Page 13 of Soul of Fire

Chapter four

Eisa

“Thisway,”theking’ssteward said, voice clipped. His sneering smile made Idunn growl deep in my chest. “The king has assigned you chambers in the keep.”

The steward’s torchlight wavered as we climbed the narrow stairs, the sounds of voices and renewed merriment in the Great Hall fading below. The stone seemed to swallow noise, muffling the scuff of the guards’ boots as they trailed behind us to the second floor.

Arik’s hand was cold in mine, and I prodded his end of our mental bridge.Are you alright?

His fist tightened as his thumb stroked the back of my hand.I should be asking you that.

Me?

You just got engaged without your consent.

I almost stumbled a step, and Arik steadied me with a firm hand around my waist. His voice was amused as it echoed in my mind.That bad, is it?

No.It wasn’t bad. In fact, the idea made my heart thump erratically, which was completely irrational. We were already mated. A handfasting meant nothing at this point.

You can say no, Kjære. It changes nothing. It will not change how I feel about you.

And how is that?

I looked up into his grey eyes, which flashed to molten silver slits. His lip twitched with a barely-perceptible smile.Do you really not know?

A flood of something warm and bright washed over me. I felt it shivering down my spine and heating my core.

Beside me, Branka pointedly cleared her throat as her eyes narrowed between us, and I felt my cheeks heat.I don’t want to say no.

His hand squeezed mine, his voice a purr in my mind.Good.

The word made my stomach flip wildly as we emerged into a broad upper hall, and the steward unlocked a wooden door.

He led us into an elegantly appointed sitting room where a fire already burned low. A long table stood to one side, bare save for a pitcher of wine and several sparkling glasses. Tapestries dulled the chill of the stone walls, and two intricately carved wooden doors opened off the chamber, one on either side of the small room.

The guards behind us stepped forward, two remaining on the stairs behind Branka and Jorgen as two more took up positions by the windows, their gazes fixed on nothing as they tried to blend in with the wooden furniture.

The steward cleared his throat. “His Majesty extends the courtesy of private chambers,” he said, eyes flicking toward me with obvious distaste. “The ladies will be here.”

“The ladies?” Branka asked, her brow furrowed as she glanced at her mate.

The steward looked even less inclined to speak to my friend, and he sighed deeply as he inclined his head. “Of course. The gentlemen have separate sleeping arrangements down the hall. If you’ll follow—“

“Abso-fucking-lutely not.” Jorgen stepped forward, his hand protectively on Branka’s back. “I’d like to see you try to separate us.”

The steward blanched at Jorgen’s fierce glower and turned beseechingly to Arik. “Your Highness—“

“No.” The word landed with enough authority that I didn’t even register the jarring effect of Arik’s title. My mate turned, his silver-ringed eyes glinting dangerously in the firelight. “We are mated.”

“A distinction His Majesty does not recognize,” the steward replied, thin-lipped as he stumbled over the words. “And, as you are not wed—“

A lowsound rippled from Arik’s chest. He released my hand and stepped closer to the steward, close enough that the old man had to tilt his head back to meet his gaze. “Yet.”

The steward audibly swallowed, and I hid my smile as my ridiculous heart did a little flop in my chest. “As you are not wedyet,it would be improper for—“

“Our bonds are more ancient than your king’s crown.” Arik let Baldur shine through his eyes with just enough threat to make the steward whimper. The guards around us shifted uneasily. “And it will take more than a mortal king to separate me from my mate.”

The steward swallowed, his voice dropping to a desperate whisper. “The king’s instructions were explicit.”