“Please, honey!” I cried, swiped at my tears and tried to brighten my tone. “I’ll be okay. It’s just stress. It’s a wonder I haven’t already had a meltdown. I’ll be fine. It’s out of my system.”
“I said quiet,” he clipped.
“Totally out of my system, baby, I promise,” I assured him on a complete lie.
“Quiet!” he thundered and I shut my trap.
Oh boy. Tor was pissed.
Great. Now what had I done?
He strode angrily through the castle, up the gazillion winding, gleaming, marble steps that led to his rooms and into his rooms where he laid me gently down on his bed and straightened.
Looking down at me, he stated, “Rest. I’ll have someone bring you some wine.”
At that, I panicked, sat up and cried, “No! Don’t! Don’t ask anyone to do anything for me!”
Big, big mistake. I knew this when his eyes narrowed ominously.
“Or,” I went on, trying to repair the damage, “actually, wine sounds good.”
Better to see one of his people, who hated me, than endure Tor’s fury, which scared the beejeezus out of me.
“Rest,” he commanded.
“Right,” I whispered.
Then he turned on his boot and stalked off.
“Fucking great,” I muttered and collapsed back on the bed.
* * *
I sat curled into the heavy, comfy chair I dragged out onto the balcony patio and sipped at my second glass of wine poured from a delicately carved crystal decanter with a curlicued handle and a whirly stopper that a scurrying, pale-faced, frightened looking, silent woman delivered to me and I stared at the view.
Tor had been gone a long time.
I heard the door open and the angry pounding of boots on marble.
Oh jeez.
I turned to look around the chair and watched him prowl to me.
He didn’t look any less angry.
I bit my lip and took in a deep breath.
He made it to me, I opened my mouth to speak but shut it when he pulled the glass out of my hand, set it on the balustrade, plucked me out of the chair, sat in it, arranged me in his lap, leaned forward and nabbed the wine, handed it to me and then sat back, glowering at the view.
“Uh, is everything all right?” I ventured.
“It bloody well will be,” he growled to the view.
Hmm.
I decided to say no more.
Tor pulled the glass out of my hand and took a huge gulp.