Page 35 of The Cursed and the Broken
Farkas was stone-faced while he observed my movements, scrutinising with a hawk’s eye until I began to feel every motion would unravel all my secrets. I almost snorted. They had all been laid bare last night … I hoped. If Mama was holding back any other important details, I might just burn the house down.
It took every effort to avoid the lingering gaze of Dante. I felt his eyes burning holes in my head, and I knew if I looked I’d find a smirk plastered to his chiselled face. Thoughts of stabbing my fork into his hands flashed through my mind, granting me some respite.
Those thoughts quickly turned to what else he might do with his hands, which only irritated me further. Cutting into my eggs viciously, I shoved a forkful into my mouth, focusing on the yolk and crispy bacon.
No one broke the silence and I could stand it no longer.
“Why do you want me to marry your son, Farkas?” My words were frost-licked. Cold.
“Kitarni,” Mama admonished with wide eyes. “You will speak to his lordship respectfully.”
Farkas waved his hand. “We don’t care for titles in the Wolfblood Clan. We are all each other’s equal, bound by the same laws, the same magic running through our veins. Let the girl speak her questions. I will answer truthfully.”
“You may call the girl by her name,” I growled. I smoothed my skirts, cocking my head and looking into brown eyes so dark they were almost black. Waiting.
“Forgive me.” He nodded his head before scratching his beard. “Your bloodline bears strong magic—the likes of which your kith do not have. As you are the last of your line as far as we know, we would like to see it … continued.”
The implication was all too clear and I curled my fingers into fists. “So I’m to spread my legs and give you an heir, is that it?”
A strangled protest came from Mama’s throat and out of the corner of my eye I saw Eszter struggling to swallow a laugh. I only raised a brow and lifted my chin, refusing to back down.
Farkas blinked, the first sign of surprise I’d yet seen from the man. “We are not animals, Kitarni. We do not take what isn’t offered. By agreeing to this marriage, we hope to continue both your bloodline and mine, but naught shall come of this without your consent. You will be courted as is proper and it is both Nora’s and my fondest hope you will both come to care for each other in time. Dante is my firstborn son. Beyond my bloodline, I should also like to see him happy.”
I almost laughed. If only the good lord knew just how familiar his son and I already were. “Whereisyour second-born? I’ve yet to meet him.”
“I believe your sister and Lukasz are well acquainted,” Dante said with a wink at Eszter. “They spent most of last night together, after all.”
Mama’s eyes narrowed on my sister, and Eszter blushed. “We were just dancing,” she squeaked.
Amused, I crunched into my bacon, pleased for the distraction. Lukasz must be the handsome young man who’d saved her from the sweaty paws of that elder gentleman last night. He’d seemed charming and well dressed, and now I understood why. But he must also be—
“Lukasz is my half-brother,” Dante explained. “A result of a few happy nights in Transylvania.” He glanced at Farkas, whose scowl intimidated even me. Dante only grinned. “He’s on patrol, but he seemed in quite a good mood this morning. Kept talking about a girl he met last night.”
Eszter shrank into her chair, but I could see the twitch of her lips, the barely contained smile threatening to bloom. I smiled, happy for my sister. Excitement danced in her eyes—the innocence of a hopeful girl with dreams of a happily ever after.
“Where is his mother now?”
My humour faded quickly as I noted the sadness flickering in Farkas’s eyes, so fast I almost missed it.
“She passed when your father did. Struck by the same sickness that plagued our town.”
A glance at Dante revealed he was less apt at hiding his emotions. His eyes were shadowed with grief, his jaw set, shoulders bowed ever so slightly. I wondered who this woman had been to him. Had she become a parental figure? Another mother he had lost? The sorrow in his eyes, it came from a deep, dark place. Another thread to untangle.
“Maria and I were friends,” Mama said softly, sharing a smile with Farkas. To my surprise, his own lips curved. “We all were. She was a skilled healer and one of the bravest women I knew. She accompanied the soldiers during wartime.”
“Your father was one of my closest friends,” Farkas added. “Adrian was one of my finest fighters, an honourable man to the last. I miss his guidance even now.”
I cocked my head. “He was a soldier?”
He nodded. “We fought together many times during the invasion under Subutai and Batu Khan. The Mongolians may have conquered the Kingdom of Hungary, but we weren’t about to let them ravage our countryside and neighbouring villages. Had they occupied the towns nearby, there was a good chance they might have moved past our wards, discovered both our clan and your coven.”
I leaned forward in my seat, intrigued by this newfound information. “What caused the Mongols to retreat?”
It was Dante who supplied an answer. “Mother Nature. During their advance through the western kingdom, the rivers froze solid, allowing them passage to conquer cities in the following months.” He shrugged. “We aren’t entirely certain why they left, given our armies were dwarfed against their hundreds of thousands of troops, but I’d put it down to flooding. As the frosts thawed, the grasslands turned to marsh. Without solid ground, their mounts struggled in the terrain, and they lost access to adequate food supplies.”
“After all that they just abandoned the cause?”
Dante flashed a wolfish grin. “Mother giveth, she taketh away.”
