I paused mid-lean when a chill ran up my spine. My head snapped up, and I gazed out into the distance. Something was wrong. But what?
“Týr?” Astrid said.
“I… have to go.” I hated having to say those words. I didn’t want to leave, but I couldn’t ignore this, either. There was unrest again with Odinn and some other gods. I felt the tension. It called like battle, and I needed to be there to either diffuse or fight.
She nodded, her face relaxed. “I understand.”
Did she? Of course she did. She put such little importance on her role in my life, she’d always see things I needed to take care of as more important. She wouldn’t fuss, and would let me go.
I didn’t want her to think this way. I wanted her to see how important she was. I’d have to make it up to her as many times as I needed until she understood.
Astrid cocked her head just as I turned. “Wait.”
I paused and when she beckoned me closer with a finger, I complied. She had an unusually serious look about her, piquing my interest. She continued to beckon me until I felt her hot breath on my skin, sending a prickle of want through me.
Her soft lips pressed against my temple, and before I could react to the sudden, intimate contact, the warm sensation of her healing spread through my face.
Astrid pulled away. “I missed a spot. That should help you see the situation better.”
I could, but not because that magically fixed my sight. My body hummed as I stared at her, taking in who she was. The strong, alluring temptress of a mortal who’d beguiled and ensnared me, and I was all too all right with that.
I wanted to kiss her until her lips were swollen from my possession. I wanted to pin her to the wall and have her feel what she did to me by just existing.
My cock strained against my trousers, but like a bucket of cold water, the incessant warning grew louder in my senses.
I’d have to indulge in her later, and settled for taking her hand in mine. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
I kissed her knuckles before vanishing from her sight.
Chapter Six
Astrid
Waves splashed and the boat rocked. The wind tugged the ship’s sails, and salt stained the air and clung to my face.
I’d never been on the ocean before. I’d never actually left home before. But King Geir had summoned Jarl Rune as well as me. It seemed word had gotten out about my völva status and what I could do. Neither of my parents were surprised. Our family had a reputation because of the long line of völvur we produced—and each one had made a name for herself. It appeared I’d be no different.
My mother’s fingers glided through my hair. She selected locks she wanted and braided them together, adding jewelry where she saw fit.
“How are you feeling?” she inquired. “Not too much strain on you?”
Along with this being my first voyage, I was charged with using my magic to create the wind for our sails. This was usually my mother’s job when she went out on the ships, but she wanted me to do it this time.
“I’m fine,” I said, feeling little strain from the magic coursing through me. “I’m more worried about being distracted and my magic failing.”
My mother hummed thoughtfully. “Worried about your brother, or something else?”
“I’m worried about Frida more than Leif,” I said. “You know how he’s been lately, with her and her pregnancy. He was terrible all winter, fretting and fretting, and now with her due soon, he’s gotten worse. And she’s stuck at home with him, without us to steer him into other things.”
My mother chuckled. “Don’t worry. Frida can handle herself. Your father was like that, too, when I first became pregnant with you. It gets easier for them. Besides, we’re not going to be around forever, so they’re going to need to figure out how to make it all work when they don’t have us to rely on.”
She had a point, but it didn’t make me feel any better.
“You’re doing an excellent job with the wind, Astrid,” Jarl Rune called out.
“I think this is the smoothest sailing we’ve had in a long time,” my father said, a wide grin on his face.
My mother let out an indignant snort. “At least I get us there quickly.”
