Page 15 of The Stolen Bride (Kings of Fury #2)

Chapter

Fifteen

Finding Your Cinderella Moment When Every Dance is a Killer Tango

–HOW TO TRAIN YOUR BERSERKER

By Elizabeth “Elle” Darcy-Bruce

I knelt beside the still sleeping Viktor, a sultry softness invading places inside me no other person had ever reached. I understood the King of Turuls so much better now. His unraveling. How he’d grown feral to separate himself from the pain of his friend’s loss. The guilt of accidentally killing the other man’s beloved. Depending on the powerful Valkara to help him. No doubt believing he didn’t deserve a happily ever after of his own.

I traced my fingers along the line of his strong jaw. Brighter flashes peppered the walls, as if my action inspired a new line of thought. A different scene danced there, the edges tattered as if it had been dragged through a briar patch. I saw an untamed forest, the ground carpeted by tangled roots, moss, and fallen leaves. An unnatural light shrouded a grove the size of a football field, pulsing with colors.

A massive stone occupied the center, letters of an ancient language carved into the sides. Atop it balanced a spherical object that radiated an otherworldly energy I could almost feel. The outer shell glimmered with a mother-of-pearl exterior, with deep cracks stretching from top to bottom, dividing the object into ten distinct sections. Each glowed with a unique hue.

This must be the Starfire of legend. Which meant what I was viewing happened over a thousand years past. Lifetimes ago.

Viktor’s legacy.

My own.

I began to shake. A crowd encircled the stone, a varied group from every walk of life. Nobles, soldiers, peasants and everything in between. Mostly men with a handful of women woven in here and there. Viktor stood near the front.

In the sky, dark swirling clouds gathered above their heads. No one seemed to notice, yet tensions mounted. Wind whipped through the grove, scattering leaves and debris. Rain started to fall, soon pelting them. Still, the crowd inched closer to the Starfire, utterly transfixed.

Through the memory, I experienced the almost irresistible force luring everyone forward, hoping to touch the stone. In real time, my own hand lifted.

A bright flash of lightning raced across the scene, temporarily blinding me. Did the lightning come from the sky or the Starfire? With it came a surge of primal rage. Wave after wave of aggression. Unimaginable fury. Despite the lack of audio playback, I heard the curses bellowing between spectators as their bodies convulsed and their eyes flashed with neon rings. Viktor’s gold. Another’s green. His red. Hers blue. Purple. Blue. Shades in between, all the colors found on the Starfire.

I suspected what came next and shuddered. A red haze that fine-tuned the senses. An ice-cold force that took over and blotted everything else out. The need to cause death.

Except, the scene blurred and faded as war erupted, as if Viktor couldn’t remember the slaughter. Or hated facing the moment he first broke.

No other scene took its place. Maybe that was a good thing. As much as I wished to learn more, I knew we couldn’t stay here forever. Deco still prowled just out of reach, seeking my death as his vengeance. He’d probably sent a new group of shifters to hunt me. Plus, my mission hadn’t changed. I must rescue my sister as quickly as possible, which meant I needed a plan. And my partner.

I returned my gaze to Viktor. Hazy light from the crackling fire bathed him. Yet again, he appeared almost boyish, with his hair spilled beneath him, his features relaxed, his lips soft. Mostly, he struck me as beautiful. A complicated commander with a fierce spirit, a brusque manner, and a downright sizzling vibe.

Gently patting his cheek, I said, “Snarls. Tor. Baby. Vik. Pudding pop.” I should give him a better nickname. Something as good as Love. Err Lovie.

No reaction.

Should I offer another kiss? A sure-fire guarantee he’d wake up.

No, no more promised kisses. Only spontaneous ones. But not right now, when I desperately required a bath, a toothbrush and industrial strength toothpaste. But yes, I craved another kiss. The guy revved my motor, and I could deny it no more. Since Benjamin’s betrayal, I’d been relationship shy, but looking back, I understood my former fiancé did me a huge favor by leaving me for Kami. Our marriage would’ve crumbled at some point. I would’ve remained on edge, and he would’ve continued to be blamey, nothing ever his fault, always mine. Honestly, he had demanded too much while giving too little.

Viktor gave as much as he took and then some, and he didn’t nitpick the small stuff. I didn’t feel as if I walked on eggshells around him.

On the surface, however, he seemed to share Benjamin’s worse trait: a desire for another woman. But Viktor didn’t really want Valkara. I knew he didn’t. He just wasn’t aware of it yet.

“Wake up because I said so,” I told him, continuing to pet his face. “I’m hungry.” The words slipped out without thought, and I realized they were true. “I’m famished, actually. Ravenous. Do you know what I crave more than anything?”

He jolted with a roar, his eyes popping open.

Grinning from ear to ear, I pumped my fist toward the caved-in ceiling. “I did it! I woke you without making promises. I’m a miracle worker!”

“What do you crave?” he asked, perfectly at ease, as if we’d been in the middle of a conversation. His gaze slid over me as he grazed the pad of his thumb along the pulse in my throat, igniting flutters in my belly. “Is it me? It’s me, isn’t it?”

I marveled at the sight of him. He was just so relaxed. So sane. No hint of feralness. No trace of any kind of upset. This was a side of Viktor I had only experienced in glimpses.

“Maybe, baby,” I replied. “Oops. I’m not supposed to call you baby. ”

His eyes crinkled at the corners. “I protested the endearment only because I liked it so much.”

“If that’s true, you like a lot of things too much,” I retorted with a tone as dry as the desert.

A slow lifting of his lips suggested he might be about to smile… My chest clenched and my breath hitched. Yes! He did. He smiled, and it lit his entire face.

“What’s even happening right now?” I gasped out.

I remained dazed as he brought my hand to that indulgent smile and kissed my knuckles. “I’m embracing my good mood. You are my firebrand. The best firebrand in the history of firebrands. Am I saying firebrand too much? You are immortal, beautiful, and scary fierce. And my firebrand. You will not die, so I won’t lose you and become a shifter. Firebrand.”

I detected a note of superiority in his expression, as if he truly believed his words. “So you accept it now? You’re done fighting my importance to you?”

“Ja. I do. I am.” In his sprawled position, the Hungarian berserker king was relaxation itself, and oh, it looked amazing on him. His eyes did that hooded thing, and when he ran his bottom lip between his teeth… hello, romance novel hero!

This seemed almost too good to be true. There had to be a catch. “You telling me you won’t heed the Valkara’s warning to kill me before I supposedly kill you?” Which I could maybe, kinda, sorta do now. I’d raged out. Shredded powerful shifters with abandon. Although, I felt no different today. Didn’t feel any kind of beast, griffin or otherwise, prowling around inside my head.

His smile dimmed, and I nearly whimpered, already mourning its loss. “She made a mistake. That’s the only explanation. You won’t harm me. I’m the only one able to calm you from your rage.” His statement filled the airwaves, echoing within my mind. “You will never betray me. Never wish to leave me.” His confidence intensified with each new sentence. “Not just for the greater good, but for me specifically.”

Oh, no, no, no. We weren’t going there. He had a firebrand, but I did not. Nope. Not me. “I was surprised to see you, is all. It startled me from my anger.”

“Try again. Sentinels in a rage-trance do not get startled. They don’t feel a thing.”

Stubbornness kicked in. I opened my mouth to deliver a very reasonable explanation for the incident, but came up blank. I went with the ridiculous instead. “Well, for all we know, I’m the most powerful berserkatrix in the history of ever.” And with that, how could I not fully accept what I was? An immortal-ish warrior, capable of unleashing untold fury upon my enemies–and others, if I wasn’t careful.

Although Viktor could certainly hold his own. A fact that thrilled me. “We should go. Deco might send a new hunting party after us.” Surely the shifter king had learned of Viktor’s recovery by now.

“Ja, we will go. Now that you’re able to heal, we’ll risk the traps and air strikes and head to the turul fortress to finish this war.” Viktor kissed my brow, shocking me. He stood and helped me to my feet. “There’s a hot spring nearby, and it’s on our way.”

I clasped his hand, and all but dragged him toward the building’s exit. “How far is the spring?”

“Just over the ridge.”

So close! We walked outside, entering the wintry, gray terrain, and I shivered .

“You have questions about the memories you viewed, I’m sure,” Viktor said.

So many. “Let’s start with the woman.”

“Very well. I will preface this by saying I dislike discussing it. But you are…you. So I will.” He didn’t give me a second to process his amazing words before rolling full steam ahead. “That was Deco’s wife, Lena, from once upon a time.” He grimaced slightly. “The three of us grew up together in Deco’s palace. Before her romantic relationship with Deco began, she and I shared a dalliance. But when I confessed my love, she did not return the sentiment.”

Ouch. Rejection hurt, no matter which way you sliced it. “Please. Go on.”

He shoved a branch out of our path. “She didn’t want Viktor, the bastard child of a courtesan, but Deco, the king, and she won him. They married before he turned sentinel, and he loved her dearly.”

Viktor’s resentment over his human lineage rang loud and clear. “Who we are born to physically doesn’t make us what we are.” Keeping pace beside him, I reached out to tap his chest. “It is what’s in here that counts. And besides, your mother lived in a time when women had few options. It sounds like she did everything she could to ensure you not only survived but thrived.”

He swallowed. Then swallowed again. “You defend my character. And hers. That isn’t something anyone has done since...”

His words trailed, but I knew what he’d almost said. No one had defended him since Deco, all those centuries ago. Perhaps no one but Viktor himself had ever justified his mother’s actions. He’d lost so much, and now, the bulk of his pain revolved around what happened to Lena.

“Until becoming a sentinel king, I hadn’t realized Lena cared only about power and status. When I seized my crown, Deco served as my second. Jealousy ate at them both.”

The pain in Viktor’s voice tore at my soul. “My ex was that kind of guy. Jealous of anyone with more than him.”

“I will kill him for you. I’ll make it as painful as you wish.” His childlike eagerness to please struck a chord in me. “Nem. Allow me to rephrase. I’ll make it as painful as I wish.”

“That’s so kind of you. Truly. But he’s irrelevant. I’m more interested in you.” Heat scorched my cheeks. “I mean, your past. And Tor, if it makes you feel any better, Lena and Deco were miserable the entire time they were hating on you. No one can be happy with that kind of mindset.”

He thought for a moment, nodded. “Lena’s envy fed Deco’s. Days and weeks and months of whispering in his ear, vilifying me at every turn. When she struck, we’d never been so divided.”

Once two best friends, closer than brothers, suddenly enemies on opposite sides of a war. “Tell me what happened next.” Oh, I remembered Vik’s vargbane root induced dream, but I had no idea what led up to Deco storming Viktor’s way. The pair shouting, swiping and snarling at each other in a wild frenzy.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Lena lured me into a private area off the ballroom and admitted she loved me. She claimed she had always loved me, but had feared angering Deco and sentencing me to death. If I would slay him, we could be together. I rebuked her and told her I would end her if ever she threatened his life again. That I would watch her closely and if I suspected she so much as pondered Deco’s demise, I would take action against her. She said I didn’t know what I was missing and started stripping.”

“Oh, Viktor. That’s awful.”

“Ja.” His lips compressed in a grim line. “She knew what I didn’t. Deco hunted for me, intending to challenge me. She’d finally convinced him to try. He came upon us while I attempted to stop her seduction, which ensured he raged. You saw what happened afterward. But I’ve never ceased hoping…”

I could guess. “You think Deco and the others can be saved, though it’s never been done.” That was why he hadn't attacked the shifters unless they’d attacked us first. He couldn’t save them if they were dead.

“I know they can be recovered. I only need my key. The Valkara told me ten keys arrived at the same time as the Starfire, landing in different parts of the world. Each of the original kings were to find ours and return them to her. I found mine, only to lose it. As soon as I discover it again, she can use it to revert turul-shifters to their natural state.”

Well. No wonder he was so determined to have that key in his possession. And yet, something prodded at me, ringing an internal alarm. “I don’t want to burst your bubble, but that sounds a little too good to be true.” A scam in the making. A long con. “You’re confident she’s on the up and up, even though she threatens the life of your firebrand?” I’d asked before, but maybe phrasing it a new way with this new info would get him thinking along the right line.

“ You seem too good to be true, yet here you are.”

Then. That moment. A part of me fell a little in love with him. But just a little, so it wasn’t a big deal. I’d probably get over it in a day or two.

As we continued forward, I linked our arms and rested my head on his broad shoulder. I’d let the subject of Valkara rest for now. “I need to tell you something.” He’d trusted me with his past. Now, I would trust him with my future. “I’ve had a recurring dream most of my life. Juniper has, too, though I’m not clear on the details of hers.”

He stiffened but said, “I’m listening.”

Here goes . “In mine, I’m standing in the sky, surrounded by fog. I kneel before a powerful warrior. You.”

His eyes lit with interest. “Now I’m really listening. Kneel, you say?”

Men were such simple creatures. “Yes. In the dream, I tell you I’m doing what I’m doing for the greater good. You say the same. You’re holding a sword and you lift it as if to remove my head. Just as you swing, I wake up.”

His hold on me tightened. “I meant it when I said I wouldn’t harm you, Love.”

“And I believe you.” Now. “But the dream means something.” I winced and gave voice to my most awful suspicion. “Even if I’ve been seeing Juniper all this time.”

“You don’t have to worry. I won’t harm your twin, either. As for the meaning of the dream, give me a day or two to ponder.”

Between one step and the next, our surroundings transformed. The air lost the crisp bite of winter, replaced by muggy heat scented with lush greenery and blooming orchids. The landscape changed, too.

Where once empty branches stretched toward the cloudy sky, now dense foliage and towering trees did their best to block out a bright golden sun. The crunch of snow and dead leaves was replaced by buzzing insects and the melody of birdsong.

I remained on alert for any signs of a turul-shifter scout, but to my surprise, I spotted none. Didn’t mean they weren’t out there.

“Where are we?” I asked, not missing the bite of frost one bit.

Viktor led me forward, our boots sinking into spongy, rich earth and moss. “This dimension has four parts. Each embodies the essence of a season in the mortal world. We have entered spring.”

The sound of soothing water splashing against rocks reached my ears. Excitement bloomed as we rounded a corner. Spotting a gorgeous crystal pond complete with a tumbling waterfall, I stopped. Steam curled from the water’s surface, coiling around a mini-rainbow. Three types of fruit dangled from tree branches, each a different color.

A veritable paradise. There was no stopping my mewl of delight. “As much as I’m looking forward to a warm bath, I’m dreading wearing these dirty clothes again.”

“About that. I sent a soldier to a nearby village while the rest of us worked on camp defenses. He had orders to confiscate specific things and leave them here.” Viktor squeezed my hand before releasing me to pluck a plum-size red berry he offered to me. “This will soothe your appetite.” He selected a golden grape type fruit and offered it as well. “This will refresh you.” He merely pointed to the blue apple-like fruit. “That will liquify your bowels.”

I snorted. “Thank you for the warning.” Marveling over his thoughtfulness, I took a bite of the red berry first. Mmm. My eyes slid shut in surrender. What incredible sweetness. A bead of juice ran down my chin as I devoured the rest of the treat and popped the golden grape thing into my mouth. Oh, wow. Even better! He wasn’t kidding about being refreshed. I didn’t think my mouth had ever felt so clean .

“If you don’t have any of these trees in your realm, get some,” I advised. Even indulging every day wouldn’t be enough. “Well, not the bowel liquefying one, of course. The others are perfection.”

“They only grow here, but if you want to rule this dimension, I will gift it to you after we secure your sister.” He gently dragged his knuckles over my jawline, as if he hadn’t just rocked my world. “Your happiness leads to mine, apparently.”

I peered up at him, mind boggled. When he decided to go all in, he went all in . “I thought you didn’t like happiness.”

“I suppose it’s an acquired taste.”

My lips quirked at the corners. “I’m ready to bathe. Join me?”

“You wish to bathe together?” His eyes widened ever so slightly. “If you insist.” He kicked off his boots, dropped a million and one weapons I hadn't known he carried, and tugged at his clothing, disrobing to his briefs.

His speed impressed me, but his body… Hello, gorgeous . My heart attempted to jump out of my chest. The man utterly dazzled. Muscles cut with steel. Tattooed skin on display.

“No one will sneak up on us. I’ll remain aware. The very reason I’m still partially dressed,” he added with wry humor.

I trembled as I stripped to my undergarments as well. He watched unabashedly, even licking his lips like a big, bad wolf. No reason to wonder if he liked what he saw. His body let me know big time. Huge time.

“I’m definitely keeping you,” he rasped, looking me over from head to toe.

I almost asked him to kiss me, but I had a feeling once we started, we wouldn’t be able to stop. Especially dressed like this. Gulping, I backed into the water. “You can’t keep me without my permission.”

“Then I will get permission.” We maintained our eye-lock as he prowled forward, following me. “I’m confident of it.”

Warm water swallowed my feet. My calves. My thighs. Soon I was submerged to the navel. The soothing liquid delighted sore muscles while Viktor’s hot stare melted everything else.

“I look forward to your efforts.” My trembling redoubled as I swam to the waterfall, where I found a wealth of toiletries. “One day, when we’re not in enemy territory, on a mission, we’re going to enjoy some water play.” Splash around and paw at each other, letting hands slip and wander. But that day was not today. The sooner we reached that fortress, the better. I rubbed the center of my chest, where my bond to Juniper tingled as never before. She must be nearby.

“Agreed.” Viktor followed me still. “One day we will play. Today, we focus on cleanliness. You are very dirty.” His voice dipped. So did his eyelids.

“Oh, I am, am I?” Never mind the bath he’d given me yesterday.

“The dirtiest.”

I didn’t protest as he soaped me up. And, okay, yes, his hands did wander. Mine did, too, when I returned the favor. The scent of jasmine and lotus enveloped us. I relished our closeness, leaning into every touch. Aches only he could rouse blazed to life, need for him nearly a tangible force.

Only the intensifying tingle of the bond stopped me from going further.

“We better go,” I said, before I gave in to temptation .

He kissed my brow, and we exited the water together. “Our clean clothes are in a pack next to that S shaped tree.”

I stalked to the pack, dug inside, shed my wet underwear, and wiggled into my new outfit with a growing sense of alarm. The gauzy material was soft, luxuriant—and indecent. A translucent bodysuit was pink as cotton candy with a built-in panties and bra, spaghetti straps, and a cutout midriff. Basically a genie costume, with a sheer skirt flowing from the cinched waist rather than a pair of pantaloons.

Viktor donned a soft black shirt and black leathers. Fully covered!

“Your soldier failed you,” I muttered. I looked myself over with a grimace before sliding my feet into my combat boots.

“Nem. He acquired almost exactly what I requested.”

My gaze zipped to him. “You did not specify I go into battle like this.”

“Correct.” He gently chucked me under the chin. “You are missing the ruby choker and diamond toe rings.”