Though no one answered her question, Pol spoke.

“I want her.”

I looked to him to see he’d let Cora, the Unpleasant go and was pointing toward our huddle.

But I knew he meant me.

“Patience,” the black witch Helda said. “Mere months and she will be yours to play with.”

Okay, things looked pretty bad but that shit was not going to happen.

Pol was moving their way, wearing a smile on his face I knew. A charming, handsome smile that, in the beginning, helped him get away with a lot of shit.

“I’ll be gentle,” he told them.

“Patience,” Helda repeated.

Pol stopped and asked, “Do you think I’d do anything to f**k this gig?”

The witches looked down at him.

Finally, Helda lifted her hand and murmured, “Oh, very well.”

Crap.

That was the only thought I had the time to have. I cried out in surprise as suddenly I was torn from the women. My body moving not on my own power, I shot across the space straight to Pol. I tried to twist and turn. I tried to do anything to stay away from him.

I could twist and I could turn, but nothing stopped me from slamming right into him.

His arms instantly curled tight around me.

Fabulous.

“What’s this?” Cora, the Rotten asked, her voice pitched slightly higher.

“Just play,” Pol answered her, but his eyes were on me.

I struggled in his arms as I heard noises that would indicate Finnie, Circe and Cora were struggling as well. With what, I had no clue and I couldn’t look.

I could only focus on getting away from Pol.

He had no problem holding me.

This was not magic. He’d always been stronger than me.

“You let him touch you,” he whispered.

Here we go.

“Let me go, Pol,” I whispered back, still struggling.

“Took his cock,” he bit out. “Let him plant a baby inside of you.”

I pushed against him, trying to find a way to get a kick in, but did not answer.

“Both my babies, gone. This one will come.” He jerked his head to indicate the witches. “They’ve seen her.”

I went still in his arms.

They’d seen my baby.

This one would come.

Something welled up inside me and it felt good.

Super freaking good.

Keep myself alive at all costs and not give up good.

But I still had Pol to deal with.

“One of them gone,” I snapped. “The other one you killed.”

His eyes flashed, his arms tightened, and his face dipped to mine, ignoring words that were heinous and flat out true.

“Took his cock,” he whispered.

“Yes,” I hissed.

“Did you think of me when he was f**king you?” he asked.

I stared right into his eyes, lifted my chin and answered, “Not…fucking…once.”

His arms got so tight, I feared for my ribs.

“His kid is out of you, all you got is me,” he gritted. “They got plans. This is gonna be a bad day for you, baby. They get you. They’ll get your girl. They’re gonna take care of the rest. And that means that guy who you’ve been lettin’ bang you, he’s dust.”

I couldn’t believe that.

I wouldn’t believe that.

Things did not look good.

But Apollo would find a way.

Frey would find a way.

Lahn would.

Tor would.

There was a way and they’d find it.

His hand came up, the steel one, and he touched my face with it.

It felt tremendously cold and very heavy against my skin and suddenly all I could think was that it would cave in my skull if he landed it on me in anger.

Pol got so close all I could see were his eyes.

“I’ll make you forget him.”

“Fat chance,” I shot back.

He smiled a smile that was not handsome or charming. “I’ll find a way.”

“What…is…this?” Cora, the Horrible asked from close and Pol looked to her.

“Back off a second, yeah?” he ordered.

“What is this?” she snapped.

Bad idea.

Pol didn’t like it when someone didn’t do as ordered.

“Back off,” he snarled, his eyes now narrowed. When she didn’t move, he continued. “Fuck, there’s enough of me to go around.”

I looked to her to see her eyes were slits and her back was ramrod straight.

“I do not share,” she retorted.

“I say if you share or not,” Pol returned.

She swung a hand toward the witches. “They gave you to me.”

“No, babe, they gave you to me,” he shot back.

“You aren’t even of this world!” she cried.

“And you had no use except to dupe Ilsa,” he replied. “Jesus, clue in.”

“I am to be Queen of the Northlands,” she declared.

“Queen to my king, woman.” He shook his head. “So f**kin’ worried you got your mascara on right, you couldn’t run a schoolroom, much less a f**kin’ continent. I know how to run an empire, bitch, and they know that. Now,”—he leaned both of us toward her—“back…the f**k…off.”

She went for him in a way he had no choice but to let me go.

I heard a disembodied, “Such a bother.”

But apparently Minerva nor her bitch friends felt like intervening.

Which was rather unfortunate for Cora, the Dreadful because she obviously hadn’t gotten to the bad parts of Pol so she didn’t know he didn’t hold back.

So she could not know it was coming.

Therefore, after a short struggle, when his steel fist crashed into her head, it did, indeed, cave it in.

I stood frozen in shock as she dropped inert to the ground, blood pooling stark red across the grayish-white stone, blood coming from her head.

I waited, breathless.

She didn’t twitch or even moan.

Holy cow.

He’d just killed her.

Right there.

He’d just killed her.

I backed up, bile again climbing up my throat.

“Maddie! The bars!” Finnie shouted right before a burst of electricity shot along my back and blue sparks sizzled around me.

I scuttled forward just as Pol whirled to me.

“Fuck! Look what you made me do!”

Seriously?

Seriously?

“Me?” I asked.

“You,” he spat, starting to stalk toward me. “Christ, always lose my mind around you. Fuckin’ crazy.”

He was f**king crazy but not for the reasons he thought he was.