All Over Again (Sequel to Wanted Man)

Chapter Thirty-One

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Loki stood at just outside the Artifacts Vault, hands still clenched into fists at his sides. The urge to hit something surged through him, which was odd in itself. He was never one for physical violence, that was more Thor's style.

And the person he wanted to hit?

Himself.

What could he have possibly been thinking, jumping on McKenna the way he did? What was wrong with him?

He groaned softly, sinking onto the bottommost step, his face in his hands. And the way she looked at him. Fear.

His wife was afraid of him.

McKenna, who always stood up to him, right from the beginning, looked at him with fear in her beautiful green eyes.

“Loki? What’re you doing here?”

He lifted his head to see Thor coming down the stairs toward him. “Obviously I’m sitting here.”

“Why? You’ve no need to be down here.”

“I just wished to make certain the Tesseract is still locked away securely.”

Thor raised one brow. “The guards will make certain of that.”

“Don’t look at me that way. I’ve done nothing wrong.” Loki rose, glaring down at his brother. “And there is nowhere in this palace that I need avoid. I have as much right to be here as you do.”

“Do you?” Thor asked mildly, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’ve never shown much interest in this vault until now. When the Tesseract has come home.”

“I am not at all interested in the Tesseract. I’ve told you, all I cared about was coming home to McKenna and the children.”

“So then why are you here?”

Loki scowled. “I don’t answer to you, Brother.” He stepped around Thor and continued on up the stairs, away from both the Artifacts Vault and the Weapons Vault.

Thor called, “Loki!” but Loki just ignored him.

His treatment of McKenna weighed so heavily on him, started a headache back behind his eyes. The further he moved away from the Tesseract, the calmer his emotions seemed to grow. He hated being near that damn thing, hated how it haunted his thoughts when he was under the same roof as it. It whispered to him, like a lover beckoning to him, promising him everything in his wildest fantasies.

All he wanted was to take McKenna and the children home. On Midgard, he’d be safe, he’d be far enough from the Tesseract to ignore its seduction. Here, in Asgard, he wasn’t so certain he was strong enough.

As he reached the closed door to his chambers—the chambers he’d shared with McKenna for nearly four years now—his heart skipped a beat. He could hear McKenna—well, someone—moving about. He had to face his wife, had to find some way to apologize for his stupidity.

Dragging in a deep breath, he turned the handle and opened the door. McKenna was turning down the bed and looked up, freezing when she saw him in the doorway. “May I?” he asked, gesturing into the room.

“I don’t know, Loki.” She straightened slowly, holding a pillow as if it was a shield.

“Love, I don’t even know how to begin apologizing for my behavior.” He closed the door behind him and leaned against it. He closed his eyes, wracking his brain for the right words, for any words to describe his idiocy.

“What was with you in there?” she asked, tossing the pillow into its place on his side of the bed. “I thought I was going to have to knee you in the balls.”