The Last Shifter (a Loki romance)

Chapter 134

Arista's POV

Everything hurt. My left elbow had a dull fire going, my neck pulsed painfully with every heartbeat, and I was congested. That, and every breath was accompanied by extreme pain in my chest from where Bucky had hit me. But it was the congestion that got me. I hadn't been congested since I was pregnant! I raised my right hand to my nose and tried to blow, only to find that I was not, in fact, congested, but had tubes running down into my lungs. At this realization, my throat constricted and I began to choke. I pulled desperately at the tubes, and they left trails of agony as they came out, chaffing against my bronchi and trachea. I coughed, all my muscles tensing up. I felt like I was being stabbed in the neck and like someone was twisting a knife in the bend of my left elbow with every convulsion.

"Woah, calm, Arista." That alto voice. It was familiar. A cold glass rim was pressed to my lips and water poured down my throat, soothing some of the burning sensation the tubes had left behind. I reached for my elbow next, but a strong grip on my wrist suddenly stopped me.

"That has to stay in until the drip is empty, but these will suffice for an oxygen supply." Eir pulled more tubing over my head, resting them by my nostrils. The odor of the air coming from them was sterile, but Eir wouldn't let me remove them.

"Just until tomorrow morning. Your body is having a hard time recovering from the device."

"Yeah, no shit." I brushed my fingers against my neck. They met with thick gauze and even the slightest pressure made the pain worse.

"Where's L–Odin. Where's Odin."

"Your husband is currently seeing to the duties he usurped from the Allfather. However, he did see to it that certain volumes were pulled from the library for your entertainment." She gestured to the thick books that rested on my bedside table.

"How considerate." I scanned the titles. At least he was not attempting to bore me with scholarly literature. My stomach rumbled.

"You're hungry," Eir said, "That's good. Once the drip has completed its cycle I will bring you something light."

"Thank you." She turned to go, but something was still bugging me, "Eir?" She stopped before she opened the door, "How did you know?"

"He is radically changing Odin's older policies, so I have suspected for a few years now, but it was his concern for you that gave him away."

"Who else–"

"Only myself that I know of." With that, she exited the room, leaving me to reach for the heavy books with the arm inhibited by the IV.

Loki did not come to see me for what felt like forever. While the room was very well lit and I could change the lighting temperature and brightness on a whim, there were no windows and no time keeping devices in sight. All I had was Eir telling me to be patient the few times she came into the room during the day. The first time she came by, she took out the IV and watched me consume the broth and bread she had brought me. That time, she stayed for what she claimed was an hour, to make sure I kept it down. But after that, I only saw her for a few minutes at a time. She brought me broth and bread twice more, and checked in not long after to see how I was doing, but she never stayed again. At last, I stopped letting my heart leap to my throat every time I heard the door click open.

"Clearly I'm breathing just fine," I said this time when I heard her come in, "So can we get rid of these–" Someone cleared his throat. The Allfather stood in the closing doorway, his eye twinkling in very un-Odin-like amusement. Suddenly, I was grateful for the sterile oxygen because I couldn't get enough air in my lungs. I felt my heart speed up, peaking almost painfully when the door closed fully and his guise dropped.