Loki's Kitten

You hadn’t thought it through.

You were cold and wet, saturated right through to your skin.

And you had to admit, you were terrified.

The noise of the traffic was deafening and, for a horrifying moment, you had been trapped between the fast-moving legs of people who had almost trampled you to death as they were crossing the road in a hurry. By the time you reached the small traffic island and huddled against the pole of the pedestrian lights, your heart was beating frantically and you were shivering.

Admittedly, downtown Manhattan wasn’t the place for anyone to get lost—a kitten least of all.

You just hadn’t thought it through.

In your panic, you also hadn’t considered that once you’d cast the spell, you would, of course, need to turn back into a human being at some stage—which required you to cast another spell. The only problem here was that you hadn’t learnt that one yet.

However, those men in black had thoroughly scared you when they appeared at your sister’s door, demanding you open up. You checked them out through the spyhole. There were three of them.

The black guy with the eye patch looked especially scary. You weren’t used to that kind of thing, but you were used to hiding from people. Or running away.

So, you snuck out the window and jumped from the second floor into a pile of trash before you ran.

By the time you had reached Madison Avenue, they were on your heels. Five of them, so you shapeshifted as soon as you reached the Park and watched from your hiding place under a shrub as they searched for you. When they were a good distance away, you prepared to turn back and realised your mistake.

That was the second time you panicked.

Panic can make you do really stupid things.

You decided to find your way back to your sister’s flat. But of course, in the small, furry body that you inhabited now, it was highly unlikely you would actually make it back in there.

It was a cold November day, pouring with rain.

God, you really should have thought it through.

You had the tendency to plunge into things head over heels and consequently had to drag yourself out of seemingly impossible situations.

Now, this one truly was.

Of all the animals you could have shifted into, you had turned into a kitten. In the middle of Central Park.

You hadn’t been prepared for what it meant to take on this form in the middle of a city. The assault on your senses was brutal.

The onslaught of noises, smells and lights that tormented you as soon as you reached the road was almost unbearable.

You hadn’t been prepared for how sensitive your senses were in this body. The noise of the traffic and the smell of the fumes were overwhelming. And not only that. You could sense things.

Emotions. Vibrations. There was so much fear and anger around you.

In addition to that, you tried to be a good girl and cross the road at a pedestrian crossing, only to be caught between people’s legs and narrowly escape being trampled.

So, here you were, wet and cold and scared. Curled up on a traffic island. Terrified, slightly traumatised and feeling very sorry for yourself.

And then a pair of hands scooped you up and tucked you under a coat, against a warm chest.

The first shock abated as you felt the heat of the body saturate yours. You desperately nuzzled closer, your own body shivering helplessly. You felt the coat close over you, keeping out the rain, and a strong, warm hand moulded against your back and kept you safely tucked in.

Had you been human, you would have sighed in relief. This was comforting. Soothing. And most of all, dry and warm.

A loud rattling noise startled you, which, as you realised a moment later, emerged from your own throat.

Oh my god. You were purring.

You hadn’t even meant for that to happen.

Was this some kind of automatic response for cats when they felt comfortable?

You felt yourself relax, the anxiety dissolving as you purred and snuggled closer to soak up more body heat. Apparently, the nervous system of your little body wasn’t as resilient, because you suddenly felt extremely tired. A moment later, you had dozed off.

When you opened your eyes and carefully glanced around, you found yourself in a room with computers and technical instruments you didn’t recognise. A man with brown curly hair and glasses sat on the chair next to you, moving his fingers over the screen in front of him. You, yourself, were wrapped up in a soft towel on a chair next to the man with the glasses. You guessed it was him who had found you, because when he turned around to look at you, he offered a smile.

“Hello.” He had a pleasant voice.

“Hi,” you wanted to reply, but nothing more than a high-pitched meow left your throat.

You mentally rolled your eyes.

“What were you thinking, sitting out there in the rain in the middle of Columbus Circle, little one? That’s no spot for a kitten,” he chastised affectionately, adjusting his glasses as he spoke and regarding you with gentle eyes.

He was nice. At least someone nice had found you.

“You can stay here for now, but we have to find you somewhere else to stay eventually. I can’t keep you.”

For a horrifying moment, mental images of animal shelters flashed before your eyes. Half-starved, mistreated animals in cages.

Holy mother of Christ.

Was that where you would end up?

You needed to get back to your sister’s flat. Find the spell and transform into your human form. But first you had to figure out where you were.

He seemed to notice your distress, because he extended his hand and carefully patted your head.

“I’ll find a nice place for you, I promise.”

Unable to rid yourself of the feeling of doom that had settled over you, you rolled up and watched him as your mind tried to work out an escape plan. He brought his focus back to the screen in front of him before he moved his hand to bring up another screen. Only—it wasn’t a screen, it was a hologram.

Your jaw dropped. Mentally at least.

This was highly advanced technology. Nothing you had ever seen before.

Where the hell had you landed? Who was this man?

“Banner?” A deep voice suddenly boomed and almost made you jump out of your towel.

A gigantic blond man entered the room, approaching your saviour—whose name was Banner, apparently. Banner turned around to greet the blond.

“Hey, Point Break. Good you guys are back. I need to be on my way soon to join the others in Europe.”

The blond walked over to where you and Banner were sitting, when his eyes finally fell on you.

“You have a kitten? I wasn’t aware Tony allowed pets.”

When his large hands came down to grab you, you instinctively arched your back and hissed. You weren’t fond of being touched in general, but he was downright scary. Probably because he looked like a giant. And his hands were incredibly big.

“You’re scaring her, brother,” a velvet-dark voice stated smoothly, and only now you noticed the tall, raven-haired man who had quietly entered the room behind the blond.

“Her? How do you know it’s a she-cat?”

“I know a woman when I see one.” The man deadpanned, leaning against the wall next to you. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked—bored.

You were relieved when the blond pulled his hands back.

“How’s life in Asgard?” Banner asked.

Wait. Asgard?

“Thor was drinking and enjoying the pleasures of life while I did the hard work. As usual,” the tall, dark man answered.

Wait. Thor?

Wait-wait-wait. What?

Your mind drifted away from the conversation, trying to grasp what you had just learned.

If the blond was Thor, that meant that the dark one, who currently casually conjured a book out of thin air and started reading, was none other than Thor’s brother Loki, the demigod who had attacked New York a few years back.

“I found her in the middle of Columbus Circle. She was cold and wet. She’s probably starving. So, if one of you could look after her until I’m back, I would appreciate that.”

Your ears pricked up.

Was he talking about you?

“I’d love to look after her,” Thor boomed, and you hissed instinctively when he reached out his hand again. He was just so—so big. Ginormous. And his voice was too loud.

“I’d be frightened of that oaf too, kitten.” Loki’s smooth voice came from next to Thor.

“Well, if you can handle her so much better, Loki, why don’t you prove your talents here?”

Your eyes went wide as Loki approached. And you cowered. You weren’t even able to hiss.

Loki. God of Lies and Deceit. Cold-hearted, powerful sorcerer. Bringer of darkness.

You had heard plenty of stories about him, his powers … and his terrifying temper.

“There is no reason to be scared of me, kitten,” Loki purred, and you slunk back further when he reached out his hand to scratch your head.

You froze but allowed him to touch you.

Well, you had to admit, it wasn’t so bad.

It felt surprisingly good.

Maybe he was bewitching you?

His fingers slowly moved down your neck, digging pleasantly into your fur.

You closed your eyes.

Good god, this felt good.

Loki ran his hand over your back, and you purred.

Literally.

Then he pulled back, leaving you oddly disappointed.

“This is how you do it, brother. Use your charm.” He offered Thor a devious smirk. Thor frowned.

“You enchanted her.”

Loki chuckled. “Not with my magic, I swear.”

“Since she seems to like you, Loki, why don’t you take her in until I’m back?” Banner offered.

Loki might have made you purr, but you certainly did not feel like spending time alone with him.

“Truly, Banner? You trust me to babysit your lost kitten?”

You grumbled.

Asshole.

“Only for three days.”

Three whole days?? Truly, Banner?

Loki’s gaze travelled over to you, and for a moment he locked eyes with you and you shivered. He had beautiful green-blue eyes. They narrowed. Then he frowned and straightened up.

“Fine. Three days.”

Nonono. Wait. Banner!

You can’t just trade me off to some obscure god with a nasty temper.

“Good, I’m glad she’ll be in good hands.”

REALLY? Banner!!

“I’ll be retiring to my room, unless we need to discuss anything before you leave?”

Banner shook his head.

Before you knew it, slender fingers wrapped around your body as Loki gathered you into his arms.

You stiffened, but then one of his hands moved to your head, patting you carefully. You couldn’t help but curl up against his chest.

The whole way to his room, he was scratching you gently behind your ear, which forced you to melt into his arms and elicit a loud purr.

Damned god, he knew exactly what to do to make you melt into his arms.

“You’re an unusual one, aren’t you?” he muttered. “I can’t put my finger on it yet, but I am aware that you are not who you pretend to be, so I guess I better keep an eye on you.”