Page 101 of A Darkness So Sweet

The slender blonde in front of him lifted a single shoulder gracefully. “What will you give me if I tell you?”

“When I get out of here, I will not kill you. That’s the only thing you’ll get from me.”

“I just want to know why she was so interested in staying with you. That’s all.” She pouted and took a single step closer to the cell door. “Can I just look at it? I’ve always heard trolls are... impressive. I want to know the truth.”

Could she look at...

He reeled back in disgust. “No.”

“Really? Not even if I tell you where they’re keeping your—what did you call her?—your troll wife?” She laughed. “What a silly name. And to think my father almost made me one of those. But he wouldn’t ever part with me, not really. Why would he do that when he could just give you the gardener from down the street and you’d be too stupid to notice?”

“I look forward to killing you,” he snarled. “Slowly, as I peel your skin from your flesh. I will hang you up from the highest part of this castle so that all who see your dangling body will know that you are hated by the trolls.”

“Oh, I don’t think you’ll do any of that. But I will enjoy watching you die.” She bent down to pick up the light she’d left on the floor. The candlelight spun inside of it, showing that there was a longer hallway, with many, many more doors. “Since we were supposed to marry, I’ll give you a little hint at where you are. My father likes to watch people fight. He used to bring in warriors from across the realm who were renowned, but none of them were as good as trolls.”

What? Gunnar shifted beside him, leaning closer to listen.

“What do you mean, princess?” Ragnar asked.

“Oh, I like it when you call me that,” she said with a smirk. “I mean, my father enjoys watching people fight who are better at it than anyone else. Eventually, humans became boring to watch. Now, he enjoys watching your kind fight until there is nothing left inside of you but beast. It’s a shame that he has to gather you all up with so much drama. I’m sure the nobility will be angry for a time. You were just supposed to eat the poisoned food, and then we’d bring you all down here nice and quiet. But this works too. What a show.”

She turned to leave, and every part of his body screamed for her to return. He needed more information. He needed to learn where Maia was without violating his own bodily rights.

“Wait!” he shouted.

She paused and looked over her shoulder at him. “Did you change your mind? I’m not telling you anything about your little gardener unless you make good on what I want.”

“No, I’m not doing that,” he snarled. “Why tell us any of this?”

“Because we were supposed to be married, and because I want to see a good fight tonight. You’ve been injured—we can all see that. At least if you know what’s coming, then maybe you’ll be more prepared and give us a better show.”

She turned again and disappeared into the darkness down the hall. His stomach twisted with the reality of what he was facing.

“A fight?” he muttered.

But Gunnar had gone white. “All those trolls we thought the humans had killed. The ones who disappeared. Are they here?”

They stared at each other and Ragnar had to wonder if the trolls were even alive. Had they abandoned so many of their own, unknowing that they were fighting for their lives? And all for human entertainment.

ChapterForty-One

MAIA

She rolled onto her side, not entirely sure what had happened. One moment she’d been standing, and the next... She swore there had been a blast. She knew she had been standing right in front of the king, staring into his stupid, smug expression, and then...

Where was her memory of the rest?

And was she lying down?

Maia stretched her fingers out, not opening her eyes just yet. She was lying on what felt similar to a bed. But scratchy sheets met her fingertips first, and then there was the sensation of a hard mattress beneath her. Her hand dipped off the edge of the mattress and into thin air, so she was at least raised off the ground.

Had something happened? She tried to blink, but there was a grit that made it hard for her to open her eyes. Every blink felt like she was grinding glass beneath her lids. Still, she forced herself to look at the world around her. Though tears made everything appear hazy, she could see she was in a jail cell.

Shit.

Something had happened, and she had been out of it the entire time. Breathing slowly, she noticed there were a few other forms on the side of the room. More cots, maybe?

Hissing, she forced herself to sit up. At least if she was upright, then she could convince her body to give up the wrong feeling that made her heart stutter in her chest and her breathing difficult. There was something... not quite right about this.

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