Chapter 21

April hurried back to the cottage leaving Linden, or whatever the hell his name really was, smirking on the bench. He seemed to delight in winding her up. She sighed. But after what he had done for her she could hardly complain.

Her mind was a chaos of emotion. Seeing David, even when she knew it wasn't David, had been both painful and wonderful; heartbreaking and a miracle; so very bittersweet. He had seemed so incredibly real that she hadn't been able to resist that kiss, even while she had been conscious, at the back of her mind, that the consequences could be dangerous. But it had been worth it. It had felt exactly like David. His mouth, his lips, his kiss even if it hadn't been him on the inside. The only thing that had been slightly off was the smell of him. An unusual but not unpleasant scent of…how could she describe it…metal and leather?

It had prompted her to come to her senses and quickly pull away, though when she did she had been surprised to see that pain in his eyes again that mirrored her own. And yet those emotions must have belonged to the sorcerer. She wasn't sure how she felt about him caressing her face but it had felt like David's hand, his warmth, so she had welcomed it, making the most of the fantasy while it lasted.

She dragged trembling hands through her hair. It was crazy! So much had happened in…god, had it only been a day? It couldn't be! It felt like a week! Her nerves were frayed to ribbons! If it wasn't for the magic she would probably be totally freaking out, but it was enough of a compensation, acting like a balm, soothing and distracting. Just thinking about what the sorcerer was capable of filled her with giddy excitement.

She knew one thing. All this drama was suddenly giving her an appetite, which seemed so wrong somehow, surely she should be too scared to eat? But again, it was the magic that was distracting her from all the other things - bad things - the man might be capable of.

Pizza and ice cream! That was what she needed right now. Good old fashioned comfort food. Her stomach growled at the thought and she licked her lips. She was going to order the biggest mother of a pizza on the takeaway menu. And have a whole tub of Ben and Jerrys to follow. As she opened the kitchen door she wondered, a touch hysterically, whether her magical interloper had ever tasted either. Did they even have pizza or ice cream where he came from?

Loki felt perplexed as he sat on the bench staring across the meadow. Despite Thanos, despite his troubles with his family and the Avengers, he felt unusually relaxed in the mortal's garden. He didn't think he had ever felt quite this…calm. His mind rebelled, of course, appalled by it, eager for bedlam, to cause some kind of disruption however small, it was in his nature after all. But this was the first time, in a long time, that he wasn't so willing to give in to that presiding facet of his psyche, even if it was for a few brief moments.

The feeling reminded him of his mother in a way, and he liked that. It made him feel closer to her. She had never made him feel bad about his true chaotic nature but she had always been such a serene, still woman that he always felt he had to rein in his zeal when he was around her. Maybe it was the mortal's garden that was effecting him. He had always spent the most quality time with his mother in either her gardens or the library.

He suddenly caught movement in his peripheral vision but before he could react, the mortal's cat was already on the bench beside him.

He raised an eyebrow. "I admire your stealth, little beast."

The cat ignored him and proceeded to lick his paw.

Loki grinned as he watched the animal's meticulous administrations. "Sasha, I presume."

The cat finally looked up and they locked eyes. Despite himself, Loki gave him a tickle beneath the chin and was rewarded with a faint purring.

"No more butterflies, I'm afraid. At least not outside."

Petting the cat seemed to relax him even more and when it curled up beside him, leaning against his thigh, he did not object. He was only surprised and oddly touched that the animal trusted him so readily.

He frowned thoughtfully as he reflected upon the mortal's actions. She had taken quite the risk kissing him, taking advantage of his magic in such a way. He chuckled to himself. Not that he had any complaints. His only grievance was that she had cut it so short.

His frown deepened. He could not deny it. He was attracted to her and not just physically. She intrigued him. It was quite unexpected. He was usually drawn to strong confident women, yet she was not only weak like all mortals, but so terribly fragile. He could snap her like a twig if she wasn't already broken, shattered by her grief. And yet…there was strength within her. Courage and fortitude, despite her anguish and pain. It wasn't that she didn't cower before him, she did, and rightly so, but she fought it, tried to rise above it. He could see the struggle, the defiance, in her eyes. She had backbone and he admired her for it.

He swallowed uncomfortably. Maybe he was also drawn to her because he shared her pain and felt just as splintered. Could someone like her possibly be a kindred spirit? They were as different as night was to day and yet he felt inexplicably connected to her already.

Shocked, he shook his head in denial, taken aback that he would even entertain such a notion, balking at the very idea. Quickly rising from the bench, oblivious to the fact that he had startled the cat and sent it rushing into the nearest flowerbed, he headed back to the cottage, determined not to dwell upon such absurdities. He smirked devilishly. Instead, he would dwell upon how best to fluster her next.

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