He sips warm liquid from the edge of the bowl, closing his eyes as he tilts his head back. His hair is matted and oily. Tomorrow, I will cleanse it.
“Just the two of us?” I say in a light voice, letting my hand stroke up his thigh.
“Yes, Ylvin and Elof will sleep here, Eidunn said she?—”
He stops, giving me a look that could either be judgmental or playful. A playful hand glides along his inner thigh. My smile grows. I feel like a predator. Heat pools low in my stomach. Memories of us sharing bodies flicker in my mind.
“Everyone’s awake…” he whispers as his breath grows heavy.
“I know, I’m just… giving you a taste of what’s coming.”
His breath catches, and I can feel it. Like a pull in my chest. It’s like our bodies remember each other. Remember our connection. He opens his legs slightly, giving me better access to his body if I want it. And I do, gently stroking his softness. What was missing when Ari was a giant has returned. My pulse quickens as he hardens in my hand.
“Then I have a good reason to heal,” he says, placing his bowl on the bed side table and leaning back to enjoy my touch.
I keep going, gently stroking up and down before cupping his weight and massaging them. My own body reacts. My blood simmers. Desire hums under my skin, begging to be unleashed. Touching him reminds me I’m alive. That he lives. I get the impulse to slip under the covers. To taste him. I’ve never tasted a man. Ylvin said I should. That it’s fun. When it’s good. When it’s intimate.
I fight the temptation. There will be plenty of time.
“Many reasons,” I tease. “You have no idea.”
CHAPTER 85
Thin flakes of snow fall from tenebrous skies. The light carries a dark tint, promising the bitter cold of winter. Nothing new. Three days have passed. Soft days of laughter, warm food and warmer furs. The first days of freedom, and for Eidunn, the first in her life.
Ari’s smell clings to my body, as mine clings to his. His entire face must carry my scent. This morning’s pleasure, waking to Ari’s lips finding their way down my belly and ending between my legs, had me clawing at the furs. I should keep my head above the clouds before me. I should be shaking with pink memories of intimate moments. And I was, until I stepped outside and felt the tension crackling through the air.
I cannot see Opdal. But it’s there, far below, licking its wounds. With Sigurd dead, Vidar will inherit his father’s throne. If Vidar survived. That man wants me dead, or even worse, ashis thrall. I will have to close that chapter, when the time comes. A part of me hopes the snow will bury what I left behind, but I know better.
Those that chained us would do it again. Drag us all by our hair to force us into servitude. I would rather die. That life is over.
My breath comes out in plumes as I raise my greatest treasure to see it reflect the pale light of day. The rubies display an endless depth. A furious beauty that both invites and intimidates. Whenever I look away from the lynx head, it weaves and bends in the corner of my eye, imitating the snarling beast it is forged to resemble.
I’m happy I took it. It is mine to bear. It was always mine. If anything has been decided by fate, it is this. I feel it in my bones. I have defied Norns. I spat on a queen. I burned down a hall. Helped defeat a frost giant. Freed a thrall.
But this? I hold it up to my face, gazing into the prime jewel held in the predator’s mouth. This I would never challenge. Never disobey. We are one. Why oppose oneself?
It is mine.
Even now, it seems to listen. As if waiting for my command, or waiting to give me one. Its rubies flash, not in the light, but beneath its glittering surface. Like something alive lurks within. Power hums beneath its golden sheen. Patient. It yearns to rise. And it will.
It will rise above that bitch Queen who wants to claim my man. Her filthy magic has no place in this world. Wherever she is, I will find her. The south—perhaps a journey would be fitting. Perhaps I?—
The door to the cottage opens. I turn and see Ari. His familiar smile dissipates as he throws a glance about him. Maybe he feels the same as me. I return my gaze to the view as he approaches. He lets out a low whistle.
“Special energy in the air today, isn’t it?” he says.
I smile. How connected we are.
“I was just thinking the same.”
“You’ll freeze out here.”
“I’m fine, I’ll just?—”
A warm cloak is flung over my shoulders and tucked around me. At first, I’m offended. But then I remember, this is my man. The one I trust with my life. We’re meant to help each other. It feels good being guarded. If that is weakness, then I am weak.
I give him a sideways nod.
