“Thori. Now.”
His name rolling from Njord’s lips sent another confusing jolt through him, but Thori forced himself to remain defiant.
“I won’t share a bed with you like some common whore.”
Njord stepped closer, and Thori’s breath caught.
“Last time you begged me to pleasure you, remember? But that’s not what I’m asking of you. Now strip, or I’ll do it for you.”
Fuming, but unable to come up with a suitable retort, Thori removed his clothes, letting them fall in a messy heap on the floor. The cool air raised goosebumps on his skin, and he crossed his arms over his chest, suddenly feeling far too exposed.
Njord’s gaze traveled over him appraisingly, but there was something almost gentle in his expression.
“Get in the bed.”
Thori stomped over to the bed, climbing inside and pulling the dark blue sheets up to his chin. He sighed, distracted for a moment by how comfortable the mattress was and how soft thesheets were. He hurried to turn to his side, facing the wall, as soon as Njord slipped under the covers with him.
“Calm,” Njord murmured, settling right next to him, although there was more than enough room to keep a distance. “You’re simply here to sleep.”
Njord’s arm curled around Thori’s waist anyway, pulling him back against his warm chest, making Thori tense. His naked skin felt weird against the soft fabric of Njord’s sleeping garments. It was strange and somehow…alluring. And despite everything, Thori’s traitorous body relaxed into the embrace. Njord was warm and solid behind him, his breathing deep and even.
He listened to the sound of the waves far below, a song that usually felt soothing, but now it filled his mind with images of the past day, every fiber of his being thrumming with tension.
And at the same time, a leaden tiredness crept up on him.
His eyes finally drifted shut.
Water rose to his chest, cold and relentless. Iron bars beneath his desperate fingers, sea-slick and impossible to bend. His lungs burned as he pressed his face against the bars at the top of the cage, gasping for the last precious breaths.
“Please,” he heard himself begging, though it was beneath an Asgardian warrior to plead. “Please, I’ll be good, I’ll obey, just don’t—”
But the water kept rising, and Njord’s voice echoed from somewhere above.
“Justice has to be served.”
Thori woke with a strangled cry, his body drenched in sweat and shaking. For a moment, he couldn’t remember where he was, could still feel the water rising around him.
“Shh, I’m here.” Njord’s voice cut through the panic, firm hands settling on Thori’s shoulders. “You dreamed. It’s all good now. You’re safe.”
Safe? What a poor joke!
“Let go of me!”
Thori tried to pull away, but Njord held him in place.
“Breathe,” he commanded, his voice taking on that authoritative tone again, like steel wrapped in silk. “Breathe with me. In and out. Slowly. That’s it.”
Gradually, Thori’s breathing steadied, though he couldn’t stop the fine tremors running through his body. As his senses cleared, he found himself plastered against Njord’s chest, the sea god’s arms cradling him.
“Tell me.”
“Tell you what?”
Thori hated how his voice cracked on the words.
“What you saw in that dream of yours. What frightened you so much?”
“I’m not frightened.”
