Unused to such emotions, she found herself unable to fully comprehend. A brief moment of longing for Gunilla arose. Katrin pushed it from her mind.
"Tell me."
His gaze roamed her face, warming her skin wherever he paused. She found herself studying him as well, admiring the strong line of his jaw, outlined by the short, dark beard. Her gaze settled on his lips, recalling the way they'd felt against her neck earlier. Intrigued by the way his mouth had feathered across her skin, she wanted him to kiss her that way once more,. A smile formed and she lifted her stare to his, clearly finding amusement in her interest.
"Tell me," he urged again, his voice low and filled with a husk that sent heat whisking along her veins.
Several unsteady breaths passed before she once more calmed enough to speak.
"I have seen you in my dreams. But just from afar. We never spoke or… When I saw you on the docks, I panicked. I had no idea you were real until yesterday."
A slow smile curled his lips and the sight spurred her heart into an uneasy yet exciting rhythm. His dark eyes still held hers. She found herself leaning a little closer, hoping he might kiss her again. Instead, he released her but kept his visual hold, pinning her in her chair.
"Did you have a vision when you saw me?”
More fire flooded her face when she recalled those first visions. Before she could answer, his smile widened to a knowing grin. Again he leaned close, so close his warm breath caressed her cheek.
"I can see from your expression that you did. You must tell me more of your dreams. I shall look forward to making them come true."
The deep rumble of his voice sent tiny sparks of heated anticipation along her spine. An abrupt reminder of the cost of acting on her dreams flashed into her awareness, chilling her desire. His words spurred alarm to temper the longing, enough tomake her draw away. How could she let herself forget the danger of giving in to the temptation he presented?
She shook her head. "You can't!"
His brow furrowed, the grin fading. "But I will."
"You don't understand. If –"
"I understand that you and I have an attraction. You knew what was expected when we struck our bargain."
"I know, but there's a problem."
"You are virgin."
A panicky giggle escaped, despite her efforts to contain it. Her chest tightened, each breath rasping in her throat.
"Yes, but that is not what I mean, not exactly."
"Then what, exactly?"
Another desperate attempt at a deep breath failed to slow her racing heart. She swallowed, her mouth dry as sand. "If I… lay with a man, my powers will be lost."
There. She'd said it. The curious look her gave her made it clear he didn't fully understand.
"Once I… honor a man with my innocence, the gods will take away my gift."
He leaned back in his chair and scratched his chin. "How do you know this?"
"Gunilla told me that my powers come with a price. To go against the gods' wishes before they determine my fate will surely bound me forNiflhel."
He gave a strange sound of disapproval. Clearly, he possessed strong doubts about Gunilla, and likely his father and brother felt the same. The urge to protect her mistress remained strong, perhaps out of habit alone, because somehow, the usual loyalty seemed to lose some of its strength. Was it because Katrin was away from the older woman for the first time ever? Something else to think about. Not now. Now she had to convince Hradi not to seduce her. For she knew if he tried, her resistance would crumble.The test the gods had given her suddenly seemed impossible to surpass.
***
The panic in Katrin's wide blue eyes convinced Hradi the girl believed the old witch's words. He wondered how many lies over the years Gunilla had told the young woman. Again, the need to protect her overpowered his worry that she could be complicit in Gunilla's plans, whatever they might be.
Had he been tricked again? Doubts hovered, never taking over, but never going away either. Another thought to make his unanswered questions more chaotic – what if she spoke the truth? He wanted, no needed, some proof of her gift. Risking having it vanish before seeing such evidence was not something to consider.
But he didn't want to wait to savor the young witch's charms. He ached for her, his cock half-hard and ready for more. Hel, he'd been in this condition since he'd held her before him on the horse. He would not be denied. A solution arose.
