Be Wary of Strangers, Part 5

Sorry, only one post for this week. I didn't get to this as soon as I would have liked, and almost spaced on the blog tour. :P
I'll make it up by posting three parts next week.

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Vampire: Loki/Thor x Reader
Part Five

When you wake, food is the first thing on your mind.
You head downstairs, noting the taut silence of the halls. So far as you can tell, you’re the only one in the place.
As you pass by the door that leads to the basement, you wince. What if Loki is still down there? What if he's…well, dead?
You force your thoughts down a different track and head into the kitchen. The entire place continues to hold to the Gothic theme. There are clawed paper towel holders, silverware styled to look like bone; even the refrigerator has an odd, monstrous skull design molded around the water and ice dispensers.
The food in the fridge and pantry distract you from the dark designs. Greens, raw meat, even herbs and spices that look freshly picked.
You’ve never been happier in a kitchen, and never been happier to eat something that isn’t cafeteria food.
Your mood dims slightly as you sit down to eat. Legends of vampires and the superstitions of the locals swim through your mind.
Nosferatu, Lilith, Philinnion. Methods of killing varied as much as the species of vampire. Some were invisible, some stole skills as one would steal money, and some didn’t drink blood at all. The local rumors were rife with tales of soil soaked in black magics, of forests trapped in a life-leeching mist, and of mountains inhabited by revenants. The mist, at least, she could discount from experience.
What would your caretaker duties entail, exactly?
You shovel food into your mouth and make a note to search for information in the library.
“Good morning.”
Your utensils clatter to the table and you stand partway out of your chair.
Loki tips his head slightly. He doesn’t look like he rested at all the night before. “My apologies.” He moves across the room to the pantry, gathering a few canned goods. “I would like to thank you again for your cooperation. It’s been difficult to find help. Everything has to be flown in, and the locals aren’t very…cooperative.”
You glace at him, then at the extra food you have on the counter. “Do you want any of this? I went a little overboard and made too much.”
The way he looks at you, you feel rather like you’d just offered leftovers to a haughty canine. Heat rushes to your face. “Or…not?”
Loki sighs and sits across from you. He has a plate of canned fruit, some fresh greens, and a cold slab of meat drenched in an odd-smelling sauce. “No, thank you. The food seems a tad too modern for my taste.”
You raise your eyebrows. “Are you a vampire, too?”
“No, I’m not.” Loki chuckles. He takes a few bites of his food. “Do you have any questions before I introduce you tonight?”
“I’d just like to know what I’m dealing with. What type of vampire is he? Is he physical, or the vaporous kind, what does he feed on…?” You trail off and make small circles with your utensil, unsure how to wrangle your questions into order.
Loki is silent for a few moments. “I’m not entirely sure myself,” he admits. He eyes you as if weighing his options. Slowly, he says, “Vampirism may be different here than it is where we came from.”
“It’s different all over the world. Where are you guys from?”
Loki is silent and has his head down for so long, you almost wonder if he’s nodded off. At last, he says, “Perhaps later. I would rather not scare you off just yet.” He gives a sardonic smile and continues eating.
“Okay, um…” Trying not to think about what could be more disturbing than your current situation, you rack your brain for other questions. “What am I supposed to do to take care of your brother?”
“Oh, the usual for household pets or an infirm elder,” he says with lackadaisical sarcasm. “Walk him, feed him, make sure he doesn’t get into trouble, douse him in water from time to time.”
“Feed him? With donated blood?” You ask this last hopefully.
“For the most part, yes.”
“So you want me to be a food source?”
Loki sighs again. “Yes, but that won’t happen until I’m certain he can control himself during the feeding. In which case, he wouldn’t be taking any more blood than you would donate at a blood drive.”
After a prolonged silence, you ask, “Why…why’d you do it?”
“That is another topic I would rather not discuss at this time.”
You growl in frustration. “Then what do you want me to ask?”
Loki jabs his fork into his unfinished food. “I shouldn’t have bothered you.” He stands. “I will introduce you tonight. If neither of us die, we shall see what the morning brings. Good day.” With a surprisingly regal grace, Loki takes his food and heads upstairs.
You spend the rest of the day exploring the house. Not only does the place reek of Gothic influence, but some strange items you come across and haphazardly arranged rooms give the impression of a mad scientist. Once you tire of exploring, you alternate between reading lore on vampires and pacing yourself on a treadmill.
You’re in the middle of trying to do both when Loki interrupts you. He knocks on the lintel of the mostly finished exercise room. “It’s time.”

Stone steps lead down into the basement. Loki holds a torch that does little more than accent the darkness. The mythological-looking door hisses shut behind you. As you reach a level area—the room itself, you suppose—the grind of dirt beneath your shoes sounds startlingly loud. You can’t seem to stop shivering.
Loki leads you through what appears to be a maze. All the while, you hear the teeth-aching scrape of metal, and your own ragged breath.
Before rounding a turn, Loki calls out, “Brother.” His voice is piercingly loud. You jump and wrap your arms about yourself.
You round the corner shortly after Loki does, and peer past him. The vampire stands beside a coffin bed sitting in a dim pool of light. His back is to you, but your attention is immediately drawn to his muscles.
“You trust me, Loki? With such a sweet-smelling lamb?” His voice sends a shiver through you. Not entirely sure if the odd sense of pleasure is genuine or not, you reach into your pocket and clutch the small silver crucifix you grabbed on the way down. The sensation slowly dissipates.
Loki sets the torch in a holder on one of the pillars. He introduces you by name. “This is Thor,” he says to you.
Thor turns. The light of the torch seems different—more real—than whatever light is above the coffin bed. Somehow his smile draws your attention away from the blood and wounds veiling his entire frame. “A charming name,” he says softly.
Somewhat unwillingly, you step out from behind Loki. You force your gaze to the wall behind Thor, fighting the urge to look him in the eyes. “H-hi.”
“What bargain did my brother strike with you? What lie did he use?” He inches forward. You see that the chains are attached to a floating stake, and glance at Loki.
“Magic,” Loki whispers. “Do not fear; it will drive into the ground and he will be immobilized before any harm comes to you.”
You face Thor and stiffen your chin. “I’m here to provide for my sister. I knew what you were before I came down here.”
Thor appears surprised. His visible eye seems to shift, becoming a lighter blue. “You have a sister?”
“Yes.” Having to fight whatever hold the vampire has on your emotions, combined with the rush of feeling for your sister, leaves you vulnerable to tears. You blink hard and swipe the tears away. Your heart thuds heavily against your chest.
Thor tilts his head and licks his lips. “I hunger.” When he opens his eye—you realize now that blood coats the other socket—it seems to have again changed color. His fangs are extended.
Loki acts before you even realize that Thor lunged at you. His arm thrusts forward, and a spark of gold flies from his fingers. With a sickening crack, the stake drives into the ground at an angle. Markings on Thor’s thick chains flare to life. Thor shrieks. Eye rolled into the back of his head, he collapses on the ground.
“What did you do?!” you cry. You start to move forward towards Thor. Before you take two steps, Loki slips a chain of garlic and something else over your neck. You stand there, panting.
“Do you still want to go near him?” Loki asks quietly.
Your emotions settle down into pity. “Y-yes, but just…just to help. He looks like he hasn’t been washed since…well, whenever he died.”
“Perhaps another day.” Laying a hand on your shoulder, Loki ushers you back into the maze. “The magic has weakened him, and I’m not entirely sure water won’t kill him.”
“Looks like we’ll have to spend a day holed up in the library to research.”
“Hmm.”
To your surprise, Loki doesn’t lead you back to the iron door. “Where are we going?”
“To the exit.” He looks confused. “I thought it was standard practice with revenants to never leave the same way you entered?”
You sigh. “This is going to be mostly trial and error, isn’t it?”
“With my luck? Most definitely.”