I see you || Loki

22. Angry Advances

"You've managed to make a great deal of trouble, love."

Your heart stuttered against your ribs. "What happened?" You pulled your blanket closer to you against the chill that swept through the room.

"I'm surprised you can't hear Odin's rage from here," Loki said. "I thought surely he had woken all of Asgard by now." He prowled over the bed until he loomed over you and took your chin between his fingers, forcing you to meet his icy gaze. "Tell me: what possessed you to go to Thor for help?"

You shook your head. "I didn't—"

"No lies, pet."

"I'm not lying." You hadn't gone to Thor for anything. Not intentionally. Loki's eyes narrowed and you squirmed under his gaze. "I told Thor that I didn't want to marry him."

Loki released you. "Thor has asked that Odin break your engagement." You opened your mouth to reply, then closed it again. "You aren't surprised by this." No question. It seemed Loki already knew the answer. This wasn't an investigation. It was a trial.

"Thor..." Your voice felt small in the dark room. "Thor said that he would take care of it."

"Thor is an idiot."

Oh, stars, what had Thor told Odin? "What is going to happen to me?"

"Nothing yet," Loki answered. He stood from the bed, facing away from you. "Thor may be a fool, but he knows better than you when it's appropriate to lie. He won't betray your honor. He's told Odin that he wishes to break the engagement for his own reasons." You stared at Loki in stunned silence. "Naturally, this has backfired spectacularly." He turned around, anger simmering under his expression. "Odin has no intention of ending the betrothal. And since Thor has voiced his objection, it has only hastened your marriage."

Your mind spun over the new information. The engagement was not something you could break, for certain, but you'd never dreamed that same invincibility applied to Thor. If he didn't want you... "Why? I'm nobody. A... a minor noble. The king gains nothing through me."

"Don't be so self-centered," Loki snapped. "It has nothing to do with you. Odin made an oath to your grandfather. If Thor refuses to honor the engagement, Asgard will see it as a betrayal of that promise. A king that cannot be trusted to keep his word cannot be trusted at all."

"Then... then I'll go to Odin and explain that it was me." You tossed the sheets aside and started to stand. "That I was the one that—"

"Stop." Loki pushed you back. "Stupidity doesn't suit you. It is one thing for Thor to defy Odin. He has done so before. You are in no position to tell Odin anything."

The icy pit that had formed in your stomach ignited. Loki was treating you like a child. You stood from the bed to face him, an effect that was much diminished since you had to look so far up to meet his gaze. "You told me to do whatever I wanted." Your voice rose, filling the room. "That's what you said."

"I didn't think you would turn to my brother for help before me," Loki snapped, meeting your fury with his. "Odin will see you tied to Thor and he'll do it soon to avoid any obstacle. You have made things much, much worse."

You stepped into Loki's space, glaring up at him. "I was trying to fix it. I didn't want to marry Thor, so I told him so. I was honest."

"You were stupid."

You strode a few paces away and took a deep breath to try to collect yourself. When that didn't work, you whirled back to him, embracing the fight still roiling inside you. "Is that why you kept me isolated so long? That's what you were doing, right? You didn't want me to find out about the coronation, so you kept me in your rooms."