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

by Emma Hamm

“You can be surrounded by people and never feel like a single one truly knows you.”

“My father had less elven blood than she did.” “And so you will follow in your father’s footsteps. A man who sees true goodness in his children, regardless of what they look like. You have a good heart, Ragnar, but I fear you are short sighted.”

“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.”

She looked like she tasted sweet, as though her skin was dusted with sugar and granules of bee pollen.

“I see now why you put it on the way you did,” he rasped. “Let’s turn it back around.” 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.

“Where did you get those?” “I slipped in the stream and cut my feet.” “Why did you not tell me?” Her head lifted. Locks of that bright red hair fell in front of her features, but he could easily see her eyes widen and her mouth drop open. “I didn’t think you’d care.”

And then he stalked away before he did something else stupid. Like hold those delicate little feet in his hands and heal every single wound. Like throw sand in his brother’s face and then lock tusks with him just because

Gunnar got to eat breakfast with her and he didn’t.

He wanted to kiss her. He’d wipe that snotty expression off her face and bring her down onto the bed of leaves at her feet. He’d ravage her right here in the forest until she screamed so loud the other trolls would hear her. All just to wipe that smug expression off her face. But she wouldn’t welcome that. Not when she was so angry at him.

He’d known it was a bad idea to be alone with her. But now that he’d discovered her ire, he found he rather liked her.

“Fear is what limits us. You can let it control your life, or you can control it. The choice is up to you.”

“She’s still yours, you know,” the blood witch said, her old voice shaking with the effort after the magic she had cast. “She’s yours, Ragnar, more than I’ve seen in a hundred years. That woman was made for you and you for her.”

“I rarely go back on my word, but yes. You were born for me, fire hair. And so I will keep you.”

“Listen closely, fire hair. 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,” he said. “Do you hear me? Trolls are not humans. We do not use our wives as play things, nor would we ever

allow a woman to be traded around like that. You are not in your human kingdom with your foolish men.”

“Because they need help.” Her brows had furrowed, but then her features softened. She reached for his hand and brought his bloody fingers to her lips. Gently, she pressed a kiss to his worn knuckles. “I’m so sorry that all you have seen of my kind is anger and hate. Not all of us rejoice in the pain of your people, Ragnar, and I know nothing I say will take those memories away. But I am here. I will help for as long as I’m able.”

“I’ll go anywhere with you,” she whispered. If that didn’t make his heart sing, he didn’t know what would.

Gods, he loved her. So much. And he wasn’t sure how to tell her that, or if there was a way for him to tell her that without her thinking he was joking or lying.