"What a revelation," Loki teased, bending to kiss the upturned corner of her mouth.

Something inside of him seemed to unfurl. He'd kept his distance for so long, had denied even the possibility of allowing someone past the walls he'd carefully constructed around himself, but despite the terror, there was also extraordinary relief.

Blotting at her bloodied scalp, he said, "The bleeding seems to have stopped. Not a mortal wound, after all."