Page 89 of Kiss of a Hellish Prince

Sif probably knew it was only a matter of time before Rune got here, but there was no way for her to know about the angels.

Okay, five minutes or thirty. The only thing I could do was get her talking. I was sure she had rationalized all this in her head. To her,Iwas the bad guy. If I could get her yelling at me, she would be too preoccupied to stab me.

“Where is Vivi?” I asked with my hands raised in front of me.

Slowly, I took a few steps back. Sif instantly took the same steps forward, keeping the distance between us the same. Her arms were crossed but tense. She could strike at any moment with the blade at her hip.

“Do you really think a pathetic halfling bitch like you is good enough?” she asked, her voice dripping with malice.

“Did you take her because I’m with Rune?” I asked, still backing away, careful not to trip on the random garbage strewn all over the ground. The last thing I wanted was for Sif to have an even bigger advantage because my clumsy ass tripped over a crumbling brick or a broken piece of plastic. “You’re right. I’m not good enough. Just give me Vivi back, and I’ll end it.”

She seethed, moving towards me with her teeth bared. “You took my future.”

“I didn’t know.” Trying to keep the same distance between us, I kept backing up. “I understand you love Rune. I didn’t know when we met. Just give me Vivi back, and he is yours.”

“Love?” Sif asked, her lips twisted into a cruel smile.

“I’m sorry I got in between you two. It won’t happen again. Just give me Vivi back!” I begged, meaning every word.

I liked Rune a lot. But if I had to give him up to save Vivi, I wouldn’t even hesitate.

“Love?” Sif laughed. “You think this is about love? Love is a lie girls are groomed to accept as truth so we will let men fuck us when we are older because they ‘love’ us. I don’t even like Rune. Never did.”

She stepped forward again. I stepped back, almost tripping over a crumbling cinder block.

“Then why?”

“Rune is a spoiled inconsiderate jackass who’s thinly veiled misogyny is as tedious as his savior complex. He has to be in control of every single situation, and he is a selfish lover.”

That was not my experience at all, but okay.

“I actually hate being around him lately, but I dealt with it for years, and I will continue to do so for the love of my people.”

“What does that even mean?” I asked to keep her going.

“Tying myself to Rune meansIwill be the queen Hell needs, the queen it deserves. What kind of queen wouldyoube?” Sif spat.

“I never even thought about it,” I answered honestly. It hadn’t even occurred to me that if Rune and I got serious, then I would be on a throne.

“Of course you didn’t. Because you’re not made for that role. You are not strong enough.Iam.”

Sif continued to stalk towards me. I angled my back, forcing us to head to the flat clearing at the bottom of the rows of chairs. I didn’t know if having the high ground in hand-to-hand combat was important or not, but just in case, I didn’t want to give Sif another advantage.

Her words grated against my skin like sandpaper. I needed to keep her talking even though my fingers curled into fists, wanting to hit her in the face for talking about Rune like that. How could she treat this man like a means to an end, like he wasn’t also a person who deserved respect and love? He was more than his crown, and he was anything but a selfish lover. I had to bite my tongue to keep my mouth shut.

“I could lead my people. I would restore the Folkvang to its former glory. See that every man and woman earned a fair wage. I would make sure that no more children starved to death in the streets. Each child would be fed, clothed, and educated. Butyou… You wouldn’t know shit about that. Would you? How can you lead a people you don’t know?”

I tried to say something to intervene somehow, but she kept talking over me. Which was for the best. I was almost at the base of the stairs. Hopefully Rune would be here soon.

“What kind of queen wouldyoumake? I know exactly what you’d be. The empty-headed bimbo whose only mission in life was to look pretty and sit on his cock. That is all women like you are. Pretty little cock warmers. Which is fine until you start thinking you can be more.” She jumped off the last stair and moved so she was now the one controlling the pace and direction of our steps. “And, Tori, you will always be just a pretty cock warmer. Rune’s mother is already filling the position of disappointing whore.”

My jaw clenched. My neck and cheeks heated in anger. I wanted to go off on this bitch, but I couldn't. She would easily kill me, and then who knows what she would do to Vivi? I took a deep breath in through my nose and out through my mouth before I answered her.

“You’re right that I don’t know shit about Hell, or its people and culture. I don’t want to be queen. I just wanted to explore the chemistry between Rune and me. It was a mistake. Just give me my sister back, and I’ll leave. We’ll leave the compound. I won’t even go back to get my stuff. You’ll never see me again. I’ll be gone, and you can have him back. Not only Rune, but everything that comes with him.”

Sif cocked her head to the side. “I believe you,” she said after a moment. “But it’s just not that simple anymore.”

“What do you mean? Itcanbe that simple,” I pleaded. “You said you want to protect the children of Hell. How can you say that when you just kidnapped and beat an innocent child?”

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