Page 26 of The Stolen Bride

Fekete Ló whinnied in the distance, and I winced. “Not you, sweetie,” I called. “Only the others.”

Viktor’s eyes glittered with what might have been but couldn’t be and surely wasn’t amusement. “Quick, Keve,” he called, “bring Clover her meal before you lose your mount.”

We shared a smile. An actual smile. It lit Viktor’s entire countenance, as well as different parts of me. A shock to us both, clearly. Next, he scowled like I’d actually devoured someone’s ride.

“Bodi!” he bellowed, marching off. “Figure out why I’m in a good mood so I can end it.” He disappeared in the foliage.

I almost shouted for his return. Spend a little alone time with berserkers who didn’t view me as their one and only special firebrand? No, thanks.

As a young soldier left the circle to stride over, I prepared to uncap a couple bottles of rage. “Hope you’re ready for the best cuisine the forest has to offer,” he said, handing me something wrapped in a cloth.

I accepted tentatively. “Is that code for poisonous wild berries?”

A mischievous grin curved the sides of his mouth, disrupting a scar that ran down one cheek. “You are the woman who prevented countless injuries today. I would poison my comrades, but never you.”

Everyone nodded their agreement with great enthusiasm as he rejoined the group.

Relaxing a bit, I unwrapped the cloth and said, “Yes, well, this hero appreciates a good meal.” Hmm. Turned out, the “best cuisine of the forest” was a piece of bread.

I sank my teeth into the outer edge and moaned with delighted surprise. So good! Rich flavors teased my tongue.

“You don’t have to be afraid of us,” a second male said. He was leaner than the others, almost wiry, with intense eyes.

“Oh, I’m not afraid of you. I feared whatImight do toyou.”

They all guffawed. “We understand outsiders are terrified of us. But I promise, we don’t bite.”

“Well, not often,” added a third, cracking himself up. His broad-shoulders and booming laugh reminded me of my father, and my chest squeezed.

“Don’t worry, guys. I always carry spare chew toys.” I put up my dukes to display said toys.

Booming Laugh raised a brow. “She’s got jokes, too. That’s good, because handling an original isn’t the same as handling an average sentinel, neither of which is for the faint of heart. Just ask Deco and Le?—”

Another soldier elbowed him in the stomach, and he went quiet.

Oooh. What name had he almost revealed? Leann? Leslie? Levi? Leo? Was this the information Viktor didn’t wish me to learn? “Don’t worry,” I repeated. “I’ve dealt with something far worse than an original.”

“Do tell,” Keve said.

“Imagine giving a cat a bath. Nowthat’sa battlefield.”

Snickers rang out, and I marveled. I’d never experienced such a lighthearted meal. Which was especially wild,considering I was in the middle of nowhere with an elite contingent of legendary berserkers.

“We have some semantics to discuss,” Viktor said from behind me.

Yelping, I craned my neck to peer up at him. That someone of his colossal size had crossed a path of twigs making no noise boggled my mind.

Then his words registered, and my heart raced. “I hope you’re speaking of the ten answers I owe you, and not the payment for including me on this trip.”

“The payment. Ja. That. You owe meanythingI desire,” he all but purred. “Now I require my parameters. The Q and A is next.”

Gulp. The wild glint in his emerald eyes suggested I wasn’t going to like anything he had to say. “I’d rather save that particular discussion for a time when you haven’t murdered your so-called good mood for no reason.”

“No need to wait, then. My mood hasn’t improved,” he grumbled at low volume, ensuring only I could hear as he settled in at my side. “Bodi tells me the only way to rid oneself of such a pleasing sensation is to spend more time with the source and become inoculated.”

I wasn’t sure if Bodi had done me a major favor or a huge disservice. “Here’s an idea. Enjoy it forever, except when you’re spanking turul-shifter kings.”

Viktor hiked his shoulders in a shrug. “You may provide me with one limit to my payment. Use it at your own discretion.”

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