Hidden Love [LOKI LAUFEYSON] ✔

chapter twenty

Quickly I unfroze, and put on a fake smile. Things were going better this time, I wanted to keep it that way—torture free.

"Yes? What is it?" I asked hesitantly.

"Oh, I do believe you'll love it." Laufey assured me as he let me out of the makeshift room into the jagged terrains with frostbitten air—not that I could feel the coldness of the temperature, of course.

I was not prepared for what my surprise was.

Loki was beaten and tied up to a pole of ice. His eye was swollen shut and blood was dripping from a gash in his forehead. His already pale skin was impossibly paler. I felt bile rise up in the back of my throat.

Laufey grinned at me, which looked more like a snarl. "Do you like it?" He asked, as he stalked closer to Loki. "This one—my son." He said with disgust laced throughout his voice, "thought he could betray me. He was on his way to the AVENGERS. To tell them where you were. But we don't want that, do we?"

My heart was racing in my chest at the sight of seeing Loki hurt, and my hands were shaking, but I did my best to steel my nerves. I had to get out of this unharmed, for my sake and Loki's.

I wiped the emotions off of my face. "No, we wouldn't." I agreed shakily. "Because...because I've made up my mind. I'll marry you."

Apparently I took Laufey by surprise.

"You'll marry me?" He questioned.

I nodded, desperately trying not to cry. I clasped my hands behind my back to try to stop them from shaking, my breaths were coming out rapidly.

"Yes. But under two conditions." I said, stealing a glance at Loki, and praying to whatever god there was that Loki was caught coming back from the avengers, not on his way to them.

Laufey gestured for me to go on.

"I-I'll marry you if you agree that no guards or anyone else will be present." I started. I knew that Laufey would probably let his guard down during then, and the less guards around, the easier it would be to attack.

Laufey nodded. "I suppose I could arrange that...for my wife." He said with a chilling smile, his red eyes staring into mine, as goosebumps erupted on my arms.

"And...I want to keep him alive." I added, motioning to Loki.

That was the wrong thing to request.

Laufey's face turned cold and he stalked towards me, and I stumbled backwards to get away from him, but stopped as my back hit a jagged rock.

"I THOUGHT YOU DIDN'T CARE FOR HIM!" Laufey roared, and I squeezed my eyes shut, absolutely terrified. My heart was thudding out of control.

I felt a tear slip down my cheek and my head was spinning. I forced my eyes opened.

"I don't." I forced out. "I don't care for him. I just—deaths are messy—and you don't want to seem like a murderer, do you?" I pleaded with him.

"How dare you speak to me like that. HOW DARE YOU," Laufey scolded. "I WILL DO AS I PLEASE."

"But I'm going to be your wife! Surely that means something." I cried.