by Bec McMaster
Dozens of waiting courtiers shifted, straining to see what was happening. Whispers shifted among the gallery. Several guards leaned closer.
And Solveig stood there in stunned silence, with her mate on his knees before her.
"What are you doing?" she whispered.
"Offering you my heart," said her smiling, handsome prince. “You swore you would return with my heart—or not at all—and so I give it to you.”
Three enormous claps of thunder echoed in the distance as if the goddess approved.
Her breath caught, and a dizzy sensation swept through her.
It couldn’t be so simple.
Marduk captured her hand and pressed a kiss to it. “You’ve had my heart far longer than I have known it. I love you. I love you for your fierceness, for your pride, for every murderous little thought that fills your head. I love you for your strength, and for your protectiveness. I love you, beyond anything I have ever known. And if you will have me, then I will stand at your side—as your shield, as your confidante, as your lover and loyal subject—for the rest of my life.”
“What are you doing?” she demanded, mind-to-mind, even as she glanced around at an entire court of highly interested dreki. “Get up.”
“Not yet.” He kissed her knuckles. “I made a mockery of you once. Now they can sing songs about how you brought me to heel and made me kneel before you. They can sing songs about Solveig the Fierce, and the foolish, wastrel prince who fell in love with her. I can’t stop the song you hate so much—but I can change it. Let me be the fool, Solveig. Your fool.”
That he would do this for her—humble himself so greatly—made her ice-cold heart skip a beat. Or two.
“I must admit,” she mused, “you do look good on your knees.”
Hot fire filled his eyes as he glanced up at her. “After this is done, I intend to worship you on my knees as any good, proper mate should.”
Her cheeks heated and she shot a glance toward her father. “Maybe later.”
“Definitely later.”
And then he surged to his feet and captured her in his arms, kissing her in front of her entire court.
Laughter rang out. Clapping. She let herself unfreeze and twined her arms around his neck, kissing him back.
Someone cleared their throat behind her.
Goddess. She broke from the kiss, and this time her cheeks truly were burning.
“In front of my father?”
Marduk laughed. “He might have to get used to it. And he did send us down this path together, though I believe he too has something to say to you.”
He pushed her toward her father.
“Daughter,” Harald smiled his sneaky smile at her—the one she knew so well—as he held his arms out for her.
She stepped into them, and closed her eyes as he hugged her close. “Did you plan this?”
A laugh rumbled through him. “The precise picture of his humbling? No. Though I’ll admit it makes good theatre.” He kissed her forehead. “I may have had a little to do with pushing the two of you together. Though it took a rather rash and undignified offer of one of three daughters, he kept choosing the right one.”
Meddling bloody fathers. It had never made sense for him to have offered all three of them. He would never have humbled her like that, unless…. “How did you even know that he and I were each other’s true flames?”
Sadness swept through his eyes. “Your mother told me.”
“What?”
“Your mother is one with the goddess now. But once a year she comes to me in my dreams. I think the goddess realized the mistake she made, and offers me a single night with my heart as repayment. Your mother watches over you, Solveig. All of you girls. And she is so incredibly proud of the woman you’ve become. She blessed this match, even when I had my doubts. She said you needed someone who would put a smile on your lips, after what you had suffered. She said a true queen needs a mate who will submit to her rule, and fight for her power without seeking to take it from her.”
A single tear slid down her cheeks. “She watches over us?”
“Always.” He squeezed her harder. “She wanted you to know she never intended for you to suffer alone and lock your heart away. The goddess’s blessing can be both curse and gift—but if it is a gift, then you must accept it.”
“I miss her.”
Harald squeezed her shoulder, his own eyes suspiciously gleaming. “Go. Go and see to your mate. I don’t believe he’s finished with you yet.”
Solveig turned, her tears softening her vision of the court until all she could see was a soft blur of gold and color.
But among it all stood one male.
Tall, handsome, blond, his hand held out for her to accept. And wearing some kind of bloody red coat with golden buttons, as if he’d stepped directly from a fairy tale.
“I hate that coat,” she said, as she took his hand.
“You can remove it whenever you like. Now come. I asked for there to be dinner and dancing,” Marduk said. “Because some foolish prince ran out on you last time, and he knows you missed the chance to celebrate your mating ceremony.”
“I hate dancing.”
“That’s because you haven’t danced with me.” His eyes twinkled. “Just think of it as foreplay—without the sword. But first, why don’t we go get you dressed for your ball?” His gaze slid down her. “You need your ‘evil queen’ boots.”
“Evil queen boots?”
“The ones that lace to your thighs. The ones that look like you could crush the souls of an advancing army beneath them. The ones you wore the first time we met.”
“Whoever said I kept them?”
“Please tell me you kept them. They featured in a great many dreams of mine over the years.”
She laughed and took pity on him. “Fine. I kept them. And I might even wear a gown. Are you coming to help me? I need someone to lace the back of it.”
“Absolutely not.” Siv shoved him out of the way. “You’re not going anywhere with him.”
“Or else you’ll never come back,” Aslaug said with a grin, capturing Solveig’s other arm. She threw Marduk a saucy smile. “You wait here and we will bring her back to you. Oh, and Marduk?”
“Yes?”
“Just you wait,” Aslaug purred. “She’s going to break your heart when she returns.”
His devilish eyes locked on Solveig with a smile that was all for her. “She always does.”
BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE LEGENDS OF THE STORM WORLD
Dear Reader,
If you enjoyed Master of Storms, then get ready for Queen of Lightning!
A stolen queen, two broken hearts, and a war that threatens to destroy two worlds….
Can Elin discover the key to bringing the elvish king to his knees before it’s too late?
And when Rurik risks everything to bring his beloved back home to him, what secrets will he unleash?
Available now:
Heart Of Fire
Storm of Desire
Clash of Storms
Storm of Fury
Master of Storms
Pre-order:
Queen of Lightning
Want to know more about future release dates?
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I hope we meet again between the pages of another book!
Cheers,
Bec McMaster
Princess. Tribute. Sacrifice. Is she the one prophesied to unite two warring Fae courts? Or the one bound to destroy them?
In a realm ruled by magic, the ruthless Queen of Thorns is determined to destroy her nemesis, the cursed Prince
of Evernight.
With war brewing between the bitter enemies, the prince forces Queen Adaia to uphold an ancient treaty: she will send one of her daughters to his court as a political hostage for three months.
The queen insists it’s the perfect opportunity for Princess Iskvien to end the war before it begins. But one look into Thiago’s smouldering eyes and Vi knows she’s no assassin.
The more secrets she uncovers about the prince and his court, the more she begins to question her mother’s motives.
Who is the true enemy? The dark prince who threatens her heart? Or the ruthless queen who will stop at nothing to destroy him?
And when the curse threatens to shatter both courts, is she strong enough to break it?
A fairy tale twist inspired by the Hades and Persephone myth.
READ NOW
Also by Bec McMaster
DARK COURT RISING
Promise of Darkness
Crown of Darkness
Curse of Darkness
Novellas in same series:
Seduced By Darkness
LEGENDS OF THE STORM SERIES
Heart Of Fire
Storm of Desire
Clash of Storms
Storm of Fury
Master of Storms
Queen of Lightning
Legends of the Storm Boxset 1-3
COURT OF DREAMS SAGA
Thief of Dreams
Thief of Souls
Thief of Hearts
LONDON STEAMPUNK SERIES
Kiss Of Steel
Heart Of Iron
My Lady Quicksilver
Forged By Desire
Of Silk And Steam
Novellas in same series:
Tarnished Knight
The Clockwork Menace
LONDON STEAMPUNK: THE BLUE BLOOD CONSPIRACY
Mission: Improper
The Mech Who Loved Me
You Only Love Twice
To Catch A Rogue
Dukes Are Forever
From London, With Love
London Steampunk: The Blue Blood Conspiracy Boxset 1-3
DARK ARTS SERIES
Shadowbound
Hexbound
Soulbound
Dark Arts Box set 1-3
BURNED LANDS SERIES
Nobody's Hero
The Last True Hero
The Hero Within
The Burned Lands Complete Trilogy Boxset
SHORT STORIES
The Many Lives Of Hadley Monroe
Burn Bright
About the Author
Kidnapped by a dread pirate when she was a child, USA Today Bestselling Author, BEC MCMASTER, was raised on myth and legend, and offered her younger siblings to the goblin king many a time. Unfortunately, he did not accept.
Now she writes epic fantasy romance with a dark and sexy twist, which is almost as much fun.
Bec has a secret weakness for villainous heroes, wicked fae princes and dangerous vampires, though in all her daydreams, she’s the one rescuing them.
She lives happily-ever-after with her very own hero and princess-in-training in the wilds of Australia, where she can often be found drinking tea or curled up with a good book.
Escape the ordinary at
www.becmcmaster.com
The hugest of thanks to my editor, Liv, from Hot Tree Editing for her work on Master of Storms. All mistakes are undoubtedly my own.
To Jennie Kew, for her wonderful insight on where the story was going and proofreading services. To Carolyn, Krishna and Trini for their thoughts during the beta read—the three of you helped flesh out this book more, and I love where your feedback took me.
To the wonderful readers in my Facebook Fan Page who cheer me on on a daily basis, and my amazing cover artists from Damonza.com. You found the perfect Marduk.
Last, but not least, to all of my readers who support me on this journey. You make it all so worthwhile. Even if I know I’m going to be receiving emails about what I did to poor Rurik and Freyja—trust me. I love them too xx
THE END
