Hello my dear readers! The anticipated continuation has arrived! Yes, I know I've pissed off too many of you due to the cliffhanger, but I had to tease the next chapter.

Oh, there's some swearing again but still quite mild. I do warn that this chapter might be a little dark so be warned.

Well here it is, Chapter 24!

Disclaimer: I only own the OC's and not Loki.

Loki P.O.V.

Mandy and I had a very pleasant day and it seemed as if it was impossible for things to go wrong. I fell asleep almost instantly, feeling quite happy with the way things turned out. Even my dreams were peaceful for a while.

"LOKI!"

A piercing scream shook me awake. I looked to my surroundings but saw only darkness and the faint outline of the living room lit by the moon. Confused as to whether the noise was from a dream or not, I took a moment to listen again for anything suspicious.

"LOKI HELP!"

The second cry provided me with some answers. That voice belonged to Mandy and she was in need. I ran to her room, expecting to see her thrashing around from her nightmares but that was not what I found.

Mandy was not in the room at all and things were scattered all over the floor. Something was terribly wrong.

I cautiously entered to investigate while trying to keep my worried thoughts from overpowering my logical mindset. Making assumptions based on emotions would not be very helpful for anyone.

I tried to put together the little clues I had as fast as my head would allow.

Mandy was not one to leave her bed during or even after her nightmares. She was always careful not to make a mess to avoid difficulty in locating anything. Now that I think about it, she had called out my name specifically for help when normally she would not address anyone.

Mandy was surely awake when she screamed for me. She must have been taken and it had occurred not too long ago as her calls were still audible.

As I looked around, I found the point of entry. Another window was broken and the remaining shards were streaked with blood.

Wasting no time, I peered through it. What I saw intensified my dread and filled me with much anger.

Just a small distance away from the house was Mandy, held captive by three men; two of whom were quite familiar. It barely took a second for me to recognize them as the thieves from town.

Although gagged and held down by the smaller thief, Mandy continued to fight to free herself. Unfortunately, it was evident that her attempts would be futile. She already appeared bruised and bleeding from various cuts across her skin and the men could easily overpower her.

The sight was unbearable to watch, having hated the very idea of anyone hurting Mandy. I knew I had to act quickly as it seemed that those men were up to more than just kidnapping.

I exited through the window and called out, "Release her!"

My voice caught their attention but they did not appear to have seen me due to the darkness of the night.

I moved closer toward them as I continued to shout threats. "Release the girl and you can escape here with your life."

Unwilling to obey, they continued to keep Mandy restrained while one of them held out a lighting device and aimed it in my direction.

A series of terrified screams and yelps erupted the moment they saw me.

"What the hell is that?!"

"I don't know man! That's freaky as hell!"

Normally, I would have been offended by their reaction but given the current situation, their fear was advantageous to me.

"If you value your life, you will unhand her and leave this place." I growled in an attempt to terrify them even more.

The two familiar men began to release their hold on Mandy and backed away. The third one however, was not at all convinced.

"Oh, what? A creep with blue face paint? Please, you don't scare me. Nice try buddy but I'm not stupid enough to fall for that." He stated.

"Your friends seem to." I noted.

This unfamiliar man scoffed saying, "That's 'cuz these guys are idiots. They'll believe anything."

I observed that this man was quite different from his companions. He was obviously less gullible and much more confident of himself.

"And what do you believe in?" I countered, hoping to find some weakness I could use against him.

Arrogantly, he replied. "Me? I believe in doing what I want. If I wanna steal something, I will. If I wanna beat someone up, I will. If I wanna mess with the chick who got my guys into trouble and got his hands busted, I'm gonna do it."

I tried to control the situation by telling him, "You claim you are not a coward, yet you choose to attack a blind girl. How pathetic you must be."

"Hey, the chick's kinda hot and besides, how else am I gonna get her boyfriend's attention?" He said smugly.

His hungry stares at Mandy were sickening, not to mention that he was treating her like an accessory rather than a person. She herself did not look at all pleased, despite the fact she could not see him.

"So she is just a tool for you." I stated, hiding my disgust.

Unashamed, he said. "All girls are. So what's your deal, mister 'monster'? What brings you out here?"

"I am the one whose attention you are trying to call." I firmly announced, ignoring his earlier comment.

The arrogant man was not at all impressed. "Huh, and to think I was expecting you to be some sort of muscle-bound guy. You're just a scrawny freak with who dresses up for Halloween a little too early."

Approaching him from behind, the larger man from town tried to reason with him. "Hey man, let's just go. If he really is that guy, he's gonna break you like he did my hands."

The scene was somewhat amusing, somewhat reminiscent of how I had to remind Thor that his actions were foolish or reckless.

"You should really listen to him. He seems to be showing some form of intelligence." I added.

"I don't take advice from anyone. Everyone else is an idiot; even you."

That line was rather uncalled for. I could accept various insults but to demean my intelligence was something I would not endure.

I moved forward to retaliate but he gave a chuckle and said, "Hey, no need to be offended. And don't forget, freak, you're not the one in control over here."

That was when I noticed him brandishing out a knife.

I stiffened as he placed the sharpened edge against Mandy's neck. "That's right, I call the shots here. Make a move and this little missy is gonna go bye-bye."

Cornered, I struggled to take control of the situation and free Mandy.

"I thought you wanted vengeance against me. Why bother with something useless to your cause?"

He scoffed. "Because it's obvious you like her and wouldn't want anything to happen to her. She's an assurance that you'll cooperate. That and she's kinda cute."

It irked me that he was using my protectiveness of Mandy against me.

"What exactly are you expecting me to do?" I asked, my eyes narrowing in anger.

He replied quite simply. "I was just gonna ask you to stand still while we beat the crap out of you, break a limb or two."

"And you simply assume I would allow you to get away with that when you are finished? Such abuses are punishable by the law." I bluffed but he could not be swayed.

"Oh please. Don't you know who I am? The cops won't come after me. Pretty much every single one have been paid off to leave me and these guys alone."

"Your wealth is a weak assurance." I sneered.

He was slightly insulted at my comment that he went on to justify himself.

"It's not just money, freak. They know just how powerful my family is. They wouldn't dare make a move against me unless they want to lose everything they own. Even you should be afraid. I can ruin your life with just one phone call."

I was not at all intimidated by that but the revelation made things much more difficult. His influence could very well endanger Mandy's way of life. Letting him leave was becoming less of an option.

"What a spoiled brat, you are. And to think I thought I was dealing with an adult and not a child with empty threats. If you truly are a man, fight me yourself." I challenged.

He rolled his eyes. "Let's face it, buddy. You don't have the balls to go against me. I'm rich. I have all the protection and support I need. You are nothing compared to me."

"How would you know? You brag on and on but you know nothing about me." I hissed.

"Unless you've got some friends in places higher than what I have, all you've probably got is that tiny house, this tiny blind girl and your parents who probably disowned you because they're embarrassed at how stupid and messed up you are."

My eyes grew wide, incredibly offended. To bring up that I had been abandoned and disowned was an insult that I could no longer take.

"What did you say?" I managed to voice out through gritted teeth.

He began to taunt me upon seeing my reaction. "Aw, did I hit a nerve? Don't worry mommy and daddy still love you, even when you go around with face paint and pretend to be some scary monster."

I remained silent, still angered by what he had just said. This man had some nerve to use such low tactics to get what he wanted.

"Huh, no comeback? What a wuss. See, missy, this is why you should be glad you're coming with me. You don't need to see to know how much fun we're gonna have." He said before proceeding to lick Mandy's face.

She obviously did not like being taken advantage of that she headbutted the man in retaliation.

"What the hell?! No one ever hits the face!" He growled, emphasizing every word of his last sentence.

Hurting and humiliated, the man immediately lost his previous interest in Mandy and angrily slashed her neck before kicking her to the ground.

"Mandy!" I called out, horrified. I could see her gasping for air while her blood spilled from the wound.

At this, I could no longer control myself. A blast of energy erupted from my body as I clenched my fists. All three men were thrown to the ground by the force. The two who were involved with the incident in town fled immediately, leaving the spoiled and arrogant man to me. The remaining man landed somewhat far from Mandy, allowing me to approach her.

Not much time had passed but she was already losing much blood and her skin had started to turn cold and pale. I tried to calm my panicked thoughts to find a way to save her.

"Loki." She rasped through shallow breaths, recognizing my touch.

I tried to soothe her, though my own voice was shaking. "It will be alright. I'm here. I will not leave you."

Distracted by Mandy's situation, I had not noticed that the arrogant man had returned until I felt an arm wrapping itself tightly around my neck.

"I don't know what you are, but wind blasts and skin change isn't gonna scare me off." He said, dragging me farther away from Mandy.

In my struggle to escape his grip, I caught what he had just mentioned: my skin had altered. Using the revelation to my advantage, I tried to change back to Jotun form.

I reached for the part of me that held my true cold form and let it take over once more.

As soon as I saw my hands turn blue, I grabbed the man's arm and allowed my skin to burn him. He screamed in pain and released his hold, giving me the opportunity to return to Mandy's aid. I ran as fast as I could, knowing full well how vital time was to saving her.

Mandy had become unresponsive and her pulse was rapidly fading. Having finally realized that I my magic had returned, my mind raced as I tried to recall any healing spell I could use. The one that I found was to stop the bleeding as well to compensate the blood loss but with her current state, Mandy's chances at survival were quickly declining.

Despite the odds, I continued to cast the spell and give her as much energy as I could to keep her alive. There was no way that I would allow her to die.

"Fight! You have survived far worse than this. You must fight! You cannot die here!" I desperately told her, hoping that she could hear me somehow.

Mandy P.O.V.

My mind was swimming, detached from all senses and deprived of any way to move or communicate. I could no longer feel the pain but I knew that I was still between being dead and alive. I had been through this before. It was just like the time I was tortured. If I had chosen not to live anymore, my body would have simply given up since it was very close to doing so anyway. If I wanted to continue living, I could probably escape just as I had in the past.

Do I want to keep going?

The question lingered over me for a distorted amount of time.

I had escaped the hands of those thieves. I had met Mrs. Wednesday and the rest of the townsfolk. I had learned how to manage being blind for five years. I think I have done enough to let myself die this time. What else do I need to do?

"Fight!"

A familiar voice was calling out to me, breaking through the haze in my mind.

"You have survived far worse than this. You must fight!"

It sounded like it belonged to Loki.

"You cannot die here!"

Suddenly, I remembered that Loki was still out there. I could not leave him just yet. He would be all alone. There was still someone out there I needed to live for. I had to live.

I want to live!

Loki P.O.V.

Mandy was beginning to show some sign of recovery but I could not relax until she was conscious and fully functioning once again. There was no telling how much damage had occurred before I had begun to heal her. I only had to keep going and hope she was going to be alright.

An angry voice yelled at me from behind. "You freak! I'll kill you! You and that little bitch!"

I turned around and saw that the man had once again risen, ready for another fight. This time he had his weapon with him.

I was forced to decide whether to deal with the mad man with a blade or the dying girl in front of me.

"Did you hear me, freak? I'll cut you both to bits!" He bellowed.

I winced at his call, not because I was worried for my own state but for Mandy's. This man was especially dangerous due to his influence and even more so from his willingness to kill. I could protect myself from him but Mandy would be a completely different story. If I chose to ignore him, he could strike again and possibly even finish what he had started.

I caressed Mandy's cheek and whispered for her to hold on before heading over to face the man.

He looked even more unhinged, giving me the knowledge that attacking him head on would not be wise. I instead opted to create clones to distract him.

It seemed that he was not as adept with a knife as I thought he would be. He swung the blade blindly at the clones. His movements were uncontrolled and desperate. With him being so careless, I managed to find an opening to disarm him from the weapon as well as burn his hands to keep him from holding on to it again.

"You can't do this to me! You can't beat me! Don't you know who I am?!" He kept saying though now it sounded like a pathetic attempt to threaten me for it seemed that he was only convincing himself of his worth.

I elbowed him on the jaw to silence him then kicked the back of his legs causing him to fall to his knees.

Seeing as he was defeated, I let my emotions run loose as I rebuked him.

"One's power is not defined by what others see you as. You may be an heir to some powerful family, but when you stand alone, you are no more than a mere child with only words and toys to your name. You do not scare me. I am a sorcerer, a Jotun and a prince. I am Loki and you will kneel to me!"

He looked up at me, angry tears gleaming in his eyes, but had nothing to say.

I scoffed at him, and said, "Pitiful. I would have let you live if you had just run when I had offered you the chance but you laid your hand on Mandy and that I cannot excuse."

He appeared to have understood my threat. "You're going to kill me."

"Why would I let someone like you live after all that you've done?" I asked him rhetorically.

He gave a bitter laugh. "They were right. You are a monster."

The word no longer bothered me as much it should have. What this man or anyone else thought me did not matter anymore. I was who I defined myself to be.

"Both of us are. But I would rather that I was the hideous monster that did not allow a monster like you to live." I told him while forming an ice dagger in my hand.

He made another attempt to scare me by saying, "My folks will find you. They will destroy every little thing you have."

"How will they ever know? Will anyone believe those friends of yours that a blue-skinned man attacked you? And even if someone will, I do not fear them. They are no more a threat than you are right now." I responded.

"You will regret this." He added.

I shook my head. "I would regret more if I had chosen not do this now. See you in Hel, monster."

At that, I slashed his neck the same way he did to Mandy. He deserved to feel what he had made her endure.

I then returned to Mandy, who, though still unconscious, was now breathing normally. I picked her up as carefully as I could and proceeded to bring her back into the house.

Just as I was about to enter through the door, I looked back and saw that the man had already stopped moving. Seeing that he was finally dead, I waved my hand and cast a spell to erase his body and all the evidence before retreating into the house.

End of Chapter 24

Whew! Finally! Working this out was so hard! I had so many mental debates for this chapter so hopefully I made the right decisions.

Did you guys like it? Hate it? Are you okay with Loki killing the guy off?

What's your favorite part/line? Let me know! Also, if you have any suggestions, feel free to share.

Well then, see you guys in the next chapter!