Page 10 of The Stolen Bride (Kings of Fury #2)

Chapter

Ten

Lights, Camera, Berserker! Surviving Movie Night

–HOW TO TRAIN YOUR BERSERKER

By Elizabeth “Elle” Darcy-Bruce

T he short winter day passed with no visit from the berserkers or the turul-shifters. No food or water, either, though I’d been able to drag a discarded fur over by using my feet. The original wearer no longer needed it.

Despite being forced to remain in a sitting position, hugging a tree trunk, I kept my wits honed. Even as the acrid smell of death worsened and flies and scavengers descended, feasting upon the carnage. Thankfully, I was ignored in favor of the seemingly never-ending buffet.

No matter what, I—refused—to—cry. Deep down, in a hidden part of me, I maintained hope, expecting Viktor to overcome the poison, spank his men for daring to endanger the life he’d nearly died protecting, then rush to my rescue. A prospect as wondrous as it was frustrating. I didn’t like needing another person for anything, especially considering a good number of weapons waited only a short distance away, there for the taking.

But dang it, if I had to choose between Viktor’s survival and a trip home, give me King Vik. Forget overdue bills and constant internal tension. Return my grumpy, surly berserker. The guy wasn’t terrible. On the contrary. He’d saved my life at the risk of his own. And he gave good cuddle. The best. But also, he’d willingly placed himself and his best soldiers in danger to save my sister. From the beginning, I hadn’t had to fight for calm; it was just there. Because of him. I’d gotten to (mostly) relax and be myself, and he’d seemed to like me anyway.

If my reoccurring dream was a prediction, as I’d begun to suspect, he would survive.

Hope spread, and I clung to it with every bit of my strength. Please be a prediction . I just had to get to him. I was the guy’s firebrand, after all. An important position. The most important. Surely there was something I could do to save him. What was a lethal toxin compared to a determined woman?

Okay, so, I might have sniffled. But sniffling wasn’t crying! And, yes, my chin trembled. But no tears streaked down my cheeks. Not more than one. Possibly a couple dozen. Already cracked bottles vibrated.

I racked my brain for any tidbits about healing I might’ve read in my study of berserkers. Any story my mom may have told me that I’d forgotten. But answers never came, and hopelessness attempted to murder the hope.

A hoarse, broken roar pierced the air, and I jolted. Viktor! He still lived! An answering whimper rose from deep within me. “Keep fighting, Vik,” I shouted. He could overcome this. He would! He must. In fact, any moment, someone would remember some obscure cure and release victory cheers.

Awful, terrible silence stretched, and my shoulders rolled in.

When night fell, great darkness cloaked the land. Birds erupted into songs better suited for a horror movie soundtrack. The temperature dropped, the chill drilling into my bones. My teeth chattered. I shifted, using the tree to my advantage, blocking a gust of wind scented with death. Bending my head, I rested my brow against bark. The jagged edges cut into my skin, but I didn’t care.

Come on, Viktor. Pull through before it’s too late .

Morning arrived with muted rays of light filtering through the canopy of bare tree limbs overhead. I was just about to shout and beg for an update when twigs snapped, signaling the approach of someone—or something. I braced, ready to kick as if my life depended on it. And it just might.

Bodi broke through a wall of branches, his expression grim.

“No!” I bellowed, violently shaking my head. “You didn’t. You wouldn’t.”

“No, not yet,” the warrior grated, unleashing great tides of relief inside me. The prince freed me from my prison, but not my cuffs. He jerked me to my feet, and my knees nearly buckled.

Somehow, I remained upright despite a barrage of aches and pangs as he dragged me through the woods. “What happened?” Did Viktor wake up and demand my presence? Had the prince changed his mind about ending my life? I bit my tongue. Or was I soon to die?

Up ahead, a turul-shifter landed on a branch and squawked, startling me. “Prince Bodi,” he called. “Deco’s offer is still good.”

Bodi stiffened, still saying nothing. We passed the shifter without incident.

“Let’s kill him while we’ve got the chance,” I encouraged, looking over my shoulder, but our foe was already gone. Dang it. The more shifters we eliminated, the less danger that surrounded Viktor. “What offer did Deco make you?”

“That’s not your concern. Viktor is. He hasn’t been the best king for centuries. He threatens us daily, erupts often, and tends to choose punishment over mercy. But his people remain loyal because we remember the ruler he used to be–who he was becoming again with your arrival.”

Pain, fury and resolve drenched his words.

“He sought only to make our lives better,” he continued. “And he was unbeatable in battle. A brilliant strategist. Innovative. Discerning. Our kingdom prospered like no other. And you took that possibility from us.”

He didn’t give me a chance to defend myself as we entered a small, hastily assembled shelter, most likely chosen for its southern border of evergreens that provided refuge from the biting wind. Snow had been shoveled to the side, revealing a cold, hard patch of ground and a makeshift pit where a fire blazed.

The remaining elite soldiers formed a protective barrier around the enclosure. Actually, additional soldiers were here. They stretched from the large boulder on one side to the fallen branches stacked high on the other, the different sections acting as walls. Each man stared at me, as grim-faced as his prince. None of them spoke, but neither did I.

Dead leaves and feathers created a bed near the fire where Viktor rested. He’d been cleaned of all battle gore. He slept shirtless, his lower half covered by my coat.

His expression remained blank, utterly devoid of emotion, humanity… life. My heart and stomach traded places. How still he lay, barely even breathing.

I took a step toward him, but movement drew my gaze to the boulder. What in the world? I pivoted, examining the shocking display. The smooth surface of the rock acted as a projector screen, a scene playing on repeat.

Vignettes of the last few weeks rolled before my eyes. It was like watching a movie based on my past, from the viewpoint of another.

My head spun. This was what played on a loop inside Viktor’s mind as he slowly wasted away? I watched, transfixed, as he eased beside my sleeping form. I laid upon the pallet of furs in his original tent, wearing my tank and shorts, with my face turned toward him. He reached out to smooth locks of escaped hair from my face with utter reverence, as if he handled something precious.

Our first night together.

I tried to breathe as movie Viktor glided his fingers along my braid. As soon as he finished, he traced the shell of my ear and the shape of my lips, and smiled with pure delight.

My heart pounded in my ears. I yearned to see more of this big, bad berserker being his most gentle, with tenderness and awe stamped into his usually harsh features, but the scene morphed. He now stood with Bodi, the two males face to face. Viktor’s lips moved, but I heard no words. Though I did sense the tension between them and the urgency in Viktor’s body language.

“Before he broke into a rage after your arrival,” Bodi said, “he made me swear to look after you if anything happened to him.”

One of my hands floated to my racing pulse. “Is that why I’m here now?”

“Nem.”

On the “film” broadcasted to the boulder, the prince spoke next, and his words, whatever they were, infuriated his king.

“I reminded him of your untrustworthiness,” Bodi explained in real life. “Attempted to reason with him about how to handle you. Keep you chained and contained until we’d investigated any ties to Deco. You saw the result of that conversation.”

Seriously? Viktor had gone into a rage over the mere thought of my discomfort?

Longing filled me. We must save him.

“These two memories play on repeat,” Bodi grated. “I believe he is aware of what is happening around him and hopes to remind me of your…importance to him. Since you bring him comfort, for whatever reason, I will allow you to stay with him until the end.”

His voice provided a masterclass on fatigue and sadness, and I realized Bodi’s hostility toward me originated from a place of deep concern for his king. Some of my hostility toward him evaporated.

“Give him whatever he needs,” he added, dour.

Little ole me, important to someone as powerful as Viktor. Did wonders never cease? I mean, yes, I’d recognized my importance to him. But this went beyond that. I wasn’t just a desire but a necessity.

I wanted to be flip with the prince, to guard my wounded heart against feelings even now threatening to bud, but I was too humbled to try. “I think we all know I’m his firebrand, and he would greatly protest these bonds.” I extended my cuffed hands in Bodi’s direction.

His internal agitation glittered in his eyes. “Harm him at your peril. That hasn’t changed. And I swear to you now, his hurt will be a mirror of yours.” Promise issued, the prince unwound the metal from my wrists and stalked out. The others followed.

My heart raced as I rubbed my chafed skin. Rather than stew over the motionless man in need of a miracle, I took a moment to view the newest scene to play over the walls. In it, I sat on the fur pallet in his tent, looking him over as he paced. I leered at him, really.

A stinging burn uncoiled in my cheeks. He’d noticed me noticing him, but I hadn’t realized it at the time. I’d been too wrapped up in his smoking hotness.

“That’s what you’re thinking about right now?” I asked and stretched out beside him. “What message are you attempting to convey, hmm?”

His heat enveloped me, and oooh, it was tinged with his decadent scent. I moaned as I wrapped myself around him and snuggled closer.

“Wake up and tell me what you want me to know,” I urged. “You can be saved; I know you can. All you must do is pull yourself out of your thoughts.”

Right? What had Bodi told me? The victims of vargbane root became trapped inside their heads, Sleeping Beauty style. So. What if I gave Viktor a reason to wake?

I rested my palm on his chest, just over his heart. The organ beat hard and sure, emboldening my theory. This king had a bunch more living to do. He would fight. Now, to offer him the perfect reward…

A chance to explain his vision wasn’t the golden ticket. What about a threat of punishment? It wasn’t a reward, but it might be an incentive. If nothing else, it was familiar to him. “You wake up right now, Viktor Endris. I mean it. Wake up or face severe consequences.”

A minute ticked past with no reaction. No matter. Onward and upward.

Threats of harm, perhaps? Surely he’d be eager to protect himself. “I’m sure there’s a weapon around here somewhere, and I’m not afraid to use it.”

Again, nothing.

I pondered my options, stroking my nails through the smattering of hair on Viktor’s chest, and gazed about. Oh! The violin.

“I owe you songs. If you’d like to pretend you want me to stop, as you’ve done after every concert, you’ll have to wake up and make me.” Abandoning my place of comfort, a truly difficult task, I gathered the instrument. After settling into a comfortable position, I closed my eyes and played. And played.

I cracked open one eye. The images on the walls had stilled and dulled, as if his mind had settled. An improvement. Excellent. I played some more.

When my arms tired, I let the last note taper to quiet. The scenes on the wall instantly brightened and activated once again. I sighed.

“I’m going to tell you a childhood memory.” He liked history, so he might like learning more about me. “You’ll wake up, and I’ll tell you another.” I returned to his side, snuggling closer than before. “See, one day on my walk to school I found an injured chocolate lab. I was only eleven, but I rallied the strength to carry him home. Which should have clued me in that I wasn’t fully human, now that I think about it, but I digress. I named him Silly Goose. My dad drove us to the vet. Once Goose was given a clean bill of health, I convinced my parents to let me keep him. Goose loved and protected me from that moment on.”

Man, I missed my precious Goose.

“If you want to hear about my first date, you gotta wake up,” I told Viktor.

Nothing.

Okay, new, new route. “You still have questions in your queue. Do you really want to die with them trapped in your heart?” Nothing. “What if I give you unlimited questions? But only if you wake up right…this…second.”

One terse minute ticked into another. Nothing.

Frustration brewed. “You can’t die. Your cherished firebrand needs your help,” I reminded him, rising to my elbow. I peered down at his beautiful face, my chest squeezing. His expression never altered. “Your men need you, too. Don’t leave them stuck under Bodi’s command. He’s a tool.”

Parts of me longed to spew out a litany of complaints about the prince and his treatment of me. But I didn’t. Because Viktor was gonna wake up, and I had no desire to taint their friendship.

Look at me being the bigger person. I was pretty amazing.

Still nothing, and my shoulders sagged.

Since Viktor had caressed me while I slumbered, I didn’t bother tamping down the urge to do the same. I combed my fingers through his silken white hair, loving the contrast between the colorless strands and my warmer flesh tone.

“If you die, I’ll turn myself over to Deco,” I warned. “He’ll definitely murder me, but I’ll still do it. Unless you’re here to stop me. Stop me, Viktor. Please!”

The threat to me, his firebrand, garnered no bodily reaction, either, but the images on the rock came faster. New ones. Viktor carrying me in the forest the first day we met then later spotting me up in the tree. Next came an explicit image of vision Viktor pinning me against a wall and kissing the air from my lungs. My brows knit together even as my heartbeat sped up. This hadn’t happened. Wait. Had he imagined doing it?

Well, well, well. “Forget the murder thing. Deco and I will probably fall madly in love. I mean, why wouldn’t we? My life is basically a romance novel. And you’ve seen him, right? That face. It rivals yours. And those abs. Mmm, mmm, mmm. The claws and wings! Delicious. Talk about masculine perfection. He’s not really a villain, I bet. He’s just misunderstood. A royal with an ooey gooey center hiding inside his clay heart. Unless I’m wrong. But if so, you’ll have to correct me out loud with words.”

Viktor’s finger twitched at my side, and I gasped. Ding, ding, ding. We had a winner. Jealousy. Although…

I licked my lips, an idea percolating. I would probably bite off more than I could chew if I followed through, but I had to try, right? Anything to save my ki— the king and my sister.

Tracing a heart on Viktor’s pec, I purred, “Maybe I’ll fall for you instead. I know I promised not to, but you’re the sublimely sexy king who gets the cutest gold rings in his eyes when he’s miffed. By the way, my turn ons are immortals who wake up from drugged sleeps, rescuing damsels in distress together, and food of any kind. Especially chocolate chip cookies. And carrot cake with double cream cheese frosting. And chi tea lattes with extra chi. Oh, what I wouldn’t give for a dozen cupcakes right now. I went all night without even the tiniest snack.”

Focus . Right. “But I digress. We should go on a date, Tor. No, you know what? I’m calling you pudding pop. Or honey bear. Or Sergeant Fox. The only way to stop me from doing this is to wake up .”

His finger twisted again, harder, and excitement whisked through me. This was working!

“Wake up,” I pleaded, stroking his cheek. “Please, pudding pop. Do it for me, your precious sugar cookie. We should discuss our date.”

Muscles bunched beneath me. His breathing came faster. Faster still.

My excitement doubled. Tripled! Was it truly happening? Was he awakening?

“Come on, come on. Wake up, and I might ask you for that kiss. A guaranteed five-star experience…if you’re using a ten-star scale. But that’s only because I’ve never kissed you . You can teach me how to do better. Wouldn’t you like that? An opportunity to show me what I’m doing wrong. To give me hands-on tutelage in the art of pleasing you.”

His back bowed, and he roared. I jerked upright, unsure whether this was a fit of pain or the moment I’d been fighting for. Please, please, please .

He sagged against the blanket, just as still as before. The images projected on the boulder faded to nothing, and I whimpered. Had I killed him?

Seconds ticked by as I wrung my hands. “Viktor?”

His eyelids popped open. He turned his head and met my gaze dead-on. “Don’t you mean pudding pop?”

Relief flooded me in an instant, drowning my good sense. With tears welling in my eyes, I threw myself upon him, slinging my arms around his powerful body. “You woke up! You’re alive!”

He rolled me to my back, pinning me to the blanket with his weight. Air hitched in my lungs when our gazes locked. Flecks of gold glowed in his green irises.

“You owe me a date and a kiss. Now give me what I’m due.”