Page 41 of Master of Storms
My mother, the Zilittu princess who now rules my father’s court.
Doubt speared through his heart.No. No, he’d been down this route before. He’d conjured a million excuses for Rurik. He’d spent years searching for the truth, only to realize Rurik’s continued absence was its own guilty verdict.
But his motherwasa cold, vicious bitch who allowed nothing to stand in her way.
“Come on.” There was the tiniest hint of sympathy in her voice. “Get dressed. There’s supposed to be a dinner tonight, and you’re the guest of honor. Aslaug’s spent hours fixing her hair.”
Stab. Stab. Her words were like knives and he had little defense right now.
He shook away the doubt. He wasn’t going to do this to himself again. Hope was the cruelest bitch of all, and he had other matters to attend to. Namely… “I haven’t made my choice yet.”
“She’s the only one who wants you.”
Stabagain. Right through the heart.
And maybe his thwarted anger got the better of him. “Isn’t it a little awkward that you’re standing here while I’m half-naked? What would your sister think? The one everyone wants me to mate with?”
Finallya reaction. Hot circles bloomed in her cheeks. “Yours isn’t the first cock I’ve ever seen, little prince.”
“Little?”
She gave him an evil smile. “I’ll be generous enough to admit the stream’s cold this time of year.”
Marduk paused with his shirt halfway over his head. “Not half as cold as your heart.”
“Oh, haven’t you heard?” She turned and started to saunter toward her horse. “I haven’t got one.”
His gaze dropped to her ass. Every inch of her was lean, sculpted muscle, with barely a curve in sight, but she wore thetightestleather breeches, and curse him if he hadn’t noticed. “I’ve heard. Everyone has heard.”
But she hadn’t been cold the morning they dueled. No, she’d been liquid lightning in his arms.
And she’d nearly let him kiss her.
Everything came to a head within him. Maybe this was part of his problem? Everyone—including the princess stalking toward her horse—was pushing him at the youngest sister.
But he didn’t want Aslaug.
And he was fairly certain Aslaug didn’t particularly wish for him to choose her, not in her heart of hearts. She just wanted escape too.
“Did you say the river was cold?” he mused, tossing his shirt aside and striding after her.
Solveig shot a dismissive look over her shoulder. “Maybe I was being polite.” Then her eyes widened and she spun around. “What are you doing?”
He’d seen her lash out before, and didn’t give her a chance. Instead he hauled her up over his shoulder. “What does it look like?”
“Marduk!” Solveig clutched at his shoulders. “Put me down, you idiot!”
He started back toward the river, and that was when she started to realize he wasn’t merely playing. She went wild. Hammering at his back. Kicking at him. Threatening to bite him.
“I thought you wanted to test the water,” he said before he simply tossed her in. Solveig slammed into the river. She came up sputtering, her hair running in wet rivulets down her face as she held her arms out, her shirt clinging to her skin.
Water dripped down her figure.
The expression on her face was nine parts shock and one part fury, though he had the suspicion that was going to change.
Marduk leaned against a tree. “My apologies. I thought you might have wanted a bath before my special dinner tonight.”
“Dinner?”
