Torben gives it to me anyway. “You obviously shift.” He shrugs one broad shoulder, and then crosses his arms across his golden chest. His brooding brows smooth slightly when he peers down at the crescent moon mark highlighting my chest. “But no. You’re not a shifter in the sense that you’re asking about.”
“What am I?”
Exhaling, Torben scratches at the blond scruff on his face.
“That’s not information I can give you.”
“Why the fuck not?” A plea sits heavily in the cursed question. I don’t understand.
Torben sighs, but it’s the I’m-totally-put-out-by-you kind of annoyed exhale.
“We don’t know many facts about our targets. Latham’s levelheaded. He’s trusted with information more. He would know. It’s up to Latham to make that call of what you’re allowed to know. I’m just the hired help. Think of me as your bodyguard, princess.”
If he ‘princesses’ me one more fucking time I’m going to do more than just make him come all over himself next time.
“You don’t sound too happy about the chain of command,” I point out, pushing for more answers.
“Latham and I have a… history.” He leaves me dangling on that cliffhanger as if I’m not totally invested now. He’s no better than some of my favorite romance authors ending their books in the worst place, making me immediately buy the next book while I curse at my kindle.
“Where are Latham and Aric anyway? Do you think they know we’re here?” Maybe they’ll come for us… maybe—
Torben dashes my hopes again. “They’ll have figured it out by now,” he muses. “But there’s nothing they can do for us in here, princess. We’re on our own.” He arches a brow as soon as my lips part. “If you thought my entrance in the holy temple was bad, it would flay Latham and Aric alive, peeling the skin from their bodies only to put it back and start all over again.”
The picture he paints is grotesque, and I swallow down the bile that’s risen to scald the back of my throat. Yet it begs the question, just how different is Torben from Latham and Aric that he can—albeit painfully—enter this place when they can’t? And just how different am I that all I felt was a tingle upon entry to the temple?
When it’s apparent he’s not going to elaborate more, I sigh and try to massage the tension out of my neck and shoulders.
Either way, we’re on our own.
Great.
I try to focus through the chattering of my teeth, but I don’t get time to hash out a second escape plan because the door at the far end of the room opens with an ominous creak and the icy monsters walk through one at a time.
I temper my reaction to jump as the giants file into the room.
Torben growls, prowling in front of the bars of his prison like he can kill each and every single one of our enemies with the force of his glare alone.
I roll my eyes. Posturing won’t help us at this point.
My cocky attitude dips, however, when one of the giants flicks his long, bony fingers and the ice that separates us melts to puddles at my feet. Heart thundering in my chest, I swallow, and despite the fact that it shows my weakness, I slash a worried look at Torben who’s seething as his gaze flies between me and the frosty giant. The chill of glacial eyes never leaves my naked form.
“It is time for the cleansing.”
“I’m good, thanks.” The sharp edges of my nails bite into my palms as I clench my fists. I’m nearly over the fact that I’m naked, rolling with it rather than being self-conscious of my body on display for so many people, but the vulnerability I’m left with doesn’t flee so easily. I have no weapons to fight with, no way to protect myself. Unlike the bone and ice the giants are made out of, my flesh is easily harmed.
I hate to admit I’m at a disadvantage, but I’m not likely to come out of this without injury… or… you know… alive.
This was not how I pictured my death.
I mean… it’s not like I had it planned out, but I hoped it’d be less humiliating than being stripped naked and accidentally making a sexy, hot Viking come on himself before being tortured by skeletal giants in a holy temple.
Yeah… not exactly how I would have planned my final moments, but it is what it fucking is, I guess.
“Please. Just let us go. We were only passing through.” The plea falls flat, and I see the moment my time is up.
Lunging forward, the giant man grabs hold of my arm again and yanks me forward, making me stumble and try to catch my balance before he’s dragging me across the icy floor. With another jarring grip, I’m dangling from one arm as he boldly removes me from the cell I should be all too happy to escape.
“Get your fucking hands off of her,” Torben warns, suddenly much more possessive of me than he was a moment ago when it seemed he couldn’t wait to get away from me. He should be happy. This ‘princess’ is no longer his responsibility.
