Page 21 of The Stolen Bride (Kings of Fury #2)

Chapter

Twenty-One

Brainstorming Battle Plans: When In Doubt, Berserk Out

–HOW TO TRAIN YOUR BERSERKER

By Elizabeth “Elle” Darcy-Bruce

I paced for hours, trying to work out a solution in my mind. Juniper paced, too, walking a path next to mine but always in the opposite direction. Over and over, I ran through Valkara’s cryptic message.

To awaken all, a twin must fall.

Obviously, Valkara expected me to sacrifice Juniper in order to awaken Viktor. An act sure to turn me into a shifter.

This deed you’ll do, if goodness you eschew.

As a shifter, I would attack Viktor, just as Deco did. If Valkara told the truth, Viktor would shift, too. One evil act would lead to another.

But I couldn’t leave him in this, this coma.

But I couldn’t harm my beloved Juniper, the other half of me .

But I wasn’t ready to die.

But. But. But. There must be another way.

“What did we even do?” I asked, indicating to those around us, still deep in slumber. Even the ball goers above us must be asleep because no one had invaded our space. Yet.

Juniper wrung her hands together. “I don’t know, but whatever it was, I feel stronger than ever before.”

Yeah, me too. Power crackled in my veins without a drop of rage. It made me uneasy. How was I supposed to contain all this? “Is it simply because we’re together?” We passed each other.

“Should I leave the fortress, putting distance between us?” she asked.

“No,” we bellowed in unison.

Back and forth, back and forth.

She massaged her nape and cast a glance at our prisoners. “You’re certain you want to rouse everyone? The world will be a better place without the Valkara at the helm.” She gazed down at her hands. “And Deco, too, I suppose.”

“If it means Viktor and Bodi wake up, yes.” I wasn’t leaving without them. “I didn’t mean to, I’m not sure how it happened, but I fell in love with Viktor. Bodi is his brother, and he’s growing on me.”

“He seems…nice,” she said with a wince, and I didn’t know if she referenced the king or the prince.

Hmm. I think I just jumped on Team Jodipur. Buniper? Jundi?

Focus! Back and forth, back and forth.

Again and again, my gaze landed on Viktor, and my insides twisted. What if we never spoke again? What if he’d held me for the last time? “Do you believe Valkara told the truth? That I’ll one day shift and kill everyone unless Viktor kills me today?”

“No way! Never trust the villain.”

“That’s what I said!” And yet, dismay infected my every thought, and I huffed with frustration. “Maybe a change of scenery will spark an answer.”

As much as I detested traipsing through the catacombs, we relocated to the massive chamber filled with sleeping primordials. We paced. Well, I paced, while Juniper checked the vitals of the ancients. They slept, too.

“What are we going to do with them?” I asked, as she examined a cut on the gargoyle’s wing. Being this close to them did something to me. Agitated my insides, making my nerve endings buzz.

She bit her bottom lip. “I don’t know, but they can’t stay together. I can feel the energy crackling between them, and it isn’t pleasant.”

Yeah, but that was a worry for another day. I rubbed my sternum. How did we fix this?

Back and forth, back and forth. Minutes blurred into more hours.

Hmm. An internal tugging sensation magnified, attempting to lure me to the dungeon once more. To Viktor?

“We won’t separate, but let’s occupy different rooms and see what that does,” I suggested, and she nodded. I ran to him. He still slept on. I began pacing at his side. Back and forth.

Okay. The hum of power downgraded just enough to clear my head. Hadn’t he once told me that the greatest force in a berserker’s life was his love for his firebrand? In this case, my love for him. Actually, our love for each other.

My eyes widened. That! That was the answer. I dropped to his side and focused inward, where love for him bubbled. An endless well of joy, peace, and contentment. And yes, more power. So much power. It flowed from my being, as if I were a river, and straight into Viktor. Oh! His love flowed from him, into me as well. Or it attempted to. There was some sort of block at the mingling point. A fear. A fear that one of us would harm the other, deposited by Valkara’s words.

I ground my teeth. That just wouldn’t do. Riding the waves of love, I crashed into the fear again and again, hitting it with truth. I would not harm him. He would not harm me. We had a wedding to plan.

The block eroded, shrinking. Until…

Viktor roared, the sound echoing throughout the catacombs. Heart thudding, I watched in awe and wonder as he leaped to his feet, alive and well. Valkara, Bodi, Deco and the guards remained on the floor, unconscious.

With a whimper, I jumped up into his arms. Hot tears poured down my cheeks, and words spewed from my mouth. “I’m so sorry for whatever I did to you, and I love you so much, and if you ever almost die again, I will do something awful. I just don’t know what it is yet and?—”

He pressed a swift kiss into my lips, quieting me. “Your power punched into our souls, latching on. Even now, you are draining our power to fuel your own.”

I was? My brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.”

“Yeah. Me, either,” Juniper said, approaching us.

He bowed his head, greeting my sister before telling us, “My guess is, you are meant to feed off each other. But because your connection happened so late, and so suddenly, the force you generated was too intense for either of you to contain, so it reached for other sources.”

Okay, yeah, that made a bit of sense. But. “How are you staying awake if we’re still draining you? Is love really enough?”

He gave me a look, honey please . “I have your adoration, affection and loyalty, too.”

“I think I basically Snow Whited you,” I said. “Kissed you with my awesome power and broke the curse.”

Juniper covered her laugh with her fingers. “More like you Sleeping Beautyed him. Maleficent put the entire kingdom to sleep.”

“I don’t know what any of that means,” Viktor said, “but I’ll agree if it makes you happy.”

With what was probably soon to be a globally famous snort-laugh, I threw my arms around him again. “I love you. And yes, I will marry you and welcome your mark. I will mark you in turn, and start a family with you, and move to your world, and live in your palace, and rule our people at your side and help the primordials and match make for my sister and build another pet spa.”

Pleasure flooded his eyes. “And eat all my food,” he teased.

“Yes, baby. And eat all your food. That’s so obvious I didn’t think it needed to be stated.”

He kissed me and grinned. “You will also play the violin. Probably every night.”

“And you’ll massage me as payment.” As my pulse quickened, I decided to focus on the mission before things got out of hand. “Shall we slay Deco and Valkara, ensuring they never wake up?”

Juniper’s eyes widened, as if I’d suggested something abhorrent. “Death is so…permanent. Get rid of Valkara, sure, but…”

Hmm. What was going on here? She didn’t actually like her captor, did she ?

“I do not know what will happen to the two of you if your tie to them is severed,” Viktor said. “So, I will locate one of Deco’s comms and contact Tabor, a commander in my army. He and his unit will join us and help cart the prisoners and primordials home with us.” As he spoke, he bent down and draped his brother over his shoulder. “Once Deco and Valkara are locked in our dungeon, we’ll marry.”

“Our dungeon,” I echoed. “I like the sound of that. It’s a fairytale come to life.”

“As a wedding gift, I offer you this realm.” He spread his arms, indicating the entire dimension. “You’re welcome.”

“Ha! It’s my wedding gift to you , big boy,” I fired back. “I won it fair and square with Juniper’s help. Juni, you okay with me sharing our realm with my husband?”

“You guys are so weird,” she remarked under her breath. “But the place is yours, with my blessing. I’ve got my eye on a shack in the woods, where I can inspire legends about a cackling hag who is forever single.”

I giggled like a schoolgirl. “Now that is a life.”

Viktor’s gaze met mine, and he smiled so tenderly. “All these centuries, I’ve only had this purpose in my head. Find. Destroy. Happy.”

I peered at him through the shield of my lashes. “And?”

“And I found you. The meaning changed. We’re about to destroy every obstacle in our path and move onto the happy.”

I twined my fingers through his. “Yes. Happy together.”

Within a few days, Commander Tabor arrived with an army of two hundred. They gathered all the sleepers and placed them in carts, all but Bodi and the primordials bound by chains. The shifters, plus Deco and Valkara were well and truly trapped. All would be residents of the royal dungeon. The primordials would be returned to their people, and Bodi…we would figure something out.

Juniper and I oversaw the process, directing traffic. We continued to drain the sleepers. I could feel it. One day, we would find a way to stop without harming each other. Until then, we would use our newfound strength for Team Good.

Which had a new member. Tabor was a handsome man with an abundance of rugged appeal, and I liked him immediately.

My desire to matchmake flared anew, finding Juniper’s firebrand now a must. Anything to get her mind off Deco! I caught her staring at his sleeping form twice. But so far, I had only the two candidates. Bodi and now this Tabor. Surely there were a few other contenders around here.

Speaking of Tabor, he approached. “We have everyone ready for travel to the stones, Majesty.”

He already treated me like the queen. “Excellent. We intend to find a way to return the shifters to their berserker-selves, so let’s be extra careful with them.”

Hope lit Tabor’s face. He must have loved ones who’d become shifters too.

“I want guards stationed around Valkara and Deco at all times,” Viktor said, joining us. That the king no longer acted feral, pulling out his hair and swiping with his claws, was not missed by his people.

My chest may have puffed with pride, all I did that .

The men chatted about the upcoming trip as they walked off.

“You can do no wrong in the eyes of Viktor’s people,” Juniper noted .

“Soon to be my people.” The thought of it filled me with warmth.

Viktor returned and took a post at my side, winding his arm around my waist. “Time to go, love.”

With the army and our bounty of prisoners, we journeyed to the traveling stones without problem. Every shifter we came across was sleeping. Oops. We’d knocked out everyone in the dimension.

Upon arrival at Viktor’s palace, we secured the primordials and Bodi in comfort, and the shifters in chains and cells. With Valkara and Deco, we took added precautions.

In the future, we’d find Bodi’s firebrand, and she would awaken him. I just knew it. Maybe Juniper? Please.

My sister stood in front of Deco’s cell, peering inside thoughtfully.

I stood before our mother’s, with Viktor behind me, his arms wrapped around me, holding me close.

“All my life, I wished to know my mother,” I said. “Now, here she is. The absolute worst.”

“She is terrible, ja, but you are not.” He kissed the top of my head. “I must admit, I’m glad Malachi kidnapped you.”

I turned and cupped his cheeks. “Yeah, me, too.”

“Me three,” Juniper piped up, joining us. “How about a tour of the palace?”

With the excitement of a teenage boy, Viktor showed us around, and I was not surprised to note my new home was as creepy as Deco’s. It wasn’t just a castle—it was a monument to immortality and a former madness, where the eternal bloodlust of a wild berserker could not die.

“Only the kind of home I’ve dreamed of my entire life,” I breathed.

“Any changes you wish to make must be negotiated with your king,” Viktor announced, a study of delight .

“My poor ears,” Juniper cried a with dramatic whine. When we showed her to her suite, she grinned at us. “I’m guessing the wedding is tomorrow.”

“It is,” Viktor confirmed, thrilling my heart. This guy was totally gone for me.

We left Juniper in a suite and walked the halls hand-in-hand. “I wish to take you on that date you owe me.” He bent his head to nip the lobe of my ear. “So. Will you go on a date with me tonight, Clover?”

Oh yeah, totally gone. “Yes, Viktor, I will go on a date with you.” I imagined a picnic dinner, candlelight and a bubble bath.

“I have everything planned,” he said, eager. “We’ll begin with ax throwing, then move on to archery practice, wilderness survival, building a shelter together and crafting other kinds of weapons.”

I snort-laughed. “This is your idea of romance?”

An odd mix of delight and confusion infiltrated his expression. “First, that is the most magical sound I’ve ever heard. Second, I mentioned the part about building a shelter together, didn’t I?”

“You did.”

“Did I also tell you that you get to design it, and I’ll put it together while I’m shirtless?”

“Mmm. Yes. I’m liking the sound of this.” I rested my head on his shoulder. “Shirtless is always a good look for you.”

He winked. “That is only the beginning. We’ll eat, obviously. The cook has prepared two dozen dishes for you to sample. To start. We can serve your favorites at our wedding reception. There’s also a new litter of puppies in the stables, as well as a box in the attic that someone suggested has sheet music handwritten by Mozart. ”

I blinked at him. Then blinked again. My hand fluttered to my chest. “You do know me, don’t you?”

He flashed me a smile so beautiful that it made me gasp. “Know and love.”

We spent the rest of the day traipsing through the rolling hills of the Hungarian countryside that surrounded Turálvár Kastély, my new home, searching for the perfect spot. Which we found inside a secret passage in the garden. As we fed each other, we discussed the wedding.

“The nine kings will come tomorrow. We’ll tell them about the primordials then.” Eyes glinting like polished emeralds, Viktor reached out and glided his fingertip along the line of my throat. “I had decided to wait until our wedding night to mark you, but I’ve changed my mind again. I should do it now, before we’re surrounded by royals.” With his free hand, he motioned to a window. “The moon is full, the world practically begging me to do this.”

My heart fluttered. “All right. Yes.”

In a blink, he had me on my feet, with my back pressed into a rocky wall. I grinned and traced my palms up his chest as he leaned into me. “Don’t forget, I’ll be giving you my mark, as well.” I wanted this. Badly. Because I was a berserker, too, and our people should know I belonged to Viktor as much as he belonged to me. Harm my man and pay the price: War.

“I won’t be satisfied until you have done so.” Anticipation and heat radiated from me. So much heat. Our quick, ragged breaths accompanied the scrape of metal against leather as he unsheathed a dagger.

My heart pounded. “I know there will be blood and a hint of pain.”

“Ja.” He handed the blade to me and offered his hand, his eyelids hooded. “But I will ensure you don’t mind it. ”

My chest clenched as I made an incision in the center of his palm, blood welling. His only reaction was a soft, proud smile. A pride that bloomed in me, as well.

After he claimed the knife, he made an identical incision in the center of my palm. At the first sight of crimson, he dropped the weapon and linked our fingers, pressing our wounds together. A jolt of pure, undiluted power shot through me. An energy like I’d never experienced, even while swimming in the river of our connection. I gasped.

Viktor captured the noise with his lips, his mouth fully covering mine. In seconds, I was lost. Lost to him, in him, for him. This beautiful berserker was all I’d ever desired in a partner. Strong. Honest. Generous. Devoted. He’d trusted me with his heart, and I would do everything in my power to guard it.

The kiss picked up speed and intensity until we were gasping and kneading and straining together. But only a few seconds into the frenzy, Viktor wrenched up his head.

“The ceremony must be finished,” he rasped. Then he spoke in Hungarian. "A világ véget ér, de a szeretet és a béke orokké tart."

I interpreted the words and melted against him. The world will end, but our love and peace will endure. "A világ véget ér, de a szeretet és a béke orokké tart," I repeated, slurring the last syllables. Suddenly the most delicious intoxication washed over me, pulling me inward into the most sublime oblivion.