Page 8 of Master of Storms
“The one and only. Thank the goddess.”
Rurik frowned. “But why…? A direct attack like this means war. Surely Harald would not forsake our alliance? He’s never broken his word before. We need to capture her and discover what she’s doing in my territory—"
"No, no." Panic burst through him. He may not have fully explained the details to his brother. “I shall hunt her down and deal with it.”
That hint of scent wafted from the arrow again.
It stole through him like the kiss of the stormy wind off the Arctic. No delicate floral scent here. No pretty perfumes or scented oils.
But female in all the ways that mattered.
A scent both fierce and toe-curling, smoky in its allure.
A scent he'd breathed in once and could never escape. It had drifted within his lungs like a slow-acting poison, twining around his soul over the past three months. It stole into his dreams at night and left him hard and aching. It woke him sweating and spent, her name on his lips.
Solveig.
"No," Marduk repeated softly, as he watched the dark shape slip down the mountain like a wraith. "This has nothing to do with you—or her father."
A shiver of delight speared through him. He'd felt trapped this past month, bound by his familial vows to help his brother reform theZinicourt.
But watching Solveig flee from him sent a thrill of excitement through him.
"You're not going alone. She tried to kill us," Rurik said.
He tossed his brother the arrow. "I'm fairly certain you were safe."
"Marduk."
He paused on the edge of the ledge and looked back, a wolfish grin on his face. "Trust me, brother. It was definitely me she was aiming for."
He couldn'tentirelyblame her.
His older brother had always been ruthless and cunning, and Marduk could see hints of it stealing over Rurik’s face. "Any particular reason why?"
“I may have left the lady before the mating vows were completed. She took offense to it.”
“Mayhave? Why am I only hearing of this now? Her father, King Harald, is our only ally. You were supposed to bind them to our cause. If she kills you—"
"She won't kill me." Though his balls might be at risk.
Rurik pointedly gestured to the arrow. "This stinks of dwarven magic. It was made to pierce any spellcraft either of us could create. It was aimed at your heart."
"If she truly wanted me dead, I would never have sensed her coming. Solveig is a shadow in the night when she wants to be. Relax, brother. I know what this means. This was a warning. She wants my attention. She wants me to know she’s coming for me."
“That doesn’t make me feel any easier about this situation!”
“She won’t kill me.” He was certain of that, if nothing else. “She wants me to suffer, and death is too kind.”
“Marduk,” Rurik growled.
"Besides...." He spread his arms, prepared to launch himself into the skies in order to chase her. "You were the one who insisted I mate with her. If you hurt her, then you'll destroy your newly minted alliance with King Harald, and I know how important such an alliance is."
“Not more important than my brother.”
Marduk hesitated. Once upon a time, they were words he’d hungered to hear.
But time had changed a great many things.
