“And was your sex with them like this?”
He knew she was asking out of genuine curiosity. “No, wife, it was nothing like this. I have never felt such desire and such a release in my life like I have with you. What we have is more than I could have ever hoped for in this life. It is a true gift.”
She smiled at him. “I am glad to hear it. And if you ever want to have this sex with another woman,” she said and kissed the tip of his nose, “I will cut your member from your body.” With that she released her legs from his waist.
He slid out of her and moved to her side to stroke her hair. Kissing the base of her neck he grinned for he did not know if she was serious or not. And it didn’t matter—there would never be a need to find out.
Chapter Twelve
The galley rocked in a maddening pattern of bow to stern then port to starboard. Saga leaned over the side of the galley and let her guts spill once more. She’d been to sea before, but had never gotten sick like this. Giric had been gracious and offered her a blanket, but all she really wanted at that moment was to slip into the sea and perish for surely that would be better than this misery.
Freydis wiped her brow with a damp cloth. She didn’t know where Vigdis and Aslaug had managed to sit, and at this point, she hardly could bring herself to worry about them.
“We will dock soon,” he said whilst wrapping the blanket around her anyway. “Only another hour or so.”
“I have never felt like this before,” she said. “Why am I so ill?”
“The sea swell was heavier than normal today. Do not worry, love. We will make landfall soon and you will feel better.”
She prayed to Odin it would be so. Curling into a ball, she lay down close to the prow of the ship ignoring the staring eyes of her husband’s crew and the concerned look on Freydis’ face. The woman had insisted she wear a gown for the voyage and her first introduction to the people of this castle. Now the damned thing kept tangling around her legs as she tried to find some reprieve.
They’d left at daybreak and her stomach protested almost immediately. She’d been uneasy about the trip to begin with, and her illness had taken a toll on her courage, something on which she could always rely. Saga closed her eyes and visualized herself back in the fields of home practicing her bow and arrow and axe throwing skills. She’d give anything to be back there right now.
Her thoughts turned to her husband. They’d shared a glorious night in each other’s arms. Perhaps the lack of sleep was a factor in her reaction to the sea today. She hoped it was that simple. A hot meal and a good rest would restore her strength. It had to. Weakness was not something she’d ever experienced, and these past few hours had proved to her that she did not like it in the least.
“We’re here, love,” Giric said, gently shaking her shoulder.
Saga emerged from underneath the blanket and struggled to stand. As Giric aided her, she gripped the railing and peered out toward the mainland of Scotland, her new home.
The first thing that struck her was the mountains in the distance to the north and the lush woodland. While the island had plenty of wood to sustain them, there was no abundance like this. Saga wiped her face and blinked as the landscape widened before her.
“It is beautiful is it not?”
“Ja, like nothing I’ve seen.”
“But you said you’d been to sea before.”
“Not to the Scots-land. I’ve been to Iona and Skye, but not the mainland.”
Giric wrapped his arms around her waist and placed his chin on her shoulder. Her courage surfaced when in his arms like this. She was sure she could face even the trickster Loki with Giric by her side. The thought made her smile.
“You’re feeling better,” he said.
“I am.”
“Good, because I want you to love your new home as much as I do.”
Saga turned her head to look up onto his face. The strength there awed her. She’d spent her entire life around strong men, but Giric was different. His power came from his mind and body, and he seemed to know her to her core on instinct. Freya had smiled down upon her the day he’d sailed across the Clyde.
Crossing the gangway, she noted the differences immediately. No war party waited to demand identification. Then again, this was Giric’s home and so they would recognize his sail’s colours, but the hustle and bustle of the area around the docks was quite different than she’d expected.
Aslaug stood beside Saga with a forlorn look on her face. She regarded the woman and considered her plight.
“You had a choice, Aslaug.”
“I had no choice,” she said. “The earl threatened to kill my mother.”
“And had you brought that news to Gunnar, he would have protected you and your mother and justly punished the earl. Now you must suffer the consequences of your lack of faith.”
