by Marian Tee
“But Susan died when the Titanic sank.” I was bewildered. “If the princess was grateful, why didn’t she save Susan’s life as well?”
“It was too late. Curses are dangerous that way. She had already cursed the Titanic to sink and once a curse has been made, it cannot be undone. So she looked for a way to atone for Susan’s death and thus, your family line was blessed.”
“Blessed,” I repeated, just to be sure. “Not cursed.”
Elsine stared straight into my eyes. “Blessed. Every woman directly descended from Susan Arlington shall be protected from those who wish to take her life. They shall suffer what they fear most till the end of their days.”
“It’s very eloquent, but could you tell me what that means exactly?”
“Anyone who wishes to kill you will die the worst death they can imagine.”
My mouth went a little dry. “She’s…quite protective.”
Elsine raised her hand. “We are not yet done. There is still the matter of goblins.”
Oh yeah. Those goblins. I frowned. “Wait a minute. If I can’t be killed---”
“You can be killed. Curses and blessings are literal and straightforward in nature. No one who wishes to kill you will be able to do so. But any other threat is not covered by the blessing.”
“So if the goblins only wanted to take me as a prisoner---”
“They can do that.”
“Or if they wanted to brainwash me---”
“Doable.”
“And if I got cancer---”
“Then you’ll need chemotherapy.”
“Well, that sucks.” Then I remembered how many deaths the princess of Amen-Re had caused. “But I’m not complaining, of course.”
Varthan coughed while Elsine tried to hide her smile. “I’m sure you weren’t,” she agreed. “Now, I understand that you may find the blessing difficult to believe so I also thought a simple display of its power would convince you.”
“A display?”
She nodded. “Just a quick one.” She stood up, stared at the armchair, and it moved away on its own, revealing a trapdoor beneath. A frowning Varthan walked forward to draw it open.
Elise once again preceded us as we climbed down a torch-lit stairway.
“We’re going to the dungeons, aren’t we?” I said unhappily. Neither of my immortal companions bothered to answer.
Big, dark, and occupied: these, I decided, were the three things about the dungeons of Draugar Castle that made it deserving of a spot on my list of Top 10 Places I’ll Never Visit Again.
The walls were moist to touch, the ceilings low enough to force Varthan to walk slightly hunched. Its circuitous passageways would have made Daedalus proud.
Varthan took my hand and squeezed it comfortingly. It should have thrilled me, but I was too busy worrying about what Elsine had in store.
Elsine didn’t show the slightest hint of uncertainty as she wove her way further into the dungeons, passing rows of iron-barred cellars. I kept my eyes on the ground and ignored all the howling and growling going on around me.
“Just tell me one thing,” I whispered.
I didn’t have to say anything else. “They’re evil,” Elsine said.
That was good enough for me, and our silent journey continued. Elsine was finally slowing down and she came to a stop in front of a plain metal door.
Varthan stiffened beside me, releasing my hand as he took a step forward. “Elsine---”
“I know what I am doing, Draugar.” Her fingers fluttered in the air and out came a set of keys. She unlocked the door, the hinges creaking ominously with every inch.
Then she pushed me inside.
What the---
My list of People-Never-to-Trust immediately grew to two. After helpless old grandmothers, mini blond bombshells were the next type I’d never let my guard down with. Ever.
“Elsine!”
The door snapped shut behind me, cutting off Varthan’s simultaneous roar. He rattled and kicked the door nonstop, commanding the priestess to let me out. If I hadn’t been occupied trying to stop my teeth from chattering in terror, I would have told him not to waste his strength. I was pretty sure the door was magically enhanced, enough to hold off even someone as super strong as Varthan.
Darkness blanketed the entire room. I heard someone – something – hissing and sniffing. A whimper escaped me, making the creature cackle and hiss again. I could sense the creature biding its time, its feet scraping against the damp floor as it prepared to lunge---
I screamed again, raising my hands instinctively as I sensed it rush towards me. I waited to die. There was no way I was going to survive this. But if I survived – as a ghost – I would haunt Elsine for the rest of her immortal life.
But nothing happened.
Well, not to me at least. I couldn’t say the same for the creature. It was yowling in pain. Its cries were so pitiful I almost felt bad. Almost. I still couldn’t forget how it wanted to make a sushi out of me just seconds ago.
The door creaked open and I didn’t waste a second dashing out.
“Elsine, damn---” The rest of my words were muffled against Varthan’s chest as he snatched me into his arms, his strong hard body trembling against mine, his breathing harsh. The heat of his body infused mine, effectively calming me down.
His voice rumbled over my head. “I shall say it for you, skat.”
I tried to speak but I was unable to, a part of me still trapped in the memory of being locked in the dungeon with a monster out to kill me.
Varthan growled, “Elsine?”
“Yes, Varthan?” The priestess actually sounded amused.
“DAMN YOU.”
Elise laughed. “I’m sorry for terrifying both of you.” She didn’t sound like it though. “But it was imperative for you and Dazzle to understand how the blessing works. Doubting it, overestimating it, or underestimating it may cost either of your lives in the future.”
“I hate it when bad guys make sense,” I mumbled. The priestess had made her point: anything – anyone – that wanted me dead should be careful of what they wished for.
Elsine gave me a hurt look. “You really think I’m the bad guy here, Dazzle?”
“Yes.” She sounded like an angel, looked like one, too, but I was on to her now.
She laughed. “It’s no use pretending to dislike me, Dazzle. I know you don’t. And Varthan?” She waved airily. “He’s a warrior. He knew I had to do it. He’ll be okay once he’s gotten over his fright.”
Hearing her say Varthan’s name made me realize I was still clutching Varthan like the floor was going to give out anytime and he was my only lifeline. I quickly moved away, making Varthan frown in surprise. “Dazzle?”
I could feel myself turning red just hearing the sound of his voice. It made me keep my gaze on Elsine, who distinctly looked like she was about to burst into (feminine) laughter any moment. “She’s right,” I said. “I hate to say this, but what she did made sense. So I guess, what I don’t want to say is---”
Elsine beamed. “You’re welcome.” She pulled me close and leaned in to whisper confidentially, “And just between the two of us, you should have seen how terrified he was. He’s never going to admit he cares for you beyond your role as skat, but he does.” Her voice lowered even more. “He’s quite the stubborn warrior, but don’t give up on him. He needs someone like you.”
I couldn’t believe Elsine was telling me all these things right in front of Varthan. “You do remember he’s got extraordinary Draugar hearing, don’t you?”
She moved away with a tinkling laugh. “And you do remember I’m the priestess, don’t you? If I don’t want him to hear what I said, he won’t.” She smoothed her hands over her dress. “Back to business then. I will be leaving tomorrow. You may stay here if you wish to, but you may also leave any time you desire. It is also entirely up to you if you wish for Varthan to stay with you or not. That is your power as skat over a Draugar.”
She glanced at Varth
an. “If she declines your protection, there are other skat---”
Varthan muttered something in Danish under his breath.
“I’m keeping him,” I blurted out.
Elsine laughed. “I thought you would.”
Chapter Six
“What did Elsine tell you?”
I was barely done strapping myself to my seat as the jet took off when Varthan asked the question.
Turning my head away to gaze at the skies outside the window, I said lightly, “She was simply explaining to me that Draugar warriors were very protective towards their skat.” Avoiding eye contact with Varthan was the only way I could keep my lies straight.
“And how did she explain it?”
Shrugging, I said, “She didn’t really say much. All she said was that you were terrified for me when I got locked in the dungeon.”
I waited for him to deny it.
He did not.
I turned to him even as I willed my heart to stop trying to beat its way out of my chest. “You, err, don’t disagree?”
“You are my chosen skat.”
Daaaaaarn it. How could he say such words so simply, so easily? “What exactly does that mean anyway?”
“The Goddess chooses pairs for a reason.”
Oh. My. God. That sounded even more…
I blurted out, “What exactly does that mean, too?”
He didn’t speak, only looking at me with an inscrutable expression on his face.
Unease made me bite my lip.
His nostrils flared.
My eyes widened.
All of a sudden, the air around us had completely changed, a strange kind of tension crackling around us like something wild, pulsing, and as erratic as my heartbeat.
“Perhaps it is better that I show you instead.”
What the---
I opened my mouth to protest, but that only worked as a cue for Varthan to move. His mouth swooped down. I stiffened, expecting him to conquer and command like the Viking warrior he used to be, but he didn’t. His lips moved softly and gently over mine, skillful, seductive, and irresistible with the way he teased my lips. When my lips parted more widely, he chuckled against my mouth before his tongue slipped in.
My entire body shook.
I had been kissed before – stolen, fumbling kisses between two people experimenting, playing, and flirting. But I had never been kissed like this, never had my lips possessed so thoroughly, never had my entire being branded with the way this man’s lips moved, the way his tongue tasted all of me.
I sank to him, entranced by the kiss and unable to get enough of it. Varthan handled my weight without trouble, his strong hands clasping my waist and his possessive hold made my heart beat even faster and harder. And then his hands tightened---
A gasp escaped me when he pulled me out of my seat, the seatbelts unclasping with a weak click at the force of his strength. I gasped another time as he lowered me to his lap, my legs dangling over the armrests. All throughout this, Varthan had not broken off our kiss and I lost myself further and further into it until all my thoughts were of Varthan alone.
Sex had never been something I thought about in the past. Everyone had been having sex around me – and that was normal, considering my line of work. But I had never felt tempted to fool around, never felt tempted to even touch myself because if I wasn’t dancing, there was only one thing I could think about and that was how to survive until the next day, until the next gig, until the next time I got a call from the hospital about paying my stepmother’s medical bills for the month.
But this kiss…
Varthan’s kiss…
Everything about it was pure bliss, so much so that it drove away the anxiety I had learned to live with for so long.
Now, all my senses were bent on reveling in the unfamiliar and breathtaking pleasure Varthan’s kiss gave me.
“You taste unbelievably sweet, woman.”
This time, ‘woman’ sounded more like an endearment, and I shivered at the way he said it, as if he was saying I was his woman. I almost protested when Varthan’s lips left mine but I was too busy swallowing back my whimper right after as Varthan’s lips moved down with painstaking slowness. He licked his way down my neck, nipping the skin occasionally with his teeth.
Oooooh.
When he reached my collarbone, he laid a gentle kiss against it before moving his lips back up. And then he started to suck.
This time, there was no stopping myself from moaning and I arched against him, my arms involuntarily going around his neck. “Varthan!”
Somehow, that only made him suck harder and I could have wept at how much more pleasure it gave me. His hands were busy moving once more, shaping my sides before I slowly felt his fingers working on my buttons.
It worked like a bucket of cold water and with a gasp, I found the resolve to scramble off Varthan’s lap, backing far, far away from his reach.
“What is it?” he demanded.
“It’s too fast,” I told him in a strained, shrill voice, which was as horrid as it sounded but there was really nothing I could do about it.
His gorgeous face softened. “There is nothing to be afraid of, skat. I am the Draugar chosen for you. I am meant to be your defender, protector, and guardian in all ways. I am here to teach you what you do not know.”
I could only blink. ‘That’s…good, I guess, since I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I placed a hand against my chest, pressing hard, hoping it was enough to slow down my heartbeat.
“I am the man meant to take your virginity.”
Chapter Seven
“You are what?” I couldn’t believe I had heard him correctly. Surely I hadn’t because I honestly couldn’t see how he was able to say that with a straight face.
“What you do not know, we are bound to teach. It is our honor, our duty, our privilege. And it has always been so that a Draugar warrior is given the honor to deflower his skat---”
Oh my God, please tell me I didn’t just hear Varthan say something like that so seriously.
Clearing my throat, I said, “You really believe that?”
“It has always been so.”
I shook my head. “You…are you telling me every Draugar warrior took the virginity of their skat and they just…and it happened?”
“There is no reason why it should not.”
I took deep breaths. “And you? How many times have you done this…this---” I winced, unable to believe I was having this type of conversation, but even more incredulous at how so stupidly affected I was about it.
Varthan was a zombie warrior I knew for barely two days, so why the heck did his words hurt so much?
“Deflowered a skat?”
I nodded unhappily.
“None in the past three hundred years.”
“And before that?”
“Eight.”
My knees quivered at his answer. Eight, I thought dully. He had taken the virginity of eight girls and he expected me to be the ninth, just like that.
“Didn’t you love any of them?”
“That is not part of a Draugar’s role, skat.” He actually sounded chiding. “We are meant to guard and defend, nothing more than that.” He looked at me and when he sighed, I had a feeling he now fully realized how badly I was taking this.
“We are warriors, skat. And I was not just a warrior in my human life – I was born a Viking myself, like many Draugar are. We do not believe in love. It is an illusion, but I know this is not your belief and I do not ask that you share mine. All I ask is that you allow me to give you the pleasure that I alone, as the Draugar chosen by the Goddess for your protection, can give you. I shall be in your life until the end of your days---”
He stopped speaking.
My heart almost stopped beating.
How had I forgotten the fact that he was immortal and I was not?
I said flatly, “Yes, I will die, like – I assume – the previous other skat did.”
He said i
t just as flatly, “Yes.”
I kept waiting for him to say something else. Wouldn’t he miss me if I died? I had no idea if I could be immortal like him – even with my so-called powers – but if there was a chance I could be, would he want to spend forever with me? Or was he only counting the years until he was finished playing babysitter to me?