The cavern shook from foundation to roof. Any moment, the walls would come tumbling down. Pinned as he was, Bane would be crushed. If a stray piece of ice were to cleave his head from his body...

His vengeance would die with him.

Allow Aveline to live a long and happy life? No!

Battle paused as warriors fled. Bane bent down, stretched and twisted, grabbing hold of a discarded sword. No help for it. To save his life and reach Nola, he had to move from this spot. To move from this spot, he had to free his leg. To free his leg, he had to shatter the ice.

He struck the wall again and again, and realized he was too weak to do any real damage. Very well. He would gain his freedom another way.

Deep breath in. Bane eyed his ankle. Goodbye, foot. As he inhaled, he lifted the sword. As he exhaled, he swung.

CHAPTER FOUR

Go ahead, strike out on your own!

CRADLED AGAINST SOME giant’s chest, peering over his broad shoulder, Nola had a startling view of the cavern’s collapse and Vale’s abduction. The glow of northern lights illuminated both horrors. A different giant held her sister in a fireman’s carry, whisking her away in the opposite direction.

In the cavern, the scary-looking brute holding Vale had introduced himself. I am Knox of Iviland. He possessed the coldest blue eyes Nola had ever seen. Her own captor—the guy she’d claimed had impregnated her with a glance—had the coldest dark eyes. But the truly terrifying thing? Neither man frightened her as much as her golden god.

Like an angel of death, he’d ripped off limbs, clawed out organs, chewed through throats and yanked out spines. And he’d done it all while blood-splattered and staring possessively at Nola, as if he owned her, body and soul.

Why had she ever decided to come to Russia? Seriously, a delusion would have had a much better outcome.

What had happened to GG, anyway? And why had he summoned her of all people?

“St-stop. Please,” she told the dark-haired brute carrying her away. Her teeth chattered as she extended her arm, reaching for her sister. “I d-don’t want to go with you.”

He tightened his grip, bellowing, “Be quiet, girl. You’ll give our position away.”

Uh... “You just gave our position away.”

In the distance, Vale hurled herself to the ground. She whimpered and scrambled to her feet. Chasing after Nola with a backpack in hand, she screamed at Nola’s captor. “Stop! Please! You don’t understand. She’s sick. She needs medicine. Come get Knox. I’ll help you kill him, if that’s what you want. Honest! Or take me instead.”