Page 84 of The Serpent’s Shadow

Magnus had an inside track to Fort Woden, the most impregnable, secretive building in this whole academy. If he could figure a way to escape his bindings after being leeched and snoop around . . .

He cleared his throat and brought my attention to the swirling runic tattoo that surrounded his Adam’s apple. “How about you, silvermoon? Plan on attending the class?”

I bit my lip. Looked at his unnervingly sexy body again, only clad in that flimsy blanket. The corded muscles of his thighs were calling to me, tattooed, bulging, slightly parted.

Magnus Feldraug knew exactly what he was doing.

I shrugged. “I’ve already missed a month of classes. What’s one more day?”

“What would you rather do instead?”

I paused for a second, standing at the edge of the bed. Then I jumped on him, flinging the blanket off so I could press my body against his.

We both laughed as we buried ourselves into the bed and became a tangle of limbs.

“Gods,” I drawled with a sigh after pulling my lips off his. “There’s no way I can kill you.”

“Wait—what?”

Leaving Magnus’ dorm room, I had a smile on my face. I’d certainly left him feelingmuchbetter than when I’d arrived, and the feeling was mutual.

I was so glad I had come. I mean, not only had Icome, multiple times, but simply speaking with Magnus made me feel better about my entire predicament. I had an ally I could trust.

And to think, I’d originally gone there to chastise him and wring answers out of him. My reticence had been unfounded: The pragmatic man had been entirely open with me, telling me everything I wanted to know.

I don’t think he could lie to me even if he knew how. Like Grim, he cares for me too much. What was it he said? He’d burn the world down for me, and smile at its ashes.

It was good to have allies like that, with such conviction. Especially two of them.Now I just need to see if I can get the others on board. Trusting Arne again . . . Sven, maybe? Dagny and Randi, for sure.

After my slip-up about not being able to kill him, and his subsequent surprise, I shrugged it off as a figure of speech. He seemed to accept my answer.

I felt bad about lying to him, especially since he’d been so truthful with me. I still wasn’t comfortable about the idea of killing these men after finding out their families were involved in my family’s ruination. The more I got to know them—the deeper I fell for them—the more farfetched that idea became.

Maybe in a few days, I’d feel more confident and tell all four of them at once: Magnus, Grim, Sven, Arne.

For now, I had a side quest to get our rebellion started.

“We’ll need help,”Magnus had told me.

I thought of his words as I made my way out of Nottdan, headed north toward the nearby longhouse village. There, six longhouses sat against a hillside, with a closed-off well betweenthem. I wondered why the well had become inaccessible, a heavy grate over the circular stone opening.

Clicking my tongue, I went to one of the longhouses and knocked on the door. I waited for a few minutes, with the sounds of rustling clothes and footsteps on the other side.

A slender man opened the door, a towel loosely tied at his narrow hips. He wore nothing else.

My eyes bulged. “Oh, shit. Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb. I can come back.” I started backing away from the door, palms out.

The blond, fair-faced man actually seemed more surprised to see me than the other way around, if it was possible. “Holy shit. Eirik. It’s her.”

Stampeding feet pounded behind the man, who I knew as Gryphon.

My brother shoved him out of the way to stand in the doorway, also dressed in a towel and little else. He was stronger, bulkier than Gryphon, and I couldn’t stop the smirk coming to my face at seeing the two men so close together.

“Hello, brother,” I murmured.

His jaw dropped. “Vini! You’re alive!”

Without another thought, he rushed me and hauled me into a hug, then hoisted me into the air. His hug was lung-crushing, and I heard a light ruffling and the sound of something dropping a second later.

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