A firm knock on the door can be heard behind Laurin, where he stands with a handwritten letter in his hand. Outside, the libraries large oriel window glimpses the view of a calm, quiet, and sunless landscape. He doesn't want to be disturbed, not now.
"One minute!" He growls at the closed door and curses quietly to himself.
Having Indra as a guest progressively feels like a full-time job. Indra clearly wants to make life as difficult as possible for him, with her constant questioning of why she is not allowed to return to Asgard to check on her family. Why is he putting himself through this? What does he get out of protecting Indra in this way?
The night before, they got into a drawn-out discussion which ended with Indra storming out and slamming the door so hard that the hinges came loose leaving the door on a slant behind her. Sometimes he’s almost intimidated by her powers – but only almost.
"Come in then!" Laurin calls out before sighing annoyed.
Indra entered the room her face radiating imperious, she’s wearing an old-fashioned white cotton dress with green and silver embroidery. Her unruly hair frames her small face and her obvious anger makes her eyes sparkle in iridescent colors. With her head held high, she closes the heavy door behind her.
"Have you come to surrender?" He folds the letter and puts it down in his pocket and closes the distance between them in a few long strides.
Indra remains firmly in her spot; she slowly pulls out a small pistol with a pearly white handle and points it at him. She pulls back the hammer and waits for his reaction.
Laurin rubs the dark stubble on his chin and watch her with mixed emotions of irritation and admiration. Her bottomless eyes fascinate him; he sees how her eyes shifts from icy blue to lime green, with speckles of pure gold. Her eyes almost hypnotize him, they remind him of the Northern Lights seductive dance across a dark starry night. Laurin have never seen anything more beautiful. His dark eyes trail down her curvy form and lingers for a moment on her breasts that are softly bouncing with each of her nervous breaths.
She pushes her shoulders up in an attempt to correct the dress's low neckline.
"Imagine what that surrender might look like, Indra." He sees how she reacts to his words, as if they are heating up every inch of her skin. "Do you really want to miss out on my delightful company?" He leans closer and she can see the dark stubble on his clenched jaw and smell his musky scent.
Indra swallows hard and pushes the pistols mussel against his chest. "It wouldn't be any pleasure for me, Laurin," she mumbles.
"Yes, it would – and you know it, beautiful Indra." He looks down at the pistol and his full lips form into a bitter smile. "Why don't you tell me why you're turn to these drastic measures against the man who saved your life?"
Indra sneers. "You know why. I'm going to go home and this time you're not going to stop me."
He takes a step forward and pushes the pistols muzzle even harder into his chest. "You know I'm immortal and a shot from this..." He nods to the pistol. "... can't kill me."
He really doesn’t have to worry, due to the fact that the castle is enchanted and this means that Indra cannot find a way out. Whatever door she chooses, it will just lead her back to him.
"I know that, but a bullet might still knock you unconscious long enough for me to say goodbye to your companionship," she growls, as irritated with herself as she is furious with him.
"So be it. I am not a man who intends to stand in the way of the wishes of a fair young lady or what she desires in life." He utters the words with dripping irony.
His stare becomes hard and he grabs the pistol firmly and unexpectedly tears it out of her hands. "Tell me about your terms and conditions, and we'll see if they might suit the both of us."
Indra is fully aware of the anger in his voice and she finds it difficult to breathe.
"I don't just want too; I haveto go home."
"Your request is not granted." Laurin turns around with the pistol in his hand. He needs to add some distance from her, her warm and tempting scent fills his nostrils and his mind. "For heaven’s sake, Indra, what don't you understand? I can't let you go home! It's too dangerous."
Laurin throws the pistol onto his desk and pulls out the letter he received earlier in the day. "This is a warning, addressed to you," he says, placing the letter in her trembling hands.
Indra unfolds the paper. It is a letter written personally to her; a detailed account of what will happen if she does not immediately make her way to Svartheim's forge.
She looks up at Laurin with eyes haunted by sadness.
"They've taken my little brother." The letter falls out of her hand and drifts to the floor. "You have to let me go, please.I have to save Joar from the dwarves who have taken him. He's only seven years old!" Her shoulders slumps and her body start to tremble.
Laurin grabs Indra and pulls her into his arms. She sobs quietly against his hard chest.
"You have to let me go, Laurin," she begs as she pulls out of his arms her eyes are wide when they met his, he sighs and looks away.
"No matter how much I want to help you, Indra, I can't let you leave the castle. It's too dangerous for you right now."
"My life has always been dangerous, one way or the other. I'm not like some fragile porcelain doll that you need to wrap in cotton. I know how to take care of myself."
Laurin laughs softly. "I have no doubt about that for a second, but you are under my protection now, Indra."
"Damn you, Laurin. That's my little brother we're talking about! I'll never forgive you if anything happens to him. And don’t you forget that."
Laurin inhales deeply in an attempt to calm himself, now that he's so close to her and can inhale her sweet scent, instead of moving away he starts looking for reasons to bring her closer to him.
His heart hurts from her harsh, unforgiving words. The desire to protect this woman practically tears him in half. He just wants to keep her safe.
"Why won’t you let me make sure you're safe, Indra? Do you find it that difficult to receive help from others?"
"I'm not a child anymore, Laurin," she sighs tiredly. "It's not your responsibility. I should be able to decide for myself the choices I make, especially when my family is in danger."
"Sometimes you may not always understand what’s best for your own interests ..." Slowly, so to make her understand what he is referring to, he lowers his lips to hers.
With his tongue, he tastes her for the first time. She tastes of herbal tea and faint sweetness from honey. Her scent of late summer flowers envelops him and his body reacts to her soft creation. He has heard of her magical eyes, but nothing has prepared him for how the reality surpass the imagination.
Holy hell, this is actually happening. He sucks on her full bottom lip and hears her moan into his mouth.
Passionately she starts kissing him back, her mouth soft and warm. His breath hitches and he swallow in an attempt to control the rush of blood to his lower parts. He needs to make a decision. Is he going to interrupt this amazing thing that's about to happen, and bluntly back away from her? Or let himself enjoy the pleasures of heaven itself with this woman?
Laurin gathers his remaining will powers, breaks the kiss and pulls away from her.
Indra looks at him surprise. He wants her more than anything, this woman with swollen lips and blushing cheeks, but he doesn’t want to lose control and, in any way, jeopardizing her safety.
Embarrassment flickers in her eyes for a split second and her words comes out like sharp shards of ice.
"To hell with you, Laurin..." She storms across the room and disappears out the large wooden door.
That he finds her undeniably sexy there’s no question about, that she’s also intoxicating and exciting to be around is just some of the inescapable reasons behind why he had to send her away. Laurin needs to distance himself from this woman he should have never got mixed up with in the first place.
He frowns and curses out loud. This situation is going to hell and fast. He cannot allow himself to fall for Indra.
She is simply a tool, for him to make means to an end– nothing else.
A debt remains and it must be paid.
Indra spends all morning in her room. The letter, and Laurin's refusal to oblige with her wishes, have made her anxieties reach new levels. Soon she won't be able to take this anymore. The uncertainty is unbearable and she bites her nails nervously. It is also exhausting to just sit alone in the bedroom and wait for God knows what...She needs fresh air to clear her head. She doesn't know exactly why she decided to threaten Laurin with a pistol, but somehow, she convinced herself at the time that it was a good idea. Her brain created a rational reason to perform a foolish act.She had followed an impulse to search the halls of the castle, room by room, to find a weapon that could harm Laurin, even if it would only last a few hours. She remembers stopping outside the door before entering, but otherwise the memories are blurred and vague, like a bizarre nightmare.Indra decides to find the kitchen to fill her ceramic cup with something both strong and refreshing t
Indra's stomach twists itself small when she hears King Laurin talking to an unknown woman in his room. The female gives away a certain powerfulness, Indra can sense it even through the thick wall that separates them."Dear King Laurin, you have not reported on your successes with Indra."Indra suspects Lucifer is behind the visit. Lucifer would only send the best body hunters after her. Indra knows how frustrated he must be when he sends his elite and they repeatedly fail to catch her.All she can do is remind him of how powerful she is, and she will do so as soon as she gets her powers back, they seem to have disappeared without a trace overnight. She has no idea why her powers have abandoned her. Perhaps it is a result of Lucifer's prolonged torture, which had been going on for months. Perhaps all the stress she has been put through has messed with her head, but for whatever the reason, she must find her powers again and then show both Lucifer and King Laurin
King Laurin brings the whisky glass to his mouth, takes a sip of the balanced brown liquid and stares into the somber darkness enveloping his bedroom. He’s leans back heavily onto the beds large wooden headboard completely focused on clearing his crowded mind; the strong whiskey is a deliberate attempt to try to dull the tensions that flow through his bloodstream. He sighs heavily and takes a few deep even breaths.Control... Where has his self-control gone? He always keeps his emotions in check, that's what makes him a fair king.Yet Laurin knows that there is no denying that it is his impulses and desire that drives him when he is with Indra, not the mission he has been forced to. But if he doesn't focus on the mission, both he and Indra will face a premature death. He spellbound her powers at her weakest; Indra had been so emaciated and weak and had carried all the signs of neglect after Lucifer's brutal treatment. It had made him see red, but now it was only
King Laurin is extremely aroused to the point he thinks he might burst the seams on the tightening silk fabric across his groin. He suspected that she would try to use her body to seduce him and then escape, but it has turned into a chance for himself to get one last hold on Indra, through both body and soul. And he's going to give her a well-deserved lesson.Never before has he felt this way about a woman. The strong desire for her brings the sorcerer in him to life. His fingertips twitch with magic that rushes through his body like a raging river. The magic increases by their closeness and her alluring scent that fills his nostrils. The roses stems hold her arms firmly over her head and her large soft breasts are displayed in a most daring way right in front of him.She's the most powerful creature in the universe. The world belonged to her, until he spellbound her powers. He will teach her the lesson that he and no one else owns her mind – and soon even her be
The stems of the roses brush against Indra's ivory skin and the thorns graze her erected nipples. She shivers with pleasure mixed with pain."Laurin," she whispers, turning towards the window. The roses twist themselves tighter across her exposed body – it's as if they are controlled by Laurin’s emotions. The stronger his desires grow, the more the roses want to hold her in place, for him.Laurin is still wearing his silky pyjama pants while Indra is naked, vulnerable and trapped. Laurin releases the roses hold on her slightly and takes a step back. Indra can see how he studies every curve of her pale firm breasts and swollen pink nipples. The roses seem to follow his eyes, massaging her breasts under his hungry gaze. The stems caress her blushing skin, acting much the same as gentle hands tracing their way all over her soft body The scene unfolding in front of him sends the blood rushing to his growing member. He pulls down his pyjama pants and his swollen
Indra's state of mind is quite different from before she went to King Laurin's room to seduce him. While she puts on his white linen shirt and brown leather trousers, which are far too big for her, she does not take her eyes of the sleeping man.His muscular body is stretched out on his back, with one arm resting lightly over his eyes. The black silky covers have slipped down to his hips, revealing his flat stomach and well-defined muscles. She desperately wants to reach out and touch his smooth tanned skin, wake him up and look into his bottomless dark eyes. To get to experience the desire he holds for her, one last time.He is dangerous – even when he sleeps, he exudes an almost threatening power and strength – but when he gave himself to her, she felt her own powers return. After all, she has succeeded in her original plan: to seduce King Laurin. The plan did not go quite as she originally intended, she had not at all anticipated that it would also give
"What the hell are those useless dwarves doing here, Belial?" Lucifer bellows.His angry complaints echoes through the great hall, making the large marble pillars that hold the giant halls of the underworld in place tremor as they soar past."There are already enough rumors in all dimensions," Lucifer continues. "I will not tolerate them coming here and causing more slander, that my brother Elohim will use against me."He slams opens the massive double metal doors with a dull thud and spots Brokk, who is serving himself a sizable brandy by the liquor cabinet next to the domed fireplace. His brother Sindre is spread out on a divan, his short legs and dirty boots resting on the exclusive burgundy velvet fabric."Good afternoon." Brokk raises the glass towards Lucifer and exposes a large mustard colored stain under his armpit before sculling the smooth amber contents. "We have some business to sort out," he continues, before releasing a noisy burst of air th
Indra inhales deeply as a bitterly cold darkness envelopes her as she enters Limbo. The ground is covered in an icy blanket and she can feel the cold seeping through the souls of her shoes, traveling up her legs. Indra can hear harrowing screams and terrifying growls, somewhere in the distance.As her eyes gets used to the darkness, Indra realizes that this world has neither a sky or a horizon. Far away, she can make out the serrated silhouettes of something similar to a forest, but she knows that it cannot be true, that there is only an empty black darkness.An outlineagainst the backdrop seems to be getting closer, its alive following her scent in the air.The creatures of this world know she's here. Indra can hear their raspy labored breaths and feel the hasty movement of large number closing in as the frozen earth trembles under her feet. She increases the white yellowish light in her eyes to maximum strength and shift her vision into night-sight.The