The Rise to Heroism {Loki Laufeyson} Book One

Chapter Twenty

Prisoner after prisoner spill out into the corridor and eventually, my cells barrier is torn down. Hands positioned behind my back, I stand there and watch her, her pupils dilated with the rush of adrenaline. Her blonde hair is damp with sweat, tied in knots. She doesn't make a move to comfort me, just puts her hands on her hips and looks at me expectantly.

"Peculiar indeed," I muse finally, raking her body. Even when she looks like absolute trash, she's still stunning. "The technique was obviously sloppy, yet affective. Six out of Ten."

She cocks an eyebrow. "Six? You loser." She scoffs and pads over to me, wrapping her thin, shining arms around my torso. From under the cheap fabric of my clothes, I can feel a slight bump of muscle beneath her skin. I try to hide my smile of triumph because I know that I made that happen. If it weren't for me, she'd still be that scrawny, blonde weakling with the annoying tendency to question authority - not that that's changed much, but it's progress.

Now, she stands before me, blood peppering her maiden's gown, her breaths long and shallow. I can see the fatigue in her luminous blue eyes, like an eclipse that is shadowing her usually lustrous irises. I want to take it away so badly, to let her go - leave and be a normal girl, but she's in too deep now. She just fought my pathetic excuse for a thunder god brother and won. She's sinking further and further into the black hole that is my twisted life, but she keeps fighting to get to the surface. She's so much like me, yet she won't admit to it.

I love her more than anything - that, I mean.

"We need to leave." She interrupts my appreciation of her, getting that worried crease in her brow.

I pull away, overcome with curiosity. "Why did the alarms sound?" I pry.

"I might've killed several guards on my way here..." She trails off, looking at her crimson stained dress. I understand where it came from now, watching as she sighs, her eyebrows knitting together together in thought, her gaze aimed at the concrete floor.

I tip her chin to meet her starry eyes and at once, I am trapped by her stare. "It matters not, darling," I reassure her. "You're fine now." Her shoulders relax, smiling.

"Me? You're the one in jail." She rolls her eyes.

"Yes, but you almost died, twice." I retort.

"You terrorized New York."

"You watched your boyfriend murder your other boyfriend." I know that I should feel some sort of regret for the comment, but I feel nothing, her horrified expression amusing me.

"You're- wait, what?" She blinks, her tone turning murderous.

I grin, kissing her head. "Nothing dear. What matters most is that I'm proud of you."

"Loki?" She asks in a small voice.

"Yes?"

"When I woke up," She begins, pulling away. "Thor told me that you've been watching me for most of my life. Is that true?"

I avert her eyes, nodding. Of course that moron would reveal my deepest secret to the one person in which it was about. He can barely speak without something completely uncalled for coming out of his mouth. I'll be glad when he's dead at my feet, along with Odin and the others. They're all imbeciles incapable of protecting the secrets of those in desperate need of confidentiality. "Yes," I reply finally. "Yes it is."

"Why? Why me?"

I stop, watching her carefully. "I'll explain it to you in a language you understand. Teenager-ish." I say. "Do you know the film franchise Twilight?"

"Duh, who doesn't? I love those movies!" She laughs.

"Well, so do I but don't tell the others." I mumble, too low for her to hear but she laughs airily. "So you're obviously familiar with the Werewolf proclaim of love titled 'imprint.'"

She nods.

"Well, I was banished to Midgard for a few days. And in those few days, I came across you. Of course, you were too young to remember who I was or what I looked like, but I've always remembered that day. You were exquisite, a mortal with true, natural beauty that intrigued me to no end. From that day on, I've often travelled to Midgard on secret missions in order to visit you as different people who've impacted your life."

"So Thor was right," She whispers, almost to herself. "When he said you were that old man, he was right."

"Ah yes, one of my favourite encounters with you as a child. I truly fell in love with you in that moment, with you crying in my arms and me, stroking your hair. Though, I lost you for quite sometime before you showed up at the compound. When I laid my eyes on you at the compound, I had to make sure that it was really you. That's why I was there when you fell on my feet. I assumed that you had a boyfriend and backed off, though I wanted to spend some time with you and sent you to detention on the first night."

"Yeah, and that turned out so well." She mutters, rolling her eyes once again. I hate it when she does that.

"My point is, I've loved you for longer than you've loved me and I am fine with that." I say and kiss her softly. I remember the first night that we had kissed. Sure, it had been forced, but it had still made my heart stop.

She pulls away, smiling slightly.

"I lo-" Suddenly, her body falls to the floor, her face a mask of peaceful sleep. Thor looms behind her, a syringe in his large hand. I recognize that serum.

"Thor, what have you done?" I scream, dropping to my knees. She looks so innocent in sleep, her blonde ringlets fanning over the floor, her lips slightly parted, turned up at the corners. She looks so pleasant... it's sickening.

"What I had to. I'm sorry brother, but when she wakes, she will remember none of this." Thor searches her unconscious face and all at once, I feel a surge of anger in me, scooping her in my arms and hiding her face from him. He doesn't deserve to bask in her peaceful glory. He deserves to rot in Hell along with everyone else who has ever wronged me.

It's in this moment, staring at her, I decide to put them all there. The people who ever hurt both her and I - dead at my feet. I'll avenge her - starting with Thor.

Slowly raising my head, I glare daggers at my moronic half-brother. "No, you wouldn't!" I cry, feeling a savage fear tearing at my heart.

Thor places his hand on my shoulder. "Neither will you." He whispers and jabs the needle into my neck, pushing down on the plunger. Within minutes, it takes affect, the dark spots dancing at the edges of my vision. I mean to say my last words, but they come out as an incomprehensible growl as I spiral into darkness, the last thing I see being Thor sorrowful face.

Bastard. If I lose her, it'll be all his fault. So why did he reek of remorse before putting us both out?

Doesn't matter now - because when I come back, I'm coming after him first.

(Oh my god. I've written this chapter about six times but every time I go to save it, Wattpad deletes all my work! Like, what the hell? I got the app updated, so maybe that's why - I don't know... Anyway, I just want you guys to know that I haven't forgotten about you, it's just that the app hasn't been working for me lately. SIX FREAKING TIMES! I'm about to throw my iPad out a friggin window out of frustration.

But, here it is, FINALLY! Enjoy it guys, because depending on school and the functioning of the app, you may not get another update until next weekend... 😭😣)