Page 126 of Master of Storms
Silence fell again, but this time….
Sirius gave him a curt nod. “Thank you.”
“She’s the true enemy,” he murmured. “And we will end her. Together.”
24
Solveig woke sometime early in the morning.
Marduk slipped onto the bed behind her, easing her shoulders up against his chest.
“Here.” He lifted a cup of broth to her lips, and she grabbed at the small cup and tried to drain it.
Her throat was so dry the thin soup burned. But she wanted more. Every inch of her clamored for food. She needed to regain her strength.
A gentle hand soothed her hair. “Don’t ever do that again,” Marduk whispered.
Solveig surrendered to his embrace. She was too tired to fight him. “Do what?”
“Risk yourself for me.”
She tilted her head back. He looked down, his amber eyes filled with some sort of emotion she didn’t think she could name.
“I didn’t risk myself for you. I risked myself for this world. That smirking elf—” She managed to sling her legs over the side of the bed, and then clapped a hand to her ribs. “What happened? How did we get here?”
“I carried you.” His voice roughened. “And you can lie as much as you want to, but I was there, Solveig. You came for me, and I’ll never forget it.”
“Let me get out of bed,” she said with a wince.
“You’re injured.”
And there were some bodily functions that simply couldn’t be contained. “I need to use the water closet.”
Marduk found her dark green silk robe. “Here.” He slid it over her shoulders, and then she was directed toward the wash chamber. “Let me—”
She stopped him with one hand. “The day I need someone to help me to the water closet is the day they bury me. You’re not entering.”
Frustration etched notches between his brows. “You’re going to fall flat on your face.”
“No,” she said, “I won’t.”
“So fucking stubborn.”
“So fucking arrogant,” she retorted.
But he let her shut the door in his face.
It hurt more than she’d thought it would to walk, and every movement was slower than she’d have liked.
By the time she finally eased the door open, she was panting.
Marduk growled, and slid under her arm. “Sit before you fall flat on your face.”
Solveig bared her teeth at him. “I am not going to—”
“I know.” He rolled his eyes. “You are Solveig the Fierce, and no mere elf is going to be your undoing. You’ll maintain your feet through sheer willpower, if necessary.”
He eased her into a seat.
