Page 57 of Thor
Milan had to force me to go take a shower when we got to his house. I resisted for half an hour before I gave in and went to wash off, but as soon as I was done and wearing fresh clothes from my tail bag, I was back at Loki’s side.
Now that we were back at Milan’s house, the doctor hovered around Loki, humming every so often, but didn’t say a word as he worked. When he touched Loki’s wrist, Loki winced, and I perked up.
“That’s good, right? You got a reaction from him?”
The doctor, a youngish man who couldn’t have been more than thirty-five with dyed deep-violet hair and a nostril piercing, nodded. “I don’t believe he has a head injury, but we won’t be able to determine that until he wakes. I believe he went unconscious from pain or shock. He does have broken ribs, wrist, and elbow.”
“But he’ll be all right?” I asked, fear forming a lump in my throat. Fuck, I didn’t know what I’d do if something happened to Loki. I’d spent so fucking long worried about being caught, when we could have been living our best life in a real relationship. I was a fucking coward, and I could have lost him like I’d lost Andy. I couldn’t let that happen. I wouldn’t.
The doctor, who I remembered Milan had introduced as Godfrey Headley at some point, stepped back from Loki and stared at me carefully. He had strange colored eyes, almost purple like his hair. I’d never seen anyone like him before. I’d almost been worried Milan had brought him as a joke, but he’d stitched Loki up like a professional at the clinic and assessed his injuries like any doctor would have.
“He should be fine. He’s lucky.”
“Good.” I let my head drop forward, shoulders slumping.Thank fuck.
“Your man is a fighter.” Godfrey gave me a toothy smile for the first time, and I blinked at the sight of braces. As if he knew I was looking, his smile faded, and he cleared his throat. “Milan says Odin will be here very soon.”
He left the room, leaving me alone with Loki. I shifted the chair closer to Loki’s side and grabbed his hand, holding it in mine. I raised it to my lips and kissed his soft, bruised skin. “I’m sorry I didn’t see them earlier,” I whispered, barely able to get the words out as anger and agony surged up inside me.
The bed he lay on was in Milan’s guest bedroom, which was full of whites and creams, making Loki look like an angel. The soft ceiling lights gave him a sweet glow, even with the grazed cheek and gash across his belly, which Godfrey had bandaged.
“Can you hear me, baby?” I spread kisses across his hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner that I love you.”
A cleared throat echoed in the room, and my heart froze. I glanced at Odin and his raised gray brows. He stood in the doorway, his arms crossed and his mouth pinched in a way that told me there might be trouble. Tilting his head, he gestured for me to follow him. I didn’t want to let go of Loki or be too far away from him, but Odin was my president and Loki’s adoptive father. I couldn’t ignore an order like that, and I owed it to Loki to make this right with Odin before he woke up.
I rose and followed Odin down a hallway and into a library. Odin flicked on the lights, and I stared around the area. Shelves lined the walls filled with books, a few classics I was familiar with as well as novels that looked new with sexy, half-naked men on the spines. If I wasn’t so focused on this situation, I might have felt compelled to tease Milan about it.
Odin leaned his shoulder against one of the few spots of vacant wall, near an arched curtainless window. The moon was hard to see behind the clouds, but in a section where there was none, stars sparkled. The shadows made Odin appear somber.
“Loki’s like a son to me,” Odin said, surprising me that he was speaking first. I expected him to wait for excuses. “Has been since he was born, even before Robbie and Tabitha died.”
I stepped closer to him and crossed my arms, listening.
“I treated him as more of a son than I did Damian.”
Everyone knew that, even Hoor. Loki had pushed for Odin and Hoor to talk, but Loki always told me they were both too stubborn, too similar to each other. I could see it.
“When Tabitha died, I promised I would take care of Loki. I promised her nothing would happen to him.” Odin gave me a deadly stare. “And that means a broken heart, too.”
“I wouldn’t hurt him. I know we didn’t tell you—”
“How long has it been going on?” he interrupted. “Tell me that much.”
I hesitated. Loki and I hadn’t talked about what we were going to say to him.Damn it.Sighing, I squeezed the bridge of my nose and stared down at the stained wood floors. “For about two years, give or take a few months.”
Odin made a strange sound that had my gaze shooting back to him. The half grin he gave me was peculiar, close to the smug smile he sometimes wore, but not quite. “You think I didn’t know what you two were up to?”
“You knew?” I gaped at him.Well, fucking hell.
He laughed and it was loud in the otherwise quiet house. I couldn’t even hear Milan, Godfrey, or any of the other boys downstairs. “Of course, I knew. I saw you fucking.” He shrugged and stared back out the window. His age seemed timeless on occasions like this. Stress didn’t make him look any older like it did to some people. “I went to take a piss around the side of the house during one Fight Night and I heard you and him. Went to check it out.” He snorted. “Not what I expected to see. I knew he had a thing for you, but I never thought you’d go there.”
“Because he’s your son?” I asked carefully.
His laughter grew louder. “No, because he’s too young, and he’s a handful.”
“I love his personality. He makes life fun,” I said honestly. There were no words for Loki and my addiction to him. He was a light in a time of darkness, a reason for living. He saw the world in a way no one else did, even if people thought he was a little insane at times. Modi jumped between wanting to kill him and being glad he was on our side.
“He does.” Odin glanced at me. “I’m not going to stop you from dating him. I don’t have that right, but I will tell you this. If you fuck with his feelings—”
