A Darkness So Sweet (The Kingdom Below, #1)

by Emma Hamm

“You haven’t heard? My father is marrying me off to the trolls. It’s a bid for peace, although I highly doubt such creatures are capable of controlling their baser instincts.”

He wasn’t sure he’d be able to stomach it. He’d walk down that stupid aisle and he’d throw up right at her feet. Not in fear, but in knowing that he was going to marry one of her kind. Humans were creatures he had never found attractive, and yet now he would be bound to one. Not just in life and in marriage, but offspring were expected as well, which would require...

This is hilarious

made of mud and fur.

How is one made of mud

“I am not the best of us. If they were looking for that troll, then they should have chosen you.”

Trolls were not creatures who regularly found themselves in sunlight.

Good to know

“Ragnar, Seed of Frode, Son of Ingvild. You stand before me in search of a troll wife.”

He didn’t want a troll wife, not like this. He wanted a woman who desired him. Who could see the beauty in the world they shared together. He wanted a wife who didn’t hate his people, like a human certainly would.

He thought of her bravery, in the face of all odds. He thought of the kindness in her heart, and how she looked at all trolls with love and not judgment. But above all else, he thought of a bride who loved him dearly and with every ounce of her being.

“I open your heart to the woman who walks into your life. It is your responsibility to take care of your troll wife. You will keep her safe, keep her happy, and you will put her needs above all others. Even your own.”

And the smell of it. The room smelled like fresh strawberries, and she really had no idea how they were doing that.

“I suppose I have not had many opportunities to be brave.”

The anger in his gaze softened. “My dear, sweet girl. You are going to be braver today than you have ever been. You will be there when the trolls arrive. You will greet them. You will be the person they see before all others. In that moment, you will have to be brave.”

At least then, if he turned her around, he could pretend she was a troll.

Lmao

Yet, he was right. A relationship was a give and take, but in his case... well, it would mostly be take.

That was a private act. Even worse, if she was against it.

King of consent

they only bathed once every other week.

Let me find out the trolls have better hygiene

He should tell her to prepare herself, because the journey would be long and grueling. What he said was, “Do not throw up on me.”

surprised to find how plush her ass was. Soft enough to be tempting, and he’d never thought that about a human woman.

What a mess she was. None of this would have happened if she had just said something. Her entire life was filled with moments like this because she was too scared or too passive to speak up. All of this was her fault and somehow, that made it even worse.

“I take it you did not indulge yourself in... husbandly duties?” “If you do not stop talking, I’ll turn your breakfast onto the ground.” “That would be a waste, considering it’s your breakfast, too.”

Because he had the sneaky suspicion that if he caught anyone looking at his wife the way he had just been staring at her, he’d get into a fight. He’d rip their eyes out of their head if they saw what he did, even his own brother. Those were sights for his gaze only.

“I need all the help I can get. I don’t know what’s going on, to be honest.”

She didn’t want to cry in front of these women, but she couldn’t remember the last time someone had told her that she was lovely.

“Fuck, no. That’s hilarious. Silly little thing, we meant the ones on his cock.”

I actually cant

couldn’t help but wonder what a pierced cock would even look like.

That woman was made for you and you for her.”

“You will give her strength, Ragnar, just as she will give you a place to rest.”

So, she wasn’t unaffected by him. Good. Because he felt like he was losing his mind.

“We all have to try to fix it. If there is but one person who says they don't matter, then there are a hundred, or a hundred more than that who agree. So many people saying they cannot make a difference will lead to no one even trying,” he said. “I will be the first to make the change, and others will follow suit.”

If another man touches you, I will first cut off his fingers. I will make him watch as I eat them, one by one. I will savor the taste of his blood and his pain before I cut off his hand for ever having it graze your skin. If he survives that, I will hunt him down. I will run him through the forest until his breath saws from his lungs and until he knows what it feels like to be prey. Then I will skin him alive until he dies. I will wait for him to wake up if he passes out. I will continue until the end,”

Or perhaps a reminder that all the work they had done was leading them somewhere great.