A smile curls his lips as he holds his sword out in front of him. “Come to dance, little sprite?”
He squats down low, preparing to be lifted off of his feet, but in a surprising move, Mina doesn’t lift him. She walks around him, surveying him like an exhibit at the zoo. Round and round they circle each other. A dance.
“Tell me, berserker did you kill many men before your life here?” Her voice is soft, lovely even despite the question.
“I did.” His expression doesn’t change either from her question or his answer.
Mina stops, a hand on her hip as she continues to stare at him. “And do you regret them?”
Her question brings him up short and he halts. My hands grip the edge of the table, keeping me upright as I wait to hear his answer, trying to figure out where Mina is leading this conversation.
“Not at the moment, sprite.” He practically purrs the answer.
She smiles broadly, yanking him off his feet, and throwing him across the training grounds. His massive body crashes through the fence. Wood splinters and collapses under the impact and he lands in a thunderous heap.
“Holy gods,” I whisper, covering my mouth with my hand. She’s gotten stronger and her stamina has vastly improved.
Harald rolls to his side, propping himself up on his elbow, to look at her. There’s no fury or even embarrassment in his eyes. Just pleasure. A broad, eye-crinkling smile stretches across his face and he laughs, loudly, clutching his stomach.
Mina saunters towards him and stretches out a hand to pull him up.
“Come on, you big berserker. I’ll manhandle you some more.”
He lets her pull him to his feet and drapes a massive arm over her shoulder. His hands are the size of dinner plates.
“You’re the only woman besides Freya who’s ever knocked me off my feet.” There’s a gleam in his eyes that doesn’t look purely maniacal as he gazes down at her. “I think I’ll keep you.”
A light, breathy laugh springs from her. “You can try.”
Luna scoffs next to me. The sound reminds me of her presence. “I didn’t see that coming.” Sarcasm drips from her words.
“I hope it stays fun.” I grimace. Luna glances sidelong at me. “She’s had a hard enough life. She doesn’t need to suffer anymore,” I whisper, knowing it’s not something Mina would like everyone to overhear.
Luna’s eyes blaze with violence. “A man?”
“Her parents.”
Lachlan calls my name, holding a bow out in front of him. “Enough rest. Let’s go!”
Shoving off the table, I look at Luna once more. “Not a word.”
Her attention drifts from me to Mina before she walks back towards Mina and Harald. “Never.”
We’re halfwayup the cobblestone path to the Great Hall when realization slams into me, and I halt.
It’s silent, not a chattering bird or a rustling breeze through the field of poppies.
Something is wrong.Lachlan stops along with me, the others almost slamming into us.
“What’s going on?” Minaasks.
“It’s…wrong,” I reply.
My eyes scan our surroundings. Nothing is out of place, but I can’t shake the feeling that something bad is about to happen. A memory dances in my mind. The day Julius and Odessa tried to kill me.
“I see nothing,” Lachlan replies, his eyes on me as he tilts his head to the side.
“Come on!” I tug his hand, pulling him behind me as I jog into the Great Hall.
