Beauty and the Beast

Chapter 13

Loki's brows furrowed and his fists clenched. "Amora? What are you doing here?" he demanded as he stalked into the room, though he tried to keep his voice quiet so he didn't draw the attention Morgan sleeping in the next room. She needed to rest and didn't necessarily need to meet Amora yet.

Amora grinned with her usual air of mischief. "I heard you were back and wanted to see my old friend," she told him warmly. She grinned. "Stop fretting so, you'll get wrinkles, you know I can't cause true mischief since Odin collared me like a dog," she indicated the silver chain around her neck, runed to limit her powers. She was a powerful witch in her own right, but little to no morals and kept trying to enchant Thor for some strange reason. But she and Loki had been friends for centuries and had learned magic together. "Besides, my abilities never worked on you anyway,"

Loki chuckled, relaxing that she clearly not there to hurt anything. He would've heard the lie. She really just wanted to see her old friend. "True. You're good with magic but not good enough to fool the man who taught you your illusions," he teased her warmly.

She smiled at him in reply, but sobered as he took a seat on one of the other couches. "Still haven't ditched that pesky curse? And the rumors are that you picked up a Midgardian pet on your travels," she commented. She sounded truly concerned that even Loki with all his knowledge and magic hadn't managed to break the curse on him.

"There isn't any way out of this damn curse," Loki growled, magic sparking around his hands in frustration. "I've tried spell after spell. Nothing sticks," he glared at Amora for her other comment. "And Ana is not a pet. She's the daughter of Lady Brunhilde. You remember her, don't you?" he asked her coldly. He couldn't blame Amora for having the same prejudices against Midgardians and mortals as the rest of the Asgardians had. Though he could correct her on this one.

"Aunt Hilda is alive?" Amora demanded, shocked.

Loki shook his head sadly. "Based on what Ana has told me, not anymore. It appears she fled to Midgard and fell in love with a Midgardian inventor. I know the man personally. How she fell in love with him, I have no clue..." he grumbled. He really didn't like Stark and couldn't imagine why any Asgardian would want to be with him.

"Love wasn't involved. It was a one night thing," came a soft voice from the doorway to Loki's bedroom. Morgan had been woken by their conversation and laughter. She didn't seem upset and was speaking Asgardian in deference to Loki's guest, not knowing that Amora was perfectly capable of understanding English. "Dad was on a business trip, mom was the pilot, he was a bit of a... I don't know the Asgardian word... is there even a male equivalent to the word "slut"? This was back before he became Ironman, well before he and Pepper became a couple. Anyway, he was rich and attractive enough and well, one thing led to another and they didn't see each other again until I was 14," she paused and looked toward Loki, feeling him by his magic, since he'd been helping teach her. She could feel his presence. "Everything ok, Liam?" she asked, concerned, and hoping beyond hope that this wasn't a previously unmentioned girlfriend visiting.

Loki nodded. "My apologies, darling. I didn't mean to wake you. This is Amora. She's an old friend of mine," he left it there, not quite sure how else to explain Amora's presence.

Amora smirked at Loki. "Liam?" she teased with a laugh, but looked over the blind girl who hadn't bothered coming further into the room. "It's nice to meet the daughter of Aunt Hilda," she finally replied.

Loki gave Amora a pointed look. "It's one of the aliases I used when I used to visit Midgard centuries ago." He looked at Morgan, standing by the doorway and stood to escort her into the room. "Come here, darling. Amora doesn't bite," he teased, trying to elicit a laugh from her, and was glad when he succeeded as she took his arm.