Loki's Daughter

Part 16

I wake up to a loud, whispered conversation outside the window. I yawn and drag myself out of bed. My shoulder aches, my ribs burn, and my shirt sticks my skin. I rub my eyes with the heel of my palm and walk outside. Val's whole family and fiancé are outside on the porch. Balloons and streamers decorate the porch.

'SURPRISE!' Val yells.

I remember that it's my birthday. I stare around me and force myself to smile as the others yell surprise. Val looks a little stressed and worried, so I turn my attention on her.

'Wait...it's my birthday?' I ask, feigning shock and surprise. Unlike Val, I can lie and make it seem like the truth. Val looks at me, puzzled. I don't know why her mood suddenly changed. I force myself to give a little grin.

'Val, is everything alright?' I ask as she still looks puzzled.

'Oh...um...yeah. It's just-'

'You don't look the best,' Alec interrupts Val.

'There's a dark patch...here,' Val gently circles the patch around the front of my shoulder. I look down and see she's right. My head becomes dizzy as I realise its blood.

'Sit her down. The patch is becoming bigger,' Thor orders. I'm still bleeding out.

Val grabs my arms and leads me inside. She sits me down on the couch. Alec turns to Loki and Thor. 'Let's go outside again and give them a few minutes to heal.'

I watch Val's eyes until she looks away. The front door closes.

'Okay, let's get you into a shower,' Val pulls me up and holds tightly to me as we walk to the bathroom. She starts to go to the shower, but she sees the bath is filled with water.

'What the hell?' she mutters. I have no idea what happened and how the water is there.

'Okay, then just jump in the bath...and keep your clothes on.'

I smirk. 'Are you sure you don't want them off?' I laugh as I slowly lower myself into the warm bath. I close my eyes as pain floods through me.

'Raven!' fear enters Val's voice. I open my eyes and gaze painfully at the bathroom wall while she heals me.

As she finishes healing me, she leaves the bathroom. I hear her groan in the walk-in robe and leave her room. I take my clothes off and wash the blood off my body. As soon as the blood is off, I get out of the bath and wrap a towel around my body twice. I walk out and sit on Val's hard bed. She comes in and throws a t-shirt and a pair of jeans at me.

'Here are some clothes...hey um, if you feel well enough, would you like to go to town with me? I forgot to get you a present,' she stares at me. 'Please come,' she gives me the puppy dog eyes.

'Fine...ok, but I get to drive.' I still don't really trust her after last night, but she seems to have forgotten it.

She laughs hysterically while I look at her with my eyes wide. I didn't think I was that funny.

'Fuck no, Jesus Christ, what do you think this is? Bush week?' she says. I smirk. She turns away. I quickly pull the clothes on.

'Done,' I tell her.

She turns around and looks at me, and walks out the door. She looks back at me; her eyes tell me to come on. We leave the room, and she grabs her car keys on the way out of the house. As we were leaving the cabin, Thor and Loki stopped us.

'Where are you two going?' Thor asks. Val looks at me, giving me a look. I hold her gaze.

'Girls day out,' she replies, smirking.