Chapter 6: A Talk

Cephera woke that day curled in the same corner. She woke to voices of strangers who were in the library searching for a book. She quickly got to her feet and wiped her face to get ride of the stains of the tears she'd shed the night before. She felt suddenly silly now that the night before was over. She had an instant reaction to an embarrassing situation and now she just felt stupid for having felt so emotional over it.

Someone rounded the corner and bowed when they saw her. She hoped she didn't look the hopeless wreck she felt like. "Good morning princess." The woman said. Cephera smiled and greeted her in return while also leaving the library. When Cephera reached her room she paused at the handle suddenly getting the bottomless pit feeling once more. She tried to push it aside and when she opened the door the room was in perfect order. A servant must have fixed it all up. Had she not known the difference she might have thought the night before a dream.

Cephera bathed quickly and dressed. She just wanted to get out of the room because all she could picture was the scene she'd walked in on. As she moved down the halls wondering if she missed breakfast she came across the man she didn't need to see right now. She stopped dead her eyes locking onto his immediately. He didn't look like he was waiting for her and it seemed he didn't have anything to say.

"Is my humanity the only reason you hate me so much?" She blurted at him her hands at her sides and her fingers clutching her skirt.

"What other reason do I need?" Loki responded coldly. He always spoke to her in that cold tone. She sometimes wondered how much effort it took for him to do so.

"I'm so much more than just a human." She said as proudly as possible. Loki laughed and it was a mocking sort of laugh. His view on humans would have to change for her to ever get through to him.

"What ever else you are matters little to me." Loki told her. "When I look at you I am reminded of this punishment I have been forced into." He said bitterly. Cephera felt surprised by his choice of words.

"Punishment?" Her face fell. "Is that how you view this marriage?" She asked realizing his train of thought for the first time. She had never saw this marriage as a punishment.

"Of course. Why else marry me to a human whelp like you when Odin knows my hatred for them." He snarled. Cephera let those words sink in before asking her next question. One she'd wondered but hadn't had to courage to ask.

"Do you love her?" Cephera asked looking him in the eyes intensely.

"Love her?" He looked confused now.

"Your mistress. Do you love her?" Cephera asked again firmly.

"Don't be absurd. She meets my every need but that doesn't constitute love." He chided. Cephera wasn't sure if she should be disgusted or not. Clearly Loki was trying extra hard to do whatever he had to do to be rid of her because she was his so called 'punishment'.

"In that case everyday of this marriage I will work to make you realize that I am not so horrible to be married too." She told him more determined than before to make it work.

"What idiocy is that? Why does my lack of feelings for Shay have to do with that decision?" He asked shaking his head.

"Had you loved her. If you were spurning me because you love another I could accept your hatred of me and your disrespect toward our marriage. I would have fought to allow an annulment of our marriage so that you were free to marry her. But if you hold no love for her than there is still hope for this marriage." She explained and Loki looked shocked and then he scowled.

"I'm married to a sentimental fool." He growled and pushed passed her. Cephera watched him go wondering what he was thinking right now.

(Loki)

Loki hated her words more for the fact that they made him feel bad. She had been willing to do that for him after everything he'd put her through. She was willing to face her father and Odin with the suggestion of annulling the marriage so he could be happy with a woman he loved. After everything she cared about his happiness and he wanted to hate her for it but instead he couldn't break his mind away from her for the rest of his day.

He found himself in Shay's arms late that night in her bed. His cock deeply sated inside her and the conversation with his wife still running through his mind even now. He looked down at his beautiful mistress and friend. "What has your mind half away from your cock." She asked slipping him out of her to sit up.

"That stupid woman sleeping in my room." He growled and flopped to his back with a low growl.

"You mean your wife." She corrected him. Loki was aware Shay didn't like how he spoke of the woman he was forced to marry when he knew so little about her.

"Yes, my damn wife." He hissed. "She's sentimental fool." He said his teeth rubbing together a moment.

"Is she now?" Shay teased stretching out beside him to weave her finger across his chest in no pattern in particular.

"She asked if I loved you." He told her.

"Why is that a bad thing?" She asked in return.

"You know I don't harbour such feelings for you." He said shaking his head annoyed.

"I meant her asking about it not whether you felt that way. I know you come here for my body and my advice not my heart." She replied frankly.

"She spoke of finding a way to end this marriage of ours if I loved you so that I could be happy." Loki growled once more and was on his feet. "Who is she to care about my happiness." He said.

"Loki, you've done nothing to earn this girls consideration in anything but perhaps she deserves some of your time and a chance to prove herself a worthy wife. Neither of which you've bothered doing. You've chosen to hate her simply for being a human and for your marriage being Odin's idea. Maybe she's not as bad as you think." Shay said.

"Don't you start lecturing me. The girl should have known what she was getting into. Besides should I attempt to make my marriage with her work she'd no doubt ask me to stop seeing you." He said.

"If you actually were bedding your wife I wouldn't be here to bed you anyway. You wouldn't need me. That's the good thing about having a wife...a pure wife. You get to train her to your tastes and yours alone. She'd be available to you whenever you liked. Why would you need a mistress then?" Shay questioned. Loki hated her words. They made too much sense for him to like them.

"She will not have my attention. Hopefully if I stay as I am she will beg Odin to annul the marriage on grounds that it remains unconsummated." He said pulling on his pants. He didn't feel like sleeping there this night.

"Oh yes and then Odin will just send another punishment your way for ruining her life. She clearly wants this marriage to work. She cares about it." Shay said staying splayed out on her bed. Her body almost begging for him to come back.

"Like I said. A sentimental fool." He repeated pulling on his tunic. "I will spend the night in my own room." He said and left before Shay could say another word to irritate him further.

When Loki made it to his room doors he paused. Even though his previous conversation had been about his wife he had completely forgotten he now shared a room with her and she would no doubt be inside. He had still not shared the bed with her since they married. If he slept here tonight he would not touch her but suddenly Loki didn't feel like going to bed with her there. He almost wished he stayed with Shay.

Manning up he opened the door. The room was pitch black but the little light from the moons outside lit up enough that he could see his wife's frame on the bed. She was only under the one blanket and he couldn't blame her. It was very warm in the room. Loki usually slept naked but tonight he stripped down and put on a light pair of sleeping pants. He'd hate to give her the wrong impression by slipping into bed naked.

Loki carefully slipped into bed and she didn't so much as stir. She was, however, facing his way her face serene looking in the dim light. Loki stared at her moment before he rolled to look away. It took him a little while to drift off into sleep and when he did he did not sleep soundly. His dreams waking him in different intervals.

XxX

It wasn't the rising sun that woke Loki that morning he simply woke on his own. As he opened his eyes he heard a soft sound. In his groggy state he wasn't sure what it was and thought for a moment Cephera was behind him sleeping and it was the sound of that but as he woke completely he realized he was in bed alone and the sound was coming from far across the room from the bathroom. As the bathroom was private to only his room no doors existed and Loki realized she was singing. It was apparent she was holding her voice back. Most likely she did that so she didn't wake him.

Loki found himself listening despite how he felt about everything. Her voice was soothing in a way Loki couldn't explain. He actually enjoyed it. He lay there for quite some time before her voice stopped and he heard the sounds of sloshing water. Quickly and almost like a child afraid to be caught Loki got out of bed, dressed as quickly as possible and vacated the room before she emerged from the bathroom.

(Cephera)

When Cephera had woken to stare at the back of Loki's head she almost fell backward out of the bed in surprise. Luckily she realized it was Loki before she yelled and fell and managed to calm herself quickly. She had lain there looking at the back of his head and the sleek muscles of his shoulders and back for a while before she finally smiled.

She wasn't sure why she smiled. Him being there meant nothing but for some reason it gave her hope that maybe this was the beginning of something...anything. However as she carefully slipped from the bed she tried to remind herself such a change would not occur so easily and pushed her hope back but she hadn't been unable to wipe the smile from her face.

Cephera had drawn a bath knowing it was unlikely he would join her and sinking into the water she found herself singing. She kept her voice low but it felt good to sing. She hadn't had a happy reason to sing but this small occurrence drew out a good mood in her. She went through her whole bath uninterrupted and when she got out she was alerted by movement outside the joined room. It wasn't long before she heard the room door open and close and she frowned, Loki was gone. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and took a moment to remind herself that relationships such as the one she was in would not take one day to solve and that she had to keep her chin up and never give up.

Please take a moment to review! It's much appreciated!

- Am4444: thing will change as time goes but for better or for worse...well I can't say.

- Loki's Dreamer: haha we both know Cephera won't sleep with anyone else. She's a devoted kind of woman. Shay has a kindness in her not seen because she's fooling a round with a married man.

- Poodle Warriors: I didn't want Shay to just be a mistress I wanted to build her as a character. Something different not just an obstacle.

- Akera Writer of the Night: it was a chapter made to give more insight to Shay.

- Twifan1987: haha. I dunno if wolverine is the right character. Maybe more of a rogue as she copies powers. Lol.

- Kate Skates24: indeed it did.

- Windstorm: OMG! You're right! The next chapter I will fix that error and put a better description but for now Cephera is short and small. Her forehead comes up to about just under Loki's chin. Her hair is long down to her waist and is wavy of a lighter brown color with Pink highlights. Her eyes are violet. She has a young looking face.

- Shattered Soul37: things may get better. You need to hold onto hope :)