Page 41 of Prince of Storms
“Not long enough,” Tor growled back, not giving an inch to her. “What are you doing here?”
Despite her attitude and bold entrance, he wasn’t scared, nor was he amused. He’d already had enough of her, and truthfully, I didn’t blame him. She wasn’t exactly exuding friendship and rainbows.
His sister lifted a finger andtut-tuttedhim. “The better question, dear brother, is, what areyoudoing here?”
Tor pulled himself up to his full height. Like before, his eyes seemed to glow as they caught the light. “This is my house,” he snarled.
The woman reached up and wound some of her pin-straight hair around a finger, feigning surprise. “Oh, is dear old daddy finally gone? Called to the God-King and all that?”
God-King? That was a new way to refer to him. What religion was that from, I wondered.
“Yes,” Tor rumbled. “Several months ago.”
“Ah, so sad,” she said, shrugging with all the emotion of a doorknob.
I was missing a lot of the context. Why was she so surprised to see her brother? And how had his sister, of all people, not been informed of their father’s passing? It didn’t make sense.Someonewould have told her, even if she didn’t seem overly concerned about her family’s well-being. Wouldn’t they?
“It was expected,” Tor said.
“Yes, yes, of course, I know the rules. I guess I just lost track of time out here. So very easy to do.” She sniffed. “Now that he’s gone, I assume I shall be welcomed back?”
Tor barked laughter, the sharp, short peal ringing off the hallway walls. “Absolutely not,sister. Or did you forget how you unleashed the Vorgan on Storm Keep? That somehow slip your memory? Because it didn’t mine. Peopledied, Rica. Innocent fucking people died because you’re a maniac. God-King!”
He said the last word like a curse. I was so confused. Vorgan? Storm Keep? His sister was a murderer? How was someone who had killed people free to do as she pleased like that? It didn’t make sense.
“Oh,thatlittle thing? Teddy was harmless. You all just scared him.”
Tor’s eyes bugged out. “Harmless? Thirteen of our people died. Because of you. No, you aren’t welcome back, sister. Not now, not ever. You should be lucky that all father did was cast you out. If he wasn’t in charge at the time …”
“Thenwhat, brother? What would you have done if that’s what you mean?” Rica walked in a circle around Tor, but he didn’t follow. He stood still.
“I would have killed you.”
“Would you now?” she said. “Done it yourself, I assume? Choked the life from me, or blasted me with a bolt, hmm?”
What on Earth were these bizarre people talking about? No court would ever let Tor kill his sister, regardless of what crime she’d committed. Were they acting? Was it some sort of play? The emotions were almost too real for it to be fake. The visceral undertones, bespeaking years of history, would be hard to replicate.
“Something like that,” Tor growled.
“Well, you’re prince now,” Rica said.
Prince? Tor was aprince?My jaw hung open as I tried to process that tiny bit of information.
“So I am,” Tor growled.
“Do it, then,” Rica said. “Kill me if you can. Your own flesh and blood.”
Tor shuddered. I could tell he didn’t like the idea.
“Just leave,” he growled, pointing at the open door. “Get out, and don’t come back.”
“You sound just like father.” She pouted.
Was the woman insane? What about their family? She’d killedthirteenpeople, apparently, yet her only punishment was to be cast out by their father? What sort of fucked-up royalty got away with shit like that?
Royalty. He was a prince. I’d made out with a prince. It was insane. It was all insane.
“Leave, Rica,” Tor repeated. “You aren’t welcome here, and you know it. Not here, not Storm Keep. Nowhere. Go away.”
