Horrible Terrible Things

Chapter Twenty-Five

When Thor had told me he expected me for dinner he was being modest. It was a fucking party.
I wondered if Thor had invited half of the kingdom's nobility to impress our guests or to piss me off for taking so long to come downstairs. I was terrified of what I would be walking into. I would do good on my promise to Thor but what was I meant to do when Loki so obviously placed himself in the centre of my world?

Every strategy I had come up with would inevitably be futile because I couldn't for the life of me guess what his reaction would be. If I ignored him would he laugh, grow angry, tease me, humiliate me? What if I was polite but withdrawn, would he throw all of our secrets in front of Thor and our guests to get a rise out of me or would he grow bored and plan to play with me later?

And then that also left Kit. Who the fuck was he and what did he want? How much of what he had told me had been a lie? Surely he wouldn't disclose to Thor what happened in the cells, would he?

I stood at the open doors of the dining room as my gaze wandered, looking for Thor amongst the opulently dressed guests whose eyes landed on me and my traditional Asgardian dress of black and gold. Though Thor's garb was also fit for battle, my dress was nothing more than sheer pieces of chiffon that wrapped around my breasts fell over my shoulders and dropped to the floor in soft waves. A thick and heavy piece of gold armour cinched in at my waist and as I walked the skirt parted at my thighs.

The dress covered enough of me but still as guests continued to stare as I made my entrance, my hands felt clammy and I couldn't help but notice their eyes as they passed over me and flickered to the space on top of my head where my circlet crown was meant to be.

I wondered how quickly news had spread of my rage in the palace gardens and was more than a little pissed off that even though I was their princess I was still the topic of their gossip. My anxiety morphed into contempt quickly as I met their stares with a harsh glare, not quite in the mood to feel belittled in my own home, my palace.

My chest burned with hot, white rage and the sudden onrush of it surprised me. I glanced at my clammy hands to see swirls of my power caressing my fingers like rings of magenta mist. I shook my hands like I might rid myself of it but it did not disappear, instead, I chose to ignore it hoping it would go away. I had enough fucking problems that I didn't need to imagine myself turning into the Antichrist in the middle of my dad's impromptu dinner party with half of the kingdom.

I shifted through the crowd, packed tightly and spilling out onto the terrace overlooking the expanse of ocean and to the left the city of New Asgard that followed the coast lit with a soft golden glow. Deep music echoed throughout the dining hall, large wooden tables were overfilled with food, and every single guest had a silver goblet in hand, some even two. I scanned the crowd for a servant I might snatch a goblet from, the Asgardian wine would do wonders for my nerves and it would help to have something in my hands.

Though I was searching for Loki, hoping to spot his dark hair or a swath of his emerald clothing. I couldn't fucking help myself, even after he had left me in the gardens, even after my promise to Thor, I had to see him - to keep myself away from him, at least a small distance away.

I had convinced myself that if he was here that meant he couldn't keep away from me. At this point, his presence felt like a safety blanket - one that was on fire -but I knew that our mating bond meant he needed to ensure my safety. Right?

Sharp curses caught my attention and I spotted Thor upon a raised dais on the terrace, standing between several overstuffed chaise lounges and opposite him stood Loki. My stomach twisted at the sight of him but I refused to let myself think about the other responses my body was having to see him as I gathered my gown in my hands to descend the stairs, there was no railing and people were already so half-drunk that no one moved out of my way so I had to keep my eyes in front of me and on the shit show I was quite literally walking into.