Page 105 of Storm of Fury
"Two minutes," Bryn coughed into her hand, "by the look of him."
Marduk pushed to his feet as Solveig scrambled against the wall, her shirt gaping, and her mouth bruised from his kisses.
"You're leaving?" she blurted. "Now?"
Marduk shot her an amused smile and gave her a courtly bow of his head that made her lips press firmly together. "Maybe we can pursue this interesting development at a later stage?"
"When Fenrir eats the sun," she spat psychically, which was much more like it.
"Oh, Marduk, Marduk.... Please. Right... there...." He replayed her words for her.
Solveig lashed out, capturing a lacquered box on her bedside table and throwing it toward him with a scream of rage.
He smashed it aside, and a half dozen necklaces spilled from the broken box as it hit the floor.
"Maybe not," he said, laughing as he headed for the doors. "Farewell, fair mate. Dream of me."
"Rot in Helheim,” she yelled, as he shot her one last look. “This isn’t over.”
He held the doors open, letting his gaze trail over her. None of this had been expected. And a part of him still insisted it stay. Thedrekipractically lashed its tail. “No,” he told her. “This isn’t over. One day the pair of us will have a reckoning, my word upon it. But I need to find my sister.” He gave her a roguish wink, feeling utterly exhilarated by the turn of events. “And once I do, I will come for you and we will finish this.”
“Iwill finish this,” she promised.
But Marduk made his escape.
* * *
"Gone?"the king raged.
Solveig stood with her head bowed, feeling the weight of everyone's gaze upon her.
Of course he's gone.After all, whatdrekiwould stick his cock in such a bear trap?
She buried the small blistering coal of hurt in her heart. He’d wanted her. He’d touched her. Surely he couldn’t have feigned that. But here she stood, and in the eyes of the court, Marduk had fled the mating bed.
You son of a wyrm.
But the second she thought it, she couldn't help remembering the press of Marduk's body over hers, and the taste of his mouth, and—
Ah! Stop it.
Her fingers curled into tight little fists. "He fled."
"On your mating night?" Her father seemed perplexed, and Solveig cursed him for saying out loud what the entire court must be thinking.
She couldn't bear to look at her father's warriors and see their smirks. The entire court shifted, and she swore she could hear a snigger.
"If he thinks he can make a fool of me," her father snarled, "then he can think again."
But it wasn't the king he'd made a fool of.
Dream of me.
Her blood boiled.I shall dream of your head on a spike.
"We are bound by our word," the king snapped. "Our alliance with King Rurik stands. I shall not stoop to this honorless cur's level. But he shall be made to regret this decision. I shall—"
"No," Solveig said coldly, finally lifting her head. "Vengeance belongs to me."
