Page 48 of Storm of Desire
A silkywhisper.
He knew too much about the princess's plans... Or had Stellan's spies seen the princess leave, and Sirius was using that information to trick her? No.Drekicouldn't lie, which meant he had to be telling thetruth.
"Why?" Malinwhispered.
Sirius glanced again at the door, and she gained the impression she wasn't the only one keeping secrets. Again he loomed closer, resting one hand flat against the cell wall beside her face. Her body tightened as he leaned closer, but it was only to brush his lips against her ear. "Because I did not wish to mate with her, nor her with me. It seemed the only way to avoid the situation. But I think it wise if we both keep our voices down. My father wouldn't appreciate knowing I allowed Árdís to leave. If you cannot trust me, then trust that. You hold this secret over myhead."
Malin could barely breathe. She turned her face to the side, and her lips almost brushed against his stubble. None of this made any sense, and her heart pounded as she sought to work her way through itall.
Could she trusthim?
TheBlackfrost?
"I just need to know where she's going," he said. "That's all. And I shall take you with me. If you help me, then I shall set youfree."
"You're going to bring her back," sheblurted.
His lips thinned, as he drew back fractionally, just enough to look into her eyes. "I like this little more than you do, however, I'm running out of cards to play. This has not gone as expected. I need the princess back, and I'll mate her if forced to do so. Or would you prefer that Roar finds her first? Neither of us wants him named asheir."
He had apoint.
He also had to be playing some sort of game. But what? He'd given her his secret, after all, one that could seehimtorn apart by his brethren if they knew he'd had a hand in Árdís'sdisappearance.
If she couldn't entirely be certain she could trust him, then at least she had something to hold over his head. And she needed to help Árdís. The princess couldn't escape an entire hunting party ofdrekimales intent on claiming her for Roar. The stakes hadchanged.
"There's only one place for the princess to flee to," Malin said, her heart trembling at the choice she was making. "Only one place she's safe from those who mightfollow."
The prince's pale blue eyes raced. His face suddenlypaled.
"Rurik."
"Yes," Malin breathed, feeling like a traitor in her bones. "She's going to find her brother,Rurik."
9
The first problemoccurred before they'd evenmounted.
Árdís captured the reins of Gunnar's chestnut and tried to swing her foot into the stirrup, but the mare was having none of it. She snorted and sidled to the side, her eyes rolling. Árdís was knocked off balance, and the mare nearlybolted.
Haakon caught the bridle with agrimace.
"It's the smell," Gunnar said, and spat on the docks as he folded his arms across his enormous barrel chest. "Hela knows the girl isn'thuman."
Out of all of his men's horses, Hela was the calmest. Usually. Haakon ground his teethtogether.
"Fine. You can ride Snorri," Haakon snapped, tugging the fat little baggage pony they had forward. Snorri dug his heels in and extended his neck as far as it would go in protest, until he was practically dragging him across the cobbles. "We can reassemble thebags."
"I am not riding that thing," Árdís said, echoing Gunnar's stance. "It looks like a carpetbag with legs. And it hates me. Look at it glaring at me with those beady little eyes. I don't trust it not to dump me in the mud. Or biteme."
"Then bite him back. You seem to have a fondness for such a thing," Haakon said, through his teeth. "Snorri is bred for this terrain. And we're running out of choices. Unless you'd prefer towalk?"
"Then you ride him," Árdís said, crossing to Sleipnir's side. "And I will ride your mighty steed, who seems to like mebetter."
Sleipnir snorted, his eyes rolling toward her, but he was an ex-cavalry mount. He'd been trained to ride right into gunfire and not flinch. Or directly at a dragon, come to think of it. And while he might not precisely like the idea of Árdís sitting on his back, he was clearly not about to suffer a fit of vapors like the rest of thehorses.
That wouldn't be at all manly, and the stallion had a reputation toprotect.
Haakon's eyes narrowed.Traitor. He already wanted to tear his hair out. "Gunnar, you might as well remove Hela's tack. Take her with you. She's going to beuseless."
