He’d slept there every night for the past two weeks. He hadn’t moved in any of his belongings, and they had an unspoken rule to never speak of their arrangement. During the night, when her nightmares were particularly bad, she woke to find him in her bed, his arms wrapped around her, holding her close. They never spoke of that either.
Their training sessions grew more and more electric, especially on days they could hear the screams of their prisoner echoing through the camp, reaching them all the way in her training ring. The screams mingled in Solveig’s soul with memories of her own.
The prince met her blow for blow on those days. Even with his aggressive fighting style, he knew how to calm her. A quick touch of their skin, their magic aligning, steadied her breathing as her magic raced. Their bodies moved instinctively with one another, and their sparring became a choreographed dance.
Then there were the other dreams—the ones that left her sweating for a completely different reason. After the nightmares brought him into her bed, her dreams took on another form in which his gloriously naked body covered hers.
One night, she dreamt they were in her room in Asgard, the curtains fluttering in the breeze that blew through the wide expanse of open wall. The space opened up to a view of the cliffside of her homeland, cool air caressing her heated skin. Soft sheets lay in a pile at their feet, their bodies moving together, her head thrown back in pleasure.
The cool of his magic mixed with her energy, both in the dream and in her bed, setting their bodies ablaze with need, her blood thrumming with desire. His calloused hands trailed the insides of her thighs, his rough beard scraping along her sensitive centre.
Her cries of pleasure had woken them both.
They breathed heavily, staring at each other in the dark, lust and secrets filling the space between them. She didn’t know who fell back tosleep first, but she woke before he did and ran to Gerrie’s empty tent to sit in a cold bath.
Archery lessons were excruciating. The prince insisted on being as close to her as possible. Their unspoken communication left her mind open to him and he did the same. She couldn’t get the scent of him out of her head and the feel of him off her body, making those dreams that much more vivid.
He was everywhere, seeping into the makeup of her very being.
Two days before they were scheduled to leave for Asgard, she jolted out of the complacency she’d let herself fall into.
She was in his arms, her back pressed to his front, his lips grazing her ear. Her eyes were blindfolded as she let her other senses guide her arrows. A chill descended her spine as his hand skimmed the skin at her hip just under the hem of her shirt.
Instead of heeding her instinct to step away from him, she leaned back, arching into him. His breath hitched as his fingertips dug into her flesh, pulling her closer, his soft exhale tickled her neck.
His hands tightened on her, and in that moment, she wanted nothing more than to be pressed against the nearest tree, she and the prince tearing each other’s clothes off. She wanted to taste him. She wanted him to devour her. But more than that, she wantedhim. All of him.
The desire, the thoughts scared her into complete shutdown. She pulled away abruptly, throwing her walls back up and shutting him out. Almost immediately, the prince spun her in his arms and yanked off the blindfold.
Alarm was plastered across his face. “Are you okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Solveig answered without emotion.
“Why did you ...” His voice trailed off as he tried to read her, but she kept her emotions locked down. His brows furrowed.
“We leave in two days.”
“I know,” he said, confused eyes searching hers.
“There is much to be done,” she said stiffly, taking several steps away from him. His now empty arms dropped to his sides. “Thank you for the training. I have found it to be most helpful.”
“Why are you being so formal?”
Was it just her, or did hurt flash through his eyes? She didn’t care. Couldn’t care.
“Laeknir suggested I get an early start because of the storms. He practically begged me to leave last week.”
“He’s worried about you. But that doesn’t mean we have to stop training this instant. What happened?”
There was no answer she could give him that would explain her conflicting emotions. “I think it best we focus on the upcoming journey.”
He took a step towards her. “Solveig.”
“It’s for the best, Prince. This”—she gestured between the two of them, her tone relaxing—“whatever this is, can’t continue.”
“Like Hel it can’t,” he growled, stepping closer but she backed away, shaking her head.
“You have a duty to your people and so do I.”
