Page 50 of The Stolen Bride

“You’re in a good mood again, and it’s weird.” Especially considering we’d just discussed my murder. “Excuse me for being unable to let this go, but how are you supposed to marry the Valkara and also be happy with your firebrand’s sister?”

“One will be my partner, the other will be my muse.”

His muse?! “That doesn’t even make sense!”

“Agreed.” He continued as if the incongruity was perfectly normal. “The pillory holds a shifter in place. Makes it easier to remove their hearts and heads. The only true way to kill a turul.”

I eyed the wooden frame made up of splintered planks and shuddered. A horizontal board slashed through the center, three holes designed to secure a shifter’s hands and neck.

We came upon another wooden frame, with a single long arm. Men rushed around, securing a basket to the end of the arm with thick, coiled rope. So this was what all the hammering was about.

“The basket is filled with hot oil, rocks, and tar that will knock the shifters out of the sky and ground them.” Delight turned to glee.

As much as I appreciated the tour of medieval horrors, I couldn’t help but lose track as my brain returned to the threat of my death. A concept I didn’t quite have the bandwidth to carry, but tried, hoping I wouldn’t glitch. Every time Viktor had chanted his mantra, he’d contemplated killing me, and yet, still, he’d saved my life and kissed me. Another incongruity.

How could I stay with him? But how could I leave him when I needed his aid? But how could I accept his aid, relying on him for my and my sister’s protection?

What if he decided to strike? I mean, could I change his mind? Probably. If he gave me a chance. But. I couldn’t, shouldn’t, shrug this off. She who did not deserve a “the” in front of her name would do whatever it took to get me out of the way. She’d wanted this man for centuries.

I’d had an enemy before I was even born, and I hadn’t known it.

“This,” Viktor said, motioning to a series of trenches filled with spikes that soldiers were currently covering with dense brush, “is where we?—”

“Wait,” I interjected, wrenching my fingers from his. “Normally I would be beyond curious about your war hobby, but I find I’m a little too perturbed right now.”

Frowning, he faced me. “What’s the problem?”

He did not just ask me that. “You! Obviously. If you think I’ll betray and kill you, why did you save my life by endangering your own?”

He shrugged, as if the topic were no big deal. “Never cut what can be untied.”

Great. Wonderful. “That’s a profound truth, sure, but it’s hardly reassuring. You can change your mind and decide to make the cut at any moment, ending my life.”

“Ja. But only because the same can be said of anyone, anywhere, about anything.”

Argh! “Are you asking me to trust you or to suspect everyone else of plotting my harm?”

“Both.” A white lock fell over his brow, and a corner of his mouth curled up. “Perhaps this will reassure you. I find I…like having you around. You taste delicious.”

Double argh! He just had to go and mention my other conundrum. The hottest kiss of my life.

How could I have locked lips with a man who considered killing me on the daily? Who might chose another woman, as Benjamin had.

I admit, I wasn’t the easiest person to hang with. Or the safest. My wealth of internal bottles hadn’t shattered yet, but I now believed detonation was only a matter of time. Those cracks…

His men halted their work to watch us with unabashed interest. My cheeks heated. But end the conversation? No.

“While the sentiment is appreciated,” I said, “I need a stronger assurance of my long-term safety. I refuse to date someone plotting my death. It’s a quirk of mine. Cut Valkara from your life. Don’t speak to her ever again.”

If Viktor didn’t convince me that my welfare mattered to him, I might have to rethink Malachi’s offer. Which constituted a betrayal, didn’t it? I gulped. Maybe I’d present an un-pass-upable bargain to Bodi. Help me save my sister, and I’ll return to my old life, leaving Viktor in my dust. That should delight the prince.

My ribs squeezed, but I didn’t back down.

Viktor scowled. “She is a necessary part of my existence. But I can promise you that you won’t like what happens if you run from me again, drágá.”

And back to square one we go. Disappointment and angerengulfed me. “Keep making threats, and I’m guaranteed to run. I’d be a fool not to.”

He stepped closer, erasing my personal space. Bending, putting his nose level with mine, he grated, “You are arguing with a berserker king. I’d say you are already a fool.”

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