Packless Monsters

Chapter 40

"That can't be good," you commented stupidly at the silver you had thrown up. The bowl vanished and Loki led you back to the bed in the med room.

"It's alright, little wolf. It's actually a good thing," Loki told you gently as he got you settled again.

"How can it possibly be a good thing? I didn't eat the stuff," you grumbled, but let him take care of you. He chuckled and seemed relieved that you were feeling better enough to grumble and snarl at him.

He brushed his hand against the bare skin of your arm and showed you that it came back shimmering with a slightly silver metallic sheen. "Your body is doing its job and trying to get rid of the silver any way it can. You'll be fine," he told you warmly.

"Good, cuz I hate this room," you grumbled.

He chuckled as he placed a hand gently on your forehead. "I know, darling," he told you softly. You sneezed at his use of magic, and saw the green glow around his hand. You should have known, you realized as your eyes were growing heavy.

"You realize I hate when you do that?" you grumbled at him sleepily as he helped you lay back on the bed.

"I'm sorry, little wolf, but I do not wish for you to suffer unduly. It's just for a couple hours for the antidote to kick in," he told you softly.

"Stay with me?" you murmured, unable to open your eyes again.

"Always, darling. Sleep now. You'll feel better when you wake," he promised you. Reassured by his words, you allowed sleep to claim you.

*

You woke again to the sound of Loki reading aloud. He had a particular cadence to his voice when he was reading and you recognized it at once. It seemed perfectly normal except.

Except...

"And the wolf, noticing the very little girl all alone in his woods, made his way very carefully over to her. He was moved to help her, but didn't want to frighten the child, for silly humans are scared of wolves. She was wearing a bright red cape and carried a basket full of...sweets and snacks, his nose told him. She looked so very alone and so very very young to be in his woods without a guardian. His woods were dangerous, and not just because of him. So the wolf gallantly stepped out onto the path in front of him. 'Hello, little girl,' he greeted her kindly. 'Why are you in my woods all alone?'

'I'm not sposed to talk to strangers' replied the little girl, not afraid of him, beyond the fact that he was a stranger.

The wolf smiled reassuringly. 'That is quite wise-"

You opened your eyes at the familiar children's tale. At least the werewolf version of it was familiar to you. You sat up slowly and Loki didn't pause his reading. You realized why an instant later. He was sitting in the chair next to your bed, the little five year old wolf puppy was in his lap, her wolf-ears and tail out, enthralled by the tale and Loki's rendition of it. The older puppy was sitting on the floor at Loki's feet listening too, and he held the book tilted in such a way that she could see the pictures too while he read. You realized that she was younger than your original assessment, since she had her wolf-ears and tail out too. That would put her in her early teens to not be affected by winter's moon.

The sight of Loki reading so patiently and caringly to the puppies warmed your heart and it was so adorable.

You had an unbidden, but wonderful image of him reading to your own puppies in a comfy chair in front of a fire.

You shook that image away quickly. You didn't need to think about imaginary puppies right now. You didn't want to interrupt the adorable scene, but Loki had noticed you move the second you woke. He kept reading, but it didn't take long for the puppies to notice you too. "Mega!" the little puppy called and scrambled off of Loki's lap to join you on the bed. You laughed as she crawled into your arms. "Mr. Loki said no cuddles until you woke," she pouted.