Page 143 of Ravenous

His vision wavered, darkness pulling him under, but he fought, needing more time in the same world as Dagny.

He dreamed that they sat before the fire, their babe nestled close. Warm and safe. Happy in their den. But he had to leave. He kissed them, saying,I love you both so much.

Don’t go, she whispered.

I must.

Then journey fiercely, my love, and blaze the trail to Valhalla for us.Dagny smiled through tears, even as she helped the baby wave goodbye to Papa…

Would Yrsa target them? As the last light faded, Torben prayed,Gods, please protect my family.His last thought:Because I cannot.

Chapter 54Lia

“Thank you for bringing me back home,” she told Arctos once they’d left the turmoil of the feast. “It was getting a little…”

“Too much like a battlefield?” he supplied.

She wasn’t immortal yet; even an errant elbow could break her. “I do have a clearer idea what a battlefield might feel like now,” she said wryly. “Loud, crowded, and deeply unconcerned with my personal safety. Good for training.”

“I’ve never seen the clan so rancorous.”

Her humor slipped. “Was it because of me?” Others had been harmed by vampires, some even as deeply as Arctos and Torben.

“No. The clan liked you. Dagny especially.”

“I liked them too.” She hesitated. “But I noticed tension between you and Torben.”

“My cousin is hotheaded to a fault,” Arctos said, then added, “and often right.”

“About Yrsa?”

He shot her a look. “Did Dagny speak to you about her?”

Lia shook her head. “My thoughts usually turn to royals. It’s a bad habit I picked up early and never quite put down. During my days spent in the library, I studied them.” Distrust of crowns lived in her marrow. “It puzzles me that Yrsa wed me to you after what my kind did to your family.”

“Ah. Dagny told you that.” He poured vodka, offering Lia a glass.

“None for me, thank you. I intend to drink only water for the rest of my life.” She paused. “Possibly tea, if pressed.”

“Not a drop of blood?”

“Never.” Her voice didn’t tremble. “Now, your queen?” Some detail still tickled the back of Lia’s brain about Yrsa’s appearance. What was it that her mind struggled to remember?

“Yrsa wonders if she was hasty with the marriage decree.” He drained his glass and poured again. “She offered me an annulment.”

“Oh.” The word was a strangled sound. “How lucky for you.” He’d become her anchor here; the thought of losing him left her adrift. “What becomes of me?”

He hesitated.

She could guess why. “Yrsa’s sending me back.” Lia forced a breath. “I assume this is where I thank you for your hospitality and prepare to run for my life.” Her mind fired with thoughts of escape. Warmer clothes, sturdy boots, her sword. Maybe she could make it past that bear this time.

She would prefer the bear to Co?tin.

“I told her I’d think on it. I gave her no decision.”

A startled laugh broke from her. “You’re very good at suspense, Arctos. But I need to know which way you’re leaning.”

“I don’t want you to return to Bloodreach,” he said with more feeling than his stoicism usually allowed.