's appearance. Thor was supposed to meet with them, but they'd waited nearly half an hour for him and he didn't show. Loki grumbled something about time and had stalked off, so Niya followed.

Heimdall arched an eyebrow at the two of them, but opened the Bifrost at Loki's request.

They landed near where they had before, but closer to the village. Loki lead the way, jaw set in a scowl. Niya struggled to keep up at his pace, and was quickly out of breath. The day was muggy, the air thick around them, making her dress cling to her legs. She rolled her long hair over one shoulder, longing for a breeze, but she kept on in silence. She didn't want to deal with Loki's surly mood.

After a while, they broke through the tree line, and the village sprawled before them. Guards stood at the main entrance, glaring at them as they approached.

Loki cleared his throat before addressing them. "We've come for a conference with your revered leader."

The guards eyed each other before one responded, "He refuses conference with all but Odin."

"Perhaps he'll make an exception for Loki, son of Odin."

"He refuses conference with all but Odin," the guard repeated.

Loki's expression darkened with anger, and Niya interrupted. "Perhaps you'll allow us entrance to the tavern? We've travelled some distance, and I could use a drink." She grinned as they stepped aside. She glanced over her shoulder at Loki before leading the way.

The tavern was at the center of the village, and was the hub of activity. Hunters crowded around a board littered with flyers of the newest hunts, searching for the largest rewards. A dingy man was shooed through the door for selling stolen weapons. Niya pressed through the crowd to the bar, and ordered a drink. A tall, gruff man covered in scars eyed her from a few stools down and licked his lips. Niya tried to ignore him as she accepted the glass from the bartender, but his stare was magnetic.

Loki formed a barrier with his body, leaning far too close to Niya. "You can't just take off like that."

She sipped her warm ale with a wince. "Too difficult for you to control me from a distance?"

"It's not safe for you here. Women aren't as respected as they are in Asgard."

"I can take care of myself." She sipped again. "Besides, the people here can tell us far more about the Gorm than their precious king can."

"How do you figure?"

"Because I've done my research. the Gorm would only appear to reap the soul of an evil man." She turned to face into the crowd, assessing each person in turn. "We'll find the truth in gossip."

"So what's your plan? Are you going to go up to each person and ask if they know of an evil man?"

Niya rolled her eyes at him. "Don't be so literal. The key here is manipulation." She flicked her hair over her should with a wry smirk. "I would have thought that was your second nature." Gripping her mug of ale, she slipped past Loki into the crowd.

She passed slowly between warm bodies, trying to catch snippets of conversations. Most of what she heard were jokes and flirtations, thinly veiled innuendoes and desires. Two men celebrated each other's successful hunt, the nearest nearly running into Niya. She stepped back, narrowly avoiding the burley man. Ale cascaded over the side of the mug, coating her hand. The truth was that she had no idea if she'd actually find anything out; she just didn't want to be around Loki while he sulked. But now that she had worked her way into the center of the tavern crowd, she was second guessing herself. She felt trapped amid the cacophony and careless clamor. There were too many people and nowhere to move to. The conversations blended into a homogenous mix of mumbles and laughter and half-formed shouts. She turned back towards the bar, but she could only see the backs of tall men. Even standing on tiptoe, she couldn't see Loki.

A large, warm hand wrapped around her arm, drawing her attention to her left. A slender man with dark hair and coal-like eyes smiled at her. "You seem lost," he said. "Are you new around here?"

At first Niya frowned then quickly fixed what she hoped was a coy smile on her lips. "I suppose you could say that." She made her voice soft and fluttery, almost as if she were out of breath, to draw the man closer. "I'm Niya."

"Hagen." He grinned. His teeth gleamed white.

Niya felt herself relax under his gaze. He was a handsome man, if a bit rugged. She felt her cheeks go pink at his gaze. She nearly forgot to breathe when his rough fingers brushed at the bandage over her eye.

"However did you get that?"

It was her turn to grin. "On a hunt."

"Truly? You're far too gorgeous. I would have though you were a nobleman's daughter."

"Couldn't I be both?"

Hagen laughed as he nodded. "In my experience, not so much, but I've heard crazier things." He licked his lips as he looked her over. "The beautiful daughter of noble lineage and a huntress. Surely your fiancé will be searching for you?"

Niya shook her head. "No. No, not at all." Hagen frowned and she rushed to say, "I don't have a betrothed." She thought of Loki, and her stomach squirmed.

He smiled again. "Such a lovely shock." Hagen tucked her under his arm to usher her through the crowd. "Are you name-marked?"

"Can't say I was lucky enough to be. I guess I'm not so important to the gods." Niya couldn't stop herself from lying to Hagen.

"Neither am I. Glad I'm not. I couldn't imagine not being in charge of my own fate." He directed Niya to a small table tucked away in a corner. No natural light filtered this far back, and the crowd seemed comprised of older men too tired from to do more than stare into the depths of their mugs.

They sat in the worn wooden chairs, setting their mugs on the wobbly table between them. "So what were you hunting?" Hagen eyed the bandages around her arm. "It seems it put up quite a fight."

"That's part of why I'm here, actually." She hesitated before leaning closer. "While I've slain the beast, there remains work to be done."

"How do you mean?"

Stalling, she sipped her ale. Deciding it could be beneficial, she continued on. "Have you ever heard of a Gorm?" Hagen shook his head. "It's a harbinger of death, attracted to an area by the darkness of an evil man. While it searches out the evil, it won't hesitate to destroy whatever is in it's path."

"The beast in the woods, you mean," Hagen clarified. "The king sent men in, one hunting party after the other, trying to find what had been murdering families in the village. None of them came back."

"This evil will continue to fester and draw new beasts in its wake unless it's dealt with."

"By which you mean killed." He chuckled. "You really are a stream of lovely surprises." He ran the ends of her ribbon between his fingers. "Such a fierce beauty."

Niya felt the urge to rip the ribbon from his grasp, but remained still. "Do you know of anyone who could have drawn the Gorm here?"

At first he didn't seem to hear her, seemingly entranced by her ribbon. Then he glanced around the tavern. "Not here. Follow me." Hagen stood, drawing Niya to her feet as well. Keeping close to her, he wedged between the villagers

They worked their way to the back of the tavern, and Niya expected they'd stop in an even more private corn. Instead, Hagen led them to a door. He cracked it open and pushed in behind Niya. She stumbled forward in the dark, musty, windowless room, catching herself on a wine barrel. They were in a store room. she turned to face him, but he was so close she had to take a step back. Hagen followed and Niya's legs bumped into the barrel. She felt the sharp prick of a knife against her stomach.

"You?"

"You claim to know evil," he snarled. "Who are you to judge? Who are you to say what is evil?"

Niya's fingers itched for the weight of her dagger, but she didn't have it with her. Whatever she was going to do, she had to be careful. She took a breath. "To my knowledge, I've not accused you of anything."

"And yet you would kill me."

Niya struggled to think of anything beyond the knife pressed to her stomach. "I would prevent the return of a Gorm, or worse."

"You are not the only one to hunt me." His breath was hot against her cheek. "For weeks men have been tracking me, trying to stop me in my work."

"Your work?"

He laughed wryly. "I am to purify the world of the sins of women. Those who lie, cheat, sell their bodies. They will all be culled from this earth."

"You've been murdering women?" Niya's breath fell short.

"They're nothing but mere sacrifices for the betterment of the world. We're better off without them—without you."

Niya knew she wasn't going to talk her way out of this store room. Thankful for the dark, she shifted slowly to bring her arm between them. As he spoke, she jammed the butt of her palm upward into his nose then kicked hard. Both blows landed perfectly, giving her space enough to move. Hagen still blocked her path to the door, but she could now make a grab for the knife while he was hunched over in pain.

His grip was strong, but she kicked hard in his stomach and he nearly dropped the knife on reflex. She pried it free and made to stab at his side. He blocked it with his arm, growling in pain and rage as it sliced through. He knocked it from her grip, the knife clattering to the ground. He grabbed her long hair and yanked back. Niya screamed, and moments later the room filled with light. From the corner of her eye she saw Loki rush towards them, dagger pointed directly at Hagen's throat.

"Release her," Loki commanded.

Niya saw Hagen's knife lying inches from her feet. If she could only grab it, but Hagen held tighter to her hair. Tears burned at the corners of her eyes from the pain. She looked to Loki for help. He seemed to nod at her.

"She is the true evil, not me," Hagen proclaimed.

"You will release her."

The next thing she knew, Niya was falling to her knees. Loki vanished before her eyes, and Hagen gurgled. Loki had used an illusion to trick her captor and had stabbed him from behind. Loki's dagger stuck out of Hagen's back, but Hagen still stood. Confusion and rage boiled over, and he lunged for Niya. Her fist closed around the fallen knife, and she raised it just in time to catch Hagen in the chest. He fell beside her, and she stabbed again and again, punctuating each jab with a guttural scream. When he stopped moving, she threw the knife aside and sank back against the wine barrel.

Loki moved to her side. "I should never have left your side." He knelt. "I am so sorry, Niya. I'm so sorry." She didn't respond. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" He leaned closer for inspection. His fingers flitted over her healing battle wounds, but he couldn't see any new damage. "Can you stand?" He helped her to her feet.

Niya was in more shock than after killing the Gorm. She couldn't speak, hardly seemed to breathe, and didn't blink. The image of Hagen coming after her, the feeling of the blade sinking into his chest, the sight of his bloody corpse all burned into her memory. Time moved too fast and not at all. She allowed Loki to lead her from the tavern, but she didn't realize she'd moved at all.

Before she knew what was happening, she and Loki were back in Asgard, the castle gates shutting behind them.

"I do wish you'd say something, Niya."

Loki's soft wish brought her out of her stupor, and suddenly she felt too much. She couldn't stop shaking or sobbing. Without a thought, she wrapped her arms around Loki. He tightened the hug around her, curling his fingers in her hair as she buried her face in his shoulder.

She had so much she wanted to say to him, but her words stuck in her chest and only sobs came out. Loki just held her.