Cat and mouse (part 1) Revised version!

Chapter 48

I hit the ground hard, and felt Loki roll away from my grasp.
I scrambled up and grabbed him, pulling him to his feet quickly.
"What just happened?" He questioned looking shocked.
"I saved your life." I smirked, turning him around and inspecting his shackles.
I grabbed the dagger from my boot and stuck it into the chains and twisted as hard as I could. They broke into two pieces, giving him his mobility back.
"What did.. how did..I don't.."
I smiled at him as he flounderd for words.
"You're welcome." I said grinning.
He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me into him kissing me passionately.
"I continue to severely underestimate you Anna Briggs." He murmured into my mouth.
I pulled away from him and took his hand walking down the grassy hill.
"Where are we?"
"Takxs. It was the first place that popped into my head." I said looking back at the still bewildered god.
"Anna, wait." Loki said stopping me
"What would you have us do now? We don't have anywhere to run."
"We'll figure something out, the gift was to buy us time. We can get food and horses at the town and find someplace safer." I said pulling him with me as I walked.
"Gift?"
"Yea, from Nasa. It was your idea really." I said smirking.
He pulled me to a stop and whirled me around.
"What did you trade?"
"Relax, I gave her the bracelet Odin gave me."
Surprised flashed on his face and he looked down at the now dull gold color of his own bracelet.
It dawned on me that he was free now, he could leave now, just like he wanted..fear gripped my stomach.
He pulled the bracelet off and let it fall into the grass before taking my hand once again.
"And here I was, thinking that you left me to die without even coming to say goodbye." He teased.
Relief filled my chest, a warmness setting in at the realization he could have saved himself but chose to stay with me.
"I wouldn't do that." I said lacing my fingers in his own.
It felt right, saving him, holding his hand as we walked towards what was probably our doom.
We walked into the town to find it mostly empty expect a few stragglers.
"Prince Loki!" A woman exclaimed.
"Back from the dead, again." He said giving her a nasty smile.
She turned and ran away leaving everyone to stare at us fearfully.
"We're not here to hurt you. We just need some supplies." I said holding my hands up.
"And maybe someone to get these cuffs off." Loki said more to himself.
A man walked out of the house and stopped when he saw me.
"Hey!" I said recognizing him from the bonfire that felt so long ago.
"Anna from earth." He said stunned.
"Look, we don't have time for questions but I need help."
He looked at Loki fearfully.
"Help us and when we return you'll be heavily compensated. I've been framed, but when I clear this mess up, I'll remember your help." Loki said quickly.
"What can I do for you?" He said mostly to me.
"We need a horse, and some food."
"Fine." He said not happy but willing to help.
"Wait inside." He said gesturing to his house.
::
"You know your just as bad as me now." Loki said rubbing his wrists.
"Thanks."
"I'm serious, I have to get you home. The council will be demanding your life for saving mine. And if they catch us, there won't be much anyone can do for either of us."
"I'm not leaving you here." I said frowning up at him.
He rolled his eyes and came up to where I sat on a desk.
"You saved me, now it's my turn to make sure you don't end up taking my place."
"That won't happen."
"You don't know that." He growled.
"There are other forces at work, you're in danger the longer you're with me."
"I-"
"Stop arguing."
"Make me." I snapped wishing he'd stop trying to protect me, I was the one that save him after all.
The devilish grin that I had grown to enjoy, spread across his face.
"Okay."
My heart jumped as he pulled the front of my shirt gently so our lips met.
His hands roamed over my legs and back as he leaned into me. I felt his breathing quicken when I ran my tongue along his lip.
"Always trying to take charge." He chuckled into my mouth. 
He grabbed my legs and pulled them forward so he was carrying me, hands on my ass to hold me up.
I felt my back crash into a wall and groaned when I felt his hand snake up my shirt.
"Loki Laufeyson, I demand you show yourself!"
"What the hell?" I whispered, a sense of dread bleeding into my chest.
Loki set me down and we went to the window to peek out.
"Come out or I will kill this man."
A cloaked figure stood in the town center with the man who was going to help us,  floating next to him.
"You have five seconds." He called pulling the hood down to reveal grey skin and tuffs of white hair on his blading wrinkly head.
"Loki who is that?" I asked horrified.
Loki was trying to brake the cuffs on his wrists by smashing them with a weight.
"Loki!"
"Someone who will kill us all." He said not looking at me.
I heard the man scream and when I looked back he was on the ground in a puddle of blood.
The cuff broke from off Loki's wrists leaving large gashes in the flesh.
"Let's go."
He grabbed my hand and teleported us.
It felt as if something tugged us back from our intended route and we were slammed down into the dirt below the strange floating creature.
"Shit." Loki grumbled grabbing onto me and shoving me behind him.
"How nice of you to join us. And look you've brought incentive."
"Leave her out of this." Loki growled.
"Then maybe you should have held up your end of the deal."
"Run." Loki murmured as he turned his head back to me.
"No."
"Get your ass out of here now!" He growled shoving me away from him and teleporting away from me.
The creature turned away from me and to Loki who materialized on a rooftop.
"You think I'm going to chase you?"
"How silly of me to think the great Ebony Maw wouldn't chase a simple god like me."
"You're no god." He spat and rose higher into the air.
I ran into the closest house and slammed the door closed.
When I turned around I saw a mother huddled with her two small children in the corner.
"Everything is going to be alright." I said softly to them.
When I looked out the small window I could see magic being thrown back and forth between Loki and Ebony. Something invisible seemed to grab Loki and threw him to the ground with so much force the ground around him trembled.
The grey man floated down to him and lifted his hand, dragging Loki up to his eye level without ever touching him.
He told me to run..but I'd gone this far, I wasn't going to loose anyone else.
I ran back out the front door with my dagger in hand and threw myself onto Ebony knocking him out of the air trying to stab him before his surprise shifted to defense.
He grabbed me by the throat and held me up before the blade ever had a chance to make contact.
"You're becoming a nuisance." He growled into my face, his fingers squeezing around my windpipe.
Loki shouted for him to stop, to take him instead. He struggled to get up and come to my aid but was knocked down by the unseen force once again holding him to the ground while he watched helplessly as my vision began to spot around the edges.
"That's enough."
Ebony turned around with me in his grasp, his hand still locked tightly around my neck but allowing air to flow through my lungs once again.
A monstrously large man had joined the fight.
His skin was deep purple, marks etched along his chin.
Impossibly large weapons dawned his back.
Whoever he was, he was the boss. 
"Thanos, my lord. I was just about finished here."
"I can see that." The man said calmly.
Thanos walked up to Loki and kneeled down.
"You've been an annoying thorn in my side Loki." He said picking at his nails.
"Imagine how I feel." Loki replied smirking.
"I tire of your games." He said drawing a large sword from a hilt on his back
"No!" I screamed flailing as hard as I could, my nails digging into the grey skin leaving deep scratches on his arm.
He snarled and threw me to the ground, the air knocked from my lungs. I gasped trying to recover and make it to the man I loved.
Loki's eyes met mine and I could see sadness in them, they asked for forgiveness.
"I'm sorry." He said barely loud enough for me to hear.
The sword went through his chest easily, Loki's mouth gaped open as he gasped for breath.
"No! No!" I screamed tears springing to my eyes feeling my entire world turn upside down.
Thanos withdrew his sword and stood up wiping the blood off it.
"Come, we have work to do."
"And the girl?"
"Leave the human, she's of no importance to us."
In the blink of an eye they were gone.
I called Loki's name as I crawled forward grabbing him under his armpits and pulling him into my lap.
He was already dead before I reached him.
"No, no, no."
I gripped him tightly to me and sobbed over his lifeless body.