BOOK TWO. After being manipulated and kidnapped by Restitution, Anna + Loki narrowly escape with their lives only to be separated by Odin. Stuck on Earth with Jane Foster, Anna finds herself missing the one man she thought she would always hate.
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STANDING OUTSIDE LOKI'S CELL IS TORTURE, the golden forcefield shimmering between them is the only barrier between Anna and the man she loves. Unable to move or speak, she stands still while the guard stares at her as she watches Loki silently. His back is turned to her from where he sits, and she lets her eyes linger on the lines of his body. Even from the shadows in which she stands, it is clear that his shoulders are tensed - heavy with an invisible burden that weighs down upon him - and his left hand clenches and unclenches as if he is grasping at the unknown.
Part of her is surprised that he cannot hear her heart beating from where she stands, the steady drumbeat speeding up and slamming against her chest with every breath she takes in his presence. Opening her mouth to speak, she closes it again before touching the knotted silver ring on her right hand once more. She dreamt of this moment every night for the last month, only to have her dreams turn into nightmares when she was forced to be torn away from him again and again each night. The pain of their separation was nearly too much to bear, and here she is again - watching him - too afraid to even speak.
He could despise her. His feelings may have changed. Thor said that he missed her, but there's no guarantee that he meant what he said. Loki is, after all, the god of mischief and lies. Even worse than all this is the possibility that his feelings have not changed and that Odin might rip them apart again. Barely holding herself together by a thread, she is overwhelmed with the intensity of the fear coursing through her veins. If she felt less for him, perhaps she would not be so afraid. As it is, Anna craves Loki's presence like she craves oxygen. He became her light in the short time they had together, and - without him - the world passes before her in a haze.
She nods at the guard who drops the force field momentarily to allow her entry into Loki's cell. Thanking Frigga internally for her sway with the prison guards, Anna hazards a step forward only to freeze when she hears him speak.
"I do not wish to be disturbed," Loki's voice is laced with venom, and his tone sends shivers down her spine.
Steeling herself, she takes another step up into the cell and glances over her shoulder as the guard turns on the shimmering golden force field once more. The man nods at Anna before disappearing, leaving them alone in the barren white room.
"I said--" Loki snaps his book shut, dropping it on the seat as he rises to his feet and whirls to face her.
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Anger burns in his emerald eyes, only to be replaced by sheer shock as he takes in her appearance. Frozen to the spot, Anna's breath is heavy under his scrutiny. The tension between them is palpable, neither one of them speaking while they drink in the sight of each other. Loki looks as if he's seen a ghost, afraid to move or speak in case it might cause the beautiful specter in front of him to disappear.
Still wringing her hands together nervously, Anna takes a shaky breath before stepping toward him. His eyes rake over her, and for a split second she feels incredibly exposed beneath his penetrating gaze.
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"Hi," she says softly, unable to find the words that she rehearsed so many times before in her head and in her dreams.
It's as if the sound of her voice breaks the spell, and Loki crosses to her in an instant. One hand slips around her waist, pulling her flush against him, while the other cups her cheek gently as it tips her face up to his. Green eyes burning with passion, he presses his lips against hers with a ferocity that takes Anna's breath away. She wraps her arms around his neck in return, tangling her fingers in his long black hair, and pulls him impossibly closer to her body as she leans into the kiss. His tongue parts her lips, tasting her as if he's spent the last several millennia deprived of that which is necessary for his survival - her touch.
Gasping for air, Anna breaks the kiss while Loki's mouth presses a flurry of kisses against the underside of her jaw that travel up to her ear. She turns his face toward her, hungrily claiming his lips with her own once more in a manner that causes him to growl with pleasure. He pushes her backward and pins her to the wall, every inch of her body pressing against his own as their fervent kisses are slowed only by the need for oxygen.
"You're real," Loki mumbles against her collarbone, his cool lips causing goosebumps to erupt over her exposed skin. "How are you real?"
Anna laughs, a joyful sound bubbling from her chest as she tips her head back and enjoys the sensation of his cold lips traveling up her neck to her mouth. Lust glitters in Loki's eyes as he smiles at the sound, leaning away from her momentarily only to let his eyes linger on her as he memorizes every curve of her face. She pushes back toward him, nipping at his neck, and he moans as she bites his earlobe before kissing it and whispering into his ear.
"I love you," she murmurs, out of breath.
He smiles against her neck, inhaling the scent of her, before whispering the words she dreamt of hearing every night for the last month. Every day, every minute, every second of her being aching for this moment.
"I love you too."
Now Playing: "Illuminate" by WILDES.
***** AUTHOR'S NOTE
I lied. You'll forgive me. Today is not a quadruple update day. It's a QUINTUPLE update day. That's right - five. Five chapters in one day.
Comments, people. I want comments + votes, because I gave you what you've all been waiting + begging for.
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