Page 21 of Loki's Heart

“This means Loki and you will have to lure Yrsa,”Revna worried.“And you can only get so close to that volcano, Cian.”

“That we know of.” He stood and spoke aloud so the seers could catch at least half the conversation. “I’ve carried a piece of you inside me since we were born, Revna. Which means I might be capable of more than I realize.”

“Yet you didn’t seem crazy about the heat of the fire last night.”

When he perked his brows at her that she should have already figured out his actions, she realized.

“The heat didn’t bother you in the least. You just wanted me and Loki to be alone. To talk.”

“Yes,”he replied within the mind.“And now you have.”

“Now we have,”she echoed as Loki insisted he carry Revna and Cian handed her over.

Loki seemed so convinced of his feelings for her. How having their hearts merged would only give them both more clarity. Certainty. Would it be enough in the end, though? Would she get the entirety of her heart back? Or would it be lost to him?

“How far to the volcano?” Cian asked as they headed down yet another tunnel.

“Several hours,” Svend replied.

Rather than stay with the others, she drifted alongside Loki, who seemed stronger and more determined than ever as he navigated the rough terrain with ease despite carrying her. While strange in this state, being near him comforted her. Not that she was all that afraid anymore. Truth told, being without her powers was more daunting than being without her mortal body. And she said as much, knowing Loki couldn’t catch her thoughts but heard her internal voice. If she were to be honest, she missed the telepathic connection they had so recently developed. Their internal conversations.

“I would feel the same if I lost my powers,”he agreed gruffly, as though his emotions might just be getting the better of him.“And I miss you too, my little demon.”

“You must be careful when you go up against Yrsa,”she counseled, needing to be helpful however she could. More than that, needing to keep the conversation practical rather than focusing on the separation she felt between them. A separation that...

“I feel it,”she whispered, awed. It was as though recognizing the loss of his thoughts in her mind opened up a floodgate. Or better yet, allowed the piece of her heart tied to his to see everything she had forgotten.

The many times he had visited her over the years. The friendship they had formed. Memories. Laughter. A comradery that made perfect sense considering their similar personalities. Their likes and dislikes.

She saw it all.

From the second she stared up into his fiery eyes as an infant to the moment, with the flick of his godly wrist, he vanished from her mind. There had been no talk of it. No warning. Just a cord cut the moment he knew the women needed for his Forge would start traveling back in time.

“You were in control of so much more than I realized.”She kept exploring their many memories. If she could tear up, she would. She had cared for himthatmuch. Her love took many forms over the years, but it was all love, from start to finish.

“And you never actually kissed me,”she exclaimed, wishing he had too many times to count.“Why?”

“Because you were worth more than that.”Once again, his voice was surprisingly emotional.“More to me....”

She didn’t have to ask to understand. His heart told her all she needed to know.

He feared hurting her.

“You were different than all the women before you,”he said bluntly.“I never cared how they might feel once I moved on,but I did with you.”He shook his head.“You didn’t deserve that pain.”

She had never heard him utter such un-Loki-like words.

Such truthful words.

“Why lie to me about it on this journey?”she asked.“Why not say what you just did? It would have gotten you much further with me.”

“Perhaps.”He shrugged.“Or perhaps you would have thought I was just saying whatever I could to get you to do what I wanted. That I was manipulating you like all those before you. Telling you we had already kissed sounded more realistic.”He grinned.“And who knows? It might have made you more inclined to kiss me again, considering you already had.”

“Which would have contradicted your reasoning, to begin with, yes?”

“No.”He glanced down at her mortal face as though she were still in her body.“Because whether I realized it or not at the time, I had no intention of hurting you.”He clenched his jaw. A vein ticked in his temple.“Not ever.”

Not ever? That sounded dangerously like a commitment she couldn't imagine him being capable of. Of her being capable of...right? Yet deep down in a place that was blossoming more by the moment, no doubt due to their hearts being linked, of finally understanding each other on a whole new level, she knew that might not be the case anymore.