OF MYSTICS AND MAGIC
ii. STALKER ALERT!
❝I KNOW MEN LIKE YOU.❞

SHE WAS BEING FOLLOWED. It would be a chilling revelation to most, but Aerwyn couldn't care less. She had sensed the shift in energy from the moment she stepped out of her rundown New York apartment and it followed after her as she moved down the busy street. But, Aerwyn was not worried. She was one of the strongest beings in the known universe ━━ or, at least she liked to believe she was ━━ and she was prepared to rip out anyone's spine. However, with one glance behind, she noticed the man from the day before. He wore a similar outfit to the one as yesterday, but the colors were shades of plum and gray. Someone had a fashion sense, Aerwyn found herself thinking.

Aerwyn wondered if she should confront him right away or play the oblivious role and drag him through the mud later. Both options seemed entertaining to her. She had many human admirers before. Her charm spells would work a little too well, but she always chased them away. Though, she didn't recall using any charm spells yesterday. Yes, she had thrown enchanted dust into the air, but it was to make the people more lenient to give her their money ━━ not their hearts.

She wasn't sure what she wanted to do that day, but she knew she didn't want to spend it holed up in her small apartment. The streets were crowded, meaning Aerwyn could get a decent amount of money for her 'magic' act. But, she decided against it as she entered a coffee shop. The overwhelming scent of coffee beans and espresso filled the woman's nose, making her smile as she stood in line behind two others. With a glance back, she had noticed that the man had entered the coffee shop as well. He pretended to be interested in a couple of mugs that were on display. It made a small chuckle leave the woman's lips as she turned back toward the menu. Though, she didn't need to look at it. She had been to the shop before and she knew what she liked.

Aerwyn ordered her drink and a small pastry to go with it, taking a seat in a corner booth. She watched the man, being more discreet than he was. He had ordered something as well, tossing a five-dollar bill at the barista. A bit rude, Aerwyn judged as she noticed the annoyance written on the barista's face. She took a sip of her drink, starting to wonder what the man wanted. If he wanted to go on a date, he would have come up to her and asked her out. Unless, he was shy then it made sense why he was still watching her from acrossing the shop.

After she was done, Aerwyn left the coffee shop. And surely, the man had followed close behind. With a wave of her hand, she sent a small spell in his direction. It wouldn't cause him harm, but it would cause him enough confusion to forget why he was following her in the first place. It would be enough to get him to leave her alone.

She had made the split decision to go down to the park, deciding it would be a good use of her time since she had nothing else to do. Aerwyn hummed softly to herself, watching the people that walked past her with some interest. She liked to see what ordinary humans liked to do with their time. Eventually, the woman came across a bench and took a seat. She reached into her bag, pulling out the book she had been reading that week. Aerwyn enjoyed reading, loving the feeling of being transported to another world from words on a page. Yet, she had gotten about ten words in when she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stick up. Someone was watching.

Lowering the book, it didn't take long to find the culprit as he sat across the small pathway from her on the other bench. He was directly across from her, sitting cross-legged as he watched her closely ━━ not even bothering to hide the fact that he had been watching.

She closed her book, standing to her feet.

"You are quite troublesome, don't you think?" Aerwyn cooed softly, taking a step closer to the man as she stared down at him. He cleared his throat, unable to let out a word as Aerwyn smirked at him. He remained sitting on the park bench, staring up at her with wide eyes. Slowly, Aerwyn reached for his jaw and dug her sharp nails into his skin. Not enough to hurt, but enough to show him that she meant business. "Why have you been following me all day long?"

"You know magic," he said suddenly, causing Aerwyn to raise a brow. His voice had cracked yet he tried his best to remain in control.

"Magic?" She chuckled, tilting her head. Her long black hair fell off her shoulders, cascading down her back. Her simple action revealed more of her features to him, causing Loki to stare at her displeased expression. "You mean that act I put on yesterday? In that case, you'll find a magic wielder on every street corner."

"Don't play coy with me," the man snapped, slapping her hand away. He stood, standing several inches taller than her. She kept his gaze, unwavering. "You must be powerful to have such an effect on me."

His words caused Aerwyn to smile, feeling the slightest bit smug. After all, men and women confessed their love to her often but she had yet to find someone worthy enough to earn her heart. Though, it wasn't as if she was so keen on giving it away.

He continued to speak. "I felt your energy the moment I came to this wretched place."

"New York?"

"Midgard."

Midgard, the Asgardian name for Earth. She tilted her head, raising a brow. "You think I'm the most powerful being on Earth?"

"Or at least, you're the only one I can sense," he corrected, realizing his words were fueling the woman's ego. She did not need him to tell her how powerful she was. Aerwyn knew. The magic that flowed through her veins weren't something to be underestimated, even if she didn't fully understand them herself. The man continued to speak. "I have no doubt the strongest being has enough sense to cloak their powers."

"I'm not afraid of being found," Aerwyn said, narrowing her eyes at him. Her eyes flickered to an older couple passing by with their dogs. For a moment, they stared at them with curiosity. She didn't want to draw too much attention, so she took a seat. Aerwyn grabbed his hand, forcing him to sit beside her as he grumbled for her to let go. "What's your name?"

"Prince Loki of Asgard, God of Mischief."

"Loki?" She repeated. It had been a long time since she had met an Asgardian.

"Yes."

"Well, alright then, Loki, you listen to me," Aerwyn began, crossing her legs as she leaned back against the bench. The birds chirped overhead in the tree that casted a heavy shadow, shielding them from the sun. "I want to know why you're following me."

"I want you."

Aerwyn scoffed. "Excuse me?"

"I need your powers," Loki continued. "Together, Midgard does not have a chance."

"What if I say no?"

"You do not have a choice," Loki snapped, clasping his hands together as he watched the people that inhabited the park. "I am on a quest to take over the Earth. Perhaps, I can be the king of these... insects."

"You want my help to rule over Earth?" She fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"...Yes."

"I know men like you," Aerwyn began, pursing her lips as she shook her head. She did not like Loki, finding him more of an annoyance than anything else. "I doubt being King of Earth is the only thing you want. What else are you hiding?"

"That is all. I only want to be king," he said, keeping his green eyes focused. He wasn't a good liar, Aerwyn deemed as she saw straight through him. Easily, she could tell he was a spoiled child who had been sheltered his own life. His problems felt artificial, wanting to be king of a planet he did not like. It was obvious that he must have been second-in-line for the throne, jealous of, perhaps, an older sibling. His behavior felt as if he was a teenager throwing a tantrum. Loki was easy to read.

"Yeah..." Aerwyn trailed off, shrugging her shoulders. She stood to her feet, prepared to leave. "Sounds very boring, Prince Loki of Asgard, God of Mischief. But, I do have better things to do."

"You will do as I say!" Loki snapped.

"One snap from my fingers and I will watch your eyes pop out of their sockets," Aerwyn warned, giving him a playful smile. "Wouldn't that be some trick?"

"I'd like to see you try," he snarled, clenching his jaw as his eyes narrowed. Again, he was a child throwing a tantrum.

She took a step toward him, watching as fear flashed across his eyes for a brief moment. But, she had no intentions of hurting him... yet. She lifted two fingers, placing them against the side of his temple. "I am but a wandering soul that has caught your eye," Aerwyn spoke softly yet clearly as she stared into his eyes. Loki couldn't move, mesmerized by her words as they echoed in his mind. "But I'm someone you will simply forget once I am out of sight."

He blinked.

Aerwyn took a step back, noticing the blank expression on Loki's face as the spell took effect. It was a simple spell, one she used often when she wanted someone to forget her presence. She collected her things, walking away to leave the park. This time, Loki did not follow.

♡

LONG TIME, NO UPDATE. It has been over a year since I updated this book and all I have to say is that time flies. I don't even realize how long it has been since I updated some books and it makes me so sad every time. I truly want to finish each of my books and it's sad to think that I most likely won't get to do that since it takes me a whole year to even post one chapter.

But, here is this one! I did enjoy writing it since Aerwyn and Loki's dynamic is fun! It is giving me enemies to lovers vibes and I am enjoying it! More like enemies to friends to potential lovers because this is going to be such a slow burn! I have gotten used to writing couples that are already married so writing a slow burn is tough, but I will stick with it hehe!

I hope the next chapter will come out soon! I am unsure on how I want to write this book so I need to plan it out! I think we'll start going into Avengers soon rather than later because I am not the best at coming up with AU scenes tbh! But, we'll see! I am so excited to write this book so I hope to see more updates out!

AMARA.
[ PUBLISH DATE ━━ 06.27.2022 ]