A/N: Here's the newest chapter. I hope you all like it. It was a little hard to get out though. I knew what was going to happen with this one, but getting out of my head and onto paper proved to be kind of difficult. I owe the inspiration for this one to Godsmack's Moon Baby. As always, feedback is appreciated. And thank you to those of you who favorited and followed.
He was plagued by dreams of her. Her chestnut locks blocking out most of her face. Only those steel blue eyes visible as they bored into his soul. The spark in her eyes before he was taken from the room the only thing he could see. Those eyes. He thought to himself as he lay awake in his room. Woken once again by the burning vision of her eyes. He did not see threat in them when she advanced on him. He saw something else. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Thor had instructed him to stay in their shared living space. But being who he was, he had never listened to a command. He decided to take a stroll out to the balcony two floors up. Hoping the cool night air would settle his restlessness.
Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, Loki pulled his boots on and began his short walk to the elevator that would take him back upstairs. Stepping from the elevator as the doors opened, he made his way to the sliding glass that would allow him access to the balcony. The panel soundlessly slid from it's place, giving him enough room to walk through. He quietly slid it back in place.
He gazed out onto the city that just a four years ago was falling into chaos at his hands. The buildings that had fallen were rebuilt, and the city was once again bustling with the sounds and frantic lives of the mortals beneath. Midgard was so close to being his that he could almost taste it. To be ripped from his hands just as the tips of his fingers touched it.
"I know why you failed." A soft voice stated from behind him. He was pulled immediately from his train of thought as he turned and found those same haunting eyes that plagued his dreams.
"What do you speak of?" He asked as he turned back to the sprawling city below. Most everyone was in their homes at such a late hour. Save for a few mortals that walked the streets below.
"Failed to take all of this as your own." She said walking to the railing. The wind blew her dark curls from her face and shoulders. He could just make out the intricate marks the silver had left in her skin as it peeked from the collar of her shirt.
"And why, pray tell, did I fail?" He asked causing her to turn to him. A small smirk playing on her lips.
"You lack the motivation, you have the desire, but not the conviction." She said stretching her hands above her head and arching her back. Her stretching motion brought her up on the tips of her toes as she flexed her toned body to relieve some of the tension that had built up. The shirt she was wearing had risen to just above her naval, showing more of the dark lines making their way across and around her toned abdomen.
"You know nothing about me, My Lady." He said with a smile turning to look back out on the city. "As I know not of you."
"Your Silver Tongue will not work on me." She said with a laugh. "One with talents such as yours should put them to better use." She turned again to look at him.
"As Mellissande did with yours?" He questioned with a glint in his eyes. He turned back to look at the petite woman standing just feet from him. Taking a step towards her. The wind gusted again, blowing her hair across her face. He eyes the only thing visible on her face. He was reminded of his dream again. Only her eyes were softer as she looked at him.
"You truly are just a lost soul, doomed to wander through life in search for purpose. We are more alike than most would care to believe. You have been wronged, as have I." She said taking a step closer to him. Lifting her hand she placed it on his cheek. Her palm warm against his cold skin. "You lived in the shadows of your brother, always trying to prove your worth. Always shunned for being different. Where as I was favored, the star in my Father's eyes. Embraced for being different." She took another step closer, "My father took me from my mother to sculpt me into the perfect killing machine. I am a Black Seed. Feared for my tarnished blood. I embraced my heritage. I was to be Queen, despite having two older brothers." She looked away, her hand never leaving his cool cheek. "I often find myself wondering what happened to Farren and Bennet." She said, her hand dropping back to her side.
Some part of him wished her hand was still there. Never had anyone, let alone a woman, made him long for that physical contact. Her eyes moved back to him, the last flashes of her memory flitting away in her pale eyes. "I am not a Son of Odin, he stole me when I was but an infant. Left in a temple to die by the man who sired me. Odin hoped to one day unite the feuding realms using me. The forsaken son of Laufey. I was lied to my entire life." He had never given so much information to someone so soon upon meeting them. It was foreign to say the least. A thought flickered through her eyes.
She placed her hands firmly on the railing. Hoisting herself up and balancing on the thin metal. Her movements almost cat-like in nature. A wide smile graced her face as she bent backwards and did a small flip, using her hands for support as the rolled through the movement and stood back on her feet.
"Careful, My Lady, you would not want to fall from this height." He said with a small smile playing at his lips. She bent down and grasped the banister with both hands again, slowly lifting her legs until the line of her body was suspended above her head, supported only by her arms. Her shirt fell away from her body, revealing a dark spandex undergarment. The patchwork of dark lines crept over her entire body, some were faded, but others still burned dark in her olive skin.
"What is life without a sense of adventure?" She asked lifting her left hand from the banister, relying solely on her right arm to support her weight. "I find the adrenaline rush to be exhilarating." She proclaimed placing her left hand on the other side of her right, slowly spinning herself to face him. She could see the amusement dancing in his green eyes. She braced her hands and pushed off, landing gracefully on her feet next to him. Flipping her dark curls from her face she looked at him with a smile.
"You are a strange creature." He said with a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. Her eyes glittered in the moon's light. Shining like stars. He wanted to get lost in them. Swept away by the cosmos he could see swirling in them. Before he knew what was happening, he found his feet carrying him closer to her. His hand reaching out to touch a lock of her hair. Her tresses softer than he would have imagined as he twirled them between his fingers. Her lips were slightly parted as she craned her neck to look into his eyes. He brought his lips to hers in one swift motion. She stood in shock for a moment, eyes wide. Slowly her eyes closed as she kissed him back. Her hand finding it's way to his cheek once again. His hands tangled into her dark curls as he found himself lost in her touch, her lips.
A small sound escaped her throat as he asked permission with his mouth to deepen the kiss. Her lips parted granting him further exploration of the graceful creature before him. Her fingers found their way his hair, tangling at the base of his head, pulling him closer. His hands ran down the length of her body, cupping just beneath the soft flesh of her bottom to lift her. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he held her. She pulled away first, looking at him through heavy lidded eyes. Breathing erratic.
She slowly unwrapped her legs from his waist. He still had a firm grasp on the back of her thighs. His fingers kneading the soft skin her shorts didn't cover. "I am sorry, My Lady, I know not what has come over me." He said as he lowered her down to her feet. Her lips swollen from their kiss. She remained speechless as she tipped her head and disappeared back into the building. He could still feel the warmth of her body, the way her thin fingers laced through his hair. Her powerful legs wrapped around his waist. The feel of her skin beneath his fingers.
He walked back inside, making his way to the elevator that would take him back to his room. His mind restless as thoughts of her passed through. He layed in his bed for a short time before sleep finally took him.
Arista found herself back in her shared room with Mellissande's sleeping form. The feel of his lips on hers the only thing she thought about. How could she have let her guard down enough to let something like that happen? After he had called her power to the surface just a few short hours ago, she had let him get that close again.
She had to admit, letting him get that close had been exhilarating. She had felt her power crawl to the surface once again at his hands, only this time keeping it safely chained behind her gates. She feared what would happen if her power got away from her. Mellissande's words from just before they came to this realm ringing in her ears:
Take care when it comes to your abilities, my friend. We do not need a war with these people.
Oh, how she had reveled in the feel of power dancing along her skin. The chill that ran down her spine, spreading to each crevice of her body. She missed that feeling, Of letting herself let loose. She had not felt it in centuries.
Still wide awake she pulled the chest plate of her armor onto her bed, running her fingers over the four small holes that now marred it's smooth surface. This would not do. She had to find a way to fix it. Remember the small bullets Mellissande had shown her upon waking, an idea crossed her mind.
The ruined chest piece clutched to her torso, she went for the bullets in the drawer next to Mellissande's bed. She grabbed two of them and made her way out of her room to find the man who could help her.