All Hail The King // Loki - Book 2 ✓

Chapter 10

ANNA SMILES into Loki's chest, savoring the sensation of his body pressing against hers. She can feel the taut muscles beneath his shirt, her hands slipping up his chest and tangling her fingers into his hair once more. His hand is snaked firmly around his waist, holding her tightly, causing her breath to hitch in her chest. Every inhale quakes, the pleasure of their proximity vibrating her bones. She wonders for a moment if he can feel her heartbeat fluttering within her chest, and - as he presses another kiss to her forehead - it begins to race out of control once more.

"How are you here?" Loki murmurs into her hair, refusing to let her go.

Tipping up her chin, he captures her lips with his own once more before she can answer. This kiss is slow and smoldering, a far cry from the desperate crashing together of their lips that happened just moments earlier. Heat begins to stir deep within her as she traces his bottom lip with her tongue, tugging at it gently with her teeth, before he groans into her. Every touch, every kiss, drives Loki mad with desire, and it's taking all of the self-control he possesses to keep from taking her in the cell, damn the onlookers.

He smirks at the thought, reminded that they are not alone, and lifts an eye to see that a few of the prisoners opposite his cell are watching with a blend of lust and jealousy. Immensely proud of the beautiful woman in his arms, he turns his attention back to her and kisses her again. They remain locked together for what seems like an eternity, their lips, hands, and bodies meeting in an endless harmony of passion and pleasure, and Loki struggles to break away from her.

When he finally does, she's breathing heavily. Her blue eyes sparkle with joy as they look up at him, and he brushes his thumb across her swollen lips. Anna shivers, and Loki's smile grows wider at the sight of it.

"I thought I'd never see you again," Anna whispers, her voice raspy. "I thought--"

Loki intertwines her fingers with his, pulling her knuckles up to his lips, "I know."

The guard returns, clearing his throat as he motions for Anna to leave the cell. Loki growls at the sight of him, and his arm tightens around her waist. After a month apart, he does not wish to part with her so soon. A piece of him is terrified that she will disappear should he let her go, and he'll discover that this paradise was nothing but a dream. His heart would not withstand another separation.

"I have to go," she says regretfully. "I was with Thor and Jane, we were supposed to be--"

He lifts an eyebrow, "The Midgardian is here? In Asgard? I would not think Odin would allow such a thing."

"He didn't," Anna replies playfully. "Jane is...she's not well. Thor brought her here to see the healers, but it is beyond Eir's abilities, I am afraid. Odin asked us to follow him, but I got separated. The only reason I'm here is because of your mother."

"She is not my mother," Loki snaps, his green eyes flaming with anger and hurt for a moment.

He exhales, and sadness ripples across his face, "I am sorry."

"Don't be," she tells him, caressing his cheek with her thumb. Pulling him down to her height, she stands on her toes and presses a soft kiss on his lips. "I know you were hurt, but don't let it turn you into something you're not."

Loki scoffs, moving to take a step away from Anna, but she refuses to let go of him. Instead, she runs her hands down his chest in a tantalizingly slow fashion, her fingertips feeling the ridges of his muscles beneath his shirt. Forgetting his frustration, he pushes against her once more and nips at her earlobe. She giggles, a delightful sound, and turns his face so his green eyes meet hers.

"You define who you are," she tells him earnestly, love reflecting within her blue eyes. "Your past is just that - the past. There's no point in holding on to something that cannot be changed. I forgive y--"

He looks down, his thoughts instantly going back to that fateful day on the Bifrost when he and Thor fell off the edge. Falling into the void. Meeting The Other and Thanos, who would manipulate and torture him, offering him a throne and an army in exchange for his assistance. They manipulated him, preyed on his craving for approval and acceptance, and in the end, he was the fool. As if reading his thoughts, Anna reaches up to kiss him once more. Green eyes flick back up to her face, allowing himself to be pulled from the memories, and she stares up at him. The look on her face is unlike anything he's ever seen before, a mixture of love, longing, sadness, and hope. 

"You're not a monster, Loki."

Now Playing: "Fire In The Water" by Feist.