“I’m not going to be in this cage forever, history boy,” Zara said as she met his gaze.
“Ouch,” Nick muttered with a slight chuckle.
Wadim tipped his head to her. “Of all the females, you’re the sanest, Zara. And the prettiest.’”
Kara laughed and, for a moment, all the trolls paused and looked at her as if she was some sort of strange bug. “Suck up.” She grinned at him.
“He is,” Zara agreed, “But he’s a hot suck up, so he gets away with it.”
Kara sighed. “Same with Nick. Damn them and their good looks.” She shook off the thought and seemed to refocus herself on their current situation. She seemed equally curious and perhaps it was a way for her to distract herself from all that had happened in the past twenty-four hours, not to mention that she was pregnant and being held captive by trolls. “Do you think they’ve figured out a way to harness what little magic is left in this realm?” Her eyes were bright with interest.
Nick groaned. “Seriously? You’re encouraging him?” He looked at Gavril. “A little help here, yeah?”
Gavril shook his head. “I learned long ago that you can’t control your mate. All you can do is protect them from whatever they get themselves into.”
Rachel smiled at her mate. “He’s like that rubber part around a bumper car, shielding me so when I run into things, I just bounce off of them.”
Aphid let out a deep breath as he looked at each of them. “I think I’ll remain mateless. Seems simpler.”
Kara looked at the fae warrior and her brow rose. “Speaking of mates, why exactly haven’t you flashed out of that cage, Aphid?”
“What in the world does that have to do with mates?”
“Nothing, but he said mates, and I remembered he’s a fae, and fae don’t really mate the same way wolves do. I mean, at least they didn’t. I mean, obviously they mate, mate. But not true mates, and because I remembered he’s a fae, I remembered he could flash.”
“All of that just went through your head?” Gavril’s eyes widened.
Kara nodded. “Busy place up here.” She tapped her temple. “Lot’s going on.”
“Whatever magic they have on this cage,” Aphid interjected, “I’m unable to flash. The net that covered us had the same magic.”
Before anyone could respond to his explanation, a hush fell over the cavern. The trolls stopped what they were doing, their heads turning in unison toward the far end of the room. Wadim followed their gaze, and his breath caught in his throat.
The troll was enormous. He stood over seven feet tall, and his broad shoulders hunched as he ducked under the low ceiling. His skin was a mottled gray, like weathered stone, and his eyes gleamed like polished obsidian. He wore a cloak of what appeared to be wolf pelts—an observation that did not sit well with Wadim—and a crown made of twisted iron and bone. In one massive hand, he carried a staff carved from a single piece of dark wood, its top adorned with a glowing crystal that pulsed faintly with an eerie, greenish light.
“Well,” Kara whispered, her eyes wide as she took in the imposing figure. “This just got interesting.”
“Your definition of interesting needs work,” Nick muttered.
“What could be more interesting than a massive troll that might want to cook us in a pot?” she countered.
Wadim couldn’t disagree.
Nick cut her a quick glance. “Maybe don’t give them any ideas on how to eat us, yeah?”
“Judging by that furry pelt, he doesn’t need any ideas.” Leave it to Kara to once again point out the obvious. While Wadim could appreciate her pragmatic attitude, it seemed that Nick would have preferred his mate keep her thoughts to herself. He should know better by now. Wadim imagined that Zara probably felt the same way about him, which made him smile.
The troll—who, based on the crown, Wadim surmised, must be their king—surveyed them with a sneer, his lips curling back to reveal jagged, yellowed teeth. “These are the intruders?” he rumbled, his voice deep and gravelly, like rocks grinding together.
One of the smaller trolls stepped forward, bowing low. “Yes, Your Majesty. Found them in the forest. They talk too much.”
“Agreed,” the King said, his gaze landing on Kara, who smiled nervously and gave a small wave.
“Hi,” she said brightly. “Love the crown. Very Game of Thrones, even if it was feeling a tad more Tolkien, mixing up two classics is totally working.”
Nick groaned. Wadim sighed. Zara laughed. The others remained silent. And the Troll King scowled.
“Oh, for the love of the Great Luna,” Nick muttered, running a hand down his face. “We’re doomed.”
