After the fall of New York in The Avengers, Loki is dragged back to Asgard in chains—broken, furious, and still dangerously clever. Instead of isolation, Odin assigns a mortal scholar, Nora Ashcroft, to study him. She cannot be fooled by his illusions. She cannot be manipulated by his words. And worst of all—she sees through him. What begins as a battle of control becomes something far more dangerous: a connection Loki cannot twist, cannot escape… and cannot survive losing.