Page 91 of Prince of Storms
The blast washed over the decapitated Vorgan head, finding nowhere to go and continuing on, leaving Mia, who wasn’t touching the ground, uninjured.
In the silence that followed, Ember finished pouring fire down the throat of his Vorgan, its carcass falling to ash around him as he returned to human, the fire-being calming.
I looked around, while above me, the storm rumbled, dissipating now that I’d robbed it of its force. Everything was still. Nobody moved. I counted only three Vorgan corpses, but the smug look on Rip’s face told me that whatever he’d done to his foe, I didn’t have to worry about them.
In a flash, I was at Mia’s side, prying her free of the jaws.
“Are you okay?” I asked as she thrust herself into my arms. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay. It’s over, Mia. It’s over.”
She was trembling, and I continued to hold her tight.
“I’ve got you,” I rumbled. “And I’m never letting go.”
The ballroom was coming back to life as the uninjured helped those who’d taken injuries from the Vorgans, my sister, or my final attack. Some set to work clearing the bodies of the monsters, though nobody touched my sister’s corpse, leaving it where she’d fallen.
“Tor,” Mia whispered.
I leaned in closer. “I’m here. Are you hurt? I need to know if you were injured in any way.”
She shook her head. “No. Maybe some new bumps or bruises. Nothing serious.”
I sagged in relief. “Good. Good. I’m sorry. I … I didn’t realize how strong they were. I should never have let you come back in here.”
“It’s okay,” she replied, finally turning to look at me. There were tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Tor. I am. I really tried, but I couldn’t …”
“Couldn’t what?”
“I couldn’t save it,” she said, moving her arms to reveal the jagged tears in her dress. “I’m sorry, all that money, and now, it’s ruined!”
I stared at her. All that had gone on, the danger to her very life … and she was worried about thedress?
“God-King, I love you,” I said with a laugh.
Chapter Forty-Two
Mia
“What did you say?” I gasped. Had I heard him properly? Were my ears deceiving me into thinking he’d said something I wanted him to say?
He chuckled, brushing away several strands of hair that had come free. “Seriously, Mia, it’s not something you have to worry about.”
My eyebrows knitted together. “I think it kind of is.”
Worry might not have been the best word to describe my emotions, but it certainly wasn’t that far from the truth. How could it not be something I would think about? Were dragons just that casual about it?
“No, no, really, it’s nothing to be upset over. Look around you. It’s minor in the grand scheme. The roof is ready to fall in, for starters. The floors and walls, well, you can see for yourself the rough shape they’re in.”
I wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything, but he wasn’t wrong. Even then, pieces of debris were falling from the ruined ceiling. In other places, walls sagged, and the floor was a ruined mess of long furrows where bodies had been thrown hard against it, snapping and gouging out the parquet.
“Why would I be upset?” I asked finally.
It was Tor’s turn to look puzzled, his brow wrinkling. “But you just apologized. You were so worked up over it. I wanted you to know that it wasn’t anything to get riled up over.”
Things clicked in my head, and a smile twisted up the sides of my mouth while I reached up and caressed him. “Oh, dear, sweet, oblivious Tor.That’swhat you meant.”
“Yeah. Of course.” He was blinking furiously while he helped me to my feet. “What didyouthink I was talking about?”
“The fact that you just told me you loved me,” I said, managing not to let my voice hitch at the word “love.”
