Muffins - Loki & Ylva alternate universe stories

Love with a bite IV

Author's note: Little bit of a warning for this story: the characters of Ylva and Loki are a bit different from what you are used to from my other stories and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So if they act 'out of character', just roll with it :-) It will all fall into place when the story unravels.

Artwork on top by Nanihoo.

***

Ylva had hoped for the author to read from her favourite book, yet when it happens she can hardly believe it. In her excitement she grabs the arm of the person closest to her, forgetting that it's not uncle Lars she came here with. A cold white flash of fear goes through her when she realises her mistake, what was she thinking?! Squeezing the biceps of a vampire she has just met, for all she knows he could snap her neck for that! She knows the stories of the fangbangers who got in over their head, even though the stories are usually pawned off as rumours. The absurdity of it, possibly getting killed in a bookstore by a vampire only because she grabbed his arm, unexpectedly makes her laugh. And when she sees a glimmer of amusement in the vampire's eyes, his eyebrows raised in some sort of cynical wonder, she really has to push her sudden glee down or she will have a fit of giggles. Ylva views up front again, where I.M. Georges is searching for the right page in the book. Soon, her nerves calm down and she loses herself in the words that she knows so well. To hear them spoken out loud by the man who wrote them is special to her, it's even more precious than she would have expected.

When the author is done reading from 'The backstreet of London', the lady of the bookstore announces it is time for some questions from the audience. Ylva sits back in her chair, watching the hands that are raised in the audience. She is one of the younger people here, most of the audience is at least forty years or older. She briefly wonders how old the vampire next to her is, he probably screws up the average age here majorly.

"Aren't you putting your hand up?" the man in black asks her quietly, leaning over to her for a moment.

Ylva chuckles. "Georges is practically a hermit, he doesn't like questions."

Her neighbour nods in consent. "He's bad at answering them too," he says, after the author has given yet another slightly confusing answer. "Someone should put him out of his misery."

His words make a grey-haired woman in front of them look back, her lips pursed in disapproval. Ylva presses her hand against her mouth to refrain from laughing, though when she glances at the vampire - who raises a challenging eyebrow at the woman in front of them - her attempt is in vain. Something about him makes her forget who he is, what he is; she is surprisingly at ease around the dark-haired man.

Luckily, question time is cut short after a few other ill-answered questions. I. M. Georges speaks better from behind his writing machine and Ylva is more than happy to overlook his inability to form coherent answers on the spot. It his writing what's important, and his work is amazing.

The first part of the evening is concluded with the author reading a few pages from his latest novel, one that has nineteenth century England as the subject again and also has a protagonist from the lower classes. The first two pages sound promising and Ylva is looking forward to dive into the book when she gets home. To be honest, she will probably start reading on the train already!
The woman in the pantsuit announces a short break in which the audience can purchase the new book, to get it signed by the author after the break. Chairs are scraping against the floor as people get up from their seats and make their way to the cashier counter where a large pile of books is waiting to be taken home by their new owners.

Ylva folds her coat over her arm and the man next to her does the same; the black and white scarf hangs loosely over his shoulders. He gestures for her to walk in front, following close behind her. "I'm guessing you want a copy of the new book too?"