Page 4 of Claimed By Stone
Every night for the past week, I've been visited by the statue in my sleep. Every morning I've woken up hard and wanting. Maybe my brother finding his mate has awoken something in me with no outlet, so I've taken to fantasizing about a statue. That was the only thing that made any sense.
The great door below me opened as his sister's voice filled the air.
"Thavros," she called.
"I'm up here."
"What are you doing?" she asked as she climbed the stairs to the sacred library.
"I'm devising a new research plan."
"Are you? Did you move that statue?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. “Wasn’t it over by the railing?”
“I just thought it looked better here… the, uhh, light is better.”
Frema just looked at him blankly.
"Did you need something?" I snapped at her. While Frema could easily overpower most orcs, she was still my little sister.
"Touchy. I just wanted to check in. Have you heard anything from Khuldruk?"
"No. He just went into the caves a few nights ago. He could be in there for quite a while longer."
Frema was absent-mindedly looking through the books on my desk, but when she reached for one of my journals, I snatched it out of her hands.
"You need to get out more. Maybe find a rutting partner. You're tense," she said.
I leaned forward, pinching the bridge of my nose as I blew out a breath in irritation. "Was there something else I can help you with?"
"I just wanted to tell you, I just finished a morning round of training. Our fighters are splitting shields with ease. It would seem our strength is growing."
"Well, why didn't you lead with that? That is good news."
"It is. I also just got back from the healing wing. I had to take Gragnar there because he didn't know his own strength, but it seems some of the old healing is working. They were asking me about it. I told them I would check with you. But the mountain is buzzing because of Khuldruk's return with his new mate.”
“What? I thought I told you not to tell anyone,” I snapped at her in unearned irritation.
“Easy. I didn’t tell anyone, but news travels in this mountain. If you ever left this room, you would know that too."
"I leave this room," I protested.
Frema just raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe not often, but I do have work here."
"I know, that's why I came here to check on you and give you news."
"Thank you."
"Well, I'm going to go. I'll leave you alone with your statue."
I shook my head at her while she left. Khuldruk and I were born a year apart, but then Frema and our other brother, Drax, were born nearly ten years later. Which meant she only had seven years with our parents, so she doesn't remember the old ways as much as Khuldruk and I do.
As much as I wanted to think she was wrong about my newfound obsession with this statue, she was right. I became increasingly obsessed as the days went on. There was just something about the stone woman that I wanted to understand. She seemed so real to me, but that was nonsense. She was justa marble statue. Quite possibly the most beautiful statue to have ever existed, but a statue, nonetheless.
Chapter 4
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