That night once the victims of New York were bathed and fed, Annalise addressed them as a group.

"I cannot express how much I regret you all having been involved in this mess. I know no words will put you at ease," she cleared her throat and fiddled with her lavish emerald necklace hanging from her neck.

"If you choose to stay and would like your families brought to the castle, I will make arrangements immediately for their safe passage. Humbly I urge you to stay here, where I can ensure your safety. His Highness is dangerous, please don't underestimate him."

One of the victims raised his hand.

"Don't we have a better chance out there? Shouldn't we run?"

"He doesn't share his plans with me," she admitted, "I can only hope that this is preferable compared to… what he plans for the others. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe.. Maybe the Avengers will reassemble and stop him. Your safety is my responsibility, and I can better watch over you if you stay here. I understand if you don't stay, but please know that if you do, you'll be under my protection. I won't let any harm come to you. I swear it."

"And we're supposed to take your word? The "King's" whore?"

The crude man pointed at her rumpled dress and mussed hair.

Annalise blanched, looking down in shame. She was, wasn't she? Days ago the King had deemed her professional skillset useless, but he valued other things she could give him. He offered her protection in exchange for her body. She was a traitor to her entire race.

Clearing tightness from her throat, she took a deep breath and raised her head high.

"My being his whore is what permitted me to beg for your safety. I didn't choose this. But like you, I've found myself irrevocably involved with this… man and I'm doing what I need to survive, and to ensure the survival of others."

The crowd murmured amongst themselves, pairs of frightened eyes glancing nervously up at Annalise as they decided their own fates. In the end, thirty stayed. The others left without incident, likely because Annalise snuck them out through the kitchens where Loki's men wouldn't see them.

As the sun rose, wearily she stepped under the hot spray of the shower and washed the awful day down the drain.

x

The next morning Annalise woke to hot, open mouthed kisses pressed against the bare skin of her back. She shouldn't have been surprised at his attention now; the King had not taken her again in the night, for which she was grateful. Her rear was still tender, not to mention her lady bits. That went without saying.

When he nipped at her shoulder blade she gasped and clenched her eyes shut. For the sake of her heart and sanity it was important that she not encourage him, but the duality of his cool lips and hot tongue on her skin was delirium inducing. Add in the biting and the poor girl was beyond helping. She couldn't think when he touched her.

"Stop," she mumbled, burying her face against her pillow. She could feel him smile against her skin as he continued, completely ignoring her.

Annalise jabbed her elbow into what she hoped were his ribs, her lips curling into a tiny smile of satisfaction when he grunted.

"Now, now," he growled, grabbing her shoulder and flipping her on her back. He slithered over her and used his body to pin hers to their mattress. There was no need to secure her wrists, still bruised from the night before; she stayed still for him. God only knew what it would take for him to decide she needed another humiliating spanking.

He hadn't yet lashed out angrily and though his grip was firm, it was gentle. His eyes flicked back and forth between hers, his brows furrowing in thought.

"You like my mouth on you," he stated bluntly, one dark brow raised.

Of course she did. She inhaled and moistened her lips as if to reply, but instead frowned and averted her eyes.

Loki didn't bother waiting for a verbal answer and disregarded her physical reaction. He knew what he said was true.

"You know, you were singing a very, very different tune on our flight to New York, dearest. And last night."

"I know," she muttered. "I was confused. I shouldn't have asked to bring intimacy into our arrangement."

"Intimacy?"

She knew Loki was intelligent, but he seemed genuinely confused.

"Kissing," she mumbled with embarrassment. She felt so needy and pathetic.

"Ah. It's too much for you, then? What is it you want instead, then? To be taken from behind like an animal each night?"

Did she? Was that preferable to his erratic acceptance and rejection of her? How else could she distance herself from the King when he was literally inside her?

"Yes. Or let me close my eyes."

He hissed.

"So you can imagine another man making you writhe while I'm inside you? I do not think so, little peach," he growled. His eyes roamed her face, which she tried to relax. He was perceptive enough without her emotions broadcasting across her features.

Still staring at her, he laughed condescendingly with a single huff and gave his head a shake. Planting a palm on either side of her head, he leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

"A queen should love her king," he purred, licking a stripe along her neck. "Have you so quickly forgotten your worship of me?"

Her breath hitched. No, she most definitely had not. Never had she enjoyed sucking a man's cock until that night on the plane. Just thinking about the power she'd felt made her throb.

"Of course not." She swallowed. "But an adoring queen deserves an adoring king," she countered weakly.

"Oh, I adore you, dearest." On adore he ground himself against her with a groan.

She quelled a whimper and looked away in disgusted frustration.

"If you're going to fuck me, then fuck me. Just get it over with," she snapped.

"Are you implying this attraction is one sided?"

Pressing her lips into a tight line, she reluctantly returned her gaze to his face and shook her head.

"Then what, pray tell, is the problem?"

Annalise hesitated. Did he feel torn like she did? She wanted so badly to put herself in his hands, to trust that he'd protect her heart and mind. But he wouldn't. It wasn't in his nature to care for someone… But he certainly knew how to manipulate others into caring for him. At least, he manipulated her. Absent mindedly she wondered how much of what she begrudgingly felt for him was orgasm-induced. If you climaxed with your captor, does that make you identify with him more?

"Nothing," she mumbled.

With an exasperated sigh Loki rolled off her onto his back.

"So, my peach would prefer I not kiss her? Is that it then? Do not confuse you?"

Annalise closed her eyes and tried to rub her sleepiness away with her heels of her palms. She wanted to give up, to just give into him. But if she let him do whatever he wished with her, he'd break her, and not in the physical sense.

With a sigh she opened her eyes.

"Yes. Don't confuse me."

It wasn't until she realized Loki was silent that she turned to look at him.

He was smirking. What had she done? Had she just turned this into a game for him?

"And if I do confuse you? You will leave, abandoning your little slaves?"

"I'd take them with me," she said stubbornly, sticking her chin out.

"Yes, that would go marvelously. When I recaptured all of you, I would turn you into one of them. You would serve me, of course. But instead of the free woman you are now, you would be my slave. Does that sound preferable?"

It almost did. It took her consent out of the picture. She could be his without guilt of having consented.

Loki's eyes widened at her contemplative silence and he rolled on his side to face her.

"I have no issue keeping you naked and chained at my side all day. You know I am not bluffing."

"I know," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

When she apologized Loki made a face. Too many feelings for the King's liking.

"I do not want to repeat this conversation, Annalise."

He shoved the covers aside and rose for the day, stretching his long arms in the air before disappearing to shower.

The girl nodded and pulled her knees to her chest with a sigh. She surveyed the extravagant room. If she were in any other situation, such lush accommodations would've made her giddy. Instead, the extravagance just reminded her that some god wanted to make her Queen of Earth. Annalise wanted to burrow under the covers very badly, but she had a slew of Loki's victims to protect and she couldn't do that from bed. She waited until the water turned off before rising. Though he'd likely be puttering around the bathroom (he was fond of the consistency of human morning rituals), she'd be free to slip into the shower without being obligated to talk with him.

x

Caring for thirty civilians proved to be exhausting. Earlier in the day Annalise sent a handful of Loki's men back to the empty Westchester. The immediate area had been completely evacuated after Loki's attack, and everything was closed. Thirty was about to turn into forty-three once spouses and children arrived, and she refused to ask those in her care to don the starchy uniforms of the hotel staff.

She asked the victims to elect five leaders with whom she met regarding community functionality. She wished it unnecessary, but forty-three was a daunting number of bellies to fill

and the hotel's store was about to deplete much faster than if it had been only Loki and Co.

They needed to assign roles to maintain some type of order and continuity for the community.

Annalise and her ambassadors met through lunch and dinner to concoct a reasonable schedule and division of labor. Feeling accomplished, but exhausted, Annalise detoured through the bar on her way to her room and poured a splash of scotch. After downing it she, as expected, sputtered, immediately refilling her glass with water and gulping it down. She returned the bottle to its rightful place and poured a glob of dish soap into the glass. She hadn't realized how much of a slob she'd become over the past week or so, but she was sure Loki's men had been picking up after her. With a roll of her eyes, she sighed. How was she supposed to lead a group of people if Loki thought her above them? She promised herself she'd stop leaving messes wherever she went. Doing so would only add to the stress and workload of the group and likely foster resentment towards her.

Stomach growling, Annalise wandered to the kitchens. She found prepared sandwiches in one of the commercial refrigerators and piled a few on a plate to stuff in the mini fridge back in the room. She prayed they didn't have to deal with harnessing electricity for a few more weeks. The poor girl couldn't handle many more responsibilities.

Instead of the elevator, she opted for several flights of stairs. She was exhausted, but desperate to put off seeing Loki. She loitered on each floor, chewing idly at her food and looking at the ancient paintings mounted on the walls. Warily she scaled the final stair to the fourth floor. Slowly she walked towards her room, tracing her finger along the carved designs in the wooden paneling of the wall.

"You are not evading me, are you little peach?"

Annalise yelped in surprise and dropped her plate, heart pounding so loud she could barely hear.

"How did you know where I was?"

"You forget that I am not of this realm. I can see and smell and hear things that you do not know exist," he purred.

He advanced, forcing her back up against a room door. Behind the thick wood, she could hear the muffled sounds of a family readying for bed.

"Please," she whispered, "Not here."

"Lately you have so many conditions, little one. I think you forget who is in charge."

Her eyes widened and she shook her head, quietly pleading with him.

"Please, Loki. Please, please not here. I'll be good."

She hated begging like this. She felt like a child… But she couldn't bear for her charges to think even lower of her. It wouldn't do for there to be stories shared at breakfast of how their Queen was taken up against someone's room door the night before.

He cupped her face, ghosting his lips along her jaw.

"What if I want to confuse you? Will you behave even then?"

Her nod was hampered by his grip, but he felt the assenting shake of her head.

"Good girl."

For such a hard man, his cool lips were incredibly soft. She didn't bother to hold back her whimper. He knew he was torturing her. But she couldn't bring herself to pull away.

Annalise buried her fingers in his silky hair, making him groan. Anxiously she broke away and tugged on his hand, breathing easier when he reluctantly followed. He was villain in this story. Her charges already detested him. He could safely moan all he wanted. She, on the other hand, had a reputation at stake.

Clumsily she dug for her key card, opened the door and led him inside their room. She didn't know what to do, she'd just ruined the moment by interrupted and dragging them inside. Her eyes were desperate when they found his, silently pleading that they stay in the room instead of christening the hallways.

"Come here."

Swallowing hard, she obeyed, approaching him until she stood toe to toe with him, her eyes on her feet. Growing impatient of her mercurial timidity, he lifted her chin with a finger.

"Be a good girl," he growled.

The seven-foot man lifted her so that her legs wrapped around his waist. Once again, he sealed his mouth to hers. There was literally no escape; she was airborne. Even if she struggled, there was nowhere to go. Assuming she could spare the brain cells, she could try and pull her lips from his, but he'd likely only follow her with his mouth. Her only choice—option, rather—was to surrender.

At some point she realized he was walking. Even as he moved, his grip never wavered. She felt completely safe in his steady grasp. She heard him flick a switch and she squinted against the fluorescent bathroom lights. When he deepened the kiss she completely lost interest in their location, even as she vaguely registered the squeak of a dial and cold spray against her side. She shivered and clung to him tighter.

Talk about climbing a man like a tree. The way he held her kept her core planted too far above his cock to grind against it properly, so she twined her arms behind his neck, hooked her ankles behind his back and pulled herself up, then let herself fall just a fraction, generating just enough friction against his belly to feel the tiniest amount of relief from the throbbing between her thighs. Her head fell back as she thrust against him, and had she seen the valiant, cocky smile that curled across Loki's lips, she might have smacked him. But luckily for both of them she was too far gone to be bothered with the triumphant facial expressions of her lover.

"Fuck," she groaned as Loki vanished both of their clothes. As he walked them beneath the cool shower spray she gasped and fastened herself to him with even more gusto. He chuckled and twisted the knob toward the H until his squirming conquest calmed. She was going to spend a significant amount of time with her back pressed against cold tile; adjusting the water temperature was the least he could do.

Since her mission to eradicate confusion had been foiled, Annalise let loose. She drank from his mouth like she was parched, and he let her. Usually he took the lead with their kisses, but he was busy pinning her up against the chilly shower wall, so for once she had free reign over his mouth.

As he guided his throbbing cock inside her, her lips faltered, leaving her panting heavily against his jaw. Using his body to secure her against the wall, he slipped his arms beneath her knees, effectively bending her in half. As he began pumping, the time that lapsed between Annalise's kisses lengthened and eventually all she could manage was to gasp and sporadically bite at his jaw and neck when he thrust particularly hard.

When her oral affections waned, Loki once more used his body to keep her against the wall as he grabbed a handful of her wet hair and pulled her head back so he could sip from her mouth himself. He could feel her throbbing harder and harder around him and knew she was close. There were few things more divine than making his soon-to-be-queen come as she screamed and quivered against his lips. Repositioning his arms so he supported her once more, he plundered her mouth as he snapped his hips against hers.

Ever since Loki pushed himself inside her, Annalise had been battling insanity. Her body did her no favors. How could she have a serious argument with this man in the morning only to have him fuck the living daylights out of her that night? He'd never take her seriously… But even though she knew in the long term she really, really needed to, she couldn't bring herself to care.

Briefly Loki pulled his mouth from hers.

"Come for me, little Queen," he crooned.

Immediately his lips returned to hers. Unable to control her volume a second longer, she began keening against his mouth, grateful that his lips muffled her moans. She let out a loud whine, wordlessly begging him to pound her faster, and, like the gracious ruler he was, he obliged.

As he coaxed her into exploding from inside, she screamed. Wave after wave of pleasure bombarded her as she fell completely boneless into her lover's arms. She tried to end the kiss so she could breathe, Loki was relentless as he sought his own pleasure. She could've sworn he started to growl as his thrusts became frenzied and uneven, stuttering violently against her as he erupted inside her.

As they recovered, Loki began lowering Annalise to her feet. To both of their surprise she whined and clung to his shoulders and buried her face against his neck.

He chuckled and wrapped her hair around his hand, using it to pull her back and look her in the eye.

"If you are going to stay up here, you will have to make yourself useful."

Still dazed, Annalise looked at him and blinked.

In rare form, the King laughed and hefted her weight to one arm, using his free hand to grab a bottle of shampoo. As if daring her to refuse him, he handed it to her.

Though her breasts in his face was nothing new, the familiarity of washing his hair while he was looking at her was unnerving. She swallowed hard and squeezed a dollop of shampoo into her hand and rubbed her palms together. Very, very aware of the fact that he was still inside her, she tried to, in the most ladylike manner, flex her legs to give herself some kind of stability. Hooking her ankles behind him, he cupped a globe of her rear in one hand and splayed the palm of his other hand against her back.

Cautiously she sank her fingers into his hair. What if she got shampoo in his eyes? Did that bother gods? When he grunted and blinked slowly, his lids falling halfway shut as he watched her, she grew bolder. She ran her hands through his wet strands, working up a foamy lather.

Several times he'd bragged of things he could see and hear and smell that she couldn't. Did that mean he could feel things more intensely as well? Gently she raked her nails against his scalp, which set off a chain reaction. He groaned deep in his throat, which made her velvety walls clench around him, which made him moan even louder and stiffen inside her.

"Tilt back," she rasped, all business.

Loki smirked and did as she asked, closing his eyes as water cascaded over his hair and face. She leaned up and ran her fingers through his hair, ensuring water ran through everything evenly and that the shampoo rinsed out.

She gasped as she felt his mouth latch onto her nipple. Sternly she twisted, pulling it from between his lips.

"Stop that. I'm not finished. Give me the other bottle," she commanded.

She could feel him jerk inside her.

"Yes, my Lady," he purred, handing her the conditioner.

Once she'd massaged it into his hair, he made to tilt his head back once more when she stopped him.

When his eyes reopened and he quirked a brow, her cheeks flushed.

"It has to sit for a minute. It'll make your hair soft," she mumbled.

Even the evil King of the Puny Humans had to admit she was kind of cute.

His gaze never left hers, which was completely unnerving. It was a thousand times more intense than kissing. Whatever her next demand entailed, there would be a prohibited prolonged eye contact clause.

After a minute or so, she tried to swallow, her mouth dry.

"Okay."

Still smirking, he tilted his head back and allowed her to rinse his hair. When she was finished, he slowly dropped her to the ground, both of them sighing unhappily as he pulled out of her.

Half hard from her little scalp massage and feeling her wriggle over him as she worked, he stroked himself as he exited the shower.

"Do your shampoo and… the soft one. You have five minutes before I come and retrieve you myself. If it comes to that, you will not sit for a week, little peach."