Page 113 of Prize for the King
“Arvi. What aren’t you telling me?”
He shakes his head. “I can’t—unless I want to say goodbye to my balls. You’ll figure it out. I’ve been dropping hints like crazy.”
“Arvi!”
“Shh. Not a peep now.”
We stop in front of the black door—Magnar’s study. It’s slightly ajar, and I hear muffled thuds and heavy breathing from inside. I frown, and Arvi lets me to my feet, pressing his finger to his lips. He pushes the door gently, and we stand in the threshold.
“Fuck you for making her love you first!” Magnar bellows, driving a fist into Khay’s cheek.
Arvi covers my mouth just in time to muffle my gasp of shock. Both men are shirtless, their gray skin glistening with sweat. Their feet are bare, and the rectangular carpet has been moved to the clearest area of the room. That’s where they both stand.
“It’s not my fault you couldn’t handle it, brother,” Khay says, spitting out blood. “Come on. Is this all you’ve got?”
I make to walk in and stop this madness, but Arvi’s ready for it. His free arm snakes around my ribs, and he holds me tightly, still pressing his hand to my mouth. I try to wrestle free, but it’s no use.
Magnar swings at Khay again, but the knight ducks left, whirling out of the way. His feet stay firmly on the black carpet, and whenMagnar charges him with a bull-like bellow, Khay dances away, not stepping off.
I realize the carpet is their fighting area. It’s almost as if they’ve arranged this. Like it’s a match.
“What the fuck couldn’t I handle?” Magnar roars.
His swing connects with Khay’s stomach, but the younger man barely grunts, his flesh not giving way to Magnar’s fist. He cuts up, aiming for Magnar’s chin, but the king is too fast for him. He pulls his head back at the last moment and kicks Khay’s shin, making him stumble back.
“That she might hate you!” Khay screams back, baring his teeth. “If you only let her in, she’d…”
“Might?!She fucking hates me and you know it!”
Magnar drops into a savage crouch with breathtaking speed and kicks Khay’s legs from under him. Khay lands flat on his back, the air wheezing out of him. Magnar straddles his chest and slams both hands into Khay’s shoulders, keeping him down.
“Because I forced her, and then I killed her fucking father, and she’ll never forgive me!”
Arvi tries to pull me back surreptitiously, but I struggle harder, and Magnar seems to catch the movement. He looks up, baring his teeth when our eyes lock. His are brimming with rage. He stands up in a fluid, graceful motion, and steps over Khay. Arvi lets me go, but I don’t manage to speak.
My husband stands in front of me, his bare chest undulating with each heaving breath. I stare into his face, scared and mesmerized. Gods, he’s devastatingly handsome.
“Well then. I’m fucking done,” he says, and my heart drops into my bowels.
That’s it. He’ll cast me out. He’s done with me.
“I’m done playing nice. Nobody fucking follow. I’ll have my wife like I want her. Alone.”
He throws me over his shoulder with a grunt, and I gasp but don’t fight him. My relief is too powerful, and the heat pounding in my lower belly makes it impossible to speak. His body is hot under mine, masculine and alive, and I grab onto his braid when he walks fast, palm settling possessively on my bottom.
“Taunting me with this dress,” he bites out through gritted teeth as he squeezes my flesh through the silk. “This what you wanted, wife?”
I’m about to reply, but we pass two Agnidari women wearing luxurious velvet dresses. They speak hastily in high-pitched voices, dropping into low curtsies. Magnar ignores them, speeding up until he’s almost running.
My face is hot from embarrassment that they saw me in such a position, but Magnar feels no shame. He pulls his hand back and brings it down, not hard, but there’s a sound. I choke on my gasp, and he massages that butt cheek with a murmur.
“When I ask you a question, I expect an answer, pet.”
“I don’t hate you,” I choke out.
His palm descends again, and I whimper. It doesn’t hurt, the smack is pure heat and impact, but it’s humiliating in a hot, breathless kind of way.
“Not what I asked you.”
