Wanted Man (Loki Fanfiction - Book #1)

Chapter Fifteen

McKenna's entire body hurt from head to toe and she sucked in a sharp breath as she tried to stretch her arms over her head. They were shackled at the wrist by thick iron bands connected by a short length of heavy chain.

She fought to sit up, her heart hammering against her ribs at the unfamiliar surroundings. Her stomach churned with fear as she took in her unfamiliar surroundings—a cramped, dingy, damp cell with jagged rock walls and an uneven floor. She sat on an equally damp dirt floor, shivering as the cold bit into her with sharp, ruthless teeth.

The links between her wrists clanked, as she brought her hands up to rub one eye. It took a bit of effort, as the iron was every bit as heavy as it looked and she was beyond exhausted, as if she hadn't slept in weeks. Her muscles burned. Her eyes burned. Everything. Just. Burned.

"Where am I?" she muttered, her hands falling back to her lap as her arms refused to hold them up any longer. It was the oddest cell she'd ever seen. There seemed to be no door, but somehow, she didn't think that was the case. Still, she rose onto unsteady legs, a sour taste flooding her mouth as her entire stomach just flipped over, and walked toward it, holding her hand out.

It was cool, but not glass. As she touched it, vibrations hummed up her arm. She jerked back, dropping to her knees as her stomach threatened to revolt.

"I see you're awake." The low, rattling voice washed over her and she stared in wide-eyed horror as a creature moved into her line of vision. She'd never seen anything as repulsive as this... whatever it was. He stood on two legs and moved like a person dressing in flowing cloaks of blue and white, but when he held out one hand, she saw he had two thumbs. On the same hand.

His face was hidden by a mask, but it wasn't a solid mask, and when he spoke, white teeth in a blood red mouth were pointed and shiny. "Do you think he will come for you?"

She swallowed hard, her heartbeat echoing in her ears. "Where am I?"

"You need not worry about that. Or are you afraid he's left you here to die, the coward?"

The tremble in her legs worsened, and she shifted to sit once more and as she did, her stomach roiled even harder. Nausea rose with a hot sting, one she swallowed hard against as she willed her stomach to calm down and shook her head. "He wouldn't do that."

"Are you so certain? Think you know him, do you? Because you are a fool if you do." The Other asked. "Of course, coming after you means he would have to return to Asgard. Should he do that, he will find himself locked back in their dungeons. It will be all for naught. He will either die there or he will die at my hands."

"No, he won't." She shook her head, her stomach finally going calm. "And if you think so, then you don't know him, either."

The Other laughed. It was slimy and evil, and hurt her ears just as a high-pitched whistle hurt a dog's ears. She tried to cover her ears with her hands, but the chain wasn't long enough and the bands were too heavy. Her arms shook, then her hands fell limp into her lap once more. Why was she in shackles, if she was also in a cage? Did they think her so dangerous?

"You would do well to take care with whom you trust, Midgardian. Loki cannot be trusted. He cares only for himself and for what power he can wield. You are nothing but a pleasant distraction to him."

"Then why take me?"

"Because if he chooses to come for you, I will face him in my realm, not in yours."

She managed to get back to her feet and staggered back to the cot. "You're making a mistake. A big one."

"Quiet," he snarled, gesturing behind him. There, rising up from the dark brown sand, appeared to be a giant worm-like creature. It was awful enough for that sour taste to rise in the back of her throat again. "Whether he comes for you or not, you will beg for death, as for what you will endure will make you wish for something sweet as pain."