Muffins - Loki & Ylva alternate universe stories

Love with a bite III

Loki finds a seat in the back of the bookstore, a spot from where he can oversee everything while keeping out of the way. He is used to the way most people give him a wide berth, he actually likes to use it to his advantage: loving how intimidating he can be without trying. Loki keeps to himself mostly, although he doesn't avoid large crowds. He is a lone island in the sea, the currents flowing around him.

The seats fill up quickly, yet the one next to him stays empty. Loki wouldn't really mind if someone came to sit there, yet he is happy to see it empty too. Being around people can be a bit of an ordeal sometimes, with their lack of hygiene or irritating sounds. The man two rows in front of him for instance, reeks of old sweat. And at the other end of the last row is a woman who has the annoying habit of sucking her teeth. Centuries of practice have learned Loki how to shut out this type of external stimuli, otherwise he would have gone completely mental ever since coming to Midgard. Human blood tastes the sweetest, but you have to put up with a lot of downsides of the human race if you want to live among them. Still, Loki prefers Midgard over living on Asgard under Odin's ever watching eye.

When I.M. Georges comes on the stage, Loki watches him fondly. The author is in his seventies now, though his face hasn't aged that much since the last time Loki saw him, about thirty five years ago. His hair has gone completely white, yet he sports the same haircut as when he was younger, the hairs parted at the side. The vampire purchased the book in his lap from the author himself, who had just started to get recognition for his works. Loki wasn't familiar with his writing back then, he just happened to be in the bookstore that evening. He remembers how the Cambridge bookstore had set up a small table in the back with a wooden chair for the author to sit on, while he sold his books from cardboard boxes that were stacked next to the table. He had come a long way since those days; I.M. Georges is a household name in the world of literary fiction. Loki has followed his career ever since reading that first book. Being a recluse, the author rarely makes public appearances; coming overseas is an even rarer occasion for him. Loki was happy when he saw the notice of tonight's event in the paper, it would give him a chance to let I.M. Georges sign the book he bought from him all those years ago.

There is someone staring at him, he can feel it. It happens every now and then, the stares. It's usually one of two kinds of people: the ones who are afraid of him or the ones who find him more fascinating than is healthy for them. This young woman is a little different though, she is looking at him with innocent interest and when their eyes connect he can see the signs of that familiar shift in her mind; the sudden realisation that he is a vampire. Her pupils dilate and the tips of her ears go pink, but other than that she doesn't seem shocked.

She is a pretty little thing; all bundled up in her green winter coat, a black knitted scarf around her neck. The light freckles around her nose match her strawberry blond hair, pulled up in a loose bun at the back of her head. Loki guesses she is in her late twenties, her blue eyes bright from the cold outside. She doesn't seem the type to be a fangbanger - the slang used for people who want to have sex with a vampire for the thrill of it -, so she will probably fit among those who are afraid of vampires and the dangers that surround them. Loki directs his attention back to the stage in the front of the bookstore, it won't be long before the event starts.

The rubber soles of her boots don't make a sound on the wooden floors of the bookstore, yet Loki knows she is standing close behind him before she has even said anything. Her voice is a pleasant surprise though, a little lower than he would have expected. He gets up from his chair to let her pass and it's easy to see she is not used to that kind of chivalry; she nearly bumps into the vampire. The men of this age have really dropped the ball, if you asked him; the ladies have some lessons to learn as well.

From up close he can see the different hues that make up the blue of her eyes, surrounded by long lashes. There is no fear in her eyes, even though she is standing pretty close to him. It's a pleasant change for once. Her behaviour is amusing; even though she is within two feet of a vampire, she sits down like she is at home. She is completely at ease, taking of her coat while sitting down, bumping into his arm in the process. When she unwraps her scarf from her neck, Loki's eyes immediately latch on to the exposed skin there. The way she has angled her head to push her scarf inside her coat sleeve behind her gives him a good view of the muscles and veins that lie just beneath her soft, young skin. She smells sweet, like vanilla, probably from a body lotion or shower product she used that morning. There's also the aroma of coffee, not on her breath but on her hands. Her own natural smell is very nice too, the fresh earthy scent enhanced by the more synthetic vanilla tones and the whiff of coffee. Loki can feel his fangs press against the inside of his lower lip and he carefully pushes the thoughts about the softness of her skin, the sweetness of her blood and just the general taste of her to the back of his mind. She looks lovely and her smell is enticing, but this is not the time nor place to think about things like that.

To his surprise, the young woman starts making smalltalk. She really isn't that impressed with him being a vampire, yet she also doesn't seem to want something from him other than friendly conversation. If anything, she treats him like any other human being. It's a bit unsettling to Loki, yet in a nice way.
They both brought the same book, no doubt both with the intention to get it signed afterwards. Her copy is well-loved, the edges of the book scratched and dented and the pages stained with unnamable smudges. It looks like it lives inside her bag on most days, instead of sitting on a shelf. That is also what she tells him, saying she takes it with her everywhere she goes. Her voice is pleasant to his ears and her warm demeanor makes it easy for him to fall into playful conversation. He can hear her heart falter for a moment when he leans over to whisper something to her, her earthy vanilla smell filling his nose. From her laugh he can hear she was thinking about a whole other 'secret' than what he just told her, meaning she isn't oblivious to him being a vampire. Still, she interacts with him like he couldn't drain her to the last drop if he wanted. Not that he would; it has been ages since he last showed such poor self control.

Their conversation may be stopped short when Mr. Georges is presented on stage, yet their interaction only pauses momentarily. At first, all her attention is directed at the white haired man on stage and it stays like that when he starts reading a section of the book that brought him fame; a work on the Tudors, brilliantly mixing history and fiction together like only I.M. Georges can. But then the author tells his audience he would like to read from another work, an older book that has not received as much love from the public as the ones that came after it. The young woman sits up straighter and sends Loki an excited look, before actually grabbing his arm and almost squealing when the author holds a copy of 'The backstreets of London' in the air.

She is as startled as Loki by her own action, only the dark prince is better at hiding his emotions. He doesn't know whether he should be angered or amused by her familiarity fuelled by her enthusiasm. He hates it when somebody touches him without permission, especially humans. Many fangbangers have experienced his wrath when alcohol or drugs clouded their minds and they dared coming too close. Yet with this cheerful girl his anger refuses to come out, leaving him in wonder about her nerve to grab a vampire by the arm. It's funny to think she might have temporarily forgotten who he is, or what he is.

The young woman has a similar war of emotions, fear and surprise flashing over her face; yet with her joy is the winner. She smirks and shrugs as if they have just shared something funny, before turning back to the stage to listen to I.M. Georges read from their favourite book. Loki observes her for a moment, seeing how her giddiness about what has just transpired between them is replaced by a look of pure joy as she listens to Mr. Georges' clear voice.

The author has chosen to read a part that Loki knows very well, although it is safe to say he knows the entire book like the back of his hand. 'The backstreets of London' is one of his favourite books because it captures the feel of those streets in the nineteenth century so well, those streets that were his home for almost two decades during that century. Living in London in that period of time was though, especially for the lower classes. Loki had turned himself away from his family out of resentment; turns out that you can't live on spite alone. It was a dark period, though also one of the most interesting ones. He befriended a local gang leader, a man much like one of the characters in Georges' book. The guy almost certainly knew Loki was a vampire, though they never spoke about it. Loki made sure to never feed on members of his friend's gang, picking out rival gang members instead. Eventually, the gang wars destroyed the gangs and Loki grew tired of the lack of comfort. He went to the French country, where Thor was living it up in a mansion surrounded by orchards. His adoptive brother welcomed him back with open arms, like he always did. Thor never held a grudge, so Loki did it for the both of them.

The young woman next to him is enraptured by the story. She is leaning forward in her chair, her hands tucked under her thighs. Upon her cheeks is a faint blush, bringing her enticing smell to Loki's attention again. However, his interest in her is not solely based on physical attraction; she shares his love for the book - although her motives are slightly different - and her open attitude towards him as a person is a fresh breeze of change. When she glances back at him, her lips turned up in a smile and her eyes sparkling with joy, Loki decides he would like to see more of her, to know more of her. 

Author's note:
Well? What do you think up until now? I am still writing this story, but I wanted to share the first part with you already. As you can see every chapter alternates between Loki's and Ylva's point of view, I hope that isn't confusing. I'd love to hear what you think!