Page 31 of Storm of Desire
"Creeping around in the darkdoesn'tsuit you," he said, in that rough-velvet voice. "People mightnotice."
"What?" she scoffed, turning her entire body to face him so she'd have room to move. "That I was using the back tunnels? Perhaps it's the quickest way to the jousting rooms. I do have a sparring appointment with Master Innick most days, even after that debacle in the throne room. And the main cavern is awash with your father's louts. I was trying to avoidthem."
"Avoid them? Orme?"
"Whydifferentiate?"
He smiled faintly. There had never been any love lost between the pair of them, and they both knewit.
Sirius set the lantern down, his long hair streaming down his back. He'd bound some of it back with a leather thong. "You're runningaway."
"Why ever would I do such a thing?" She mustered all of the haughtiness she could, and turned away from him. "What I am is late. Master Innick might be waiting for me. I'll leave you to your mustycellars."
A hand grasped her forearm. "You'relying."
Árdís found herself turned and shoved back against the wall. A gasp escaped her. She'd never been manhandled in her life—unless one counted the time her husband tried to kidnapher.
"Princess?"Marek.
"Don't show yourself,"she sent back, surprised at the strength of his telepathy."He doesn't know you're here.Yet."
Sirius glanced around, and then looked down at her. A new fear began to lick through her as she realized how little space existed between them. He didn't know Marek was there, but even if he did, what did it matter? It wouldn't take the Blackfrost long to dispatch an injureddrekling. Nobody else would hear her scream, nobody would know to come looking for her.... He could do anything he desired, and though she'd fight, she knew she couldn't overwhelm him. Sirius had been training for battle since birth, and his sheer size dwarfed her, even if shecouldaccess her elemental magic. Curse Haakon for weakening herso.
The knife at the small of her back felt like it grew hot. She'd have to take him bysurprise.
And make ithurt.
"I swear, if you think to touch me," she hissed, "then I'll do my best to geldyou."
It took a second to get the knife, and another to drive it forward, angled down toward his groin. Sirius's eyes flared wide, then he caught her wrist and twisted. The knife scored flesh; she smelled the hot coppery scent of it. And then he brought his other hand down in a sharpchop.
Pain echoed up her arm, but she didn't dare let go of the weapon. It was her only hope. She'd never get the sword free in time, and with her back to the corner, she'd be hampered by both walls. Not enough room to swingit.
His shoulder drove into her chest, and Árdís slammed against the wall, the breath in her chest escaping as though her lungs were a set of fireplace bellows someone had compressed. Strong thumbs drove into the tendon in her hand, and she caught a flash of Sirius's face up close, the meager light turning his irises to hot lumps ofcoal.
Tiamat's breath, ithurt.
It hurt. She twisted her head, trying to find some space, but he had her pinned. The pressure on her fingers increased, and Árdís felt him take the knife from her.No.
But there was nothing she could do aboutit.
Sirius tossed the knife behind him with a clatter, and held his hands up, showing her his empty palms. "I don't intend to hurt you," he said in that deepvoice.
Árdís's breath caught. She wiped her mouth, and pushed herself upright. In what world did he think she'd believe him? Her gaze flickered to theknife.
"You'd know if I were lying," he told her. "The same way I knew you were.Drekicannot lie, Princess. Our very words are power, made to shape the world. You should be more careful withthem."
"What part of'I was trying to geld you'sounded like alie?"
He grunted, and she saw him shift his weight onto his right leg. Blood trickled down his left thigh. "That, at least, was the truth. You came remarkably closer than anyoneelse."
"A shame I missed. You might have had to forgo the pleasures of our bonding night. Oh, bit it seems you'll have to somehow convince me to agree to the mating bond first, and let me assure you these words are the truth: I would rather rot in Helheim thanevermate withyou."
"No offense, Princess," he growled, "but I'm as eager to mate with you as you are to mate withme."
What?
"You expect me to believe that?" She was one of the paths to being named heir of theZinicourt. The other was to confront her elder brother, Rurik, and battle him for the right. Manydrekihad tried the second route in the past thirty years, and none hadreturned.
