A few days passed, with no sign of Loki having returned to the house. These days at least kept her hands busy, thanks to her continuous, nurse work at S.H.I.E.L.D.

When it wasn't her curative skills they needed, they would borrow her for other tasks - a search for a person or object of interest - someone or something potentially dangerous, or even of use to the business. She learned that there was still a lot she didn't know about the company she was working for, but wasn't ready to ask a load of questions. She would simply go with the flow of things, do what she was told, and then go home at the end of the day.

Each night, the cats would wait for her to serve dinner. She had never owned cats before - at least, she couldn't recall ever owning cats in Asgard. There were six that came to visit, some newer than others.

She was certain she had been spending more money on cat food for strays than she was spending on food for her own self!

Tonight was New Year's Eve. Nothing special for Asgardians, really, but since she was here, she might as well pretend that a new year on Earth meant something. It was freezing cold outside, however, being what she was allowed her at least some immunity to the cold. Fireworks were going off as midnight came, and from the bank of the lake was a perfect view. She had never seen such a show. It was beautiful, full of colorful sparks and loud noises, though they seemed to keep the cats in hiding. They wanted no parts of whatever was making all that loud noise.

Dahlia stood and watched in awe, a cup of hot cocoa in her hands to help keep her warm. Being earthbound certainly had its benefits.

The explosive display went on for longer than she expected it to. It hadn't even finished when she felt something wrap around her ankle. At first, she thought one of the cats had come out of hiding - however, what had snagged her was serpentine and attached to something in the water. Before she could even react, she was already being pulled in.

The water felt icy to the point that her body instantly began to hurt from it. Without even a chance to catch her breath, Dahlia's lungs felt tight as she tried to struggle out of whatever had snagged her. It was too dark to see anything, and so she used her hands to try and pry off the appendage around her ankle. Another limb grabbed her other foot, pulling her further down from the surface. She tried to calm herself, and though her heart raced like the hooves of a running horse, she concentrated on summoning her blades. The sickles would suddenly shoot through the top of the lake, slicing through both of the binds to release her. She thought she heard a sort of inhuman scream pierce the lake as she resurfaced, and soon after she climbed her way out, a gigantic shape emerged from the water, blocking the view of the fireworks.

"Uh oh..." she muttered. Holding out her hands to snatch her flying scythes, she stared up at five heads, each of which seemed to be a snake, but appeared to be attached to a single body.

Asgard had seen its share of monsters, and even the Valkyrie took on a good deal of large beasts - but not commonly did they fight as a lone warrior, especially against something so great.

One of the heads came down, seething and hissing as its fangs bared at her., and she was pretty sure that was venom dripping from its cavernous mouth.

Dahlia would swing with her right blade, then her left. Neither of them landed, considering the hydra moved faster than she could keep up. Again, another head would lunge at her, and this time, the blade struck. A louder, pained hiss filled the air, seeming to blend with the sounds of growling and the distant fireworks. While she had the advantage, the Valkyrie jumped from the ground, her body lifting higher from the ground than any, mere human could. The blade would latch onto the injured serpent, ready to take it down before she would leap to the second head.

Yet, just as she did a number on it, another came in to rip her away with a terrifying snarl. A horrible pain filled her leg, as if a dagger had penetrated it down to the bone. Dahlia cried out in pain, her body restricted in the jaws of the serpent until it would throw her to the ground.

The landing only worsened the pain. With the sickle still embedded in the beast, she could barely even lift herself to call it.

Suddenly, the hydra let out a strange, blood-curdling scream. She couldn't see at first what was happening, her vision was blurring fast, but against the darkness, she thought she saw a rapid flash of green.

Loki...

The pain was too much to keep her rooting for him. Yet, through her hazed eyes, she saw the beast eventually fall into the water, the lake finally stilling after a long struggle.

She thought she had only closed her eyes for a minute. Yet, when she opened them again, she found herself laying on the couch of the living room, a fire roaring to give it light and warmth. There was a blanket over her, and against the back of her calves was one of the cats that came to frequently visit - one she had named Bo. He was the first cat that came her way, and the one that came every night for dinner, more religious than a good Christian going to church every Sunday.

Dahlia smiled faintly, careful not to disturb the feline as she pulled back the blanket from her leg. The bite wound seemed to have been managed with anti-venom and bandaging. Save for some blood on the gauze, the bite looked clean.

Had Loki done this?

The flesh around the gash was still a bit sore, especially when she tried to move, but she got to her feet with care. Wherever her aid had gone to, he didn't seem to be in the house any more. She limped towards the bathroom, her body feeling heavy and damp from her clothes. Putting pressure on her leg only seemed to stimulate the blood flow, even with the bandage, so she tried to use any horizontal surface that she could as a crutch.

Once the hot water began running in the bathtub, Dahlia cautiously removed her clothes. All she needed was a spell on the bathwater to be rid of this bite completely. Thankfully, someone had helped rid her of the potent poison already.

She mumbled a few words, then waved her hand over the bubbly basin in two, full circles. Once she climbed in, she sank into the foam, warmth and comfort washing over her. She closed her eyes, using her hands to wash the excess blood off of her leg.

There wasn't much, hardly even enough to tint the bathwater, but her hand was soon quick to wander as the wound would heal itself. She stopped just as quickly as she had started; her fingers fell short between her legs, and she cleared her throat before resorting to cleaning the rest of her body.

The water had cooled a great deal by the time she finally got out of the tub. She retrieved a fresh towel to wrap around herself, then went up to the bedroom. All of the lights in the house were shut off by now, and the world seemed silent.

Going to the balcony outside of her room, Dahlia filled up two bowls with cat food. As she waited for them to come, she would pick out a change of clothes. As the towel dropped to the floor, she would give her leg one more examination. By now, there was nothing more than a small scar - one that would disappear over time.

She heard a mewl behind her coming from the balcony. To her surprise, the black cat that sat by the closed door seemed to want in, but it wasn't Bo. In fact, this was a new face.

After hurriedly pulling a robe over herself, Dahlia went to the glass door to open it up, letting the feline inside. "Pretty cold out there, huh?" she asked him. Again, the cat meowed, rubbing his body along her leg and looking up at her with bright, green eyes.

For a moment, Dahlia paused. She took a moment to discard the damp towel into the basket with the rest of her dirty clothes. "It's been a really long night. If every New Year's Eve is like this on earth, we might not be alive for very much longer."

She smiled faintly, then added, "Don't you think so, Loki?"

As she turned around, the God of Mischief stood in the room where the cat had been. Dahlia couldn't be fooled. Not this time.

"Couldn't stay away, could you?"

"Just as it seems you can't stay out of trouble," he replied, taking a casual step forward. He was still quite bold, showing up here...

But he did save her life.

"Seems we have that in common," Dahlia said, taking in a short breath through her lips. She knew she should have been prepared for their closeness, but somehow, she was still thrown off her guard.

"It's good to see you managed to heal," he said.

...Was he stalling?

"Mhmm," Dahlia hummed, shifting slightly.

He was most definitely stalling.

"Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to do this."

Her instincts accelerated faster than she could anchor them. Her hands pushed firmly against his chest, and once she had him pinned between herself and the wall, she claimed his lips in a hot kiss. Loki seemed to melt into her, both of them intoxicated by the sudden shroud of lust in the room. She wasn't sure what had come over her - only that she regretted not listening to her body before.

Then, to her surprise, he gained control to push her against the wall - a very familiar situation that she wouldn't be in a hurry to get out of this time. She felt his hand pull at her thigh, guiding her leg to hook around his hip. A moan sounded in the depths of her throat as their bodies collided, the feeling leaving her both weakened and yet, all the more energetic.

"You're not going to hold me hostage this time?" he inquired, his breath tickling her mouth. She bit her lip, ignoring the reasoning she had been trying to listen to just a few days ago.

"No," she whispered, and as if to make sure she wouldn't change her mind, he took her waist, grinding into her and pushing her harder into the barrier.

"I won't say it wasn't fun, but I've never been great with being held down."

Dahlia gasped, her fingers clutching at his shoulders. Her muscles tightened, desperate for a release. "Gods, just do it..." she pleaded.

He seemed amused, and as his fist curled about her white-blonde hair, he yanked slightly, forcing back her head. "There's only one god you should be addressing right now."

She grinned slightly through parted lips, though inside, she was trembling with anticipation. "Is this going to be a war for supremacy?" she asked.

"Perhaps," he replied, his lips brushing along her neck. "I do love a good fight. Gets the adrenaline rushing..."

She couldn't say she disagreed. As a Valkyrie, she was born a warrior, and sometimes she enjoyed it more than she probably should. Of course, this was only fun - but still potentially dangerous.

All the better.

Her hand went for his wrist - the same whose hand was still wrapped in her locks. He didn't let go. Not at first - up until her knee would slam his leg in order to knock him off of his feet. She had him where she wanted him once he landed on his kneecap, giving her a look of determination that suggested he would not go down easily. Loki yanked her down by her arm, her back slamming into the ground and unable to get back up once his body pinned her into the carpet. By now, her robe had fallen open through the brief brawl, her breasts protruding the cool air. His hands felt good on her flesh - warm and sensual as they explored her chest. Then, he used one hand to unfasten himself. Though it was dark enough in the room to make it difficult to see, she knew he had to be gifted down below.

After all, he was the son of the Frost Giant King.

Driven by one, final push of persistence, Dahlia took this moment to reclaim her domination, thrusting all of her weight to push him onto his back. In one, fell swoop, she mounted him, her body sinking down on his as it was all but impaled. A long drone of pleasure emanated from her throat, and once her thighs pressed down on his, her body gave a tremble. She could only think to take a moment to savor how blissful it felt. Admittedly, she had been craving Loki for days, though she wouldn't have said it out loud. She did, however, imagine that it would have happened sooner or later.

And she was glad it did.

Her thoughts were interrupted as he pushed upward into her, raising her from the ground slightly. Again, Dahlia moaned with him, her hands tearing to remove every scrap of leather from his torso as she rode the waves. Each time he would push up into her. it was as if she could feel her heart launching itself upward towards her throat. Then, like a beast who had caught onto the smell of blood, she pushed him into the ground with ferocious strength, almost seeming to stun Loki as she reclaimed dominion over him.

In turn, he shredded away the silk that covered her, discarding it to some dark corner of the room to be forgotten until the rise of the sun.

Their exchange lasted almost just as long - several hours of pure, feral lust keeping them in consistent fervor from the floor to the bed. She had counted four orgasms before he finally imbued her with his own, pinning her into the mattress as if he was going in for the kill.

The entire encounter had taken a lot out of her. Her body was limp beneath him, and before she could stop herself, she had fallen asleep to kisses on her shoulder.

It came as no real surprise that when her eyes reopened, there was no trace of Loki in the room.