Choices

Chapter 36
Amora led across Loki's bed absently running her fingers through her hair. She'd give him one thing, he knew what he was doing in the sack. It was the only thing she could credit him for, she actually found him boring otherwise. Nose constantly into his books when he wasn't fucking, or training the princess.
Amora let her eyes roam the room. She'd been waiting for the opportunity to ask about it, but Loki kept his most precious books well guarded. Luckily, tonight he had it with him on his desk. Wide open, he was flipping through it pages. Suppressing her excited grin, she slipped from the bed and swayed her way toward him.
Her nude figure caught his attention almost immediately. Their relationship still relatively new, and her large gaps between seeing him, kept him craving her in the way she needed. The way most men needed to distract them from one thing so that she could work her manipulation, and get what she wanted without alerting him to her real plans.
The longer the relationship continued, the less of a hold she'd have over him. If she couldn't get what she wanted in the next few months, she could very well lose her chance altogether. She'd steal the ancient spell book that was one of a kind, but she was sure Loki was smarter than to leave it so unguarded and he would quickly realize it was her.
"Is that what I think it is!" She said, faking surprise. She'd seen the book before when she'd first come back to remove herself as his teacher. The book had been right there, laid out on the table and she instantly knew she had to have it.
Loki grinned at her. "It is," he said, and to her dismay he closed it. She traced her finger along the cover and he watched her with protective eyes. Even now she could see he was not willing to share. "We could both benefit from this. Learn things together." She cooed.
"No." His answer was absolute, it surprised her that he would respond that way. Loki didn't like to share apparently.
"Come now Loki, isn't that what it means to be in a relationship, to share, to grow with one another?" She asked pouting.
"Perhaps, when I'm finished mastering it all first, then I will allow someone to look."
"I bet Cephera has seen it." Amora placed the bitterness in her tone for a reason, to guilt him.
"She has, but Cephera isn't skilled enough to even understand half of these spells, not yet. I will not have anyone show me up regarding this." He replied as smooth and chill as he began.
"I can't believe this. You treat her as though she's more worthy than me." She scowled. It was a real scowl, at that moment she hated Cephera. Up until now, the girl hadn't been a problem.
"As I've said, she hasn't the knowledge...,"
"I don't care. I am your paramour, how should I feel about you favouring another woman. Trusting her above me!" Amora jumped to her feet.
"Amora...," he said softly, as if trying to calm her.
"Don't bother." She waved off his concern and turned her back to him.
"When I am ready to share, I'll share." He told her. He'd stood and now had a hand on her shoulder. She allowed her shoulder to slump in pretend defeat. She turned to him.
"I'm sorry, I am making more of a big deal of this then it must be. I have always known you to dislike sharing your secrets. I let my emotions get the better of me." She turned her eyes to his and pursed her lips. "Don't tell anyone what a mess I can be." She kissed his lips softly, playfully.
"It's nice to know my woman is not all hard steel." He responded returning the kiss and pressing her toward his bed.
When Loki had fallen asleep Amora dressed and left as she always did. She wasn't a cuddler. She walked down the hall scowling hard and thoughts running through her mind. She needed Cephera gone, she was a distraction even if Loki didn't realize it. The only question was, how to get rid of her?
(Cephera)
Cephera took the south hallways, they were usually deserted, not as many rooms were used and it also was quicker access to the back paths to the shoreline. She strolled past only a handful of servants and now she past another. Up ahead was the corner to lead her to the hall and then outside, the path was empty.
The only thing about that area was the doors that kept out intruders. The heavy bronze doors were the only thing that slowed her down, but once she had one opened, the warm breeze greeted her. She inhaled and smiled. Today was a beautiful day. There was a narrow overgrown path leading down through a small area of trees that she trailed along stopping to admire the flowers and also finding it odd that the path had been trampled recently. Normally, she seemed to be the only one to walk over it and between her time using it, the grass and weeds would spring back up. Today, the path was partially flattened.
She slowed her steps, a sharp laugh cutting the once quiet air. Cephera snapped her head sideways, she knew that laugh.
Inching into the thickness of a few bushes, she came out near a plot of trees. Against a tree was Amora, her long hair trailing down her half naked back and her legs wrapped around a man, a man who wasn't Loki. The mans pants were to his ankles and he was thrusting hard. It didn't take genius to figure out what was happening.
Cephera felt it very little in her lifetime, but right now she was livid, more than live she was enraged. How dare she! There was no way Loki approved of such a thing. To share his woman... It just wasn't like him.
"How dare you!" Cephera screamed, interrupting them. The man stepped back, startled. Amora landed with her feet on the ground, smirking.
"What's wrong? Never seen a good fuck up close before?" Amora's twisted smile and cocky tone made Cephera want to strike her.
"Last I check, that's not the man you should be fucking." Normally Cephera didn't swear, but she couldn't find it in her to care.
"Please, Loki's a fool if he thinks I'm the monogamous type." She raked her hand through her hair.
"When I tell him...,"
"Tell him? Like he'd believe you." The smug smile irked Cephera to her core.
"I have been his loyal friend since long before you came along to his bed, when I tell him I saw it with my own eyes, he'll believe me." Amora laughed.
"Really? Naive little girl. As long as I wet his cock, he'll think you just a jealous nobody." Cephera shook off the worry she felt. "Go ahead, tell him, prove me right." Cephera spun on her heels and ran. She ran back through the palace and upstairs toward the library. She'd seen Loki their only an hour ago.
Reaching the arched doorways she froze.
'He will believe me!' She told herself. 'He has to believe me.' She paced. She remembered what Seraphina said, without proof he'd just overreact..., but she had proof. Surely seeing it with her own eyes was enough for him. She wouldn't make it up. She had a very detailed picture of what happened in her mind, only a crazy woman would go through the lengths of thinking of such a scene.
She bit her lip shaking her head. 'No, he will believe me.' She decided 'he deserves to know.' She turned facing the doorway and halted. Loki was standing there and staring at her with one eyebrow risen in a questioning look. "Oh!" She said in surprise.
"Are you well?" He asked her.
"Of course, it's... It's just that...," she mentally cursed. "Loki can we talk?"
"I have a moment," he said to her almost like she should hurry. The way he had been with her since he started courting Amora was troublesome and heartbreaking. One day he was the friend she remembered and another he was distant. She wanted to ask if he trusted her, but it seemed silly to verify something she felt she knew was correct.
"I saw Amora with another man just now." It wasn't the most eloquent of ways to blab something, but she felt if she hesitated she'd never tell him.
"She's allowed to speak with other men." He half chuckled.
"No Loki!" She growled in frustration. "I saw her fucking another man." Cephera felt her stomach churn over as Loki's look turned dark. For a second she thought the news had made him angry with Amora, but then,
"How dare you insinuate...," he began, but she cut him off.
"I'm not insinuating, I'm telling you I saw it with my own eyes." She was going to give him detail, but she was too astounded by his reaction.
"I cannot believe this!" He spat. "You let that one mistaken kiss turn you into a vengeful bitch. I regretted it the moment it happen you know. It should have never been and now you seek to destroy my happiness." Cephera's mouth dropped open. Seraphina was right, Amora was right! Loki didn't believe her. Irrationality had set into his mind, blinding him to Amora's true nature.
Cephera's good heart and trusting ways had also led her astray to think he would think any differently of this news. This was not what she expected. She hadn't thought he would get this angry. "Loki...," she began but he cut her off this time.
"You believe yourself worthy of my attention passed a friendship you have now taken advantage of. To use my trust in you to spurn Amora. You are beneath me Cephera. You are nothing more then a halfbreed and I see now that you are unworthy of even my friendship." Cephera's breath hitched in her throat. Why? Why was he being like this?
A deathly calm passed over her. A chill icing through her soul. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry you feel that way. I hope you find happiness with Amora, Loki. Play the blinded fool, let your cock lead you about and when you find that I was telling the truth and trying to save you from future heartbreak, do not come running to me like nothing has happened here today. I will not be a friend to comfort your pain." Cephera didn't give Loki time to respond. She turned and left of her own accord.
Oddly enough, Cephera was angry and hurt, but she shed no tears. Instead, she screamed when she reached her room, tossed the water basin across the floor and broke her body length mirror. She stared at the spiderweb of cracks and her multiple reflections. She should have listened to everyone, she was just a naive child. Believing that truth would win out over emotion was stupid, she had been stupid.
She once had thought that truth freed people of negativity, but instead she just proved to herself that those unwilling to hear or believe the words of truth only brought them and others more pain and that sometimes, something's were best hidden. Cephera hurried to her closet and pulled down her things, leaving behind stuff given to her by Loki. Asgard was not her home, she just wanted to leave there. There was nothing left for her now.
'Seraphina.' She called over her ring. She hoped her sister was close enough to hear it. Distance had always been a factor to how well the connection worked.
'Cephera,' she said.
'You were right, I'm going home.' It was all Cephera could bring herself to say. No matter how much her sister called out from inside her head, Cephera ignored her and left her room, leaving Asgard behind forever.

Notes