Sky and Storm ( Warriors of Vis #1)(16)
The horror in Sky’s eyes was dancing in Storm’s mind. A night of lust-filled fucking was never enough to change the fact Sky was too pure, too good for Storm. He’d known that since before their wedding. He’d known that since the night he had made that evil-stained deal with his father. Storm knew Sky would always see him as damaged because of what he’d become after so many years of war and conquer. Despite his shortcomings, Storm couldn’t let Sky go without trying everything in his power to keep Sky close.
Storm slumped in his chair, head back, arms lifeless, staring at the ceiling. He felt dead inside, not as if he’d had his heart broken. No, it felt as if he no longer had one. He was no more than a walking, talking dead body, void of any hope and warmth.
The cool blade on Storm’s neck did not surprise him in the slightest. That was what should happen to bodies void of souls and feelings, they should be put to death. He could have twitched or gasped or anything really, yet why bother? It was just life catching up with him.
“That was the last time you hurt that sweet boy, Dragon.” Despite her age, Sera’s voice was steady and true. Storm couldn’t help chuckle. Well, well, what do you know? She’s finally showing her true nature.
“Don’t laugh, you spoiled brat! I’m one of Estas’s finest assassins.”
Not bothering to open his eyes, Storm smiled at the old woman. “Oh, daughter of Interfectrices, I’ve always known just what you were capable of. Or do you think you were in Sky’s service because of your unique perfume making skills?”
The woman showed no sign of surprise, but Storm knew she was stunned. She had thought no one knew of her lineage, of her secret training, of her being the best assassin in her generation. To his merit, the king had always known exactly who lived in his castle and Storm had become proficient at using his father’s knowledge to his advantage. Opening his eyes, he turned his chair and faced Sera, the smile still tugging at his lips.
“I watched him wither away from the pain you’ve caused,” Sera snarled, her wrinkles stressed by her scowl, her lips curled, showing perfect teeth despite her age. “When you’re gone, he does not eat, he just watches time go by, waiting for your return, while the whole court makes sure he knows of everyone you’ve fucked. Cruel jokes and harsh comments, and that dreaded queen plotting to slip a concubine between your sheets. And for what? To be ignored and thrown away when you’re here? I put up with all of that, but no more. Now you’ve physically hurt him. I won’t stand for it.”
Sky withering away? What had happened with all the lovers he screamed he’d get on their wedding night? All that vitriolic comments on how he’d moan their names in his sleep when Storm was there. The Dragon knew if Sky were able to control what he did in his sleep, he would have done just that, chanted names of lovers. Maybe no one had wanted him because they had been too afraid of Storm? Then the other night had been… No, that was impossible! And even if Storm had taken Sky’s virginity, what did it matter in the end? His husband still saw nothing but a monster in Storm.
Gripping Sera’s wrist, Storm pressed the knife to his own skin, feeling the sharp cut. “Do it, Sera. Do it and put me out of my misery.” And there it was! A reaction on the face of an Interfectrix. Her eyes were so wide, they nearly popped out of her head.
“Dragon, answer at once and answer truthfully. Why are you crying?”
Apparently he was failing at being a fearless and dread-inspiring warrior as well. Better dead, then. He wiped at his eyes.
“Has he ever told you about our wedding night, Interfectrix? I imagine he’d want to forget it. Sky never had a choice in this, he was brought here to marry me. No one ever asked what he wanted. They just bowed to my will and brought my future husband to me.” Storm ran a hand through his hair, his face hardening at the memories. “I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised. In the weeks before the wedding, he avoided me. Other than formal affairs, we were never around each other.”
Storm inhaled deeply, steadying himself for the images that were always so vivid. “His face was blank during the ceremony and the feast. Then, when I went to our chamber… Sky was kneeling in the middle of our bed, the longest and sharpest knife I’ve ever seen pointed right at his heart.”
“Oh, gods,” Sera whispered.
“Sky said he’d die before he’d let me touch him. I was a blood-thirsty monster, unworthy of any human being and should be mated to a devil-spawn. He said a real marriage with me would be hell on earth and that he’d fuck every man in the castle and the entire kingdom of Vis before allowing me to touch him.”
“Poor boy,” Sera whispered, her knife shaking in her hand, making a fresh cut on Storm’s neck.
“I took the knife from him, of course. Even on a bad day, I am faster than anyone. I grabbed his throat with one hand, lifted him up and threw him across the room. Sky slumped into a wall and cried out at the force of the impact. I was mad with rage, feeling rejected and hated… I shouldn’t have, I know, but I told him he was nothing but a whiny highborn with no clue of what real pain was. I told him that unless he’d seen the devastation following a war, the orphan children, the women being raped over their dead husbands’ corpses, all males being put to death in a show meant to put the fear of the gods in everyone, the famine, the sickness, the hopelessness, he had no idea what pain was. I told him those people with rough lives and little to no education had more courage than he had because even after that, they still wouldn’t dream of killing themselves.”