We stood out in the cold
And your eyes, they ate my soul

- Neon Trees, Farther Down

On the road to Tromsø

The snarl she made was not human. In many ways, she could be considered inhuman. The things she did to people could have brought about her banishment twenty times over, but her beauty and cunning had always saved her. For some cases, it was Loki's intervention that stopped the executioner's axe from falling on her little neck, and now he was ruing the day he'd saved her.

"I will make this all go away, my love, if you would just listen," she continued, her voice taking a softer, more pliant tone. Still, he could hear her voice shaking a little, telling him she was fighting to keep her infamous temper under control. "I can make all of this go away. The bitch will live. You will return to your human form."

Amora smiled slowly, and she took several steps back. Her fingers flicked in the air, and he suddenly felt his limbs stretching, bones cracking, his skin tingling. Even as his tail shrunk back into his flesh, his fur disappearing, his teeth shortening, he thought he was hearing himself scream.

No, he was.

The Enchantress giggled, dancing around in the snow like a child seeing her favorite plaything. It was only when he was sprawled on the snow, naked, did she stop and study him carefully, her green eyes taking in every inch of his body.

"How I've missed running my fingers down that torso," she nearly moaned. "Did you miss feeling my hair against your skin? Feel me grinding against yo-"

"Jus-… g-… on w'th…it," Loki growled, his voice harsh from years of misuse. "Wha…t d'you…want?"

"I'm sorry, what were you saying, my love?" She grinned when Loki sat up, his flesh turning a light blue as he got used to the cold. "You need to speak clearly if you want me to understand you."

"What…do…you…want…" He managed to hedge out, each word spoken after several tries. His eyes held nothing but hatred. "Tell…me."

"Isn't it obvious? I want you. You by my side, for all eternity. As it should be." Amora snapped her fingers and Loki felt himself being thrown to his feet, the distinctly familiar leather and armor snapping into place around his skin. For someone who had lived for years as a wolf, it took him a few moments to get used to his clothes.

"My beloved. My king. Forever." She slid her arms around his waist, and as she did so, the weather slipped away, the snow melting almost immediately, and the skies lighted by the sun. "A simple choice, Loki."

The warmth of the sun made him raise his head and close his eyes. He never thought he'd appreciate the sun as much as he did now, but as he felt Amora's tongue press against the base of his neck, his eyes snapped open and he pushed her away with a disgusted grunt.

Rather than be disappointed or even furious, she simply laughed. He knew she was toying with him, loving his reaction. While not reacting was his first instinct, Loki was aware that the longer she felt superior, the better the chance he had at twisting her to fit his needs.

Amora tilted her head, her finger tapping her chin. When he didn't answer, she frowned. "You're thinking about her, aren't you?"

"No," he answered, in the husky tone he'd always used while they were alone. "I was thinking about you."

It was the truth, and he didn't have to exert any effort at all to appear genuine. Amora would see this and believe him, like she always did. Normally he would have balked at the idea of manipulating someone for such an end, but given that the Enchantress had heavily hinted that Jane was going to die if he didn't agree to her schemes, to her desire to have him as a lover once more, he didn't really care whether her feelings would be hurt in the aftermath.

"Now was that so difficult to admit that you still wanted me?" she purred, pressing close to him. It took all of his control to relax, let himself return the pressure she was giving him, but inside all he wanted to do was push her away. If only she'd given him her magic back…

It seemed like an eternity that they stood there, clinging to each other (although Loki did this half-heartedly), before Amora brushed her lips over his ear. "Is this a yes, my love?"

"Are you agreeing to the terms you promised?"

She sighed, drawing away from him, although her fingers lingered on his chest longer than they should have. Clicking her tongue and shaking her head, she dropped her arm to the side. "Now now. I'm starting to think you don't really mean anything."

"So am I. Will she really live, Amora? Or is this your way of tricking me into going back to you?"

"It's always about her!" the Enchantress shrieked, her temper causing the ground to rumble, cracks forming on the soil. "What did she do to you that made you so…so…weak?! I did everything you asked of me-"

When it suited you.

"-gave you my body to do what you will-"

Just like you gave it to others.

"-helped you from the sidelines-"

Simply because you feared that I would expose you.

"-and yet you still choose her over me? I loved you!"

His lip curled, eyes narrowing. "Loved. In the past, perhaps you did. But your very nature prevents you from truly loving someone, Amora. What you feel for me, no matter how strong you think it is, it isn't love. It's jealousy. Possessiveness. Spite."

With each word he uttered, he could see her temper rise. Eventually they would reach that point, even if he'd said yes. He should have known better, a tiny twinge of regret eating at him. She was very volatile, and there were times that he found it difficult to anticipate her mood swings. The longer the silence stretched, the more he grew uneasy.

Forgive me, Jane.

Finally…

"Well. It seems that you're fully set on this woman. So be it. But before we part ways, dear Loki, I'd want you to know that you could have saved her." Each word was shaky, and her hands had balled into tight fists at her sides.

His stomach dropped, even though he had been expecting that outcome.

"Because despite the love you have for her, the same cannot be said about her own family." Amora's expression changed from fury to glee, and she waved her hand up, summoning a dark cloud. Swirling, it suddenly parted to show the inside of a house. A young man and a woman – his mother, Loki guessed – were arguing, and their voices rose in volume until he could hear clearly what they were saying about the plague and leaving her behind.

Jane.

Tromsø

Jane's fever raged, and the swellings on her neck, inner thighs, and under her arms burned even more. A constant sweat had broken out over her body, and the bumps were starting to crack, showing a thick, smelly ooze beneath. She was in constant agony, and there was no reprieve. Most of the time she cried out whenever she moved, and she knew that there was no hope for her. Visiting her aunt was a mistake. Not only was she absent when her father died, but also she had become infected with the plague – dubbed the Black Death by those in the village and surrounding towns – with no one to care for her.

Loving though her aunt was when she thought that Merrick Cathalow was interested, that same love soon changed to annoyance the moment Jane started showing signs of the illness. Maybe even sooner, as Lilith's ardor cooled after that meeting with Merrick. Now, she refused to even have a healer sent into the house, saying that what Jane had was just a simple fever and would go down in a couple of days.

But the fever didn't go down, and was even accompanied by vomiting and back pain. At first Lilith thought that Jane was pretending her symptoms to keep from helping with the chores, but when the swelling arrived two days later, she'd taken Edward and started living several houses away.

"We can't just leave her here, Mother!"

"Yes we can! Look at her, Edward! Do you want to stay in the same house as someone with the plague? Do you want to die?"

"She's not just 'someone'! She's my cousin! Your niece!"

Lilith had turned towards Jane then, unaware that she was still awake.

"She was."

This had shocked Jane to her core; she didn't realize how selfish and cruel her mother's sister could be. If it weren't for Edward sneaking her meals three times a day – at the risk of his mother's wrath – she would have most likely starved to death.

But now the entire village was in a furor, as seven more cases of the plague had erupted. Merrick Cathalow was said to be on his death bed, and his lord father was showing the same symptoms. The surrounding towns had refused to send help or even supplies, in fear that any form of contact with those from the village would cause the plague to spread.

Edward had stopped coming last night, and she knew the possibility of her not surviving until the end of the week was high. She couldn't even stand without experiencing pain, and each movement she made sent a stabbing sensation down different parts of her body.

It was then when she retreated into her own mind, focusing on the memories she had with her father and her pet wolf, Faolan.

How she missed them both. They were the only ones who had truly been there for her, no matter what. But now one was dead, and the other she would never see again. It brought her more pain than the plague did, and at times she cried herself into a brief sleep for what she had lost.

The darkness of her aunt's cottage faded, only to be replaced by the sunlight and the smell of the flowers outside her childhood home. Hearing a wolf's howl in the distance, she called his name, standing with a smile on her face.

"Faolan! Over here!"

Another wolf's howl, closer than the last. It sounded so real…

On the road to Tromsø

"So you see, dearest Loki, I could have healed her. She would have lived."

"Would you have really done it? Would you have saved her?" Loki's tone was mocking now; the anger he felt towards her and Jane's aunt grew, until he had his fists clenched at his sides. He wanted to lash out at her, but not only was he powerless, but also he'd tired himself out and it was now taking its toll on him. "I highly doubt that."

Amora shrugged, a curl of blonde hair falling over one eye. "I would, if you'd asked me nicely. But now, I wouldn't do anything. Except this."

He turned to her just as she fluttered her fingers, the familiar sensation of his bones breaking, shrinking, closing in on each other filling his senses once more. His scream became a howl of agony and fury, his fangs baring as he, now a wolf, leaped for Amora's throat.

With a laugh, the Enchantress disappeared in a puff of smoke, and he landed on the ground on the other side. The skies darkened once more as her voice filled the air, the blizzard falling in thick, hard sheets.

"You'll never save her, Loki. Never."

Watch me.

He didn't know how long Jane had left, but based on how sick she looked in Amora's illusion, he guessed she had barely a few days. The village was but a few hours away in regular weather, but in this blizzard…

Loki growled, shaking the snow off of his black fur and started running. Some spots were packed with snow, making it hard for him to get a firm hold, and he slipped and slid through a couple of snow banks. If he were in his Jotun form this would have been easy, but as a wolf, his fur could only take so much.

Jane, wait for me.

I'm almost there.

He knew he was exhausted, but he pressed on, as he was painfully aware that each second was slowly draining Jane of life. Loki howled a couple of times as he reached the border of the village, ignoring the stabbing pains in his chest. The roads to Tromsø were empty, and the village itself was deserted. An open window slammed open and closed in the distance, and he sniffed the air. The cold air filled his nostrils, and most of the scents he smelled were either unfamiliar or rotting. He couldn't smell her scent against the wind, so he turned in the direction of it and tried again.

There.

It was faint, the smell of the vanilla oil she used to dab on her wrists. Latching on to the faint smell, he followed it down the maze of houses and shops, relieved that there was no one there to chase him out. His joints ached now, tail drooped between his hindlegs. Exhaustion was getting the better of him, but he was close. So close.

Please. Don't let me be too late.

A/N: Initially this was to be ten chapters, but after realizing that I could combine the contents of the last four chapters, this'll end up being eight chapters long. :)