Page 15 of Master of Storms
Solveig slipped into the room behind him, lingering in the shadows.
Half a dozen men all turned to look at Marduk, clad in an unusual sort of golden armor. They were all pale-eyed and sulky-mouthed, with long, shining silken hair, like a group of troubadours who just needed lutes to start strumming, even as they expected ladies to toss handkerchiefs at their feet.
But there was something wrong about them.
Something that made her innerdrekiflex its claws quietly within her.
Solveig froze, her weight shifting forward into the toe of her boot. Herdrekinevershied away from battle. And while it might have urged caution until she’d taken in the room, it had never felt uneasy like this before.
“What do Iwant?” The crowd of gorgeous, blond-haired men parted and a newcomer—clearly the leader—stepped forward. “I want you to kiss my boots, youdrekifilth.Kneel.”
Marduk’s knees folded, and he hit the floor, his eyes bulging in his shocked face.
“What are you doing?” Solveig’s weight shifted forward, but everything inside her was telling her to run. “Get up.”
“I.Can’t.” Marduk strained to move.
“Get to your feet,” she insisted, grabbing his arm and hauling him up. “And fight.”
“It’s not that… easy….” Each word came through strained teeth, and she felt Marduk’s fist curl in her shirt as he half made his feet.
“Stay,” the newcomer commanded, and even she felt the weight of those words. “Both of you.”
The most gorgeous man she’d ever seen turned his entire focus upon her, and Solveig froze as though a fist had slammed into her midriff. She couldn’t speak. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move.
All she could do was feel the vast noose of overwhelming love flooding through her. This man…. This amazing, stunning man was looking at her, and she wanted to go to her knees—
What the hell?
“Aren’t you beautiful,” said the creature, and the words screamed through her ears. “Aren’t you magnificent?” He smiled, and the sun rose and set in that smile, and her heart began to pound even as herdrekishrieked within her chest. “Come here, my love. Come here and let me see you.”
Solveig nearly screamed as she fought the lure of that call.
But it was Marduk who stepped forward, moving as if he was ensorcelled. Marduk who went toward the creature with a smile on his face and blank, bland eyes.
Of course he did, the idiot.
And the stranger’s smile deepened as his hand went to the hilt of his knife, one hand reaching for Marduk—
“These children have forgotten the old ways,” the creature said, and another one of them laughed in the background.
More of them. Five in all.
But she couldn’t escape, couldn’t make herself move, couldn’t even look beyondhim.
“Marduk,” she managed to grate out.
The stranger smiled at her as if he found this oh-so-hilarious, and he drew Marduk into his arms, grabbing thedrekiprince by the chin and spinning him until Marduk leant back into his embrace, barely cognizant of the knife the creature held to his throat.
“Is this one yours?”
A thin line of red slid down Marduk’s throat, but he didn’t fight. The stranger kissed the blood away, but he didn’t drop his gaze from hers. “Oh, look at you fight it. I’m going to enjoy cutting the heart out of his chest—"
“His heart ismine,” she managed to hiss, but still her feet carried her forward.
“Maybe I’ll make you eat it.”
Herdrekiwent mad.
