“You feel what you do to me?” he whispered, tugging her hair to crane her neck upward. He needed to look deep into her eyes as his hips surged up. “This is yours. For you, Sunshine.”
Her only reply was a whimper. Based on the fluttering of her intimate muscles, he knew she would soon find pleasure oncemore.
“You see?” His fingers dug into her hip, holding her down as his thrusts grew frantic.“You thought you couldn’t have another.”
Heat was sizzling through him, gathering at the base of his spine, and Rey knew he wouldn’t be able to hold off this time. Slowly, he pulled her hair backward, forcing her spine to arch like a bowstring as he continued to thrust. She was utterly at his mercy, her trust absolute, and he didn’t take this lightly. He cherished her trust. Vowed to protect it with all of his heart. Moaning, she pushed her hips back to meet him.
“But I know better.”
His carnal words set her off. The arch of her back deepened, her walls squeezed him so tight his vision flared white. And then he was over the edge with her. His thrusts grew erratic, his body seared with heat and longing and emotion and pure, utter pleasure, coiling tight before exploding outward. And then he was groaning, clutching at her, spilling inside her.
He felt disconnected from his body. Distantly, he felt her collapse onto him, the two of them heaving for breath in a tangle of sweat-slick limbs and thundering hearts.
Rey felt as though he’d been shattered and reassembled. Different, but better. Because now she was there, tucked into his heart.
Minutes passed before either could speak. Silla folded her arms on his chest, propping her chin up. Watched him with a lazy smile.
“Well,” she said. “I’m quite warmed through now.”
Rey chuckled. Brushed a stray tendril of her hair back and smiled. Because with this woman by his side, he might never feel cold again.
Chapter Sixty-Eight
KALASGARDE
“Hands to the skies, or I’ll widen your smile,” snarled Vig, pressing his blade to Silla’s neck.
Swinging herself free from Vig’s grip, Silla couldn’t help but think of the woman who had ingrained these movements into her. A pang of sadness filled her, and Silla hoped with all her heart Hekla fared well in Istré—that someday soon they’d be reunited.
With a sigh, Silla forced her focus back to the present, and probed inwardly. There was no trace of the curious fizzing sensation, nor of the incredible strength she’d had while pushing Rey across the field.
“Shy, your Blade Breaker skill is,” muttered Vig, withdrawing his blade.
Silla shook out her limbs, glancing toward Harpa’s home. Ice spirits flitted between the offering plates, shouldering each other and baring their teeth, while the wooden wind chimes clunked together. But there was still no sign of Harpa. According to Rey, she was weaving—had been, it seemed, since Silla’s encounter with the serpent.
“She searches for answers to the events on Jökull,” he’d said, as though that explained anything at all. Silla knew Harpa pulled threads from the weavings of the world, but she did not understand the process one bit. She only knew the tapestries Harpa wove contained the stories of the past, present and future.
She turned back to Vig and Runný with a sigh. Silla had to admit, they were amusing to train with, but thus far, the results were rather lackluster.
Vig surveyed the woods, and Silla knew he searched for any sign of theserpent hatchlings. He’d been busy since the attack, sending word of the serpents across Nordur and south. Rey’s trap had caught three hatchlings, leading to the construction of a dozen more, which were set near local waterways. A total of eight hatchlings had been caught and killed, raising hopes it was only a matter of time before the rest were as well. But there were still four dozen serpents out there somewhere.
As for the mother serpent, she had not yet breached the ice lake’s surface. But no one believed for a moment she’d succumbed to her wound. One theory was that the mother had accessed Jökull’s lake through underground tunnels. If this were true, it would explain how she’d gotten into the lake without breaking the ice.But it would also mean the mother could potentially slither free without notice.
Runný hopped down from the fence post she’d been perched upon and sauntered toward Silla and Vig. “Perhaps she hasn’t burned her Blade Breaker strength yet because you, dear brother, are about as frightening as a seal pup.”
“Baby seals are adelight,” declared Silla.
Vig waggled his black eyebrows. “Are you calling me delightful?”
Silla shrugged.
“Careful, Silla, or you’ll get me killed. Axe Eyes over there is sharpening his blades.”
They glanced at the stump. Legs spread wide, Rey made a slow, threatening sweep of the whetstone along the edge of his blade while glaring at Vig.
“He’salwayssharpening his blades,” she said, trying to disguise her flush with a casual wave of her hand.
“Not enough, it seems,” said Vig, examining Rey. “Which blade did he use to trim his beard?”
