AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We slip out the gates to the sound of Crion Cyrun’s howling cries of agony.
♦♦♦
Though the weather cooperates, it’s a miserable journey. Rina continues to give me the cold shoulder for unknown reasons, chatting amiably with my men, while pointedly ignoring me. Combined with the gruesome morning and the exhaustion of the past days, it feels like being swallowed by darkness when all I wanted was to bask in her light.
By the time we arrive at the cabins on the southern shores of Lake Nadore, I want her out of my sight. But the thought of sending her away to spend more time with DionfuckingKersh turns my stomach worse than the memory of the rolling heads.
I dismount in front of the cabin that my grandfather had built. “Get the horses put away,” I snarl as I reach up and pull Rina off her horse without any warning.
“Hey!” She grabs onto my shoulders to steady herself.
Once she’s on the ground, she attempts to move away but I hold on to her. “Make sure we’re not disturbed for the rest of the night.”
“Of course, Deve,” Baylor says, leading the horses away with Kersh.
“Would you let go of me?” Rina grouses, trying to shake me off.
Ignoring her, I dip down and yank her over my shoulder.
“Luka! Luka, put me down! Right this instant, you will put me down.”
Every step I ascend to the cabin’s porch sees her protests get louder. I push the door open and get hit with the musty smell of disuse. As I open the shutters on the two windows to let light and air in, she continues to rant and squirm.
“Luka! So help me, I will . . .” the rest gets muffled in the back of my travel cloak.
Tired of her screeching, I flip her back over onto her feet and she promptly starts to topple over. Batting away my attempts to keep her upright, she staggers back, awkwardly swiping at the hair in her face.
“You think this is funny?” she fumes.
My grin dims. “Actually, no. I’m so . . .” Somehow I reel in the more offensive words that come to mind. “Sodispleasedwith you.”
“Displeased? You’re displeased? With me?”
Her outrage clashes with mine, and to stop myself from ringing her small, feminine neck, I swing around to the hearth. Busy hands commit no murder.
“Don’t keep me in suspense,my deve.Do tell. Why, exactly, areyoudispleased withme?”I hear her angry steps coming closer on the wooden planks of the floor.
“You will address me with respect, princess.” I’m practically growling now as I chuck kindling onto the grate.
“Or what? You’ll chop my head off?”
Pushing to my feet, I whirl on her. “What?!”
She doesn’t heed the warning in my tone. “You heard me. Am I next on your list?”
Rage and indignation burn through me like wildfire.What ridiculous bullshit is this?Her head tilts back as I step right up to her. “How dare you even suggest such a thing to me?”
An icy smile forms on her lips. “How dare I? How dare you?! You’re gone for nine days, then are home for two more, and you don’t have a single word for me. Not a single word! You just leave me to imagine the worst.”
If her small balled up fists are anything to go by, she’s livid.
“Guess what, Luka?The worstis pretty horrible. Especially when I’m given a front row seat to the severing of heads.”
I have to unclench my jaw before I can speak. “You should know better. I would nev–”
“How would I know that?! You don’t tell meanything!”She spins on her heel and starts pacing. “I thought you had decided what to do with me. And it had to be bad news if you wouldn’t talk to me.”
She looks a bit nauseated and it only serves to further fuel my disgust. “Oh, really?” I drawl. “And you thought your fate would involve a pole axe? You’re so full of bullshit.”
