Loki's Kitten

Chapter 5: Submission

When morning comes, you are alone again. Loki kept to his word; he stayed with you for the night, and no more. As he himself has already advised, perhaps you should be more specific. Although you have slept until late into the morning, the day seems to stretch endlessly ahead of you and you wonder how to fill it. Usually, a day with no work, no obligations and no commitments would feel like a luxury, but you are conscious that you long to wish the day away. Loki has come to you for the past three nights and you are impatient for his return tonight. You fritter your day away with trivialities, finding it hard to concentrate on even the simplest of tasks.

Your mind continually wanders back to your encounters with Loki over the past few days and you speculate on what tonight will hold. You deliberate over what food you should prepare and which clothes you could wear, planning each detail with precision. You suspect, however, that the evening will go very much as Loki intends it, which is what generally seems to happen, whatever your plans.

As the evening draws in, you settle on your sofa – the same space where Loki was sitting just twenty-four hours earlier. You pick a film to watch as you wait; something familiar that will not take up a great deal of concentration and can be abandoned at any moment. You feel restless and pay little attention to the film as you watch. When it ends, you put on some music. It is not late but you rest your head down on the cushions and close your eyes. When you stir, it is dark – well past midnight. Still, there is plenty of time left. Loki is unpredictable, but at some point, you know he will appear.

When you wake again it is morning. You will not even allow yourself to admit to the depth of the disappointment you feel. For the next three evenings, you wait for him; expecting him, longing for him. As the days pass you feel ignored, rejected, abandoned. You are angry with yourself. You feel so stupid that you let your guard down and started to trust him. At least, you console yourself, you have been tricked by the best of them.

By the fourth day, your thoughts of Loki are beginning to hold more and more of a dreamlike quality. You have explored the memories time and time again in your head, but the details are becoming blurred and hazy. You finally convince yourself that he will not return and you determine to pull yourself together. As evening comes, you take a long, hot, relaxing bath, after which you feel fresh, composed and back in control. You throw on a gown and hear a knock at the door as you stroll downstairs.

When you open the door, you are greeted by a dark figure on the doorstep. Your heart skips a beat. It is Loki. He is dressed in a simple black suit, his hair blowing lightly in the fresh breeze. The moonlight illuminates his fine features and glistens in his vivid eyes. You are flooded with more emotions that you can cope with in one moment. Firstly, you are overjoyed to see him. Secondly, you are fuming at yourself for being overjoyed to see him. Finally, you are absolutely furious with him. He doesn't say anything or move towards you. His hands fall by his sides and he turns his palms towards you in a gesture that is somewhere between a shrug and an act of supplication.

"Kitten..." he whispers.

"Where were you?" you demand, raising your voice in anger.

"My pet," he purrs with a soft, almost contrite smile, "It is in my nature: mischief, disorder, chaos. Why should it matter? I am here now."

You slap him hard around the face, your right hand catching him squarely on his left cheekbone. It hurts. You bloody well hope it hurt him more than it hurt you. As you stare at him, tears start to sting your eyes. You are disappointed with yourself. You thought you were stronger than this.

His expression transforms. His eyes hold an intense, steely glare and his jaw becomes set.

"I am a God! I do what I want!" He emphasis each word as he spits them at you, matching your anger.