The Nightwalker: Cursed Blood

Frigga's Tomb

"You can call me Heimdall," The man that stood before us smiled. I stare in horror at Thanos, or rather, the man who we once thought was Thanos as he is flanked by more Black Order soldiers.
"Oh my god," I stuttered as I gripped the back of Loki's jacket.
"That name... I have heard it before..." Loki tilted his head. Sif steps forward, placing herself in front of Loki and me, her daggers sliding from hidden sheaths.
"Because he was turned by the first vampire, just as Odin was. He is the first son," Sif growled. Heimdall bares his fangs at Odin's name.
"You know nothing, whelp. NOTHING!" Heimdall yells, his voice echoing around the room.
"Call me that again and I will break you in half, old man," Sif warned, spinning her daggers in her hands. Heimdall's men swivel to aim their crossbows at Sif.
"Try it," Heimdall warned.
"Give me the word, Grand Cleric. I'll end them here and now,"
"Hold steady, Commander Maw. I can take them myself," Heimdall waved his hand at the commander. Thor glances at me uneasily. I shrug. I have no idea what is going on.
"So if he is as close to the first vampire as Odin is... Does that mean he's crazy powerful too?" Thor spoke, readying himself for a fight.
"More than you can imagine," Heimdall glared at Thor "Now step away from the Tree of Eternal Life or I will strike you down," Heimdall raised his hand and pointed to the right. I glance at Loki and he nods. Reluctantly, we all step away.
"I don't understand. The head of the Black Order... the vampire hunters... is a vampire?" I spoke as Loki kept me close.
"How could you betray your own kind like this? How could you kill so many of us?" Loki snarled.
"I am not one of you! You are the spawn of Odin! Abominations! Just like him!" Heimdall spat.
"Hey! I'm not a spawn of the bastard!" Thor bellowed.
"Oh, but you are. When Frigga died, there were only two vampires. Odin and I. And I never turned anyone! Every last one of your blight is his spawn," Thor shuddered.
"Even if that is true-"
"ENOUGH!" Heimdall interrupted Thor. Thor's eye glowed. he hated being interrupted "You come into my home. My domain. You desecrate this place. You stand before me. Monster cloaked in human skin," Thor glares at Heimdal and unsheaths his sword. But Loki puts his arm out to stop him. With a deep breath, I take a few steps forward.
"Emily..." Loki spoke as he just managed to pull me back to him.
"Heimdall... Heimdall... I am a human. Someone you are trying to protect, right?" I said as Heimdall stared at me "So, tell me... How have you survived this long?"
"What?" he frowned at me. Not in anger but in confusion. To be honest, I don't even know why I am asking him. I just remember that bad guys love to talk. And Heimdall is a bad guy.
"If you are a vampire, doesn't that mean you need to drink blood to survive?" Heimdall scoffs at the question.
"Living off the blood of others... Such a disgusting means of existence," Heimdall shivered.
"You still do it though," Sif stated. Heimdall reluctantly nodded.
"Only the bare minimum, donated by the willing. Just a few drops every week... just enough to stay alive," I think I just saw the colour drain from his face. He placed a hand over his heart "Drinking so little, it aged me. Changed my appearance. But I do not regret it,"
"Doesn't the hunger drive you mad?" Loki asked.
"Perhaps it did once. Then I learned to ignore it. To focus instead on something sweeter," Heimdall shrugged, his face unreadable "Righteous vengeance,"
"So, How did you start the Black Order?" I cleared my throat. Heimdall is quiet for a moment, his eyes lingering on the tree.
"I was the first disciple of Frigga. The first vampire to be turned. I was her advisor. Her strategist. Her right hand. I served many years at her side, as faithful and foolish as a mutt. I believed she could accomplish great things," Heimdall smiles briefly, He seems to be remembering the few good times that he must have had with Frigga "But I was wrong. All accomplished were bloodshed and strife, cruelty and misery. So many killed... so many. Frigga went mad with power. Mad with grief. Mad with emotions. All she cared about was herself... her ascension. I came to understand what she was. What we are. And I had to end it,"
"By doing the same things that she did?" Loki frowned.
"Do not compare me to her. She hurt people. Innocents. The Black Order and I have only hunted beasts,"
"That ain't true!" I yelled. Heimdall tilted his head at me. I tried to rush forward but Loki held me tightly. A Black Order soldier aimed his crossbow at me "In Paris, your men shot and killed humans that were only having a drink! Claiming that they didn't leave survivors,"
"Hmmm, Collateral damage," Heimdall shrugged.
"You are such a dick," I spat. Heimdall shrugged again "How can you say that your Black Order bastards protect humans from vampires when you are also killing them?! Bunch of fucking hypocrites,"
"You know nothing, little girl. You're just a human," Heimdall shouted at me. I raised my fist but Loki kept his grip on me.
"Just a human? If you weren't a vampire that was hiding behind his puppets then I would gladly show you what this human will do to you," I fought against Loki's hold. I would love to go and slap the bastard. I slowly stopped fighting as Loki tightened his grip around my waist "But since I can't come over there and knock you the fuck out, I will ask you this. What happened between you and Odin?"
"Once I understood the evil Frigga was inflicting upon the world, I also understood that I had to stop it. So I killed her. Impaled her the very tree that gave her life," Heimdall pointed to the tree. Thor looked at me and I nodded "I was able to escape as Odin grieved, But I soon came to realise that I should have stayed to end him too,"
"Wish you did," Sif and Thor grumbled.
"In the name of his beloved goddess Frigga, he began to travel all across Europe, spreading his bloodline across the continent. Creating an army of his brood, an army that fed, killed and slaughtered anyone they wanted," Heimdall placed his hands behind him, rocking back and forth on his feet "Yes, I knew I had to do something to counter him,"
"But you couldn't do it alone," Sif spoke, watching as the guard spread out a little.
"No. I am but one man. So I recruited humans to join my cause. Good people. Soldiers. Warriors. Knights to try and put a stop to this vampire plague" The soldiers placed their hands above their hearts and chanted their little theme tune.
"We serve the Holy Light! We stand against the dark!"
"We are the flame, the blade, the lions of light!" That chanted.
"Oh, will you lot just shut the fuck up?" I groaned. Thor chuckled behind me while Loki smirked. One guard gave me the middle finger. So I kindly repaid the gesture. With both middle fingers "And they follow you even though you yourself are a vampire?"
"Only my most trusted officers know. And they understand. Don't you?" Heimdall turned to the Commander Maw.
"Odin's line is the abomination! Grand Cleric Thanos is touched by the light!" Commander Maw stood to attention.
"Good god," Loki moaned. I rolled my eyes. I have had enough of these bastards.
"We had almost succeeded in wiping out the vermin in the 16th century and then Odin fled to the New World, out of grasp, where he built his shadow Kingdom. His New Asgard,"
"So all of this... all of our history... was just a war between you two? A spat between siblings!?" Loki spat, his face full of anger.
"Petty bastard," Thor scoffed, folding his arms.
"Pathetic," Sif spat.
"If you hate vampires so much, then why bother staying alive? Are you not one of the 'abominations' you hate?" I glared. Heimdall finally showed emotion. Hatred. but not just for other vampires but for himself as well.
"Oh, I am. and I loath every single miserable thing about my existence. I loathe my hunger. I loathe my strength. I loathe myself," Heimdall clenched his hands into fists so tightly, I thought the knuckles were about to burst through the skin "When the last spawn of Odin is dead... I walk into the sunlight and I will be grateful as I burn. But not a day sooner,"
"Heimdall... listen to me... we are on the same side. We want to stop Odin as much as you do," Sif spoke up, her voice calm. She walked a little bit further in front of us "He's gone too far. He's mad with power,"
"That's why we are here in the first place... To find a way to kill the son of a bitch" Thor clenched his fists as he took a step or two to stand by Loki and me.
"Just like you killed the first," Loki stated. Heimdall cocks his head to the side, considering our words then curls his upper lip in derision.
"Such pretty words. But I know better than to trust what the Blood Queen herself says"
"What?" Sif seems shaken by the title, even taking a half step back. I went to take a step forward but knowing that Loki would stop me, I stayed still.
"Oh yes, I know all about you. Consort of Odin. His so-called Queen. A monster as vile and cruel as he was," Heimdall spoke with venom "As if I would ever take your word after what you two did in Argos. In Versailles. In Pompeii," Sif's expression hardens as she comes back to herself.
"I did many terrible things in my youth, Thanos. Things I will regret to my dying day but so did you. You are not the first son anymore. And I am no longer the Blood Queen. I've changed. Grown. Just as we all have" She approaches him, hand out before her in offering "If you will accept our help, we can work together to put a stop to Odin for good. To end this nightmare and prevent more violence,"
"To build a better world," I added. Heimdall looks down at Sif's hand, his face blank. He reaches out as if to clasp it but instead slaps it away.
"Like hell. I will never ally myself with you," He turns to his soldiers "Kill them," The Black Orders fire their crossbow bolts at us. Thor and Sif dive to the side. A bolt hurtles at me and Loki spins us around, shielding me with his body. He yells out as a bolt punches into his shoulder and another into his side.
"Loki!" Loki straightens up, rips the bolts out of his shoulder and hurls it at the soldier who shot it, catching him in the throat.
"Hrrk!" The solder drops dead.
"Loki! Are you okay?" I place my hand on his chest.
"Don't worry about me. You can be my nurse later," Loki winks at me, then glares at Heimdall over his shoulder "Let's focus on taking them out," I smirk as I nod. My man was okay.
"Got it," Loki lets me go and he vamps and runs to Heimidall.

Staring at the soldiers, I take the crossbow that Thor gave me earlier and aim it at the nearest Black Order soldier.
"Hey, assholes! Let's see how you like it!" I pull the trigger and the bolt goes flying through the air. The bolt hits the soldier in the chest, sending her crashing to the ground.
"Acck!"
"Hell yeah!" I cheered. Another soldier pulls out his electric sword to charge at me but I fire another bolt at him. It nails him in the shoulder, driving him down with a scream "Okay. Yeah, I could get used to this,"

I look around for the others, nearby Thor and Sif fend off two soldiers at once each while Loki goes for Heimdall. But despite his appearance and age, he moves with startling quickness, effortlessly evading Loki's attacks.
"How are you so damn fast?!" Loki hurls a punch and Heimdall catches his fist, squeezing hard to crush his hand.
"Experience trumps youth, boy," I need to distract the bastard. I pick up a nearby rock and throw it at Heimdall.
"Hey, old man!" The rock bounces harmlessly off his shoulder "Your Black Order wankers are pathetic! You're going to lose!" Heimdall's eyebrow titches as he spares me an unimpressed glance.
"I had hoped to end this without taking a human life but it appears that you have decided to test my resolve," He takes a step forward and Thor dives forward, smashing a fist across Heimdall's face with a flying leap "Urg!"
"Yeah! Get him!" Thor hits the ground, turns around, and stares at his hand in disbelief.
"I think... I think I just broke my wrist with his face," he clenched his hand a few times and I then heard the bone crack and click back in place.
"I'm just getting started," Heimdall clicks his neck.

Nearby, Sif charges at two soldiers with a growl. They level their crossbows at her and fire but she drops low, sliding toward them on her knees as the bolts whistle over her head.
"Oh, crap," The soldier gasps. Sif slides between them, daggers whistling through the air in hot solver streaks. The two soldiers stand there stunned and then they both collapse.
"And you can stay down," Yet even as she gloats, Commander Maw comes up behind her, his electric sword raised.
"No!" I raise my crossbow "Sif, Watch out!" Sif spins away just in time as I fire the crossbow. The bolt hits the Maw in the side.
"Uggh!" He lurches away and Sif grabs him in a headlock, shattering his neck with a brittle crack.
"Nice shot, Emily," Sif praised.
"I do my best," I shrugged, grinning.
"Are you doing okay, Emily?"
"Yeah, I think so... for now, anyway," I let out a puff of air as I fired my crossbow at another guard.
"Good. Just a few more left," Sif nods.

Sif runs to join Loki in squaring off against Heimdall, who is still holding his own. Nearby Thor fights the remaining soldiers.
"Come on!" Thor taunts. A soldier fires her crossbow but Thor deflects it with a swing of his sword "That the best you got?!" I notice an electric sword on the ground. I grab it. I could use it but I have no training with a sword.
"Thor! Incoming!" I toss the sword to him and he grabs it without looking. A grin spreads across his face.
"Now, It's a party!" Wielding both swords at once, Thor runs at the guards, slicing through them with a whirl, dropping one, two, three.
"Yeah!" I cheer. Thor comes to stand by my side once he is done. Thor and I turn at the sound of a strangled shout.

Loki hangs back from the fight, his right arm mangled, nearly cut off at the elbow. Heimdal paces towards him, holding one of the soldier's swords.
"Loki!" I cry out. Thor stops me from running to him.
"Pathetic! All of you!" Sif rushes at Heimdall but he backhands her and she goes flying, sliding along the floor, Blood trickles from her lip. Thor snarls by my side and before I can stop him, Thor charges at Heimdall. Their swords lock with a horrible scraping sound.
"Three against one and you are still losing? Perhaps Odin's blood is much thinner than I thought," Heimdall takes advantage of an opening and drives his sword into Thor's stomach.
"Uggh..." Both of Thor's swords go clattering across the floor as Heimdall kicks him down, pressing his boot into Thor's chest. Sif struggles to her feet and Loki is still trying to get his arm back to normal.
"Thor! No!" I call out, trying to find a bolt to fire. Heimdall laughs hoarsely as he lifts his sword, aiming to sever Thor's head from his body.
"No --" But before Heimdall can let his sword fall, he staggers back, holding his head.
"Urrrk!" He cries out in pain and falls to his knees, gasping and wheezing. Thor quickly gets up and scrambles away, retrieving his swords. Confused, I look towards the door, a grin on my face.
"Melody!"
"Did you miss me?" Melody grins as I run to her. She holds her arms out for me. I quickly hugged her tightly "Sorry, I'm late but I had to make a quick pit stop at the holding cells. Because look who I found," Melody steps to the right, grinning. 
"Who?" I tilt my head. All I see are shadows.
"Someone who is gonna make them all pay!" My eyes widen as I recognize that voice. I look at Loki. Relief floods his face "Did you miss me?"
"SYLVIE!" Loki and I both shout. Sylvie steps forward and holds her hand out, focusing her psychic attack on Heimdall.
"Hello, everyone. So sorry if I have caused you any distress," She smiles at us.
"We are just glad to see you alive," Sif sits on her knees. Heimdal tries to fight against the psychic blast. His hand curled tighter around his sword hilt.
"You... abomination!" Heimdall growls and then cries out again.
"Yeah, yeah. I've heard it all before," Sylvie rolls her eyes at him.
"That's it, Sylvie. Just hold him there," Loki smiled as he went to help Sif to her feet.

Behind Melody and Sylvie, someone emerges from the shadows, aiming a crossbow at Sylvie's back.
"St-step away!" A small voice stutters.
"Oh! It's you!" It's the cadet from the classroom. The one who asked if all vampires were irredeemable.
"Nobody... Nobody makes any sudden movements," The cadet tries to act brave but even I can see he is shaking.
"Kid, Why are you doing this? Why are you with them?" I walked slowly up to the kid, hands in the air.
"I thought this place would be exciting. That I would go on adventures. That I could save people," The kid speaks.
"You don't have to fight us. We don't want to hurt you but... but if you get in our way, we will have no choice," I lower my hands as I am now less than 5 feet away from the lad "We are on an important mission, one that will save countless lives but all the Black Order wants is, to destroy us,"
"I...I..."
"Please make the right choice," I beg, clasping my hands together. The kid looks so confused. He looks past me and stares at his boss.
"You... coward... I will... kill you..." Heimdal growls and glares at the recruit.
"I..."
"Kill them... NOW!" The recruit, still shaking, lifts his crossbow higher.
"Emily..." Sif's eyes meet mine and the implication is clear. The choice is mine.
"Listen, Kid. You can still walk away from this," I raise my hands again and step toward the recruit. Now, I am only a foot away from him "Please, we don't want to hurt you. Just put the crossbow down and we'll let you leave,"
"You... you will?" I nod and the recruit glances at Heimdall, who still shakes under Sylvie's hold.
"He won't be a threat to you. We will make sure of it," The recruit's eyes filled with frightened tears.
"I didn't want any of this. This... This was my father's idea... I wanted... to make him... proud... I... I just want to go home," The recruit takes the bolt out of the crossbow and throws the crossbow away.
"Thank you. You made the right choice," I relax slightly.
"No... Thank you for helping me realize what I should have done a long time ago," the lad bows, taking off his Black Order jacket and tossing it away.
"Emily, Are we really just going to let him go? We should at least tie him up, just in case he is lying," Sif speaks, coming to stand by my side.
"If... If that's what you need to do..." The recruits hesitantly hold his wrists out and Sif binds them together with a scrap of fabric from a dead soldier's uniform.
"Sit there against the wall while we deal with your boss," Sif pointed to the wall.
"Yes, ma'am!" The lad did as he was told. We moved away from the kid and went back to the others.

"How are you doing Sylvie?" Sif asked. a hand on her shoulder. Sylvie continues her hold over Heimdall, who trembles and growls.
"He's strong and resisting. I don't know how much longer I can hold him," She mumbles.
"Then let's be quick getting that stake," Sif walks up to the Tree of Eternal Life, knife in hand. Carefully, she presses the blade against the cut she made earlier. Then she hesitates.
"Sif?" I tilt my head and then stare at Loki. When she pulls the knife away, It's streaked with a glimmering red substance.
"If we drank this, We would be strong enough to defeat Odin. To stand against him as his equal in power," Loki comes to stand beside her, looking grim. They exchange a knowing glance.
"Drinking from the tree... It... will change us forever. There would be no going back," Loki speaks softly. Sif licked her lips "The people we were... that we are now... will go away forever,"
"It would be death," Sif nods.
"I had a taste of that back when I took the serum. I lost myself. Trapped in my body but powerless to control it. It was worse than death,"
"But this is undoubtedly the surest way to stop Odin... It must be done," Sif brings the knife up to her lips. But Loki gently grabs her wrist. He takes the knife from her and she stares at him in surprise "Loki... It should be me. The bastard is right. The things I have done, the blood that I have shed. Look at everything I have done,"
"No. You're finally beginning to forgive yourself, Sif. I can't let you go through that horror again. You've transcended the darkness... but it's all I am. It's what I am, Let me do this," Loki holds the knife above her head. he knows full well she can get it if she wants. Sif opens her mouth to reply, then closes it with a shaky breath "We have to defeat Odin. He created me to be a monster so a monster is what I will have to become," Loki raised the knife to his lips.
"Stop!" I rush forward towards him, my hand extended, Loki turns to me, surprised.
"Emily... I'm sorry but I have to do this,"
"But you don't. Please, reconsider. You know that this will change you," I stand in front of him as Sif backs off slightly "You deserve so much more than to become the thing that Odin wanted you to be,"
"Emily..." Loki speaks. I grab Loki's wrist and hold the knife as far away from his as possible. It's strange how little he is fighting me.
"I can't let you do this. I won't let you do this," I try to pull Loki's fingers off the knife. Loki sighs, glancing at the red substance that drips steadily off the knife's edge.
"I wish there were another way, but--"
"Of course, there is always another way! That bloody stake that we came here for, remember?!" I shout at Loki, hoping to snap him out of whatever mind fuck he is in "Loki... You are not a monster. No matter what Odin told you. You're a man who has endured so much but has always come out stronger"
"Emily..." I cover his mouth.
"It is that strength that will beat Odin. Stooping to his level will mean that you are playing right into his hands," Loki is silent, his eyes still on the knife. I can feel the tension in the wrist that I am holding "This won't make you stronger. This won't give us an edge. Don't you see? It's your kindness and your compassion that gives us the advantage over Odin. You find goodness despite your past and what you have been through. You have the decency that Odin will never have that," Loki's breath catches at my words and slowly he lowers the knife.
"Emily..." Breathing out a sigh of relief, I cup his cheek and press my mouth to his. He returns the kiss tenderly, gratefully, sweeping my hair back as he caresses my face "You are the most incredible person I have ever met. I... I'm so sorry. I thought..."
"You don't have to become a monster, Loki," I lean to the side and stare at Sif "And you are not a monster either, Sif,"
"We are better than him. We are better than what he turned us into," Sif reaches down and squeezes Loki's hand "Let's stand together. Stand strong and show him that," He nods. Sif looks on with misty eyes, giving me a thankful smile.

After taking a minute to collect himself, Loki uses the knife to carve out a stake from the tree's bark.
"This is all we will need," he holds the stake out in front of him.
"P... pathetic... all of you..." I roll my eyes as we all turn back to Heimdal, who is slowly regaining control over himself. Sylvie is shaking as sweat rolls down her face.
"I... I can't... I can't hold him..." She drops to her knees, hands still outstretched, Melody tries to keep her upright.
"No... you can't," He manages to flick a wrist and a small device appears in his hand. His thumb hovers over a button.
"What the hell is that?" I point. Heimdall looks up at me and his eyes burn with hatred.
"Holy fire," He grins. eyes wide.
"NO!" Thor leaps forward, swinging his hammer in an arc "Rah!" His blade cuts through the air, a dazzling slash. Heimdall's head flies clean of his body in a spray of blood.
"Eww," Heimdall's body wobbles "We did it..." But even as his body dissolves to ash, I see his thumb move, pressing down on the button.
"Oh, bollocks," Melody whispered.

A massive explosion thunders from above. The Tomb shakes all around us as dust falls from the ceiling.
"Uh, what the hell was that?" Loki pulls me to his side, shielding me from falling rocks.
"I think Thanos just hit the self-destruct button," Melody and Sif both dodged a falling pillar.
"Which is our cue to get out of here," Thor points to the exit. I nearly fall over as the Tomb shudders under the force of the facility above detonating. Loki steadies me as the booms and crashes echo down through the earth, making the walls groan. Behind us, the elevator shaft crumples.
"How do we get out of here?" Even as Sylvie is asking questions, we all duck as a wall crumples and falls, revealing another section of the underground facility.
"That's our only way out. Come on!" Sif points. As we all rush out, I stop to pull the recruit I saved to his feet and push him along after the group.
"On your feet, soldier," I untie him.
"Thank you. Really, I mean it,"
"Just don't make me regret it, okay?" I push the lad to the hole in the wall.

We find a tunnel leading out to the courtyard. Behind us, the compound's supports are beginning to crack from the outside and the air is tinged with smoke. Soldiers run in every direction.
"Oh my god... He destroyed the whole thing," I spin around.
"He didn't want to leave any trace," Loki hisses. A flaming piece of plaster falls dangerously close to me, making me gasp and stumble backwards. Loki grabs me and shields me from a truck exploding "All in favour of hauling our asses back to the boat?"
"AYE!" We all shout. The young recruit steps forward, his face streaked with dirt and tears.
"Thank you, again, for saving me. I probably don't deserve it but... I am glad to know that I was right about your kind. I will never believe in anti-vampire propaganda again," The lad holds his hand out towards Loki.
"That's good to hear," Loki smiles as he shakes it "The name is Loki,"
"Owen. I owe you all a favour. If you ever need a favour in the future, come find me,"
"If you are ever in New York and need a friend, come find me," Loki speaks. The lad grins.
"Aye, Mr Odinson," I watch the young man as he carefully makes his way towards the Black Order's boats, not even looking back at the flaming wreckage.

Back on the water, I watch the island of Mydiea or Andros burn.
"I can't believe it. After so many years of conflict, the heart of the Black Order is finally destroyed," Sylvie sighs. Sif and Loki seem calmer even as Melody flips off the island.
"Good fucking riddance!" she yells. I shake my head.
"Yeah, It's no loss to me," Loki, Sif and Sylvie all spare a glance at each other.
"I don't know why, but... but I feel regret," Loki stares at the island. I place my hand on his shoulder.
"There were centuries of history in that place. And Thanos destroyed it all," Sif stares at the bottom of the boat "The Tomb. The Hall of Triumph... all of it, just gone,"
"Imagine it. Stay alive for thousands of years, driven only by hate," Loki sighed.
"Odin broke all of us but I think he might have broken Thanos worst of all," Everyone on the boat contemplates in silence as Loki and Thor row us back to shore, the fire casting an orange glow on the water.

After returning to Skurge's villa and changing out of the Black Order's uniform, I feel a pang that Skurge himself isn't with us.
"I feel so awful for what happened with Skurge," I sniff. Loki walks up behind me and hugs my waist, leaning his head on mine.
"Despite his origins, he was a good man. If he knew his death culminated in the destruction of the Black Order's HQ... I think he would be very happy. Wherever he is," he whispered. We all collapse onto the chairs outside, Thor is starting a fire in the pit.
"I don't know about all of you but I am knackered. Like my tired is tired," Melody slouches in her chair.
"Fighting an evil organization tends to do that," I chuckled lightly. I didn't know what else to do.
"How does my uncle do it?" Melody rubbed her eyes.
"I... I don't... I don't even know where to begin with this," Sylvie clears and throat and sits up straighter "But thank you. All of you. It's not nearly enough to express how grateful I am," Her eyes fill with tears and she wipes them away with a sniff. Loki goes over to her and puts a hand on her shoulder.
"You should never have been taken by the Black Order in the first place. I'm so sorry, Sylvie," Loki speaks. Sylvie pats his hand and pushes him back towards his seat. Once he is sat down, I curl into his side.
"You couldn't have anticipated that raid, Loki" Sylvie waves her hand at Loki "But from overhearing the soldiers, I know that many of the patrons escaped. Because of you. So, again... Thank you. To all of you," Sif smiles and gives Sylvie a hug. Mine and Melody's jaws drop.
"Hey, I have a wacky idea. Let's drink!" Melody claps her hands.
"In celebration, you mean?" I raise an eyebrow at her.
"Whatever occasion calls for wine," Melody grinned.
"We should have a drink to honour Skurge, at least," Loki nodded. It's very rare that he and Melody agree on things. They don't even agree on some matters where I am concerned. Really, the only thing they agree on is annoying Thor with pranks.
"I could definitely use something to relax," Sylive smiled as she also clapped her hands, rubbing them together "It's been so long since I have been together with two of my closest friends. The occasion warrants a drink. It demands it!"
"I think a drink is exactly what we need. Emily, will you join us?" Sif looked over at me. Thor cheered once the fire got going. We all stared at him.
"Count me in," I stated. Melody cheered and she ran inside the villa. Loki kissed my cheek and said that he would be right back. I smiled after Loki as he quickly followed Melody inside the villa.

Loki and Melody find a few bottles of wine each and open them. Once our glasses were full, we lifted them up in a toast.
"To Skurge. He was a brave man and without his help, we wouldn't have gotten this far," Loki raised his glass to the sky, speaking clearly. Everyone shouts 'hear, hear!' and takes a sip. Greek wine tastes so good. Loki smiles as he pours some wine into an empty glass for Skurge.
"And to Sylvie, for braving the Black Order," Sif raised her glass. Sylvie smiles softly as we all toast again, taking another sip of wine.
"Words cannot describe how relieved I am to be out of that cell," Sylvie grinned as she clinked all our glasses.
"Are you still hurt? I mean, I saw that hook go through you..." I look down at Sylvie's stomach. I can feel the anger radiate from Loki as Sylvie touches her stomach and winces.
"Still a bit sore but it's mostly healed. One of the perks of being a vampire but anyway, enough about that," Sylvie grinned, taking another sip of wine.

We all sat around the fire. Thor sat on the floor, nearest the fire. Melody sat sideways on a chair, legs draped over the side. Sif curled up on a single one as did Sylvie while Loki and I sat on the double sit together. His arm wrapped around me as I curled into his side, my head resting on his shoulder. Everyone had their own wine bottle.
"Who wants to hear embarrassing stories about Loki from the 1800s?" Sylvie spoke. Everyone's hands go up except for Loki's.
"Oh, come on..." Loki hid his face in my hair.
"There was a lovely party being held by a local heiress, a widow whose husband had been a successful merchant but part of why he'd been so successful was because he secretly dealt in the occult. Which includes collecting mysterious treasures,"
"Let me guess... the dude had some powerful vampire artefact?" Melody sat up straight and swigged her bottle.
"It was the very first edition of the Book of the Dead," Loki lifted his head to speak but then dropped it again. I patted his head.
"No!" Sif's jaw dropped.
"Yes! Naturally, we wanted it. Sooooo, we invited ourselves to the party, mingling and dancing and dear Loki... He tried to seduce the heiress to get her to show him where the Book was kept," Sylvie couldn't stop herself from chuckling.
"I bet that went well," Thor raised his eyebrows, smirking.
"A little too well. The two of them had disappeared behind a curtain... but then the heiress got spooked by a spider and they fell onto the dancefloor, completely nude," Sylvie had to put her drink down as she was laughing so hard. As was the rest of us.
"Loki!" I covered my mouth up to stifle a laugh. Loki slowly lifted his head up, lips pinched together.
"In my defence, I was much younger..." he wiggled one finger at us all.
"Just a child of 104," Sif mocked.
"Naturally, it was quite a shock. We had to move towns after that," Sylvie picked up her drink again. Loki sighs as Sif snorts out a laugh and Melody sniggers.
"I'm guessing that you didn't get the book after Loki's noble sacrifice?" I spoke. Loki hung his head.
"Loki was kicked out immediately but I managed to sneak upstairs during the scandal. Unfortunately, the book was fake. But I still think it was worth it to see the look on Loki's face,"
"Sorry, Loki but you have to admit it, it does sound hilarious,"
"Oh, I'm sure it was to an observer but to actually live it? It's a completely different story," Loki half smiled while he rolled his eyes.
"For what it's worth, you made several ladies swoon with desire," Sylvie taunted as she raised her eyebrows.
"Was that desire I was hearing? Funny, I thought it sounded a lot like laughter and jeers," Loki sulked a little. He hid his face in my hair again.

Sylvie tells a few more stories about her time in America as we all enjoy our drinks.
"Oh and then there was that time that Sif came to visit," Sylvie tapped her chin. Sif almost chokes on her wine.
"Details. I need to hear the details, like now," Melody suddenly sat up straighter.
"It was after Loki and I had our little fling, He was away on some business and when Sif came," Sylvie gives Sif a knowing wink. Sif smirks.
"No way. You two... really," I waved my finger between the two women. Sylvie grinned as did Sif.
"It was short but... intense," Sif smiled fondly at Sylvie.
"Very intense," Sylvie bit her lip, her eyes lit up at the memory "Of course when Loki came back, there was a bit of jealousy between them. Perhaps a spat or two,"
"I mean, I wouldn't call it a spat," Loki looked offended "Merely a disagreement,"
"They may have asked me who was the best lover between them," Sylvie sipped her wine. Melody spits out her mouthful of wine.
"I have suddenly lost all ability to hear," Thor covered his ears.
"Let me guess... Loki?" I point at Loki. Loki lifts an eyebrow at me but he smiles. Melody whispered that she knew I would pick Loki. I always pick Loki.
"I appreciate the vote of confidence, darling," Loki kissed my cheek. Sylvie smiled softly at us.
"Actually, I didn't answer. I kissed them both and left," Sylvie bit her pointer fingernail. Melody and Thor both laughed.
"Please, teach me your ways, oh wise one," Melody prayed. Sylvie waves a hand carelessly.
"Ah, my friend, of course, I can teach you much in the way of attraction. But actually holding onto someone... That's a special skill I haven't yet mastered. For that," Syvie turns slowly so she is facing me "I'm sure our dear Emily would have much better advice,"
"Me?" I point to myself. Sylvie nodded.
"I speak of Loki, of course. I may have wooed him a long time ago but you are the magnificent woman who tamed him, no?" Sylvie smiled. I feel a sudden heat prick the back of my neck and I turn to Loki, who simply smiles.
"She does have a point," Loki licked his lips as he kissed my cheek again.

The night goes on. We share more drinks and tell more stories curled up by the fire. I soon find myself yawning with exhaustion. I stand up slowly, stretching.
"I feel like I am going to pass out any second. But before I go to sleep, I think I will take one last walk around the vineyard. I'd like to take a chance to say goodbye to the place,"
"That sounds like a wonderful idea, dear... Do you need some company?" Sylvie smiled softly. Melody slid off her chair and sat on the floor, Throwing rocks into the fire.
"Oh boy. We all know who she is going to pick," Thor rolled his eyes. Everyone but Sylvie looked to Loki, who was already standing.
"My lady doesn't have to ask. I am offering to go with her," Loki held his arm out "May I join you?"
"You already know it," I smiled as I took Loki's hand and we slipped away, strolling through the vineyard.

As we strolled through the vineyard, I squeezed Loki's hand.
"So,"
"So?" Loki squeezed my hand back.
"That was... pretty intense back there. in the tomb. With you and the blood," I leaned my head on his upper arm. We had stopped moving at this point.
"It was. I feel like I came right up to the edge of a terrible cliff and you pulled me right back," Loki whispered as we turned to face each other.
"Are you back?" I whispered, scared of his response. Loki lets out a long heavy exhale.
"It's like ever since Odin returned, there's been this dark cloud growing around me. Like I've been losing more and more of myself to it every passing day. I really thought... that I had to do it. That I had to become the monster Odin wanted me to be," Loki looked out towards the horizon "But now I see that I was wrong. I am better than that. I am better than him and together, we are going to defeat him,"
"Damn straight. Together," I leaned forward, giving Loki a long tender kiss. He wraps an arm around me and holds me close.
"Thank you, Emily. You saved me," Loki cups my cheek.
"Yeah, well. I figured it was my turn," I smiled.
"I can never repay you. You make this whole thing just so much easier. Without you, I would be a monster," Loki pressed his forehead against mine. I reach up and cup his cheek.
"I will never let that happen to you. And even if it did, I would find a way to bring you back to me," Loki leaned into my touch and winced, Touching his fingers to his temple "Nnh..."
"Loki, Have you fed recently?"
"Nope. Not had the time," Loki shook his head so once again, I pulled the 'really' face. Loki shrugged and looked to the shore "But don't worry about it, I will be fine,"
"Then feed on me," I offered. Loki looked at me, Confused.
"What?" Loki stuttered.
"It's alright, I don't mind. You have done it once before in Vegas," I moved closer to Loki. Gently brushing my hair away from my neck.
"Emily," Loki pulled me in closer, I shivered at his touch "I..." I clutch at Loki's upper arms, tilting my head to better expose my neck.
"Just feed. You need to," Loki bends his head and suddenly pain lances through me as his fangs penetrate my neck. As he begins to feed off of me, Twin tendrils of pain and pleasure unfurl throughout my body like spirals of heat. I don't think I will ever quite get my head around how much it both hurts and feels good "Loki..."
"Mmm..." With a moan, I writhe, Pressing up against him, Needing to feel his skin, His strength. He eventually stops feeding, Licking at the bite mark as if eager for every last drop. his eyes are still bright red and his fangs are still out "Thank you, Emily. I feel much better,"
"Yeah... I am glad," Loki cups the side of my face and kisses me sweetly. I can taste myself on his lips "Hhh..." He pricks his fingers to heal my wound.
"You are the light to my darkness" As he starts to pull away, I hook my fingers in his lapel, drawing him in deeper, unable to shake the feeling of his lips on my neck. the two of us lose track of the night, Entwined in each other.
"And you are the darkness to my light," Eventually, we head back into the villa for a few hours of well-deserved rest.

The next evening, we all gathered at the airport as we prepared to leave.
"I can't thank you all enough for what you did," Sylvie hugs us all, apart from Thor.
"We're just glad we were able to help. We were so worried,"
"I know that Black Order has paid for what they did... but it doesn't feel like enough. there were still many Black Order troops out there. New leaders competing for control. So many more to be taken down," Sylvie takes a few deep breaths.
"Once we take care of Odin, we can think up a plan and come back for you," Sif puts a hand on Sylvie's shoulder.
"I look forward to it," Loki and Sif give Sylvie another hug goodbye. she starts to get teary, whispering that she will see them soon.
"We will hold you to that," Sif grinned.

"Melody, Thor. It was fun meeting you," Sylvie holds out a hand for Thor to take.
"Likewise," Thor shakes Sylvie's hand. They share a nod before Thor walks off.
"Thank you for the quick lesson. I'll be sure to put it to good use," Melody beams. Sylvie chuckles.
"Any time, my dear," Sylvie hugs Melody before walking over to me. Melody skips away. When she gets to me, Sylvie grins brightly.
"My dear Emily. What a pleasure it was to meet you," Sylvie grinned.
"The pleasure's all mine," I nod my head. she laughs and takes my hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze "Thank you for all your help. We couldn't have gotten as we did without you," She bats her hand as if to wave my thanks away but her grip tightens on mine.
"I was glad to be of help. I hope you know that you will always have a friend in Paris,"
"I do. Thank you, Sylvie," Sylvie hesitates and glances at the others, who are talking. Then she pulls me aside, gripping my hand in both of hers.

"Is everything all right?" I frowned.
"I wanted to tell you something before you left. Something I felt back in the tomb," Sylvie looked past me, towards the others "When we were in that cave, I felt this... darkness. A lurking danger. A monster hidden within," Understanding grips me and my heart sinks. I glance over at Loki.
"In Sif. Or Mel. Or Thor. Or do you mean Loki?" I look back at Sylvie, who is shaking her head.
"No... Not in any of them," She squeezes my hand even tighter "The darkness is in you,"
"EM! YOU COMING?!" Melody shouts waving me over. Loki smiles at me.
"Coming!" I yell. Svlyie squeezes my hands once more before she lets them go. She smiles but the gesture doesn't quite reach her eyes "See you later, Sylvie," I nod as I walk away.
"Good luck, my friends,"

A few hours later, en route back to New York, I am still thinking over Sylvie's words.
"A monster within... within me? But what does that even mean?" I picked at my lip.
"Emily? Are you all right?" I hear Loki beside me. I realise I have been staring at the seat in front of me. Blinking, I plaster a smile on my face.
"Yup! I'm fine!" I spoke, my voice was all squeaky. I tried to correct it a few times "Really, I'm fine,"
"...If you're sure," Loki whispered. I don't think he believed me. I wouldn't have believed me either.
"I simply zoned out," I patted his knee.
"We've just been talking about what we will do once we land," Thor spoke. I nodded.
"Since I zoned out, Can you go through it again?" I prayed. Thor nodded.
"We'll need to meet up with my clan first thing. They make up the largest fraction of vampires who chose to stay behind," Thor pointed to a map on the table in front of us.
"They are the best protected too. Hopefully, while we're there we can devise a strategy to directly confront Odin," Sif sat down in her chair, she had just been to get everyone a drink.
"But the thing is I lost contact with Huggin right around the time we went to the Black Order compound, so I have no idea what is going on," Thor rubbed his face. I put a hand on his forearm.
"I'm sure they are just hiding. They might--" I tried to reassure but I drifted off after seeing Melody's face "Mel?"
"Hey, guys?" Melody interrupts by pointing to the small television above the bar. On the screen, we see a little red banner that says Breaking News Report. Melody grabs the remote and presses the volume button until the reporter's voice floods the plane.
"I'm here at the scene of a devasting attack on New York, the likes of which haven't been seen in years. According to our stories, the city is suffering from a mass-scale viral outbreak, resulting in widespread chaos, paranoia and attacks. Casualties have numbered 500 and counting. In light of these new recent events, the governor has officially declared martial law. An evacuation of the city is underway and all residents are encouraged to--" The camera shakes suddenly and the reporter's scream is cut off by a massive explosion. The screen fills with the words TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES. All of us stare at the screen until Melody numbly turns off the TV.
"If the governor has declared martial law--" I looked at Melody, her fists clenched.
"Then my uncle can't do a damn thing. We are on our own," she hissed. I don't think I have ever seen her so angry. Except when Thor stole her pop-tarts "500 casualties," Loki balls his hands into fists, still staring at the screen.
"Odin's culling. A vampire war waged into the streets of New York," Loki snarled.
"And it's only the beginning," Sif growled. Every vampire eye on the plane turned blood red. I'm starting to wish that I had a weapon.