three
"no, no, i take it back. please!"

"That woman was quite something," Thor says, breaking the tension that had formed after watching the Volkov twins minor display. The act of children with too much power in their palms. Spoilt, one in more ways than the other.

"Well, yes. She is the Goddess of Chaos after all." Loki looks to his side at his brother with a grin, knowing that his news would not settle well with him and yet wanting to see the reaction for himself. "How would you describe her brother? Enchanting? That's one of her many, many tricks."

"She can enchant the greatest beings. Thor, she could enchant you and make you do her bidding. She could make you throw yourself out of a tower window if she so much as desired so," Frigga explains. She glances at Loki and at his devious expression that was not hidden well behind his scales and wonders what he could possibly be thinking, wonders what that woman did to pique his interest, beyond her glamour and lustful gaze.

"Is that how she got Loki to ask her to dance?" Thor asks, his laughter booming around the room.

"No, I asked her myself," Loki says sounding rather irritated with his brother and his obnoxious ways. Yes, Thor was the over achieving brother and yes, Loki most definitely lived in his shadow, hating every living breathing second of it, but Loki could ask a ravishing woman to dance, regardless of her magical enchantments. "And I intend to keep to my word."

He looks to the door where Lusine Volkov had just disappeared, an air of intrigue pushing into his lungs and flooding his nostrils with the sweet sent of freshly plucked flowers. This was no mere woman. Nothing about her average.

And he couldn't help but be drawn into the honey trap, longing for its sweetness on his tongue and knowing he could get exactly what he wants.

-

-

"Lusine Volkov, don't you dare walk away from me!" Selene calls, her voice straining as she tries to shout after her daughter who is marching away in a storm of black, a hurricane in the form of a child. "Your display in there was positively dreadful!"

With that shout, Lusine whirls around to face her mother with a snarl at her lips.

"Loki offered me a dance and I accepted, there's nothing more to it than that," She snaps, tongue lashing out at Selene, hitting its mark with the accuracy of an archer.

"The way you responded to him was awfully rude. How can you ever expect to get a husband if all the men who offer you dances are regarded with the lowest form of wit; sarcasm?" Selene asks. Her face twists with anger, mouth pulls thin and eyes flare.

The question makes Lusine's blood boil. Her cheeks heat red as she marches toward her mother, getting in her face.

"All the men who offer me dances don't want marriage mother. You know what they want? Do you?" She hisses, her fingers curling into her sides to restrain herself. "They want to use me, abuse me and then leave me in their wake whilst they scoop up another girl to bed. Does your thick head not get that?"

"Lusine, you know that's not what all men are like," She tries but Lusine persists, deaf to her mother's attempts at reason.

"Well, I'll have to prove it to you then. If Loki tries to get me to have sex with him, I'll be the one who's right and as a forfeit you will never try to set me up with another man ever again."

"And if I'm the one who's right?" Selene asks with interest in her tone and one eyebrow raised.

"I'll marry whoever you want me to marry," Lusine bargains with confidence that she's the one who's going to come out of this deal victorious. "With no tantrums or chaos."

"Lusine, you have yourself a deal. If you break this deal I get to choose who you marry regardless."

"Mother, we both know that if I break this deal I'm certainly not going to marry some snobby prince from halfway across the galaxy." Lusine looks down at her mother with a joking smile before stepping away and striding down the corridor away from her.

The guard was waiting at the end of the corridor. He had hurried along when he'd begun to hear the Volkov's arguing again. He leant against the pillar with his arms folded across his chest. When Lusine saw him leaning she smacked him on the arm.

"Come on, sleeping on the job? Really? I should kill you myself for that," She jokes, laughing when she sees him cringe slightly at her words. "Show me my room already, I'm tired of walking around in these heels. My toes have been crushed!"

"As you wish," He says shortly, not wanting to talk to the intimidating woman.

"Yes actually, I do wish very much to be shown my room so that I may sleep before the feast," She grumbles under her breath. "Yes, that would be divine. If only this guard would walk a little faster, that would definitely be wonderful." She smirks when she sees the guard tense up, his shoulders hunching and his jaw clenching. "The guards in this palace are dreadful, they can't even walk without having an awful posture."

The guard sighs heavily. "Here is your room, Princess Lusine," He says, gesturing to the door to their right. "If you need anything I'm sure there will be a dreadful guard around to tend to your every whim."

"Are you being sarcastic with me? Because if you are there will be consequences." Lusine looks the guard dead in the eyes, smiling as her eyes flicker to a brilliant blue, dazzling with power. "You were being rude, weren't you?"

The guard slowly nods his head. "Yes, Princess Lusine, I was." He stops nodding his head but is expression takes on a look of sorrow.

"Then you must suffer the consequences of angering one of the Volkov twins." She lifts her hand up and points toward the balcony. Then she lets one word slip between her glossed lips, "Jump."

The guard drops his sword to the ground, nodding his head at Lusine as he strides across the distance to the balcony railing. Without looking back he jumps over the railing and begins to tumble to the ground.

Lusine smiles wickedly when she hears a thud that would have made most others sick to their stomach.

"That wasn't very nice of you, Lusine," A voice says from behind her with a tone of mocking.

Lusine spins around on her heels as she says, "Another person I'm going to have to witness die? What a grand shame." She can't contain her smirk when she sees Loki standing before her.

He wears his own smirk as he says, "I'd love to see you try and murder me. It would be quite the entertainment."

"I am sure we can arrange it for some time this week. After all, there will be plenty of time to talk when we dance at the ball in three days' time," She replies, sprinkling a little dash of sugar into her speech now that the bet with her mother rests upon his lust.

Lusine lets her eyes roam over his entire body. She takes in his every feature, every detail of the smirk on his lips and every pigment of colour in his devious blue eyes as they calculated and noted her every move.

"There will also be plenty of time to stare at one another," He says, briefly looking her up and down before looking her dead in the eyes. He reaches his hand out toward her pale cheek. His fingertips barely grazing against his skin before he pulls away from her, letting his hand fall back to his side. "I hope you enjoy you time in Asgard, Lusine."

"Oh, I'm sure I will," She replies rather quickly before stepping away from him and pushing her door open. "Goodbye Loki," She says, but he's already gone.

-

1166 words
19.2.16

I really love the way Loki and Lusine talk to each other. He is so interested in her like not romantically (yet) but he just finds her hard to understand.

And admire the new cover which was made by the lovely and adorable sher ( ). I love her and you guys should totally go and check out her stories and give her tons of support!!

anyway!

Merry Christmas to everyone!

love from, lau. f

edited: 5.7.18
new word count: 1400