BOOK 3. Trapped in Asgard after Odin's apparent death, Anna chooses an unlikely ally in her attempt to find Loki. While the realm is sealed from the rest of the Nine Worlds, her strange dreams lead her to the one place she'd never expect.
To him...
That's all she can see. It's all she can remember.
She's bound by a single chain cutting into her wrists, the metal cuffs cold and jagged against the bare skin of her wrists. How long she's been here, she doesn't know, but when she came to she realized she'd not made it to Midgard — to Earth — like she planned.
Her heartbeat pounded in her throat at the silence, the darkness, the complete lack of everything.
The Void.
Oh god, that's where she is. Where Sigyn sent her, intentionally or not, where Loki has been trapped for these last few months. She tugs against the chains binding her to the wall, ignoring the pain shooting up her arms, as blood trickles out of her fresh injuries.
If only she could get out, if only she could find him...
A deep laugh rumbles in the distance, and sheer terror spikes through her veins. She recognizes that voice from her first dream, from the maze she narrowly escaped with her life, and everything inside of her screams to run and hide.
But there's nowhere to run. There's no hiding in the deep, in the shadows that cover everything, and she forces her hands into fists to keep the fear shaking her body at bay.
She can do this. She has to do this. She needs to get to Loki.
At least if she's here — actually here — she can find him and they can escape. Whatever reason Thanos has for bringing her here, she's grateful for that alone. That hope.
"Haven't you heard?"
The voice breaks through the darkness, and Anna narrows her eyes to search for the source.
"Heard what?" She croaks, her voice raw from disuse. Clearly, she's been here longer than she thought.
"He's gone."
Anna shakes her head, "You're lying. This is another one of your tricks."
"I wish it were," the voice muses. "As it is, he left to return to Asgard's throne."
"No," she argues. Her voice softens, "No. I saw what you did to him. I saw how you tortured him. You're doing the same thing you did to him, and it won't work. I won't believe your lies."
The voice chuckles once more, this time closer, and she whips her head in that direction in an attempt to locate the Mad Titan. Rage flows through her, spiked with fear, and the combination is enough that she can feel the adrenaline building. Some might call it fight or flight, but she refuses to give herself that option.
No, she can only fight. She will only fight.
"I'll kill you," she hisses. "I'll kill you with my bare hands."
"Oh, I've no doubt," he replies. "But I don't have your little boyfriend, so killing me won't do much good, will it?"
"You do though," Anna insists. "You do, I know you do."
Thanos steps out of the shadows, and Anna's body stiffens for a moment. She can barely see him in the shadows, only his height — his sheer size — and his eyes practically glowing in the darkness. Pushing away her fear, she jerks against the chains holding her only to be snapped back against the wall by some invisible force.
The wind rushes out of her lungs, the pain in her back nearly blinding, and she blinks away tears. Thanos smiles at the picture of her, and he approaches her without making a sound before kneeling in front of her. His fingers grasp her jaw, the roughness of his skin jarring against hers, and he jerks her face toward him.
Blinking away tears, Anna tries to fight his grasp, but her entire body is immobilized.
"It's sad, really," Thanos muses, his eyes tracing Anna's features. "I can see why he fell in love with you."
Anna blinks, unable to open her mouth to respond, and the Mad Titan grins.
"Then again, when I told him about your condition, he was more than happy to take my bargain."
Bargain? What bargain? Anna's mind is racing, and — for the first time since she arrived in this darkness — she can't help but wonder if this isn't a trick. She looks up at Thanos, confused and angry, and he smirks.
"You don't know, do you?" Thanos' thumb strokes her cheek in a vile gesture that is almost a caress. "No, it's early still. Soon, though, you'll begin to show. Soon you'll understand. And when your child arrives...well...."
His voice trails, and Anna's eyes widen before he continues.
"I have plans for her."
TO BE CONTINUED...
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