For the first time in his life, Thor was lying someplace soft. He moved his arms about like he was forming angels on the snow and came to the realisation that he was feeling velvet. Was he still dreaming? He must be; how else would he be dipped in such luxury?
He opened his eyes and blinked a few times in order to clear his vision. He grew alert instantly. He was not alone.
A tall figure was standing by the bed, watching him. The man was dressed in black, with brushes of green; his hair was long and black as night, and his skin was pale like the moon. This was no man at all - this was the Vampire King. Thor remembered now; that dark creature had bought him, but Thor had no idea where he had taken him or how they had arrived there.
"Welcome back to the world of the living," the Vampire King said and Thor remembered that the creature's voice sounded like music in his ears.
"Where am I?" Thor asked hoarsely. "How did I get here?"
The Vampire King grinned wolfishly. "Clearly you're in my home, so welcome. Now, as to how you came to be here, it's simple: we walked. You remember none of it of course, because the place is enchanted."
"Enchanted?" Thor repeated like a fool. He was still too dizzy to deal with the works of sorcery.
"Well, of course. You can't possibly expect me to leave my castle unprotected and accessible to everyone, my pet."
"Don't call me that." Thor may have been sold to a monster like a piece of meat, but he still had his dignity. He hoped so, at least.
The Vampire King chuckled and the sound sent shivers down Thor's spine. "But that is what you are," he said in a way that was both amused and threatening at the same time. "You should learn your place, Thor. You belong to me now. You will live here and serve me until you're liberated."
Thor raised an eyebrow. "You never let anyone go," he said, full of doubt and suspicion.
The Vampire King snorted a laugh and leered at him. "I set my humans free when I kill them."
A chill went through Thor but he tried not to show his fear - he knew that it would only please and entertain the bloodsucking creature that had his bright emerald eyes fixed on him. He was not broken yet. He would survive. He would find a way out of here.
He decided to steer the conversation to a different, hopefully harmless topic. "How come I fell asleep?" he asked.
"You did not fall asleep per se; you were unconscious. It was the result of the spell I have cast over this place. When I opened the gates of the castle and we entered, you fainted. I carried you here and waited for you to regain consciousness."
Thor was not surprised that the creature had managed to carry him without any help - younger vampires could lift things much heavier compared to what he weighed. However, there was uncertainty as to how he felt about the whole ordeal. The Vampire King had touched him, held him in his arms, rested him on the bed, and watched him as he slept. The thought unnerved him. And it confused him as well. Was it better that he had not felt the creature's touch? Or has his unconsciousness offered the creature the chance to explore Thor's body, to touch him in ways he shouldn't? The mortal man wanted to believe that the monster had not exploited his state, but he was a monster after all.
"What are you going to do to me?"
The Vampire King's smirk was full of promise. "What I am going to do to you and with you remains to be seen," he said. "You can be sure about one thing, though: you are my new toy and you now live only to serve me." His voice grew colder and more menacing as each word escaped his lips. "You will do as I say; if you refuse to obey, there will be consequences - dire consequences. There will also be consequences if you try to escape; and, to save you the time and the effort, let me tell you that you simply cannot escape."
The Vampire King's words chilled Thor to the core; the way they were spoken and the meaning they held were more than enough to make all his courage disappear. And yet, he held on to hope. He would survive this place - and with any luck he would kill the monster that had become his captor.
All of a sudden, the Vampire King's mood changed as if some sort of spell had been put on him. He appeared pleasant and joyous, almost like an innocent young man. Almost. Thor could not be deceived by the creature's appearance, even though it was more than just delightful to the eye. Thor had learned not to judge a book by its cover, and he knew that doing that with the Vampire King could be lethal.
The Vampire King shook his head, softly chuckling. "I have been the most discourteous guest," he confessed, looking like a naughty child. "I have not introduced myself to you yet, my pet. I am Loki."
The name sounded ancient and carried a lot of power. Thor knew that it had nothing to do with the name really; it was the creature itself that was ancient and potent. Thor caught himself being curious to know how old the Vampire King truly was.
The Vampire King - he would not refer to him as Loki like he would with any mortal man - leaned in to him. Thor wondered what would happen next while trying to conceal his apprehension. The creature got closer to him and breathed in his hair.
"I'll let you rest now, pet," he whispered in Thor's ear.
Before the mortal man could so much as blink, the Vampire King had left his room and was locking the door.
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