The Girl Who Fell From The Sky - Rebecca Royce Page 0,35
use the ones we have, I will endeavor to take the rest of them from them. I’m sending the farmers out tomorrow to start tilling the land. And I have to do something about Baron the Pain in my Ass.”
I snorted, and Mattis, who arrived with our drinks, jumping up to sit on a chair at the table, too, grinned. “One of these days, you will get enough of him.”
“I reached that point long ago, but one does not simply eliminate a rival’s family simply because one does not like them.”
“Well…” Mattis sipped his drink, and I picked up mine to do the same. The taste was sweet, easy to go down. “You don’t. You kill plenty of other people who deserve it maybe less.”
Our leader seemed to ignore that comment, staring at his drink. Finally, he spoke. “Mattis.” Torrin placed his good hand on the table. The other was still at a weird angle, reminding me the amount of pain Torrin must be in. “First, I would ask you to please fix my arm. Yank it back.”
The other man rose. “Sure.”
In a swift move, Mattis yanked Torrin’s arm back, and with a snap, his shoulder went back into place. Torrin winced but made no sound as he fisted his hand once, then twice. “Thanks.”
“Second thing?” Mattis walked back to his seat.
“You saved all of us. You, Nox, Astor. You save my life. Save our City-State. All the damn time. You do it all without comment, without fanfare. This time, I would like to reward you. Ask me for something, and it’s yours.”
Mattis stared at Torrin. “I do what I do for our home, and for you because you are my friend.”
“Ask me for something.” Torrin sipped his drink, taking deeper swigs of it than either Mattis or I had done.
“All right.” Mattis sat forward.
Torrin’s smile made me do the same. He was easy to watch, enchanting to listen to, and I could see how he’d be deadly if he chose to be. This was why they followed him. His charisma. I’d fallen straight into the Torrin hole with the rest of them. Yes, I’d listen to him, and I didn’t want him to yell at me again.
“I knew there was something you wanted,” he said. “Everyone has something they want.”
Mattis lifted his eyebrows slowly. “I want my brand with yours on Bianca. I want to share her.”
My mouth fell open. What? He could have anything, and that was what he wanted? Me?
Torrin shifted in his seat. “That’s what you want? To share Bianca? With me? I’ve already promised her back to Astor and plan to make Nox the same offer I’ve made you. It would be with all of us.”
“I see no problem with this,” Mattis said. “We’ve shared most everything since we were all kids.”
I noticed that at no time did either of them turn to ask me. They wouldn’t either. That wasn’t how it worked where I was from, and it wasn’t that way here either.
A muscle ticked in Torrin’s jaw. “Your boon is granted. But she is mine tonight. Go ahead and brand her. And you’re right. I have to…speak to my brother.”
I should have felt overwhelmed, upset even, that they both bartered with my life like this. Only, I wasn’t. These were two of the most powerful men in the City-State. If they wanted me, that only meant that I’d continue to find safety here. Also, for a woman who had never dared hope for one lover, the idea of four of my very own, committed to caring for me as well as each other, was like finding a life-changing treasure in an old coat pocket. The fact that all of these men were insanely attractive only made the treasure sparkle more.
Still, there were things to say, and I needed to say them now. “You both should know something I’ve told Astor. I have a bad heart. I was born with it. I won’t get better. It has made me less than desirable in the past. Likely, it will kill me.”
They both stopped to regard me. Finally, it was Torrin who spoke. “Well, we will mourn your death. But don’t misunderstand. The likelihood is that you will still bury me. None of us are going to live to be old.”
“But it’s not just a short life span,” I said, speaking slowly. How could he not understand what I was trying to say? “It’s me, all of me. I’m…not normal. Not whole. I can’t run or