Page 99 of Vow of the Undead
“You hate this,” I said. My gaze rapidly switched between his eyes, examining every flicker of emotion.
He said nothing.
I tilted my head, eyes narrowing. “It’s the council. They control you?”
“Remember when I said to shut that pretty mouth?”
“But this is something more than that. You were mad about the council then. Now, you’re…seething.”
“Ragna was one ofmywitches.”
A foreign feeling hollowed out my gut. My lips parted but breath stagnated in my throat.
He tilted his head, his icy eyes intense as they raked over me, perhaps trying to understand why I’d returned. “Are you…jealous?” he asked.
“Absolutely not.” I quickly flipped the conversation back to the witches. “What are you doing with them? Killing them?”
He laughed. “You forget so much. I told you I’d share my truths with you when you marry me.”
“Then I’ll compel you again.”
“You’re tired.” He spoke plainly. This was a fact and we both knew it. I couldn’t lie to him. I’d lied my entire life, to everyone, even Ragna, but King Drakkar already knew the truth and he already knew me. “You’re leaning against me,and I won’t let you fall. So I have a better idea than compulsion.”
I scoffed. He raised his eyebrows and continued. “Because you’re so inclined to deny your attraction to me, I’ll make it easier for you to explore safely. For every kiss you give me, I’ll reward you with an answer. I want you to know everything.”
Everything? Would he share the lost sagas? Our history? My heart thumped.
He released my wrists and I let my hands fall limp at my sides. Staring at him, a hundred questions competed to be the first from my mouth.
“We can start with whatever you’d like,” he said. “How many vampires live within these walls? What plans I had for Ragna. What I thought when I first saw you.” His voice turned ragged as he brought his lips to my ears. “What I’m thinking of doing to you now…” He kissed where my pulse beat just below my ear then pulled back, sucking a breath in.
This was for Ragna. I’d tell myself that over and over. It was only half of a lie.
Finally, I tilted my head back until my mouth found his.
He kissed me back with such hunger, I’d forgotten how it made my heart stutter. Nothing about his touch was soft or intimate like when Kayn held me. King Drakkar wanted to claim me, to consume me, and nothing about his obsession with me was quiet. He was open and honest and raw with every moment of his wanting and I couldn’t help appreciate that he didn’t hide his thoughts and desires even when they weren’t quite…right.
His free hand cupped my jaw as his fingers pressed into the soft spot of my cheeks. Pulling me harder into him, I spread my lips and allowed his tongue to explore me. Even when he let go of my face and we parted, I couldn’t breathe.
“Are you going to hurt Ragna?”
“No.”
“What will you use your witches for?”
When he said nothing, I reached up, feeling for his jaw. His beard was rough against my palm as I drew him into me. He nearly devoured me, kissing with such fervor that it left me shaking, whether from desire or fear, I didn’t know.
When he pulled apart, it was he who was breathless this time. “For a ritual.”
“What ritual?”
Again, I kissed him until he drew back and answered me. “Summoning Odin.”
“What? You want me?—”
“Not you. The other witches. I already have plans for you.” He smirked. “To be my wife, of course.”
“Then why threaten to kill me?”
