Fractures of Eternity

After the meeting with Asher, the moment the door closed behind us, Loki glowered at Alistair, who turned around to face me.

“You owe me twice now, little lamb.” The older brother smirked, leaving me somewhat flustered.

Do I ever get a break?

Though I didn’t mind it from him since he was a good person, that much, I was sure of. However, I didn’t know why he wanted to help me, since there was no reason for him to do so.

Unless I somehow caught on your good side when we spoke. Maybe you found me interesting enough to keep.

“Hah… I don’t know why you keep helping me, but I’ll pay it back one day, I promise.” I assured him.

“Well, I look forward to it.” Alistair chuckled before gazing at Loki, who appeared to be steaming where he was.

There, he bowed his head, waving goodbye as we watched Alistair walk away before my vampire gazed at me.

“Did he…” He trailed off, prompting a fire to burn within me as I scowled at him.

How dare… You think I would willfully allow anyone else to touch me so easily!

“No! You should know that idiotic prince.” I huffed, trying to hide my hostility towards the idea since we were in public and in front of Rem’s biological child.

I couldn’t afford to lose my cool as much as I usually did when we were alone, yet the moment those words left me, I saw him sigh in relief.

You… really… Argh!

Before I could even finish that thought, Oswald came for my throat.

“So… You and Alistair are close?” the twin asked, intrigued by the fresh development, prompting me to take a step back from him before facing him head-on.

This one was dangerous and wouldn’t play me to his tune. No, if anything, I would play him to mine, as he was looking for any reason to mistrust me more than he already did.

“No… but I want to be, for obvious reasons,” I smirked.

For a moment, Oswald appeared utterly surprised before the same smile I had on my lips rose on his.

“You’re fucking crazy.” He noted, leaving me feeling fulfilled by that.

“Yep, get used to it, warlock.” I snickered.

Poor Leo was utterly confused by the entire event, as the twins hadn’t told him anything about me. If they did, he would surely tell his mother, and if Rem ever knew the enemy was there, well, I would be in trouble.

“Am I missing something?” the pup tilted his bewildered.

The moment Leo said that, Loki came from behind me, drawing me up by my chin. Before I knew it, he planted his lips on mine, leaving my eyes wide open.

You’re insane! Utterly crazy!

Instinctively, I pulled away, causing me almost to trip and fall in the motion.

“L-Loki! W-What are you t-thinking?!” I stuttered, gazing around and covering my lips, while my heart felt like it was in my throat.

His cheeks were rosy, while he placed a hand on his hip, looking at me like I was the weird one.

“You just called yourself a whore in there, you know? Even stuff that happens behind closed doors flies like rumors!” Loki chided, narrowing his eyes.

How… why… are you saying these things even though we were in public?! Endure… compartmentalize… keep it inside!

“I don’t care what people think of me.” I scuffed, trying to stop this.

Even though Oswald and Leo were still there, we were in front of the throne room, too.

“I do,” Loki said in a serious tone.

In an instant, my brain flooded almost as if every one of my wires was crossed.

You have no shame.

“Y-You don’t count!” I squealed before storming away.

How could you do this?!? Here, out of all places!

My heart couldn’t follow.

Why make it known that you care? You’re so stupid! Idiotic fool! Don’t you care about the consequences of loving me, a monster? No… You… don’t love me. You can’t! But you do… Damn it!

There was no way to explain this emotion and affection he kept rolling my way other than love.

Why does it have to be so sweet?

Every fiber in my being wanted to turn around and kiss him, but I resisted the urge.

Maybe… If I’m a normal human. If I could be one. Why? Why did I have to be a reincarnated deity? Hah… Why couldn’t I love freely without fearing what it would do to you?

It hurt too much, and it felt like I was about to break. If I stopped walking, I would crumble, which was unacceptable to me.

I’m a goddess! I can’t break over a boy!

But I did.

Why… am I a monster?

“Oi! Where are you going?” Loki questioned, running to catch me as I didn’t stop.

I couldn’t, even though the food was the farthest thing from my mind. It was the only excuse I could think of.

“I’m hungry, and I want to eat. You kept me from eating all day!” I pointed out, keeping my pace, but there was no outrunning a vampire.

In an instant, he closed the gap between us, grabbing onto my hand for the second time today in public.

“Fine, come. Let’s go,” Loki suddenly tugged me along.

You really are something else.

Oswald and Leo quickly joined us, while I couldn’t help but show the real me—something this vampire welcomed as he aimed for everyone to know who I was exactly and who I had eyes for.

“I can walk by myself!” I yelped at his treatment, but he didn’t let go.

No, he held me tighter, while I…

“I don’t want you to,” Loki announced, leaving me flustered and defeated.

There was nothing I could do to get away from him, and I didn’t want to, allowing the vampire to lead me to the Café, where we ate and bought food for the night. My cheeks felt like they would fall off at any moment, though, as the entire way, I gazed at Loki’s broad back. It was the first time I was alone with the three boys. Luckily, they spoke about other things instead of focusing on what had happened, while I remained silent most of the time, until Leo left for the night, allowing Oswald to drill on me about Alistair.

I told him everything that I had learned about his older brother. Though most of it, he already suspected. There, I confessed that the book’s readings weren’t always precise, though something about this one looked off. We were missing critical information, especially since the reading had been so vague.

How will Alistair kill Loki?

Usually, the book would be more precise, but that was according to my father, who saw my mother use me once or twice before Rem killed her. From what I had learned, Alistair wasn’t the man we were looking for, which meant he had to focus on external factors that influenced him. It was a given that he would be involved in that fateful day, but that he yearned for it was another matter.

A sad fate, and one that I won’t allow to happen. If anyone knows how it felt to be an instrument for others, it’s me, and I refuse to let this poor boy be one. Seeing you being a means to an end isn’t right! Argh! Did my mother hide something from me? Surely, my visions aren’t this vague even for a mortal!

Sadly, as it stood, there was no way to know anymore who would be the one behind Loki’s death fate.

Unless I use your grimoire and give the incantation to Loki, perhaps there’s more to Loki’s death than you wanted us to know. Is it something that would scare me? No… Nothing would ever stop me from saving their lives. Hah… I wonder when it stopped becoming about survival and about your lives. Ah… These boys will be the end of me.

By the time we finished discussing everything, it was nighttime, and there hadn’t been any more glimpses from our peeping tom, which Oswald would’ve caught. While this twin was around, we didn’t have to worry about unwanted surveillance, yet it didn’t stop the danger from lurking outside or in view. Though in such a crowd, it was hard to know who was talking unless we were close to one another.

On our way home, the twins spoke about lighter things, while Loki held onto my hand tightly the entire way. However, when we got to the castle, Emma was waiting for Oswald outside. Zoe was nowhere to be seen, and the moment she spotted him, it was almost like Oz was struck by lightning. Taking a deep breath, she walked over before stopping in front of him as his gaze shifted towards the side.

Uh oh…