Page 157 of A Bond in Blood

I kept my eyes forward, watching as Olen entered the room again. He was followed by atrolloffering the right hand what appeared to be a damp cloth.

“You need to clean yourself,” I replied.

Olen approached and I stood, allowing Ulrich to be passed his own cloth.

They were both silent, their eyes holding an unspoken conversation between them while they cleansed their hands and wrists of the blood of the man I’d banished.

“What did you do with him?” I asked.

Olen turned to me. “He’s in the dungeons until Frode can heal him a bit. Can’t banish a man that can’t see out of his swollen eyes.”

“I could,” Ulrich countered.

I laughed.

Olen rolled his eyes with a smile. “He will be brought out to the docks and banished publicly. He’ll have to manage rowing a little boat to Oberon to beg for shelter, or the mortals. But I doubt he’d willingly step foot on Middgard.”

I nodded my head.

Ulrich pulled me back toward him, pressing my body to his.

“Should we retire?”

I stared at him then my eyes went to Olen. He offered me a mischievous grin.

“Shouldweretire?” he asked.

Ulrich’s hand around my body went flat and he cleared his throat, pulling my gaze from his right hand.

“Brenna?” he asked with a smile.

“I think we shouldallretire,” I whispered.

Ulrich ran his finger along my lips while fire burned in his eyes.

“Lead the way.”

I pulled from him, grasping not just his wrist, but Olen’s too and I turned toward the door behind the dais. The captain of our adventure, leading us all into a storm I should have been terrified to venture toward.

Chapter 32

Sounds of the party echoed behind us while we all shoved the hidden door open, stumbling into the bedroom. I released their wrists, and turned toward them, my chest rising with nerves.

Olen’s hand gripped mine and I met Ulrich’s eyes.

How were we doing this once more? How was I considering this after I’d just watched the two men before me brutally beat and banish a man?

Ulrich’s eyes were hot while we held our gazes. My body became tight the longer he stared. He was turning me to liquid where I stood, using his power to win this battle.

He approached, forcing me to press against Olen’s chest. His right hand wrapped his arms around me in response.

“Gods, princess,” Olen whispered in my ear. “Here we are again.”

The desire in his voice shook my knees. I moaned, leaning into him, closing my eyes from the maddening heat of his body against mine.

Ulrich’s hand brushed my jaw. “What do you want?”

My eyes fluttered open and I met his gaze. It was full of hunger like each time we found ourselves falling into our lust.

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