“There’s nothing else like it,” he said, his eyes growing distant. “But it’s been a very long time since I’ve really spread my wings.”
“That’s not true. You came all the way here from the mainland, didn’t you?”
A heavy sigh was his only answer. And before I could ask him to clarify, he changed the subject. “So, are you finally going to tell me what we’re doing here and why we had to bring my wagon?”
“All right. But you have to swear you won’t jump to conclusions. Just…stay calm when I tell you,” I warned him.
His brow arched high. “If I wasn’t intrigued before, then I certainly am now.”
I nibbled on the inside of my cheek. Not even Nilsa or my brother knew about this. Truth be told, I could have come here on my own, but I wanted to share this with Ragnar. Deep down, I wanted to know how he’d react. I needed to know if he was the kind of man I thought—hoped—he was.
“A friend of mine lives in the caves behind that waterfall,” I finally said, pointing at the crystal sheet of water.
“I’ve never known someone to live in a cave.” He cocked his head. “Is this friend another dragon? Are there more here on the Isles than the four you mentioned earlier? Is that why you’re being so secretive about this?”
“Ulrika is not a dragon,” I answered softly. “She’s a mountain troll.”
I held my breath and waited, bracing myself for either fear or anger. Maybe both. Mountain trolls were considered vicious and savage. They kept to themselves and their clans, killing anyone who stepped foot on their territory. Only a few lived in the Isles, as far as I was aware, but most people didn’t know that. I’d long been afraid they’d run them out if they discovered them, all in the name of protecting the Isles. But the trolls who lived here meant no one harm. They were good folk.
“You have a very eclectic group of friends,” Ragnar finally said with a chuckle. “Shall we go and say hello, then?”
The tension in my shoulders unspooled. “You’re not worried about her shooting an arrow into your throat for trespassing?”
He shrugged. “You said she’s a friend. That’s enough for me.”
My hands itched to reach out for him, but I kept them firmly by my side, even as my heart swelled. “Ragnar, I…”
He turned to me then. The sunlight curled across his broad jaw, catching the fire in his eyes. His sleeveless tunic whipped around his chest, and the spicy scent of him billowed into me. I looked at him, and he looked at me, and suddenly, the world seemed to make sense for once.This man.I felt like I’d been looking for him my whole life, and I’d never realized it until now.
I didn’t want to be alone anymore. Not when there was someone like him.
“What is it, Lilia?” he murmured, sliding his thumb along my jawbone.
I swallowed at his touch, my heart pattering like a wild thing. “I’m sorry I misjudged you that first day in Riverwold. I assumed the worst. I shouldn’t have.”
His eyes searched mine, and a strange expression flickered across his face. “Lilia, there’s something I need to tell you. I’m—”
“Well, if it isn’t Lilia bloody Asker,” a voice called out, cutting Ragnar off. “Are you going to come down here anytime soon? Or are you going to make moon eyes at your fellow for another two damn years, which is how long it’s been since you visited me, by the way.”
Ragnar’s gaze shuttered. He snapped his mouth shut and turned toward the falls, where Ulrika was watching us. Whatever he’d been about to tell me would have to wait.
23
LILIA
Ulrika pounced on me when we dipped behind the rush of water. She swept me up into her arms and spun me in a circle, the toes of my boots barely skimming the cave’s floor. She smelled like earth and wet rock, and a deep, damp chill seemed to seep from her skin.
When she finally put me down, she stepped back, like she wanted to get a good look at me. It had been two years since my last visit, but not much about her had changed. At almost seven feet tall, she towered over both of us. Her pale blue skin shimmered in the glow of the sunlit water reflecting into the cave, and long ears, as sharp as swords, cut through her matching hair. Leathers covered her chest and hips but barely anything else. And as she smiled, her tusks wiggled against her teeth.
“You look good,” she said with a nod. Then she jerked her thumb at Ragnar. “Now who the fuck is this?”
“I’m Ragnar.” He held out an arm.
Ulrika looked him up and down. “You smell funny.”
I nearly choked. “Ulrika!”
“What? I’m just saying the truth. He looks like an elf, but he isn’t one.” She held up a hand when I started to speak. “Not a fire demon, either, if that’s what you’re going to say.” Then she shrugged. “Seems all right, though.”
