Page 45 of Storm of Desire
"If you won't help me," she said, as she turned away. "Then I shall find someone whowill."
Like hell.His hand locked around her wrist, and he belatedly realized he'd taken three sharp steps. "Who?"
Árdís froze and looked back. But the spark of defiance in her eyes told him she knew exactly how to play him. "It's none of your business. Sail home, Haakon. Live a wonderful life. I'm no longer yourconcern."
Heartless dreki princess. But the muscles in his gut clenched as a shiver of need trembled through her eyes, and she looked away. He was afraid some part of him would always twist in knots when he saw her, as if his very soul yearned to let her wrap him around her little finger once again. His only consolation was the fact it seemed he wasn't the only one sotempted.
Haakon looked down, his thumb stroking the smooth skin of her inner wrist, and brushing against the cursed manacle. He couldn't, with any good intentions, allow her to remain shackled like this. No matter how much he didn't dare trusther.
"I will help you," he said, his gaze flickering to the stranger. "And yourfriend."
"And what will it costme?"
"I owe you a debt for binding your magic like this. It wasn't my intent, but my honor"—or what remains of it—"insists I stay at your side until I can help you remove the manacle. I will help you, Árdís." His resolve began to form. "I will escort you to the sorcerer, where we can remove that shackle. Then you'll be free to fly to your brother's side. I owe you nothing else. And then it ends, you andI."
"Ends?"
"Yes. Ends. In exchange I want only onething."
Árdís's breath caught again. "What?"
"My grandmother's ring," he toldher.
Instantly her hand went to the valley between her breasts, where his ring no doubt hung. This time she looked troubled, and all for a fuckingring. "It'smine."
Haakon reached out, his fingertip caressing the silver chain around her throat. "Silver's never truly been your color. You always preferred gold, to match your mercenaryheart."
Árdís snatched at the chain as he began to withdraw its length from her dress, her fist curled around the damning ring at the end of it. "What would you know of myheart?"
His face closed over. "You're right. I wouldn't know a damned thing, except to wonder if you even owned one. Regardless, the ring is not yours. It is, however, myprice."
"I don't know ifI...."
"It's just a ring, Árdís. My ring. I gave it to you with the intention of seeing you wear it for the rest of your life; however, that's not to be. Leaving it with you indicates there's something left between us. And that's not true, isit?"
He practically dared her to deny thetruth.
Shedidn't.
Yet nor did she offer him an answer to thatquestion.
"I need an end to this," he said roughly. "I cannot go on with even a shred of hope left. I told you that you'd ruined me. Perhaps that's a lie. I ruined myself. I've done things"—he thought of Rurik's mate Freyja, whom he'd used as bait in order to trap the mightydreki, without a care for her feelings—"that I would never have done. I don't even think I like who I've become. But I cannot move on, not until I know this marriage is truly buried. And if you give me back that ring, then I know there's nothing left forus."
The wind blew Árdís's braid behind her, and she stared through his chest, as if trying to find some sort of answerherself.
Turmoil filled her amber eyes as she slowly lifted them. "If you help me remove this shackle, then I will do my best to hand the ring toyou."
Done. It wasdone.
He nodded shortly. "I'll go tell the men our plans, and then we'llboard."
"Board?" She shook her head. "We cannot go byship."
"Whynot?"
"Because they'redreki," she insisted. "They'll be looking for me in the air. The second they realize I'm not flying, they'll start searching elsewhere. They'll search all the ships leaving the country. On land we can hide, but on a ship we'll be too vulnerable. There's nowhere to run, and I cannot hide for they will feel my presence if they come closeenough."
He considered the ride north. It was more days than he'd hoped to spend with her. "We're just as vulnerable on theground."
