Page 17 of Loki

Not for the first time, Loki wished he had magic like his mother, or one of Erik's witches. Aside from a few minor spells, all he could really do was shapeshift and cast illusions. Useful in their own way, but also utterly useless in the face of this curse that afflicted Thor.

"You sound like a fool. You do mean the girl who slipped on the ice, without the wit to wear proper boots or even a cloak against the cold? Whatever she's done to make you think she has power, you're wrong. It's a trick, I tell you, and the sooner you see through it, the sooner you will be free of her influence, as I am. You don't see me carrying her about the place, or standing outside in the cold outside her tent!"

Thor's grip on Loki's throat tightened. "If you seek to harm her, I will not allow it. Though you are my brother in arms, and the closest thing I have to a blood brother, I will cut you down where you stand before you can lay a hand on her," Thor growled.

The only magic Loki had left was the power of persuasion, which had never had much effect on Thor, for he was far too stubborn once he'd made his mind up. "Fine. You are under the witch's spell. You'll feel like even more of a fool when I find out how to break it. You always did have a soft spot for pretty women. Teaching your sister to fight was the most foolish thing you ever did, until today." He meant to remind Thor that Erik and his witches were responsible for Sif's death, but Thor's clenched fist cut off his air so he could no longer speak.

"Sif is now feasting in Valhalla, the best any warrior could hope for. Say one more word about Sif and it will be the last thing you ever say," Thor snarled, before releasing Loki's throat.

Loki rolled his eyes. "So now your sister is a better warrior than both of us put together. Happy now?"

Thor looked torn. Either he could admit a girl was a better warrior than himself, or he'd be the one to insult her. Finally, he said, "You might be right. She would be pleased to hear you say that."

And just like that, the argument was over. Thor might be hot tempered, but he didn't hold a grudge.

Loki clambered to his feet, surprised to find he didn't hurt the way he used to after Thor had gotten the better of him in a fight. He brushed the mud off his clothes. "So what are you going to do now?"

Thor might seem reasonable now, but Loki was under no illusions that he'd broken the spell. He'd need a witch for that.

"You're going to help me search for a suitable weapon that I can use until I find my hammer again. Once I have that, I'm going to go back to watching over the witch, as I swore I would," Thor said, far too smugly for Loki's liking. "Then you may do as you wish."

"I can promise you I won't be serving some strange woman, no matter how pretty she is," Loki said. He thought of the thieving servant girl. The pretty servant girl, he had to admit. He wouldn't mind taking her for a tumble. If he made sure she enjoyed it, she might even offer the brooch to him in thanks. Of course, he couldn't do it while Thor or his witch were around...but Loki could wait. The gods only knew how long he and Thor had slumbered before they woke. A few more days would do no harm.

SIXTEEN

Jorunn couldn't believe Sibyl was gone. When she'd told Karl about Sibyl's head injury, she'd expected him to order her to rest, get some first aid, and that would be it. Not that he'd send her on a donkey back to civilisation, and not to come back until she had medical clearance to work.

Jorunn's only consolation was that Karl had promised to send the hammer to the lab with her, so even if Sibyl couldn't rejoin the expedition, she could make a start on her PhD research in the meantime.

But that left Jorunn alone in the tent at night, with no one to talk or joke with.

Lara and Karl were lovely, but they were the expedition leaders, her superiors more than her colleagues. Andreas, Fredrik and Lars were all undergraduate students who'd joined the expedition as part of their summer field school requirements, or for extra credit. They were all nice enough guys, if a bit young for her, but that was kind of the point. They made her feel old, when she wasn't, because she was a PhD student and technically their superior, who could ask them to do whatever menial tasks made her research easier. The Harald Medal funding had paid for them, too.

Which left...bloody Saint Nik, who seemed to lurk around her tent more than ever, even though his was at the other end of camp. She didn't trust him, especially without Sibyl here.

Of course, when she'd asked him what he was doing, he'd airily insisted he was just checking the solar panels, before sauntering off. Slimy bastard.

She'd even gone to the trouble of using a cable tie to lock her tent zipper shut when she went to bed that night. Of course, that meant plenty of swearing in the middle of the night when she wanted to visit the toilet tent, trying to undo the damn thing, but eventually she managed it and stumbled out into the dark, her headtorch slicing a lonely beam of light through the frosty air.

Everything was silent and still as her footsteps crunched across the camp back to her tent, until she turned her head toward the tent itself. A hulking shape stood outside – definitely too big to be Sibyl or Lara, which meant it had to be a man.

If it was Nik, trying to bully her into sleeping with him again so he'd drop his ridiculous accusations...

"Well met, inhospitable maiden," the figure said, turning.

Her hammering heart slowed as she blew out the most relieved breath of her life. "Loki," she said.

"The gods frown upon those who do not offer hospitality to travellers. I'd hoped I might persuade you to reconsider..." he began.

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. She hadn't believed him the first time they'd met, but now she knew he really was Loki, the god of mischief, no way was she going to miss such an opportunity again.

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

SEVENTEEN

Loki had intended to seduce the girl, but he wasn't going to protest when she threw herself at him, before dragging him inside her tent.

He eyed the empty beds. "Will the witch you serve be returning soon?" If she was, he'd better hurry.

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