“We sit.” More rustling sounds, followed by the long, sharp hiss of water hitting heated rocks. A fresh wave of steam slapped Buck in the face. “We sweat. And we talk.”
“About what?”
“About our feelings.” He felt rather than saw Ragvald settle back, a wide, bulky presence in the darkness. “Like men.”
“Are you fucking with me?”
“We do not do that in the sauna. And in any event, you are mated.” Ragvald’s rumbling voice took on a disapproving edge. “Or should be.”
“Don’t even start.” The combination of heat, steam, and smoke was starting to make him feel lightheaded. “And knock off the oblivious barbarian act, you know that’s not what I meant. Are you seriously telling me you punched me in the face and threw me in a homemade oven for a motherloving therapy session?”
“Yes. That is how men settle arguments. At least in my land.”
“Remind me never to go to Worm Island.”
“Ormholm. You could not, in any event. Outlanders do not set foot on our shores.”
Buck suspected this was not a great loss to the tourism industry. “And what happens if I don’t want to talk?”
“Then I add more logs to the fire,” Ragvald said calmly. “Until you do.”
The sauna was already hotter than Satan’s ballsack. Buck briefly contemplated attempting to fight his way out, but Ragvald had positioned himself in front of the tiny door. It would probably be easier to chew his way through the thick wood-and-earth wall.
“Don’t suppose we could settle this like women instead?” he asked without much hope.
Ragvald poured more water on the stones. “No.”
“Well, you can make me sweat out all the moisture in my body, but I’m damn well not spilling my motherloving guts.” Buck folded his arms, glaring defiantly in Ragvald’s general direction. “So I guess we both just sit here until we pass out.”
Ragvald’s only response to this was another wave of super-heated steam.
“I was a firefighter, you know. And a Marine before that. If you think you can take more heat than me, you’re in for a world of disappointment.”
Ragvald’s breathing stayed deep and even. In the close darkness, Buck could even make out the slight, steady sound of the man’s heartbeat. It sounded like the motherlover was on the verge of taking a damn nap.
“Look, why did you challenge me in the first place?” he said, trying to ignore the unpleasant feeling of sweat trickling down his motherloving abs and into his underwear. “You barely know me. Why do you care about my personal life?”
Ragvald made a rumbling sound. “The prince requested my aid. I am honor bound to answer his call.”
“Prince? What does Finley have to do with anything?” Buck groaned as realization hit. “This is another one of the kids’ damn idiot schemes, isn’t it.”
“It is not my place to question the prince’s motives.” Ragvald added yet more steam to the thick air before adding, “Though I would have challenged you anyway.”
“Why, because I somehow ‘offended your honor?’” Buck made air quotes, though he suspected the wyrm shifter was as blind as himself in here.
“No,” Ragvald said quietly. “Because I know what it is like to be rejected. And I would not wish that pain on my worst enemy, let alone a shield-sister.”
“What?” Buck looked at him in surprise, not that it did any good. “You meanyou—”
“My past is my own,” Ragvald interrupted, voice hardening. “And you are trying to change the subject. Stop seeking to escape, for there is none. I will not allow you to leave until this rift is repaired.”
“Might as well chuck the rest of those logs on the fire and settle in for the long haul, then. I’m not discussing my private life. Especially not with a man who’s trying to stew me in my own sweat.”
“No,” Ragvald said, quite calm. “And that is as it should be. I am not here to listen to your words, nor you here to listen to mine.”
“First he doesn’t want to fight, now he doesn’t want to talk,” Buck said under his breath. “Are all wyrms this maddening, or is it just you?”
“The sauna is where warriors bring grievances, so that they may be resolved.” Ragvald stirred in the dark. “Your quarrel is not with me. So speak to your enemy, Buck of Thunderbird Steading.”
