Among the Stars

Chapter 7

Jane tore down the hall, trying desperately to think of some way to put more distance between her and the scourge behind her. It wasn't far to the portal, but it wasn't far back to him either.

She neared the entrance to the palace and prepared to round the turn that would bring her within sight of the portal. Then she heard something that stopped her dead in her tracks.

"I thought you were swifter than that, Jane. Or are you more reluctant to leave than you admit?" A voice called from the great hall.

Jane whipped around so quickly she nearly tumbled to the ground. She started sprinting in the opposite direction.

How did he get there so fast? She thought numbly. He must have- it doesn't matter. He's there. Where am I going to go? She ran straight on as she thought, trying to at least maintain some distance until she had a plan.

You need an exit. Where are those? Fine a room on the edge of the palace. It will have a window.

She ran on, trying to visualize the palace exterior and how close she was to its borders. She didn't hear Loki behind her. She wasn't sure if he was running silently or if he was already ahead of her. But there was no use dwelling on that.

As she ran, she searched for anything that might be useful and watched for any guards that might stop her. She didn't see any guards. There wasn't much at all in the barren halls. She would have thought a warrior palace would have some swords on the wall or something, but there was nothing.

The hallway stopped and branched off into two halls going in opposite directions. Jane started to turn left.

"I hear you coming, my crafty vixen!" A voice called from down the hall. "Coming for me like a bride on her wedding night!"

Jane fled down the right hallway. How? How can he be everywhere at once? Can he teleport? She looked down the hallway and saw something that made her almost faint in relief: the door of the room at the end of the hall. Light was filtering out from an unseen window.

Jane leaned forward and sprinted with all she had left. She shot into the doorway and caught a glimpse of the window that held her escape.

Before she was even past the door frame, a hand clasped onto her arm and she was whipped around to find herself face-to-face with Loki.

"WHAT?" Jane blurted out reflexively. She was utterly shocked, and her face reflected it.

"I suppose you think you were running from me," Loki crowed. "Do you realize now? I was herding you. Look around."

He swept his arm around the room. Jane looked past the window and saw they were standing in a bedroom. That alone made her shudder, but something about Loki's tone made her look closer. In most regards, it seemed like any other Asgardian bedroom, if a bit ornate. But there was one thing that caught Jane's eye. On the wall above the bed's headboard there was a framed picture. A picture of her.

Loki smiled as the realization hit Jane.

"I thought it most fitting that we consummate our devotion in the bed you've desired so long. My brother wasted his opportunity. I won't repeat his mistake."