Endlessly

Loki

After a night of very little sleep, you grumble at the sun shining through your curtains, stretching your unusually stiff muscles with a groan.

You drag yourself out of bed to your private bath, a luxury few in the palace are fortunate enough to have, and one you are especially grateful for. You mindlessly unlace the back of your dress, disgusted with yourself that you were in such a state yesterday, you hadn't even taken the time to change into proper sleepwear before hiding away under the covers of your bed. When you pull it over your head, the intoxicating smell of the prince, left behind on your dress, wafts through your nostrils. The scent of him alone brings back that unfamiliar warmth in your core, and then the memories of yesterday bring back the throbbing between your legs.

Oh no!

You toss the dress away from you as if it were a snake about to bite.

Forcing yourself to keep it together, you reach for your hairbrush and turn to the mirror.

Oh, gods!

Your hair is an absolute wreck, tossed in nearly every direction. There are grass stains on both of your elbows, and on your neck... three small purplish marks lie just below your ear, above your collarbone, and near the center of your throat.

Horrified at the sight of yourself, you turn away from the mirror, throw yourself into the warm bath water, and sink down until it is over your head, washing away the sins of yesterday.

It's just a little dirt, it will be gone once I've bathed.

After far more time soaking than necessary, you force yourself out of the bath, turning to the mirror once again. To your dismay, the three little spots that you now know without a doubt were made by the teeth and lips of the dark prince, are still there. In fact, the warm bath water may have made them look even worse.

For shame!

You hurriedly brush through your hair and change into a blush pink dress. When you look at your reflection again, you mentally kick yourself for not bringing just a little bit of makeup along with you.

Well, I certainly cannot leave my chambers until this has cle-

A sound just outside of your door pulls you from your thoughts. You rush over to it, not exactly sure what you're thinking, and rip the door open.

Your breath catches when you find Prince Loki on the other side of your door, with a single golden rose in one hand, and what appears to be a letter in the other.

"Apologies for my rudeness, my prince, but what are you doing at my door?" You keep what you hope is the most stoic expression you can possibly muster on your face.

"I'm sorry, my lady, I just wished to dr-" He fails to continue his sentence as he runs his eyes all over you. His cheeks turn a soft shade of pink just before he takes notice of the marks on your neck. His eyes widen at the sight of you, and he swiftly checks down the hallway before pushing past you into your room.

"What are you doing!?" You startle yourself with your feisty tone. "You cannot be in here!"

He presses a finger to your lips, silencing your protests immediately. "I know, I'm terribly sorry. I feel that I must at least attempt to make up for yesterday, and then I will quickly be on my way."

He places a chilly hand on your chest, causing butterflies in your stomach to explode in every direction, crashing against one another and making your head spin. When a cool sensation begins to wrap around your throat, you know that you're a goner.