Ohhh… Simon had explained that word to me. They were the barbarian equivalent of married. Which explained the flirty comment, but not the inclination to roll around in the snow. Another gust of wind cut through me, and I shot Uttin a grimace.
“Too cold.”
He hummed and nodded, waving to the two others. “We eat now. Saneth, go for his knees.”
I understood that sentence since we’d gone over the body parts several times already, and I watched in fascination as the smaller man spun around, going low to tackle his bondmate to the ground with a cackle. Of course, the bigger man rolled them, but Saneth was no pushover and managed to wiggle free and get Tavik into a headlock. I pointed at them as we walked away.
“Teach me?”
Uttin frowned at me. “You not know?”
I just shrugged. I wasn’t going to admit I’d given up on hand-to-hand combat because I was embarrassed. And I trusted Uttin to be nicer about it than Hameed had been.
Uttin didn’t seem bothered with my reply. He just nodded. “Later. Too cold for you.”
“Not outside!” I grumbled, making him grin. But then again, there wasn’t a ton of room in the tents. With the fire pit and the table, there was barely enough room for a bed. Where else would we be able to practice?
We stepped into the biggest tent, and my eyes immediately scanned for Simon. He was in the corner with a few men I didn’tknow. I assumed them tributes given how different they looked from the clan, but they were dressed similarly and had those necklaces I’d seen many wear. Bondmates, maybe?
“Go sit with Simon,” Uttin urged.
I went because there was a line for food, and I wasn’t patient enough to wait. Simon nudged someone to make room for me in the little circle, which made me insanely smug as I plopped down on the cushion beside him. But when he handed me a toddler no more than three, I didn’t know what to do. My hands shot out and up, and my eyes widened in shock.
“What is this?” I croaked.
He smirked at me. “One of the orphans brought here when you were. Finn and Rath have adopted him. They’re in line right now.” He jerked his chin to where a small blond and one of the biggest barbarians I’d ever seen stood collecting three bowls from the cooks.
“So why am I holding it?” I demanded.
“Him. And you’re holding him because he’s warm.”
I frowned, taking a moment to process that. He wasn’t wrong. The toddler looked unconcerned with being handed to a stranger, leaning against my chest as he watched the crowded room, and warmth seemed to seep off him and into me. Slowly, I encircled him in my arms, letting out a sigh as the chill in my bones began to fade.
“Why is he so warm? Is he sick?”
“No,” Simon shook his head. “Little kids just run warm. I’ve met a few since coming here, and they all run warm. It’s nice after being in this awful weather.”
An older child, maybe seven or eight, ran up to Simon with a smirk on his dirty face. He said something in the barbarian language, and Simon nodded approvingly. He pulled something out of his pocket, handing it to the kid who popped it into his mouth and took off again.
“That one is my favorite,” Simon murmured with a grin. “He’s a troublemaker.”
“What did he say?”
“He said the barbarian word for shit,” Simon told me with an evil grin. “I told him to ask around and see if someone will tell him. When Feigrind hears him, he’ll lose his mind.”
He cackled like upsetting his bondmate didn’t bother him in the slightest. I was suddenly glad I’d wound up in Uttin’s care and not Simon’s. The child wasn’t the only troublemaker around here.
“You’re evil.”
Simon’s grin never dimmed. “And you’re so pure? Why have you not been here the past few days?”
“It’s freezing!” I argued, gesturing toward outside. The toddler looked up at me, and I grimaced. “Sorry.”
“Erik,” the small blond man called as they approached, beaming at the toddler, who wriggled free of my lap to go to the men. The barbarian looked proud as the smaller one picked the child up and sat him on his hip. A bit of longing swelled in my chest. Since I wasn’t the crown prince, I technically didn’t have to have kids, but I liked them just fine. I just wasn’t interested in making them the old-fashioned way. Adopting like the couples here had done might be better for me. Though, I wasn’t sure my parents would ever allow that. They probably wouldn’t even allow me to be with a man.
“What’s wrong? Your face just turned sour.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Nothing.”
