Page 65 of The Stolen Bride

Viktor looked to Bodi, who shook his head and spread his arms, allnot helping you with this.

“My men are immortal, yet five have died on this trip,” Viktor stated in a flat voice. “Though I wasn’t going to ask you to remain behind.”

“As if you ever ask me anything anymore,” I muttered, with only a little bitterness. Wait. He’d intended to go into battle with me at his side?

He started opening and closing his fists again. “You won’t be happy until your sister is free, and I require the Valkara to answer some questions. To successfully oversee both goals, I will make use of every weapon at my disposal.”

I beamed up at him. First, he sought Valkara for questions, not romance. Second, he considered me a weapon. “Good. What’s the plan?”

“We walk in together. I create a distraction, and you and Bodi proceeds to the dungeon. I’ll keep Deco and his forces occupied.”

“Walk in, just like that?” I snapped my fingers. “Not with those handsome faces and delicious muscles.” They weren’t shifters and it showed. “But as I said, I have an idea. Bodi, you mentioned getting us past the orbs, yes?”

He nodded. “With Viktor’s help.”

“Great. Do it. Then I’ll get us in unnoticed.”

Viktor sighed, the very picture of an exasperated boyfriend. We approached the edge of the invisible fence tentatively. With each step, the waft of electricity intensified until the scent of ozone singed my airways. Though I recalled the bluebird, I didn’t dare give Viktor a reason to insist I remain behind.

“Stay between us,” he instructed.

His protective instinct gave me a sense of security and belonging, and I soaked it up. I hadn’t felt as if I belonged anywhere or with anyone for a very long time.

Bodi did some weird motions with a pair of daggers, seeming to cut through the air. Then he passed one of the weapons to Viktor, and both men held up the blade. “Now,” he said.

The three of us stepped forward, with me sandwiched between the two beefcakes. Static electricity pricked my skin and lifted my hair as energy arced between the two daggers. Vik and Bodi took the brunt of the charge, their muscles flexing and straining, absorbing the worst of the onslaught. The hum of the voltage made my eardrums vibrate, and I tasted something metallic in my mouth.

We trudged forward, as if wading against a fierce ocean current. Just when I thought my eyes would catch on fire, we emerged on the other side of the invisible barrier. My fingers were a little numb, but I was otherwise unscathed.

In relief, I lifted onto my tippy toes and dropped a kiss on Viktor’s cheek. “Thanks, pudding pop.”

“I’m here, too, you know,” Bodi grumbled good-naturedly.

I patted his head. “Thanks, Bodi. You’re growing on me.But now it’s time to put my plan into action. You two stay here, and I’ll be back in a jiff.”

Before either could protest, I raced toward the courtyard, quickly doing my best to blend in with the crowd. I snagged a scarf here, a hat there. My biggest achievement was swiping a palette of paints and a brush. The boys weren’t the only ones good at pilfering from the enemy. Though, yes, in any other situation, I held firm to a no stealing policy.

Five minutes later, I was back with my booty—without setting off an alarm. “Yeah,” I said, “I’mthatgood.” I set to work, looping a scarp around Bodi’s neck and plopping a hat on Viktor, King of the Turuls. I dipped a brush in paint and began dabbing the brightest colors onto their cheeks in feather patterns. They let me work without comment.

“Is this really necessary?” Viktor asked.

“Yes.” Absolutely. “Can either of you juggle?”

He blinked at me.

Bodi’s eyes widened, and he gave a clipped shake of his head. “No. I refuse.”

Too bad. “Can you mime? Do magic tricks? Make balloon animals?”

They shared a look before staring at me like I’d come from another planet.

In the distance, horns sounded, and two wide wooden doors opened, allowing the guests to enter the palace.

“I suggest we get through the crowd as quickly and stealthily as possible,” I announced. “Your expert disguises will only last so long.”

“Once we are inside, you will accompany Bodi to the dungeon,” Viktor instructed.

“Okay. Yes.” Perfect plan. Zero tweaks necessary.

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