Page 28 of The Stolen Bride

A wee bit jealous, was he? “Relieved that he’s someone else’s problem.”

Five.

Viktor rubbed two fingers and a thumb over his stubbled jaw, pensive.

“Hit me with the next,” I encouraged. “I’m ready.”

“I’ll save my remaining questions for later.”

Bummer. I’d hoped to wipe out his entire reserve.

His brow wrinkled. Then he jolted, as if punched by an invisible fist. “She whispers again.” Pause. “Yes, yes. Find, destroy, happy,” he muttered. “Find, destroy, happy.”

Ugh. Not this again. I cupped his cheeks, determined to nip this little episode in the bud. And yeah, okay, prevent any interactions with Valkara. Better his affections centered on me during this journey. “Hey, Snarls. Focus on your firebrand. I want something from you. Ineedit.”

A beat passed. Then another. I figured I’d failed. Eventually, his gaze slid to mine. The hazy glaze faded from his irises. “What do you need, drágá?” His voice had dipped.

Ignore your shivers. “To sleep. Be a darling and show mewhich tent is mine.” The moment after I spoke, I yawned. Man, I’d hada day. “I’m ready for my beauty Zs.”

“You’re staying in that one.” He pointed to the smallest structure and grinned a slow, languid grin that ignited un-ignorable flutters in my belly. “With me.”

Chapter

Seven

When Your Shelter From the Storm is a Walking Tempest

–HOW TO TRAIN YOUR BERSERKER

By Elizabeth “Elle” Darcy-Bruce

Islept nestled in Viktor’s arms.

It happened by accident, but also on purpose. After his shocking yet not even the tiniest bit surprising announcement that I’d be bunking up with him, I sputtered out a breath, producing plenty of sounds but zero words. Eventually, I stopped clutching my invisible pearls while preparing to demand he use his payment in order to gain my cooperation, and sighed. “Fine. Whatever.” First, he could force me to sleep outside. Second, he sought to protect me. Third, keeping him close wasn’t a terrible idea. “But no making a move. I’m issuing a preemptive refusal.”

“I thought we had this conversation already,” he said with a humph. “If I want sex, I can get it elsewhere.”

“Not with that attitudeyou can’t.”

He opened and closed his mouth, as if trying to say a thousand things at once.

More than a little irritated with him for reasons that definitely had nothing to do with his love life, I patted his cheek. “You don’t know this about me, but you’re about to learn the hard way. I value my beauty Zs as much as my meals. Precious seconds I can spend in bed are ticking by while you try to do the impossible and think of a comeback that can clean up the damage caused by my truth bomb.”

He gripped my wrist and lowered my hand, as if he didn’t wish to be touched. Except, instead of releasing me, he dragged his thumb across my palm, sending tingles rushing up my arm.

“Soft,” he muttered.

Goose bumps broke out. Okay, we needed to veer to a new track. “Feel free to take the first shift and stand guard.”

“We don’t require a guard tonight.” Wind kicked up, whistling. “A storm comes. Turul-shifters prefer not to fight in torrential rain. They are at a disadvantage. We are not.”

To punctuate his words, lightning flashed overhead, and thunder rumbled in a rolling wave.

Ugh. I hated storms. I had lived in tornado alley for years. Losing half my roof was what prompted me to move to Aurelian Hills. “What about the horses?” I’d grown fond of Fekete Ló.

“They’ll be in tents with my men.”

Another crack of thunder boomed, louder than the first. Tightness spread through my chest. “That’s my cue. Get moving or get left behind.”

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