I didn’t know how to address his feelings, especially because I wasn’t feeling the same thing when we were apart. I was unsure if that was because I wasn’t used to searching the air for magic, or because the bond he claimed we had only went one way.
I dug my teeth into my lip as I remembered I was supposed to be getting myself back in his good graces.
“I came back.” I broke the silence, forcing a smile on my lips.
“I see.” His face was downcast.
I struggled for the words to explain what had happenedbefore. “Previously, I . . . I didn’t know how to handle the fact that you lied to me and . . . I’m sorry that I pushed you away over it. I’m sorry I ran.” I hoped he bought it. It had been several days since I had last seen him, but not so long that my words wouldn’t apply.
He was pensive, then the corner of his lips downturned. “It’s okay. I should have handled your surprise better. And I should have told you sooner, so it didn’t come out like it did.”
Though it was an apology, I took note that he hadn’t apologized for the actual lies, just for when it had come out, and how he had reacted. It was no matter though; I needed him to think I accepted his apology. “Leif . . .” I took a deep breath. “I came back because I wanted to try this . . . thing . . . between us.”
His lip quirked up at the edge, but it didn’t meet his eyes as his gaze matched mine. “I saw you in Ralheim.”
I swallowed, searching for an excuse. “I had to try to save my brother.”
“I see. And why was Friar there?”
It was awkward to consider how much Leif knew about my life, but I knew his question was a valid one. “She had hoped to help him leave without Adis interfering.” I was reaching, and I knew I needed to leave this topic before he unraveled my own lies. “But he didn’t want to leave, Leif, so I realized there was nothing left for me in Ralheim and therefore I came here.”
Now, Leif wasn’t an idiot, and I could see he was still skeptical by the expression on his face. So, I decided it was time to use the only thing I could to get his mind away from questioning me. The edge I held that Otho had instructed me to use in my favor.
I leaned in and captured his lips with mine.
It was my first time initiating anything between us, and it felt good, powerful even.
And I realized it had been the right choice as Leif’s lips moved urgently against mine, his body moving closer, his hand coming to rest on my side.
He moaned, “Oh, Runa.”
I panted, though I was still emotionally conflicted about Leif, my body didn’t seem to care as molten heat gathered in my abdomen. “Let’s go somewhere more private?” I whispered as he pressed my forehead to his.
He nodded, not arguing as I grabbed the reins of the horse with one hand, his fingers intertwining with the other.
I had been closer than I thought, and it was only a few turns before we were standing in front of the wall of Hansen’s palace. Like I had planned, the guards waved him in, and once we were through, someone was there to take my horse from me.
Leif spoke a few words to them in a voice too low for me to hear, then he was leading me through the courtyard and back to the room I had inhabited when I was here before.
My stomach twisted as he pushed open the door and revealed the room almost the same as I had left it. There were even a few dresses tossed over the chair in the corner still.
“I knew you would come back,” Leif whispered when he noticed my gaze. “This pull between us, it’s impossible to resist.”
I nodded as his lips once again met mine. This time, there was no hesitancy as he guided my back to the bed, pausing to lift me up on the edge as his hands roamed over my shirt. I was momentarily worried he would find the dagger beneath my bodice, but it seemed he was much more interested in undoing the laces of my breeches than groping my breasts.
“Oh, Runa,” he moaned for the second time in the brief moment his lips left mine, his lower body pressing into mine. I could feel his thick length there, and my body craved him, despite the fact that my brain was a bit repulsed.
Then the laces of my pants and boots were undone and he was tossing them aside and pulling my shirt over my head. I helped him remove my bodice, ensuring the dagger remained tucked inside as I set the clothing aside.
I was panting, wearing nothing but my undershorts as his eyes appraised me.
“You’re the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.” I could feel he wasn’t lying this time as only honesty and admiration flowed off of him. It was all I could do to nod at the compliment as I reached for the buttons on his shirt.
His hand delved between my legs, his hands rubbing me through my undergarments. It was hard to focus on the buttons as he increased his pace and a moan fell from my lips.
“You like that, hm?”
It was all I could do to nod my consent as he knelt down to unlace his boots. Then he was pulling his shirt off, the last two buttons I had yet to get to popping off and rolling across the floor.
