Sigyn's Discovery (Part 1)

Retreat (SIGYN)

He barked orders at me that were impossible to fill. "Sigyn, tell the moon to be less bright."

"Yes, Loki," I said, meekly reaching for the sky to do my duty—but she was too far to control, and I was left leaning over Frigga's balcony, nearly enough to fall.

I cannot fail. I must obey.

"Enough of that," he said. "Take care of this mess."

"Yes, Loki." I walked backward down the balcony steps and turned at the reflecting pool. On the other side, his pedestal was cracked and broken, not unlike how the many pillars of the throne room had been destroyed by the Chitauri. His helmet floated in the air, untouched, but everything around it was in shambles. The black shroud marking it as a memorial was nowhere to be seen.

One by one, I picked up the granite pieces and tried to put the pedestal back together without any type of mortar. Sweat leaked from my brow and off my chin. It's too much...too broken to fix.

"Is it coming along?" he asked, standing close enough behind me that I felt his chill. "Can you do all I ask?"

My teeth chattered as I continued. "Yes, Loki."

No sooner had I said it when Loki wrapped his cape around my shoulders. It carried his unmistakable aroma—like a river from the sky had just come down. Not quite musk, not quite sweet. Just him.

"Is this better?" he asked, softening his tone, though I didn't dare slow my progress.

"Yes, Loki," I whispered without an ounce of falseness.

The palace around us shook and the ceiling fell apart, dropping plates of stone that crashed into the marble floor and splashing torrents from the pool. Yet I didn't move, and I felt no fear. With the fabric protecting me, I was invincible—it carried some of his magic, too, didn't it?

I reached forward once more to another piece of his pedestal, but Loki's hand caught mine before it could grip the stone. His touch made me gasp, and my heart thumped loudly in my ears. He made my body shiver and ache in ways I dared not ever say.

Loki brushed the hair off my shoulder from behind, keeping hold of me in front while breathing on my neck. He reached my ear and huffed into it until I sighed in affirmation.

"Tell me, Sigyn...do you like this?"

"Yes, Loki." I melted into him, yearning to turn around and see his face.

"Do I excite you?"

"Mm-hmm."

"No...what do you say?"

My words were an easy repetition, but every time they escaped my lips, they echoed more and more as if underwater. "Yes, Loki."

"Good." He teased me with words so quiet, I held my breath. "Surrender to me."

"Yes..." The world went dark. Time meant nothing. I panted with wanton anticipation and pulled on the edges of the cape to bring him closer.

He didn't attack my body as I expected or answer my invitation. Instead, Loki gave me another command. "Sigyn, open your eyes."

Immediately, bright morning sun invaded my mind. While the dream felt quite real—leaving me winded as if I'd run to the top of the noble floor stairs and back again—it was only the work of my overactive imagination.

If I could dictate the contents of my subconscious, would I refuse to dream of him at all, or extend my rest to see what happens next?

Too groggy to get up just yet, I pulled the single cover over my head to block out the light as I groaned. Tiwaz nestled his face into my side, then traded his front paws back and forth in the same place as he purred.