Page 152 of Master of Storms
“I have a plan,” he said, turning to the trio of women staring at him. He deliberately looked at Solveig. “You’re not going to like it.”
* * *
Marduk strippedhis coat off as the women prepared.
Solveig wore a stony expression as she withdrew a dwarven-forged arrow and nocked it lightly. “Last resort,” she told him when he scowled at her.
“If we fail,” he said, “then I’ve told Ishtar to cut the bond between us. I want you to promise me one thing.”
Solveig looked up sharply. “What?”
“I don’t know if I can trust her to do it. She loves me and she’s so tangled around me that she may not be able to pull back in time. She may not want to.”
“If you fail, then this is all over, because then your mother has the power to open that portal.”
“Exactly.” He caught her wrist, drawing her attention back to him. “Which is why I want you to put this arrow through my heart.”
Solveig reared back. “What?”
“If it hits a point where we’re losing, I’ll give you a signal.” He squeezed her hand, forcing her to meet his eyes. “Don’t you hesitate. You kill me. You break the bond between us so that my sister is safe. So this world is safe.”
“Why are you insisting upon this?” Solveig demanded. She lifted the arrow. “I can end this. Now.”
“Because Elin deserves a chance. And because this is what I do, Solveig. I take risks. And Elin…. She’s just an innocent girl caught in a trap. I promised Malin I would try to get her back, and I intend to keep that promise.”
“What about your promiseto me?” A faint sheen brightened her eyes.
Marduk recoiled. “Are you… crying…?”
“No. Goddess, no.” She dashed at her eyes. “I am about to murder you myself. Do you have any idea what you’re asking of me?”
“Yes.” His voice roughened, because he knew she was back there in that moment where her mother was begging her to twist the knife. “Do you know why I’m asking it of you?”
“Because I’m just ruthless enough to do it?”
“Because I trust you,” he breathed, capturing her fingers in his. “Because I know that you—and only you—are strong enough to do the right thing when it comes to saving our people. You are aqueen, Solveig, and queen’s fight to the last.”
Anguish twisted her face. “I… I….”
“Yes?” he breathed, leaning closer as his heart kicked swiftly behind his ribs.
“I don’t know if I can,” Solveig admitted.
“If I die, then you can go home.” He reached out and captured a lock of her hair in his fingers. “You’ll be free to live your life the way you—"
“I don’t want to gohome!Not withoutyou!”
The confession was breathtaking.
All these weeks spent hoping she would lower her guard, and here it was, just when he needed her to be ruthless.
Marduk captured her face in his hands and kissed her, a shudder running through him as he drew back and rested his forehead against hers. “I’m going to try not to die, Solveig. Because you and I still have a reckoning ahead of us. But to do my best, I need to know I can rely on you to protect this world. Promise me you’ll use that bow if I give you the signal.”
She sucked in a sharp hiss of breath. “I promise. And then I’m going to trap your spirit in a glass bottle and lock it away on a dusty shelf somewhere so you can never leave me. I’m going to harangue you every day about your stupidity.”
He forced a smile. “If we get out of this alive, then I’m going to lock you away in my chambers until you admit you love me.”
She reared back in shock.
