Page 105 of Vow of the Undead
I pursed my lips. “I haven’t offended the king, have I?”
“There is something more precious than survival, Lux.” I ticked my brows, prodding him to continue, as if a monster could even understand the need to protect oneself. “Revenge.” I huffed. “And,” he said, cutting me off before I could argue. “Freedom.”
My heart skipped. “Those are the titles of Loki and Freya’s sagas…”
“And I’m a monster cut off from the Gods,” he said. “Yes, I’m aware.”
“Are the full accounts here?” I pushed past him and trailed my finger against the stone shelf. Would Freya’s full saga hint at these trials? Perhaps I could confirm if the answer I’d received after the blood sacrifice was correct. Could a huntress also be seer? Reading the entire saga dedicated to her would give a deeper insight into the God I was never allowed to speak of.
He caught my elbow and yanked me away from the shelf. I stumbled into him and shot him a venomous look. “That’s enough.”
“You have to release this history,” I said between breaths. My heart beat faster, anticipating what could be if only he’d listen to me. “When it’s exposed, the council will have to let the witches out of exile. The people of Vylheim will recognize the truth.”
“I can’t do that. There is already unrest in Mara because of the Age of Exploration. This will tilt humans into full on war.”
If I wasn’t helping the witches, then what was the point of any of this? My mother was still dying. Ragna was still lockedaway somewhere, and I’d still be forced to marry the king or die.
He turned his back to me, giving me a second, one single second to act.
Desperation melted with the simmering fury and I lunged for the stake.
He spun around, his eyes flicking to the weapon before his smirk spread into a sinister grin. “You won’t kill me.”
“Like you won’t kill me?” I challenged, speaking through my teeth. Despite my earlier hesitance, I refused to give up my power again.
His smile wavered. “I told you, I don’t want to, but if you refuse me?—”
“You would have killed me already if you had the balls to do it.”
He laughed. “I’ve killed more people than you’ve met, my wife.”
I frowned and gripped the stake tighter. “But not me. What is it? Because I’m a witch? I’ve communed with the divine. Is the king afraid of the Gods?” Squeezing my throat harder, he finally frowned, which meant I’d hit a painful truth. It was my turn to smirk. “They’re more powerful than you’ll ever be, myking.”
“I thought I told you to call me Drak?”
“I thought I told you not to call me your wife?”
He laughed, though the sound didn’t have a lick of joy in it. “If you’d just trust me, you’d know that is a compliment and for your benefit.”
“If you’d just tell me why?—”
With a huff, he ripped his hand from my throat and stepped back, shaking his head. “This world is a game, Lux?—”
“Silver.”
“Lux.”
“Fuck you!”
He laughed again and lifted his arm to tug at the strings of my dress that now hung loose. My chest was nearly bare with the ribbons having come undone. His narrowed eyes raked over the swell of my breasts before he met my gaze again. “I’m playing to win with you on my team. Unfortunately, the other team has more players.”
“Consider me on the other side.”
“You have no idea what you’re saying.”
“Then. Tell. Me.”
He drew his tongue over his top teeth before flexing his jaw. Dropping his hand from the ribbons at my breast, he smiled without amusement and sighed. “I can’t risk it.”
