Infatuated with a God

Chapter Sixty-Nine

He followed me to the sparring mat, examining his daggers as I took up my stance.

"I'll even make it fair for you. I won't use seiðr." I rolled my eyes at his cocksureness and instantly lunged for him. I'd planned to get him off guard, proving his arrogance wrong. Instead he dodged perfectly at the right moment. I hadn't expected him to be ready so instantly. He dropped the dagger in his right hand before catching it with his left. In the same moment, he brought his right arm out to connect with mine. He took advantage of my weak grip, forcing the dagger out of my hand and to the floor. In the next instant, he gripped my arm and spun me into a hold, my other dagger lost on the floor as well. I tried to shove my body forward to break out of the hold but was unable to as his hands gripped me almost painfully.

"Pathetic." He hissed in my ear, causing my blood to instantly boil. Then he shoved me away and stepped back. I whipped around to face him, hair twirling behind me and bouncing against my left cheek.

"Loki wh–"

"Again." He demanded, cutting me off. I tried to keep my emotions in check as he continued to goad me, but he was pushing me too far. Without uttering a word, I used my magic to bring my daggers off of the floor and into my hands. The second the hilts hit my palm he lunged at me, only giving me one second to be able to dodge his attack. His blade inches from my face as he swiped down in front of me.

I backed off but stumbled on my feet, falling down before I could comprehend what happened. He took the opportunity gladly, lunging to pin me to the floor and pressing his dagger to my neck. Tears sprung to my eyes, both from the tiredness I felt and the embarrassment.

"I yield." I whispered. He gazed into my eyes, the moment in time seeming to last much longer than it did. There was a sadness in them, a recognition of the gap that had formed between us.

"Kaya..." He whispered, pain clear despite his words being barely audible. Then the glass door slammed open.

"That's enough." Alex demanded. For a second I thought he would stay. He looked at me as if he wanted to stay. I certainly wanted him to despite my better judgement. The hum of our seiðr was electric under our skin, it made me feel whole again. Even without that, I felt better with him around. And then he left, disappearing in a whisp of green seiðr. As soon as his weight was gone the tears began to fall. After Alex helped me up I retreated to my room, pausing briefly by his door. Despite everything I wanted to be in his arms. Still, I kept my word to Alex and didn't, walking past his apartment and going straight for my bed. Which is where I found a gift wrapped in an emerald fabric and a golden bow with a note beside it.

Kaya,

I wished things were better between us so I could give this to you in person.

Happy Birthday, elskan mín.

Loki Odinson.

It was a dagger, designed exactly like his. It balanced just as perfectly in my hand. Beautiful black leather grip with a golden hilt, the now iconic swirls etched into it. But instead of an emerald fused into the pommel it was a beautiful yellow gem I couldn't identify. With a small sad smile, I placed it on my bed stand before lying down and staring at it. The rest of the day passed without much happening. We all gathered in the evening to drink and play board games, with Loki slinking into a corner with a book. I drank far too much, Nat and Wanda helping me into bed. It was an okay day, certainly not as over the top as some of the birthdays here could be. It was the type of night I wanted, even if my attention kept drifting to the corner of the room. It was another week until Loki and I spoke again. Most of the team were out on a mission and I was baking cookies when Tony walked into the kitchen.