Page 133 of A Storm in Every Heart
She glares at me with hatred on her face. “The king wants to see you.”
“Oh, goody.”
Her glower intensifies. “You should be thrilled because otherwise I’d fuck up your face.”
“I’d still be prettier than you.”
Her cheeks redden behind the blood, and she looks, if possible, even angrier. “Go in there and take a bath. You’re disgusting.”
“Yeah, well, being kidnapped twice in 72 hours will do that.”
She scoffs. “You stupid bitch, you don’t even realize how lucky you are. Take a bath, but don’t take too long. I’ll find you something else to wear.”
I want to argue with her just out of spite, but a large part of me wants the bath more. “Are you going to untie my hands first?”
She looks at me, and I know she’s thinking about saying no, but apparently common sense wins out. The soldier unties me,and I stumble into the bathing room. The door closes, and I immediately rush to the window.
As I look outside, my heart sinks.
It’s clear why the soldier wasn’t worried about leaving me in here alone. We’re hundreds of feet off the ground, probably in one of the towers. Below, I can see the edge of the garden and a familiar iron fence. Beyond it is a rocky cliff and a small beach, then nothing but water as far as the eye can see.
I’ve never wished I could fly more than I do right now.
ODESSA, PRESENT
Ileave the bathroom an hour later, clean, but no less miserable.
The dress the soldier left on the floor just inside the door is a bright blood-red, which feels like something of a bad omen.Ugh, this is no time for superstition.
I tug the dress over my head and step out of the bathroom, only to stop short. My eyes fly wide.
The soldier is gone. In her place, a tall, blonde man stands at the window, his back to me.I open my mouth, but before I can get a word out, he turns and smiles at me. “Odessa. You’re somehow even more beautiful now than you were the last time we met.”
A shiver of fear and revulsion travels down my spine.
Magnus Von Bargen looks almost exactly the same as I remember him, except now I’m fully aware of what kind of man he is and he looks all the more disgusting because of it.
Magnus must be from Thermia originally, because he’s tall and blonde like most Thermians, with flinty blue-gray eyes that look harsh no matter his expression. Like all Fae, his face is smooth and young-looking, but his features are unmemorable—neither handsome, nor ugly. Most importantly, he doesn’t have any cotton in his ears.Arrogant idiot.
“I’m surprised you didn’t take any precautions to prevent me from compelling you, especially after being so careful with your guards.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Did it not sound like one? Perhaps I wasn’t clear enough.”
To my surprise, Magnus laughs. “Age has been good to you. I can tell you’re going to be everything I hoped for.”
My eyes narrow. The way he’s talking, you’d think we had met before, but we never did. I know he saw me because I heard him talking about it, but Magnus and I have never actually been introduced. Strange.
I shake off my confusion—it’s not important right now—and take a large step closer. I look directly into his cold eyes, letting the note of persuasion infect my tone. “Take me to Kastian.”
Magnus’s eyes remain focused. “Not right now. You and I have so much to discuss.”
I try again, pushing even more persuasiveness into my voice until I’m almost singing. “You want to take me to Kastian and then set both of us free. Nothing would make you happier.”
He yawns.Yawns!“You may keep trying if you like. I can wait however long it takes for you to understand that you’re powerless against me.”
I set my jaw. I suppose Magnus might have the strongest will of any man in Ellender, but I doubt it. “How is this possible?”
