His queen

Chapter 21 ~ Wake Up

Cold

I turn around and pull the soft covers farther over my exposed shoulder. I bury my face in the pillow. The bed is soft to the touch, it feels safe. I open my eyes to be met with darkness, leave for a light on the nightstand to my left. I rub the sleep out of my eyes, my eyes slowly growing accustomed to the dark room.

I shoot up and look around the room. This isn't my room.

'She's awake, sir.' A muffled male voice on the other side of the door immediately announces. I get as far away from the door as possible, stuffing myself in the corner of the room, on the bed. I quickly pull the covers over my body, even though I'm fully clothed... not in my own pajamas, however.

Heavy boots echo through the hallway, each thud announcing a nearing terrifying presence. The sound comes to a halt in front of the door. 'Open it.' An all-too-familiar voice commands. My heart is beating out of my chest. I hear a click and then the doorknob turns. The door opens painfully slow to reveal a tall frame, his face illuminated by the dim light coming from behind him, but one thing that stands out is his arm, it... shimmers? I look again, it looks like it's made from some kind of metal. The man with the metal arm steps aside to reveal an even taller man, one that's not hard to recognize. His long hair draped over his broad shoulders, and his hands in his pockets.

'Thank you, Barnes. You're dismissed.' He says, his voice low. I watch the man with the metal arm - Mister Barnes - leave and Loki steps into the room, closing the door behind him carefully. With a snap of his fingers, the lights flicker on. Loki is wearing black pants and a grey hoodie... the hoodie I gave him when he was a prisoner back in the Tower. Oh, how the tables have turned. I look at his face, he looks like he hasn't slept in about three years, nevertheless, he still looks really hot.

Really?! Hot? Get your act together! He just fucking kidnapped you, dipshit!

I eye him carefully as he steps closer to the bed, the sheets tightly clasped in my hands. He doesn't sit down but leans against the wall. For a moment he doesn't say anything, causing me to get lost in those beautiful eyes.

'You can let go of the blanket, it's not going to shield you from anything except the cold. Besides if I wanted to do something to you, for example killing you, I would have done so already, darling.' He says with that damn smirk on his lips.

'Where am I?' I ask, my voice hoarse and raspy.

'Oh, I'm afraid I cannot possibly tell you, dear.' He says with a sly grin. 'Are you hungry?' He asks with the slightest hint of care in his voice.

'How long have I been out for?' I ask instead, however, the rumbling in my belly is hard to ignore.

'Long enough for me to start worrying my enchantment worked a bit too well.' He sighed. I roll my eyes, not meeting his gaze. 'Worrying about the girl you kidnapped? Please, Loki, at least try to make it sound a bit more convincing.' I scoff, suddenly getting a burst of confidence, but it is gone as soon as it comes. When I look back at him I freeze, his eyes have darkened, his hands are balled up into fists and his jaw is set. He licks his lips and a twisted smile paints his lips, probably to disguise his anger.

'Get dressed and meet me downstairs.' He says in a demanding tone, turns around, and walks through the door, slamming it shut behind him, but not locking it. His heavy footsteps fade farther and farther away. Something in me tells me not to disobey him at this moment.

Now that the light is on I also notice a small cabinet placed against the wall on the right end of the bed. On top of it lay a stack of clothes. When I'm sure he's gone, I get up and carefully walk over to the cabinet. I take off the pajamas and neatly fold them, also placing them on the cabinet. I unfold the regular clothes and put them on. A green shirt - does this man own anything that's not green?! - and a pair of black pants. They fit perfectly.

I slightly open the door and peek my head outside. I scan the hallway for possible dangers, but there are none. I slip out of the room and soundlessly close it behind me. I turn left after I spot the set of stairs at the end of the hallway. I walk down the stairs and I'm met with a sight that's not so different from the Avengers Tower; everywhere I look I see technology, microscopes, and scientists. I continue walking down the aisle, towards a beacon of light. Then I see it, and I realize it's the Tesseract. But something more important catches my eye.

'Clint! Clint! Are you alright?!' I hurry and rush over to him, he doesn't bat an eye, doesn't even make a movement out of place to indicate he hears me. 'Clint?' I worry.

'He won't answer you.' I stupidly hadn't noticed the god coming up behind me, causing me to once again freeze in place, my eyes widening. His voice has a very dangerous edge to it, I absentmindedly fidget with my fingers, not daring to turn around and face him. I feel the hard panes of his chest press against my back and he places a large hand on my right shoulder. A cold shudder runs up my spine.

'Though, he did tell me some very interesting traits you own, darling.' He says in a suddenly surprisingly calm voice, like a calm before the storm. His fingers which are on my shoulder, are tracing invisible patterns. 'Walk with me.' He orders with the same calm voice, his hand dropping to my waist, snaking his arm smoothly around it, and leading me away from Clint.

He directs me through the building and after a short while, we enter a small room with a table. On it, there's a bowl of soup, bread, a can of water with a cup, and some cutlery. 'Have a seat.' He mumbles. I carefully sit down, and look around the room; no one has dusted here in ages. The corners of the room are full of cobwebs and dead insects. Great.

My focus snaps back to Loki when he sternly calls my name. He towers over me and looks me straight in my eyes. 'I'm going to say this once, and one time only. I don't intend to hurt or kill you, I will provide you with shelter, food, a bed, and clothes. Everyone here will treat you with respect, on the condition you treat them with equal respect. Lastly, you will remain inside for the rest of your stay and not seek connection with the outside world. Only with my explicit permission, situations might differ. Have I made myself clear?' He asked, his voice and face cold again.

'Yes.' I confirm, knowing it's stupid to argue with him, however, I still have one question. I clear my throat before I carefully speak up. 'Why me? Why did you take me here?' I wonder, my voice slightly trembling.

'Barton told me about your powers, about your abilities, and to say I was intrigued is an understatement. I am curious to see what the limits of your powers are. I wish to personally train you as my companion. You have great potential darling, and practice makes perfect,' He explains. 'Now eat, I know you're starving.'

I pick up the spoon to my right and carefully eat the soup. Surprisingly it's very good... and not poisonous. Maybe he was telling the truth after all. 'It's really good.' I say quietly. He hums approvingly. Loki stayed with me throughout the entirety of the meal, eyeing me carefully but not saying much. After the meal, he led me back to my room. Once I was inside, I sat down on the bed.

'Is everything to your liking, as much as it is possible for a kidnapped person?' He over-emphasized the word, rolling his eyes.

'Do you maybe have any books?' I carefully requested, not sure if his cold and hostile demeanor from earlier was still up. With a snap of his fingers, a pile of books appeared next to the bed. The Cruel Prince on top. How did he-?

'Tomorrow we'll start with your training. Get some rest.' He said and walked out the door, not waiting for a possible answer, closing it, but once again, not locking it.