Torin

"Do you want me to kill you?"

Irina stared at her. Her stoic expression was finally breaking.

"I would be very happy to slit your throat, throw your body out into the snow, and wait for Aldric's wrath," Yvara said with a nasty smirk. "But you don't want to die. You're a hypocrite. You’d do anything to preserve yourself, including killing your little pet here and selling off your own daughter".

Yvara leaned in until their noses almost touched. "You don't want to die. And I can kill you. So please tell me where the damn Totem is".

Irina was quiet. She looked at me, then back at Yvara. I could hear her heart picking up from where I sat—a frantic, rhythmic thump-thump-thump that matched the drums in the yard. She was genuinely panicking now.

She started to shake her head, her voice stuttering. "There is... there is no Totem...".

Yvara stared at her for a long beat, then sighed. She cursed under her breath. "You fucking idiot."

She looked over her shoulder toward the open door. "Kark!".

The door swung wider, and a massive wall of a man walked in.

My throat hitched. The same musky, spicy scent that was currently lingering on Irina was now in the room. He was huge. Not as massive as Fenris, but compared to me, he was a giant.

I suddenly felt incredibly small. My insecurities was now in my face. I was picturing how this massive animal must have handled Irina on that balcony. He didn't need to do much to pin her. Was he that massive down there, too? Did Irina enjoy him more than she did me?.

Yvara looked at Kark, then back at Irina, her voice dripping with disappointment. "She isn't responding."

Irina was frozen. She didn't move or even try to look at him. I saw the moment she flinched when Kark placed his heavy hand on her shoulder.

"Is that so, my Queen?" Kark spoke. His voice was a deep, textured rumble that seemed to vibrate in the floorboards.

He moved closer to her, his chest pressing flush against her backside. I swallowed hard. My feelings were a complicated, knotted mess. My heart was hurting, my throat was dry, and I was scared.

As a man and a Lord of Valdris, no man should have made me feel like this. I had only ever been scared of Aldric. That made sense. He was my King. But I wasn't scared enough to keep my dick away from his wife.

But I was jealous. How could I be jealous of a man who looked like he could destroy my spine with one hand? This man had fucked the woman I thought I loved. And while I was spiraling in the dirt of a stable, trying to steal a fucking horse, Irina was getting her pussy blown out by this barbarian.

Kark wrapped his one big arm around Irina from behind. He leaned down, his mouth right next to her ear.

"Why won't she speak up?" he rumbled. "Come on. Tell us where the Totem is".

Irina stayed frozen. Kark was still talking, teasing her, his breath hot against her neck. I watched, my throat feeling like it was filled with sand.

Kark casually brought his big hand up. He grabbed a handful of her breast right through the crimson silk.

The thing is... Irina had huge breasts. My own hands couldn't cover them fully. But this man was doing it effortlessly. I saw his thumb and index finger casually rubbing her nipple through the fabric as he spoke. From here, I could see the peak already hard. I could tell she was wet. Irina was a slut. She was incredibly sensitive. Even the slightest touch was enough to put her in the mood. She was always ready to fuck.

"Tell us," Kark whispered again.

Irina was quiet, I could hear her heart racing, her throat bubbling as she swallowed. Then she shook her head again.

Were they trying to sexually get her to spill? Did they know she was weak to that? How could they know?.

Yvara started speaking again, her tone conversational. "You just have to tell us where it is, Irina. You don't have to be scared. Kark would always protect you. He would always be in your bed while you're here in Ironmaw".

Irina’s eyes shot up. I looked up at Yvara, a fresh wave of panic hitting me. They were trying to give her protection? What about me?.

Yvara nodded. "Yes. You wouldn't have to go back to Valdris. We would protect you. So there's no need to hold on to the Totem".

Irina was staring at Yvara. She finally, slowly, looked at Kark. He smiled at her. He had his dark hair braided back, and aside from the ruggedness and the scars, he was a fine-looking man.

Kark nodded back at her with a slow, predatory smile.

Slowly, Irina started to shake her head. She looked back at Yvara, her voice trembling. "No... no... I can't do that. The Totem is the only—"

Yvara’s smile widened, cutting her off. "At least you're finally agreeing there is a Totem."

Irina realized she had spoken too much. She started to panic, her words falling over each other as she tried to backtrack. She went off-point, her royal mask completely shattered.

Then, she stood up straight, her voice turning stern and abruptly cold. "I am not going to release the Totem. If you want to make things better, you had better talk to me on a more diplomatic level".

Yvara stared at her for a long moment. She looked down at me, shaking her head in genuine disappointment.

I looked back at Kark. He was still flush against Irina, his big arm wrapped around her waist. But I saw the moment Kark’s hand went to the small of his back.

He unsheathed a wicked, heavy iron dagger.

"Fuck, no! Irina!!" I screamed.

Kark didn't hesitate. He drove the heavy metal straight into Irina’s side.

"No!!"