Unfettered (Loki x Reader)

Chapter 32 - The Eir of Sin

"Thor, please, what is going on?" you question. 

You reach blindly toward where you last heard Thor's voice, and your hand touches his wrist. But upon contact with his skin a searing pain sends you reeling as you let out a scream.

"Lady Y/n!" Thor pulls away from you, and the moment you break contact the pain ceases.

"Thor!" a stern, female voice echoes out from nearby. You don't recognize it. "I told you to stay away from her."

"My apologies, Lady Eir. But I could not leave her alone until she awoke - I knew she would be frightened."

"What the hell is going on?!" you cry out, frightened, as you scramble backwards in the bed on your hands until your back is pressed firmly up against the headboard. "Where am I? Why can't I see? Where's Loki?"

You can feel the tension in the air as Thor and the woman, Lady Eir, are silent. After a moment, Thor speaks.

"We are in Asgard, my lady," Thor says.

You inhale sharply, confused. "Asgard?" you whisper. "We're...not on Earth anymore?"

"Correct, child," Eir says. "And it would do you well not to fret. You are safe, but you are injured. You must heal. And it will take time. Thor - leave."

"No!" you cry out.

"Excuse me?" Eir asks.

"Thor stays," you say, on the verge of tears. "Please," you whimper, softly.

"Very well," Eir says. "But no physical contact. I will be back in one hour for your next treatment."

You hear her walk away, and you breathe a bit easier knowing it is only you and Thor. For a moment, the two of you sit in silence as the burning, searing pain from Thor's moment of contact ebbs away, leaving a dull ache behind. 

"You are in pain," Thor says - the fuzzy outline of his massive figure shifting from the edge of the bed to a chair - or something - at your bedside. "I am sorry, my lady."

"I don't understand," you say, lip quivering. "What happened?"

"What do you remember?" Thor asks.

"I don't know...I'm having trouble remembering," you admit sheepishly.

"Tell me what you do recall," Thor says hesitantly. "And I will add where I can."

You squeeze your eyes shut - finding relief in the darkness as you search your own mind. "I...let Loki out of the tower," you say. "We were...in the library."

"And then?" Thor questions.

You scrunch up your face, desperately trying to wade through memories. But everything is hazy. Hard to pin down. There are gaps. Leaps. But a few concrete moments stand out.

"Clint...he came back. He was angry. He hit Loki," you say.

Thor's chest rumbles with a stifled laugh. "A shame I missed such a scene."

You choke back an unwilling laugh. "But they didn't fight. There wasn't time. Clint...Clint had to leave right away. For the mission. Oh," you inhale sharply. "We were on a mission...to get Agent May."

"Yes," Thor answers, his tone growing more somber. But you don't notice the change in his affect as memories suddenly start flowing back.

"I found her, tied up in a cell. Except...she wasn't really tied up. She attacked us, and it took all three of us to subdue her."

"Go on," Thor encourages, despite the dread in his voice.

"I remember...I remember...," you trail off, doing your best to push through the thick curtain of fog in your head. But Thor is quiet. Too quiet. You can feel him holding his breath. Something isn't right. "Thor?" you question.