Liam

Chapter 15

Rayne knew someone was in the room. She looked at Liam sleeping next to her and then turned towards the figure standing by the window. "Never send a man to do a woman's work," the voice said. The figure of Mrs. Lau from the meeting stepped forward.

"Eris, I presume?" Rayne asked. "What do you want from me?"

"I'm pleased you know who I am dear. As for what I want, well, I think we both already know the answer to that. I think in the end, you will come to agree with my decisions, but for now, I just wanted to make some introductions." Eris glanced over at the bed and pointed to Liam, "That one is just full of surprises. Have to admit, I didn't see him in the picture, but then again, he loves to meddle where he doesn't belong. I guess a fellow lover of chaos has to respect that," her laugh was silvery yet dangerous. "It won't matter in the end. His presence actually makes things easier."

In a flash, she was on the other side of the bed, right next to Liam, stroking his hair, "If you don't want him to die, then you will find that Cauldron for me. It really is that simple, dear. I'll give you two weeks before I collect my prize." She lifted the sheet to glance at Liam's naked body, "I'm sure I could find lots of fun things to do with this one." her words trailed off as the sheet fell, and she vanished.

Rayne darted to the bed, shaking him, "Liam, Liam, are you okay?"

Liam raised his head, his voice groggy from sleep, "What, yeah, hey wait, what's wrong, Rayne, why are you crying, what happened?" Huge tears streamed down Rayne's face as she clung to Liam, pulling him against her. Liam sat up, cradling her in his arms, "Shhhh, it's okay, I'm here, we're safe, shhh, my love."

Rayne pulled away to look him in the eyes and sobbed, "No we aren't! She was here, just now. Eris was here and she said she would hurt you if I don't find the Cauldron for her. I can't lose you! I don't even know where the Cauldron is! What am I..."

Liam pulled her into his chest again, cutting her words off as he rocked her in his arms. "It's okay, I'll be fine, I'm not as easy to kill as you think, love. Just breathe. Listen to my heartbeat and breathe. That's it, deep breaths and slow. Okay, better?" he loosened his hold on her and turned her chin towards him. He gently kissed her.

"She knew you, Liam. She called you a lover of chaos. What did she mean?" Rayne looked deep into Liam's green eyes. "Who are you? And don't tell me you're Liam Andersen, antiques dealer." She squeezed his hand, waiting for him to answer.

Liam looked distraught and let out a long sigh, "I think it's my turn for show and tell, darling. But before I do, please believe me when I say I love you. I've been afraid to reveal myself because you may just be the only person in all the realms that knows everything about me, especially things I'm not proud of." Liam stood up next to the bed and gazed into Rayne's questioning eyes. "I love you, Ástvinur. Please don't hate me." A green shimmer enveloped Liam and Rayne watched as his appearance transformed. He became a bit taller with long reddish hair braided in some sections, he wore leather armor with Viking armbands emblazoned with the Kennaz and Jehu runes.

Rayne blinked and stared. She tried to speak, yet she couldn't. Her mouth just kept opening and closing. Rayne was in shock. He's a God - a freaking God! And not just any God...he's...Loki.

"Ástvinur, please say something," he knelt down before her and reached out for her hand. Rayne pulled away, and she could see the disappointment in his eyes. "I never meant to deceive you. I've wanted to tell you so many times, I just didn't know how. Rayne, you already know everything about me. You even know my predicted future with your knowledge of mythology. How could I possibly expect someone as amazing as you to love me, knowing who I really am and the things I've done?" He looked down at the floor, sighing as he sat back on his knees.

"Did it ever occur to you that I would still love you?" Rayne finally said. Liam looked up at her but didn't move. "I'm just in shock right now. Apparently, I'm realizing that it is a common thing for me to converse with Gods and Goddesses on a regular basis. First Kalli, now you..." She shook her head. "Do I have to start checking IDs for all the people I love?"

"You still love me?" Liam asked in disbelief. He waved his hand and was in his human form again. "You don't hate me?"

Rayne touched his face, wiping a tear from his cheek, "I could never hate you, I love you too much." He leaned forward and kissed her softly. "So do I still call you Liam or Loki?" she asked.

"You may call me whatever you wish, as long as you love me," he smiled at her, then winked, "However, I still have a fondness for Master."

She swatted at his arm, "Don't push your luck, buddy! I think I prefer to continue calling you Liam. I accept who you really are, but I fell in love with Liam. I think getting to know the side of you that is Loki will take some time, and right now we don't have the luxury of time. Eris only gave me two weeks. I don't even know where to start." Rayne glanced around the room, and began rummaging through drawers. She pulled out a tourist map and pointed, "here. We need to go here - Blarney in County Cork. This should be the gateway to Tír na nÓg."

Liam nodded, snapped his fingers, and just like that, they were both dressed. "Do we drive or teleport?" he asked, looking down at her.

"Do all Gods and Goddesses know how to teleport? Is it like God skills 101 or something?" Rayne asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"A bit snippy aren't we?" Rayne glared at him, making him flinch slightly, "I'm assuming that means teleport. Hold tight dear, this might make you a bit queasy." Liam pulled her tightly to him, and as Rayne squeezed her eyes shut, they vanished in a soft green mist.

When she opened her eyes, they stood in front of Blarney Castle. Luckily it was the middle of the night, so no one had seen their arrival. Well, almost no one. An older woman in a simple brown frock came over to them, eyeing them up and down. "Hmm..ya don't look like much to me," the woman cackled. "Guess we should be getting along." Before either of them could ask who she was or what she meant, she blew some type of powder in their faces and the world went black.

Author's Notes:  For those reading this after To Be Claimed by Her, I warn you may see some similarities in personality.  My characterization of Loki is based on Norse mythology, therefore, his mannerisms and more tend to be consistent.  

Additionally, I'll admit, that I never intended to put this story out to the public.  I wrote this over a year ago to work through personal issues that are embedded within the story.  It has since influenced almost every writing I've done since.  

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