Heart of a Mortal (Loki Romance)

Chapter 29

I woke up on a hard mattress, wrapped in warm covers. I sat up and looked to see Loki sitting at the foot of the bed. He turned slightly to see me but didn't meet my gaze. "What do you want?" I asked.

"I only came to be sure you were well." He said.

Looking down, I realized I was wearing someone else's clothes. Mine were probably stiff with Phil's blood but it made me shudder at the thought that Loki had changed me while he was in the grips of that madness. "Where's my sister?"

"She is asleep. Unfortunately, the explosion knocked her down. She has a concussion but nothing terrible. She needs rest for now. And I cannot have you meddling in my work so you will remain here. Tomorrow, I will release you."

"If you were going to let us go, why take us at all."

He couldn't meet my gaze for long. Looking away, he focused on his hands. "I wanted to be sure you were safe should anything go wrong. And..." He stood abruptly. "Let it be. It is nothing but sentiment." He left, slamming the door behind him.

The lock grated quietly when it was turned. I looked around the sparse concrete room. Swinging my feet to the cold floor, I stood. There was nothing but the bed. The baby seemed to drag at me lately and I felt that with all that had happened, I was no good without rest. I curled up on the mattress and went to sleep.

I woke after an unknown amount of time and knocked on the door. "I have to use the bathroom." I mumbled when a soldier opened it.

He looked me up and down before nodding. He opened the door wider and led me out, one hand tightly wrapped around my bicep. I used the bathroom quickly. As we were walking back, I waited until I saw a door that looked like it could lead somewhere, just not outside. Maybe I could find Liv and get out before they stopped us. Wrenching my arm away, I quickly elbowed the man in the gut and swung a hand around to punch him. He stumbled to the side. Taking the chance, I sprinted for the door.

A bullet whizzed past my head and I yelped, holding my head down. A searing pain went through my arm and I clutched it. The door opened to a stairwell. I ran upwards as fast as I could but footsteps followed just as closely. A cold hand snatched me back and swung me against a wall. I cried out. Loki towered above me, his eyes wild and furious.

They softened as he looked at my arm. "Did you fire the bullet?" He asked. His voice was low and serious, a threat. I looked down to see the soldier coming up the stairs.

"Sir." He nodded.

Loki traced around the gash. It healed immediately. He nodded slowly before forcing me back down the stairs. As we passed the soldier, Loki thrust his hand out. He grabbed the man by the neck and held him close. I looked away, praying he wouldn't kill him.

"She is not to be harmed. If I find a scratch on her or her sister next time, I will feed you to the Chitauri. Understood?"

The man nodded. Loki dropped him and pulled me back towards the room. He closed the door quickly. I stared at him, hearing him hiss in what seemed to be pain.

"Leave her alone." He growled. My eyes widened. He whipped me around and pinned me to the wall. My heart leapt into my throat and my stomach dropped. "Are you mad?! He'll kill you if you keep getting in the way like this. I'm trying to protect you while I still have some control, Ebony!"

I felt my alarm dissolve into fury. "Control? If you had any control over yourself you would have stopped this a long time ago! We wouldn't be here and none of this would have happened."

His grip loosened and then disappeared as he stepped back. He looked hurt by the reminder. "I couldn't stop him. I was too tired... I tried but he's too strong. I had angered him, it was as much a punishment as it was an attack. I-I swear I didn't..." He shook his head, unable to speak.