Loki's lip curls in disgust. He grabs my hair, yanking my head back. "Such weakness. And here I thought the savior would have more... fortitude."
"Why?" I spit the word at him, trying to wrench away. "What do you want?"
He rolls his eyes, releasing me with a shove. "Isn't it obvious? I want the Air Stone. And your dear mate would have been quite the inconvenient obstacle." His smile turns razor-sharp. "Can't have the Commander of Dark Skiesrainingon my parade, now can I?"
"You're insane."
"No, I'm practical. You'll retrieve the stone—it's your destiny after all—and then you'll hand it over to me." He spreads his arms wide. "Simple."
Odin's words echo in my head:The Soul Stone... Loki's interference... shattered and scattered across three realms...
Now he wants this one, too.
"Why?" I growl, fury burning away my fear. "Because you're the god of daddy issues and cheap tricks?"
"Because I can." He shrugs,all casual arrogance. "It's my right as the God of Mischief. And..." His eyes glitter with malice. "I do so love watching Odin's precious plans crumble."
His smile turns predatory as he stalks closer. "Speaking of watching... I must say, that show against the wall the other night was quite... stimulating. The way your man took you from behind, claiming that tight little—"
"Stop." My stomach heaves again.
"Oh, but why?" He licks his lips, frost-blue eyes burning. "Left me hard for hours. I enjoyed every moment. Almost as much as I enjoyed tasting you this morning." His fingers ghost over his mouth. "We could continue where we left off. I could even wear his face again, since you seemed to enjoy that so—"
"Fuck you, you twisted piece of shit." My teeth clench. "Touch me again and I'll show you exactly how much 'fortitude' I have."
"Feisty. I do love when they fight back."
"How long? How long have you been lurking in the shadows like a cockroach?"
"Oh, you have no idea how long I've waited." His eyes spark with dark mischief. "Then your Viking put on thatspectacularlight show in the forest—lightning ripping apart the sky as he fought Azrael." He shivers with theatrical pleasure. "Like a beacon calling me home."
His smile turns predatory. "And when that fool Heimdall opened the Bifrost..." He spreads his arms wide. "Well, what better chance to return than alongside the miraculous Godborn everyone thought dead?"
The truth hits me. "You've been trapped there. All this time."
"Trapped is such an ugly word." Frost spreads from his feet as he paces. "Let's say I've been... entertaining myself. Midgard has so many delightful toys to play with." His eyes dance with cruel memories. "Wars, plagues, the occasional genocide—humans really do make the most wonderful chaos."
My blood runs cold as centuries of human history flash through my mind—every war, every conflict, the whispers of chaos that sparked civilizations into flames.
"That was you? All of it. The wars, the famines—"
"Fun, wasn't it?" His grin stretches impossibly wide. "Humans are so delightfully easy to manipulate. A whispered word here, a planted seed of doubt there..." He waves his hand like a conductor. "And boom! Centuries of chaos."
My stomach lurches again asthe horror of it all crashes over me. The emptiness where our bond should be screams in my chest. Every calculated move—slipping into Ásgard, centuries of earthly chaos, and now Rhyland... trapped somewhere beyond my reach, beyond our connection.
"What I didn't anticipate was you." Loki's boots click against marble as he stalks back and forth. "When the war ended, watching Nyx's soul bind to that stone..." His eyes gleam with remembered malice. "Well, opportunity knocked."
"To what? Prove you're an even bigger piece of shit?"
His laugh echoes off the walls. "To add a little... spice to the realms." Frost trails in his wake as he moves. "Breaking that stone, scattering the pieces across the realms before your dear daddy sealed them—" He spreads his arms wide. "Can't have everyone living in tedious harmony, can we?"
Rage burns in my chest. This twisted bastard, playing his games across centuries—across realms, destroying lives for his own entertainment.
"You though..." He wags a finger at me like I'm a misbehaving child. "Elysium's little contingency plan. His precious backup savior." His smile turns cruel. "And your mate—that troublesome Viking who just wouldn't stay dead when he should have."
"Funny thing about my Viking—" Power surges through my veins, making the air crackle. "He's really fucking hard to kill. And when I find him? He's going to show you exactly why the God of Lies should be afraid of the dark."
"Adorable. Such spirit." His form shimmers, and suddenly Baldr stands before me—golden, perfect, pristine. "Though I must say, this face has opened so many new possibilities."
