Cassandra and Loki sat on the blanket beach side all night talking about anything and everything. Neither of them was in a hurry to return to Kamar Taj, caught up in the romantic spell of the evening. She told him a story about a vacation she took with her mom as a teenager.

"My mom booked a little bed and breakfast in Pennsylvania. When we arrived it was pretty as a picture. An adorable colonial style house on the edge of a lake with a beautiful garden." Getting comfortable she tucked her legs under her as she settled into the story. "Anyway, we entered the lobby to check in."

"I get the feeling something unusual is about to happen." Loki remarked, playing idly with a lock of her hair.

Cassandra shot him a look. "Don't interrupt."

"Sorry, darling."

She cleared her throat and patted his hand. "Right off we noticed something unusual about the concierge. The man was naked. I mean, completely naked. The only thing that kept me from seeing his dick was the desk he stood behind. My mom was completely confused and mortified. She puffed herself up about to yell at the concierge when a group of men trotted through the lobby from the tennis courts outside. They were buck ass nude." Cassandra smiled fondly at the memory. "It was the first time I'd seen a guy naked outside of television. Mom snapped. She covered my eyes with her hand and reamed into the concierge. The other guests paused to see what was going on so that just really set her off."

"Let me guess, you took a peek anyway." Loki said in an amused tone. His blue eyes sparkled knowingly as he tucked the strand of hair behind her ear.

Cassandra snorted derisively. "Damn right I did! I was fourteen and naturally curious. So, the concierge tried to calm my mom down, and explain that the bed and breakfast was a nudist inn. My mom didn't know that. She booked the B&B through a travel site. I guess she didn't read the description too thoroughly, probably because she was tired from working long hours at the hospital."

"This is such a charming anecdote. I wish I could have been there to witness it." Loki lounged on his side, chin propped in his hand. "I guess you went back home then?"

Cassandra shook her head. "The concierge was really nice. He knew the manager at the regular inn across the lake. Got us a room and everything to make up for what happened. My mom was so embarrassed. She never booked vacations online again."

"Well at least you salvaged the situation."

"Do you think if we had met back then you'd have liked me?" She asked, batting her eyelashes.

Loki leaned forward and tweaked her nose playfully. "Hmm. If you're asking if I'd have been interested in you romantically the answer is no. You were a child, little vixen." He slid his fingers along her cheek in a tender caress. "But I might have taken you under my wing and taught you a trick or two."

Cassandra kissed him, warmth spreading all the way to her toes. "I suppose that's fair."

"We should go there on our next date. Have a bit of fun." He exclaimed, suddenly taken with the idea.

"The nudist inn?"

"Of course! It'll be entertaining."

Cassandra flushed at the thought of walking around naked in public. "I don't want strangers seeing me naked."

"You might have a point. If a man looked at you too long, I'd have to kill him." Loki teased.

"Being nude, their interest would be very evident." She agreed lightly.

Loki chuckled and draped an arm around her shoulders. "True."

The waves lapped softly against the sand. Pink and orange streaked the sky as the sun eclipsed the horizon. Cassandra twined her fingers with Loki's. "What kind of crazy things did you do growing up? I bet you have a lot of great stories."

"Oh, I have thousands of stories." Loki said easily. "I am the God of Mischief after all. This one time, I turned Thor's favorite sword into a giant spider. He shrieked like a girl when it skittered up the walls of his bedchamber. My brother is deathly afraid of insects."

"Arachnids. Spiders are arachnids." She corrected.

"I know, its just easier to say insects because Thor hates all insects. It doesn't have the same punch saying, 'Thor is afraid of arachnids and insects.'"

"Touché."

"Odin was furious. I made his golden son look like a fool." He traced patterns lazily on her arm. "Not that Thor isn't a fool all on his own. I ended up having to muck the stables for a month."

"Stables? You had horses?"

"Riding is one of my favorite pastimes or it was." A dark look crossed Loki's face and he fell silent.

Cassandra instantly regretted mentioning it. The destruction of Asgard was one of Loki's many landmines. "I've never ridden a horse. A man on the other hand...."

Loki cracked a smile just as she hoped. "I've never met a woman so sex crazed."

"To be fair I've never been so sex crazed before. I guess you just bring it out in me." She said flippantly.

He lifted his chin a little. "I am perfection in male form."

"I won't argue that."

Loki leaned in and kissed her. "We should be getting back."

Cassandra rested her forehead against his, peering up at him from under her lashes. "Do I really have to go back and submit to another beating by Master Li? I'd much rather laze about the beach all day with you."

He twined a lock of her hair around his finger. "Tempting as that is, the world is depending on you mastering your powers."

Cassandra averted her eyes. "I know."

While Loki used his magic to sweep away their picnic debris, Cassandra took one final walk along the beach, allowing the waves to swirl around her legs. She turned her face up into the sea breeze and sighed.

So much depended on her. Sometimes the pressure was unbearable.

"Cassandra!" Loki called.

She turned to find the portal ready. Slipping on her sandals, she joined the god. Taking his hand they stepped through the portal into their room.

"Novices."

Cassandra's heart leaped in her throat when she noticed Master Wong standing in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest.

The wizard wore a forbidding expression. "We need to speak."

A/N: That's it for this chapter. Below, I have included a bonus scene that I wanted to write but had no place in the plot. So just imagine this happened behind the scenes of the story because it did. I hope you like it!

Bonus Scene!

Cassandra gazed down at the grimoire in Loki's hands with a frown. "This is a love spell?"

The god smiled with angelic sweetness, blue eyes shining with innocence. "Yes. It's completely harmless and only works on those who already are in love. It simply gives them the push they need to admit it."

She tapped the page. "I don't think we should cast this in Kamar Taj."

"New York then." Sweeping his hair back in an automatic gesture, he used his ring to draw a portal.

She had a bad feeling about this.

The traffic noise flooded her senses as she landed on the gum strewn sidewalk. Loki jerked his foot up with disgust and peered at the wad on the sole of his shoe. "Humans are slobs."

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Magic it away. We only have so much time until Master Wong finds us out." She rested a hand on her hip. "Where should we do this?"

"Hmm. How about there?" He pointed across the street at a sex shop.

Trust Loki to spot a sex shop from a mile away. Cassandra heaved a sigh. Well, she wanted to expand her knowledge of spells. Master Wong was only teaching her combat spells in preparation for her future battle with Morgan le Fey.

The sex shop was spotless and well stocked. All the products were lined neatly on shelves and the clothing on racks. Loki paused to study a mannequin covered in leather straps. "Mortals have absurd taste in fashion."

Said the god who routinely dressed like a comic book character.

"What's this?" Loki picked up a vibrator from a display.

"I think its obvious." She muttered, casting a nervous look at the cashier who was now watching them.

"Amazing, it vibrates." He marveled, pressing the tip of the vibrator to his palm.

"Hence why it's called a vibrator."

"Hmm." Loki drifted over to a shelf with oils. "I love using oils."

Cassandra's eyes glazed as she thought about Loki using massage oils on her. Her mind flashed to another scene. Loki stretched out naked on the bed. Oil dripping from her hands as she reached for his-

"What's this?" He pointed to a leather strap harness with evident curiosity.

"A sex swing." She muttered, mad at him for interrupting her fantasy.

"And this?" He held up a narrow strap with a red ball attached.

"A ball gag."

Customers were starting to stare at them. It didn't help that Loki was acting like a fool. Cassandra tugged on Loki's arm. "Let's just cast the spell and get out of here." She hissed.

"Alright, darling but I may take another look at those oils once we're done."

Cassandra's mouth went dry. Oh, boy.

Propping the grimoire on top of the condom display, Loki pointed to the paragraph he wanted. "Repeat after me."

Cassandra nodded and took a deep breath. Loki spoke in a foreign language. She did her best to mimic him accurately. Naturally, she slurred the last sentence of the spell.

"Cassandra!"

The magic left her in a rush spreading over everyone in the shop.

The front window of the shop shattered.

Uh-oh.

A mob burst through the ruined window and streamed through the doors in a torrent of humanity. Loki pulled her out of the way as the people dove for the condoms.

Colorful boxes exploded from the pile of people shooting in every direction. One smacked Loki in the forehead, sending the god reeling into a rack of lingerie. He toppled head over heels taking the froufrou garments with him.

Cassandra picked up the fallen condom box. "Avengers' themed condoms. Who knew?" The green box showed a raging Hulk exploding across the graphic text.

A bearded man ripped the box from her hand and shoved her into a wall of foam bats. He soon got into a fistfight with another man.

Cassandra stared at the writhing seething mass of lust-filled men tearing the condom boxes apart like sharks in a feeding frenzy.

"Hand those over limp-dick! There's no way you can wear a magnum!" One man shouted at balding middle-aged man with a generous paunch.

"Ha! As if you're any better Larry! How many pills do you have to pop to get it up!"

Condoms rained down everywhere. Cassandra sheltered behind a shelf of pornographic blu-rays. Loki crawled over to her, maribou feathers sticking out of his hair. "This is madness."

"Thank you for stating the obvious." She oscillated between embarrassment and laughter. How had the situation gotten so out of control?

A man scooched by their hiding place like a worm, a leather harness tangled around his head and shoulders. With a determined gleam in his eye, he armed himself with a foam bat and dove into the fray.

Cassandra burst into hysterical giggles. Leaning against the wall, Loki's shoulder pressed against hers. "This is madness."

She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Can you fix it?"

"That depends, are you done laughing?" He demanded which set off another round of laughter.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Amateur." He muttered a phrase under his breath and a wave of green magic spread out across the shop.

At first, the men peered around in confusion. Gradually, they came to full awareness. Several had bloodied faces and torn clothes.

Sirens wailed in the distance.

Shit.

"Grab the grimoire. We need to get out of here." Cassandra ordered.

Loki fished the book out from beneath a shelf. One of the maribou feathers drifted free from his hair. Police cars skidded to a stop out front. "Draw the portal!"

Cassandra made a frantic sweeping motion with her hands and then they dove through the portal. They landed on her bed with a jolt. She turned her head to look at Loki. She fished a condom out of his hair. "I'm never casting a love spell again."

"Good."

Cassandra stared at the foil pack with sudden interest. "Want to use this?"

Loki took it in with a glance. "It's the wrong size."

"Oh?"

A devilish gleam appeared in his eye and he rolled on top of her pinning her to the bed. "I'm a magnum."

Cassandra looked down the line of his body and purred. "I'm sure you are."

Then he leaned down and kissed her.