Page 41 of The Stolen Bride

I rested my palm on his chest, just over his heart. The organ beat hard and sure, emboldening my theory. This king had a bunch more living to do. He would fight. Now, to offerhim the perfect reward…

A chance to explain his vision wasn’t the golden ticket. What about a threat of punishment? It wasn’t a reward, but it might be an incentive. If nothing else, it was familiar to him. “You wake up right now, Viktor Endris. I mean it. Wake up or face severe consequences.”

A minute ticked past with no reaction. No matter. Onward and upward.

Threats of harm, perhaps? Surely he’d be eager to protect himself. “I’m sure there’s a weapon around here somewhere, and I’m not afraid to use it.”

Again, nothing.

I pondered my options, stroking my nails through the smattering of hair on Viktor’s chest, and gazed about. Oh! The violin.

“I owe you songs. If you’d like to pretend you want me to stop, as you’ve done after every concert, you’ll have to wake up and make me.” Abandoning my place of comfort, a truly difficult task, I gathered the instrument. After settling into a comfortable position, I closed my eyes and played. And played.

I cracked open one eye. The images on the walls had stilled and dulled, as if his mind had settled. An improvement. Excellent. I played some more.

When my arms tired, I let the last note taper to quiet. The scenes on the wall instantly brightened and activated once again. I sighed.

“I’m going to tell you a childhood memory.” He liked history, so he might like learning more about me. “You’ll wake up, and I’ll tell you another.” I returned to his side, snuggling closer than before. “See, one day on my walk to school I found an injured chocolate lab. I was only eleven, but I rallied the strength to carry him home. Which shouldhave clued me in that I wasn’t fully human, now that I think about it, but I digress. I named him Silly Goose. My dad drove us to the vet. Once Goose was given a clean bill of health, I convinced my parents to let me keep him. Goose loved and protected me from that moment on.”

Man, I missed my precious Goose.

“If you want to hear about my first date, you gotta wake up,” I told Viktor.

Nothing.

Okay, new, new route. “You still have questions in your queue. Do you really want to die with them trapped in your heart?” Nothing. “What if I give youunlimitedquestions? But only if you wake up right…this…second.”

One terse minute ticked into another. Nothing.

Frustration brewed. “You can’t die. Your cherished firebrand needs your help,” I reminded him, rising to my elbow. I peered down at his beautiful face, my chest squeezing. His expression never altered. “Your men need you, too. Don’t leave them stuck under Bodi’s command. He’s a tool.”

Parts of me longed to spew out a litany of complaints about the prince and his treatment of me. But I didn’t. Because Viktor was gonna wake up, and I had no desire to taint their friendship.

Look at me being the bigger person. I was pretty amazing.

Still nothing, and my shoulders sagged.

Since Viktor had caressed me while I slumbered, I didn’t bother tamping down the urge to do the same. I combed my fingers through his silken white hair, loving the contrast between the colorless strands and my warmer flesh tone.

“If you die, I’ll turn myselfover to Deco,” I warned. “He’ll definitely murder me, but I’ll still do it. Unless you’re here to stop me. Stop me, Viktor. Please!”

The threat to me, his firebrand, garnered no bodily reaction, either, but the images on the rock came faster. New ones. Viktor carrying me in the forest the first day we met then later spotting me up in the tree. Next came an explicit image of vision Viktor pinning me against a wall and kissing the air from my lungs. My brows knit together even as my heartbeat sped up. This hadn’t happened. Wait. Had heimagineddoing it?

Well, well, well. “Forget the murder thing. Deco and I will probably fall madly in love. I mean, why wouldn’t we? My life is basically a romance novel. And you’ve seen him, right? That face. It rivals yours. And those abs. Mmm, mmm, mmm. The claws and wings! Delicious. Talk about masculine perfection. He’s not really a villain, I bet. He’s just misunderstood. A royal with an ooey gooey center hiding inside his clay heart. Unless I’m wrong. But if so, you’ll have to correct me out loud with words.”

Viktor’s finger twitched at my side, and I gasped. Ding, ding, ding. We had a winner. Jealousy. Although…

I licked my lips, an idea percolating. I would probably bite off more than I could chew if I followed through, but I had to try, right? Anything to save my ki—theking and my sister.

Tracing a heart on Viktor’s pec, I purred, “Maybe I’ll fall foryouinstead. I know I promised not to, but you’re the sublimely sexy king who gets the cutest gold rings in his eyes when he’s miffed. By the way, my turn ons are immortals who wake up from drugged sleeps, rescuing damsels in distress together, and food of any kind. Especially chocolate chip cookies. And carrot cake with double cream cheese frosting. And chi tea lattes with extra chi. Oh, what Iwouldn’t give for a dozen cupcakes right now. I went all night without even the tiniest snack.”

Focus. Right. “But I digress. We should go on a date, Tor. No, you know what? I’m calling you pudding pop. Or honey bear. Or Sergeant Fox. The only way to stop me from doing this is towake up.”

His finger twisted again, harder, and excitement whisked through me. This was working!

“Wake up,” I pleaded, stroking his cheek. “Please, pudding pop. Do it for me, your precious sugar cookie. We should discuss our date.”

Muscles bunched beneath me. His breathing came faster. Faster still.

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