Page 136 of Storm of Desire
"He's mine. I get to do the honors," Roar said, spitting blood into the mud as he stalked forward with an unhurried step, bringing his sword up. "I want her to seeit."
Haakon's fingers groped for his sword. His vision was narrowing. Fingers slippery with blood as he tried to pick it up. His right side throbbed just under theribs.
"Haakon!" He couldn't see her, but he knew Árdís was fighting her way towardhim.
Árdís, his sunlitprincess.
Hisheart.
Hiseverything.
No. He didn't want her to seethis.
Roar lifted the sword, and sunlight flashed off it as it began itsdescent—
Steel whined as it shaved the air next to his ear, and then a shower of sparks rained over him as another sword metRoar's.
The bastard prince's eyes widened, and then he was staggering back, a boot in his chest, as someone stepped betweenthem.
Not justanyone.
But thedrekiwho'd once sworn to killhim.
"Hello, brother," Sirius almostpurred.
Chapter 24
You,"said a sharp voice loaded withhate.
Haakon gasped, trying to kick his way back across the ground as the queen appeared, a knife held low against her skirts. Blood bubbled over his lips, and he coughed. A lung. The bastard had hit his lung. The pressure in his chest was back, and he felt like he could barelybreathe.
"You dared to touch adrekiprincess?" the queen hissed. "You dared defile herblood?"
Swords clashed nearby. Sirius taking on both Roar and thedrekiwho'd stabbed him. They sounded a worldaway.
"Wife," he managed to gasp, trying to reach inside his chainmail. "She's... mywife."
The queen's vicious green eyes narrowed. "Then let me make her awidow."
Striding forward, she brought the knife upsharply.
"Mother!" Árdís screamed, sliding to her knees between them and crouching over him. "No!"
"So be it, Árdís," the queen snarled, and moved to stabher.
It was now ornever.
"Árdís," he wheezed, fumbling with what he held in hishand.
She captured her mother's hand, halting the downward strike. But the queen was stronger than she looked. Árdís's hands shook as she fought to hold the blade at bay. The queen leaned all her weight onto it, a lash of green light beginning to smoke from hereyes.
Árdís couldn't fight both knife andmagic.
Hauling together every last bit of strength, Haakon lunged forward and locked the manacle around the queen's wrist, then slumped at herfeet.
Golden light flared as the metallic links fused together. Amadea staggered back, looking down in shock and shaking her hand as if to remove it. "What have youdone?"
"Trapped you," he rasped. "No magic. Nodreki. Only your weak, pathetic human...form."
