Page 27 of The Cursed and the Broken
Who was he? Handsome, mysterious and rich too, apparently. The gear covering his exceptional body was expensive and certainly not something I’d have expected from a táltos. Were they not peasants like us? Did they have dealings with the world of men?
I scowled, remembering that the man beneath that perfect facade was a selfish, rude, arrogant asshole who I was perfectly content to go on hating. “I warned you not to come here again. Do youwantto get stabbed?”
We still hadn’t exchanged names, but there was something thrilling about playing with fire. The man was mysterious and—despite my better judgement—wildly intriguing. Besides, names formed attachments, and I didn’t care to know him any better. I didn’t have the luxury of growing close to anyone, not when a doomed marriage awaited.
He looked me up and down and my body burned beneath the weight of his gaze, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of hiding. He looked away dismissively. “If the last time I saw you is anything to go by, you wouldn’t last a second in a real swordfight.”
I rolled my eyes and huffed, turning my attention back to the town below. “I know you’re trying to get a rise from me, but that would require me caring about what you think. Besides,” I said with a smirk. “I wouldn’t want you to get any scratches on those perfectly polished swords.”
He chuckled darkly as he inched closer to me, his body warm, the scent of leather, earth and musk filling my senses. He smelt like a man, not like the boys I’d dallied with in the past.
I stepped away from him, annoyed I’d thought about him long enough to notice and unwilling to be cornered once again.
“Why do you stray from the festival?” he asked.
It was probably the most agreeable tone I’d ever heard from him—filled with curiosity more than anything—so I supposed it wouldn’t hurt to divulge. Lifting my chin, I met his eyes unabashedly. “People don’t agree with me. Never have.”
He smiled knowingly, eyes glinting in the sun. “Because they know your power. And they fear it,” he stated with a tilted head.
I blinked, the only sign I’d show of my surprise. He caught it all the same, that smile shifting into something devilish, a dimple carving through the stubble on his cheek. “I … I’m not sure they’re afraid of me. More that they misunderstand me. My magic is complicated. I don’t share the earth trait like my sisters here.”
“No,” he said, his gaze burning into my own. “Your magic is much stronger.” His face was blank as he said it, like that fact didn’t bother him in the slightest. I expected a snide remark to follow, but my breath caught in my throat as he leaned over me, taking my chin in one calloused hand.
His touch sent waves of awareness tickling over my skin and his eyes enraptured my own. “Noproperlady would enter the Sötét Erdo, brandish her blades, cutting through flesh like biting winds to bone. What you did to those wolves would impress the Wind Mother herself. Of course, you couldn’t best me in a fight.” He shot me a sly grin, creeping a little closer. “Aren’t you going to apologise for accusing me of murder? The fact I’m still standing here must mean you’ve realised I was telling the truth.”
I did feel alittleguilty about jumping to conclusions, but it wasn’t as if he’d acted like a saint. No, he’d gone all savage on me and pinned me to a tree instead.
I summoned fire, threading it through my fingers as I cocked my head. Apologise to that asshole? “I’d sooner burn at the stake,” I replied sweetly. “If you like, I can arrange one for you too. The flames don’t care if you’re a táltos or a witch. We’re all just blood and bone in the end.”
His expression darkened as he gazed at my fire. Oh, how easy it was to push his gilded little buttons. I had to bite down on my laugh, but the victory smile fell from my face as my mind drifted to Hanna.
Visions of her body assailed me. The rot, the caved-in chest and milky eyes. And I didn’t dare forget the fact her heart had been carved out like a bloody stuck pig. I hadn’t forgotten about her, but I hadn’t mourned her loss either. Still … Guilt speared through me as I glanced at the stranger. He'd been her lover, for gods’ sakes, and here I was playing whatever game this was between us.
I didn’t know why he’d sought me out, but I hadn’t exactly told him to leave yet either. He was an asshole, but he was attractive as all hell. As much as I tried to deny it, my body came alive around him.
Even when we’d fought in the woods, my body had thrilled at his touch—at the danger—and that was wrong in so many ways.
I closed my fist and the magic extinguished. My mind turned to the dark power within, to the cultists I’d killed. I supposed there were many things wrong about me. My sanity was ripping apart and my power, my heritage? It was at the centre of it.
“I wish I was like the Wind Mother,” I whispered in response to his earlier comment. “With her power, I could destroy the cultists, blow this mess away. The witches here aren’t prepared for a fight.”
The man moved a little closer, his warmth heating my skin. “We received a missive from Lady Bárány. Dark days lie ahead for the witches, but the clan will answer your call. The soldiers will fight for the coven—to preserve the alliance between our peoples.”
Thank the gods, the táltos was a handy news source, if nothing else.
I breathed a sigh of relief, allowing my muscles to relax ever so slightly, but the shadow of yesterday still clouded my thoughts. “They attacked last night. Ambushed Erika and I in the woods.” My voice sounded small to my ears. Weak.
“Hadúr’s blade.”
A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “The god of war doesn’t care for our troubles.”
His face darkened as he looked me up and down. “Were you hurt?”
I smirked. “You almost sound like you care.”
A low rumble that sounded suspiciously like a growl rumbled from his chest. “Answer the question.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s nothing I can’t handle.” Though, truth be told, my wound barked like a bitch in heat, throbbing angrily beneath the bandage on my thigh. The drink had dulled it some, but even with a dagger strapped to my other thigh, I felt vulnerable.
