The Last Shifter (a Loki romance)

Chapter 80

A clatter of noise woke me rudely from my slumber, taking me from zero to a hundred in alertness in a matter of seconds. Several guards were in the room. No ordinary guards either, members of the Einherjar. And Thor was with them. He hauled a fumbling and disoriented Loki out of bed and slapped a pair of cuffs on him.

"Thor!" Only then did he seem to notice that I was awake and looked at me with sad eyes.

"I expected better from you."

"You expected me to turn my spouse in when he was wrongfully punished? How thick-skulled are you?!" When those words left my mouth, he looked like a kicked puppy, but only for a moment.

"I have not told father about this. These are my personal guards and are under orders to forget your involvement in this. So," He looked at Loki, "Don't make a fuss. Come quietly."

"No word of this will reach Odin's ears?"

"Well–"

"No. I need your word. Remember, you owe me. You underestimated your father's cruelty towards Loki." Thor sighed.

"Very well. Not a word of any of this will reach Odin."

"Thank you." I shuffled across the bed, getting off on Loki's side and approaching him, ducking through the circle of guards.

"I love you." I kissed him.

"I'm sorry it had to be like this."

"It's not your fault. It's mine."

"See you soon." He winked at me and was promptly led away, leaving me alone. While the guards departed, Thor lingered behind for a moment.

"I know you are angry with me, but I have a duty–"

"Shut up and let me talk. You're sending me mixed messages. First you're sorry he's locked away unlawfully, then you want to know how I'm holding up, and now you've arrested him! Do you agree with Odin now?"

"I do not, but I feel he must serve at least some time for his crimes." I scoffed.

"And there's another contradictory message. Get out."

"What?"

"Until you can figure out where your loyalties lie and what your opinions of your brother are, I want no contact with you whatsoever." He looked really hurt at that.

"But Arista, I–"

"Go. The only reason I haven't hurt you yet is because I know you could turn me in." Thor hung his head and moved towards the door.

"Will you at least come to the festival tomorrow night?"

"Perhaps."

"It is to celebrate the restoration of peace across the Nine Realms, not me or any other individuals."

"If you keep pestering me, that 'perhaps' will become a 'no'." I kept my gaze on the wall until the door clicked shut.

I wasn't sure how to feel at present. Loki had let all his walls down for me last night and now he had been locked away. I knew he would restore those walls before I saw him next. One step forward, two steps back it would seem. The Convergence was close, that much I was certain of, I was sure Heimdal probably knew the exact time it would be at its peak. I had no desire to face the Dark Elves again. The Kursed were simply too powerful and the art of overcoming them had simply been lost over the ages. And Malekith undoubtedly had at least one of those stones left, if not more.

A sharp pain echoed across my body, the remnants of the wounds I had sustained in the final battle. A stray blast from a small ship had scorched my entire body and had left me burnt almost beyond recognition. It had taken me over a year to fully heal, but every now and then, the places where the burns had been most severe still pained me. I laid back down on the bed, taking in Loki's scent while I waited for the pain to pass. I knew that the more time I spent in his things, the faster his musk would fade from them but at the moment, I couldn't help it. This pain was particularly strong, radiating throughout my torso and forearms.