Babysitter to the God of Mischief | Loki ✔

Chapter Twenty Two

We had kissed before. Never directly - always to the top of the head as a comfort, but not one of them felt as intimate as this. My stomach churned, but not uncomfortably, as I let the feeling of lying beside Loki entice me into a fantasy. My mind was racing, the debate of right and wrongs battling to decide if what I was doing was okay, but Loki's hot breath fanning over my hand made my thoughts melt away.

His lips were still stuck in a smile, though his eyes looked a little more hardened, more serious, than they had been. "Dahlia-"

Two short knocks sounded at the door, followed by a deafening silence. My eyes widened, and my body instinctively threw itself away from Loki. I rolled to the edge of the bed, then slipped off, banging my elbow against the floor as a groan of pain escaped my chest.

Loki's head flung over the edge of the bed, concern evident in his eyes that flicked from my face to my elbow I was clutching. "Are you okay?"

I laughed nervously, more embarrassed than hurt, and pushed myself so I was sitting. The awkward intimacy from moments ago dissipated, and I relaxed back into the role of babysitter. "I'm fine, Loki. Lie back down, I'll answer the door."

"But-"

"Loki," I warned, shooting him a challenging look of my own. He grumbled, but slumped back onto his side, careful to avoid letting his cream covered back touch the silky sheets.

I opened the door to see Maria smiling on the other side of it. Her hair was pulled into the ordinary ponytail, and she carried a heavy tray laden with food and drink. "Your breakfast my lady."

I pulled a face at her as I stepped back, letting her enter the room before I shut the door behind her. She balanced the tray on the table by the sofas, then stood straight, waiting for instruction. I grinned at her, "fill me in then."

I sat down on a chair and lifted the two plates, frowning a little. I found a spare one in a cupboard nearby, and ushered Maria into an actual seat. "Fill you in on what?"

"How is everything downstairs?" I asked. I divided the food into three, making sure the thick butter was spread across the slices of bread, and cut into the heavenly fruits.

"There are some split opinions on you and Prince Loki."

I could see Loki lift his head from where I was sat, and the roll of his eyes made me smile a little. I turned back to Maria. "How come?"

Maria's brows furrowed a little as she accepted the plate of food I offered her. "Some believe you served an unjust sentence. Everyone hated the Matron, and think that you were framed to serve time in prison by her daughter."

"Sounds about right." Loki mumbled as he pushed himself off the bed. He wandered past us, pinched a slice of a tangy fruit off my plate with a wink, then continued his slow walk into the bathroom.

The door clicked shut as I sighed, but I couldn't fight the smile that itched its way onto my face as I replayed his teasing wink. Maria caught my eye, a playful smile on her own lips as she caught the blush that threatened to spread across my cheeks. "What is the other opinion?"

"A few people believe it was an attention seeking stunt by the prince for the Allfather to focus on him. I've heard a few people say the prince even arranged it so he could spend time locked in a cell with you."

The absurd comment made me sound an ugly snort as I shook my head. "That's ridiculous."

"I tried to convince them otherwise." Maria smiled, sipping on the juice as she finished up her plate of food. "But some people just won't listen."

I nodded in agreement, and quietly worked my way through the rest of the plate. I nicked a slice of the fruit from Loki's plate as he had stolen one from mine, and offered Maria a finger to my lips. Her lips quirked into a smile, before she collected the used plates and took them back down to the kitchens.