He grins, pushing some bread toward me. I grab some of the meat on the plate in the middle and tear the bread in half before stuffing the meat in the middle and then enjoy one hearty bite at a time.
“So, you’ll be taking your bride on the raid?” he asks, mentioning our conversation from earlier again.
Jerking my chin toward him, I tilt my head to the side as I chew. “It seems that I must,” I grunt.
His eyes darken, then as I watch they begin to swirl with gray mist right before my own gaze. My stomach sinks. The sight is unlike any that I have ever seen before. I have heard of it happening before, but I have never actually witnessed it myself.
I cannot end him, not here, not now. Not only is he my brother, the demon inside of him could transport to another body, I cannot risk my people, not like that. So, I will have to wait, I will have to seek the counsel of Runa and the seeress.
“I will, Fiske. We are newly married, I cannot leave her behind,” I murmur, careful not to enrage the beast that is residing beneath his skin’s surface.
He shakes his head a couple of times, mumbling something that I cannot make out before he lifts his head and his eyes find mine.
“When do we leave? I am bringing my thrall as well, then.”
His words are not a question, it seems that he thinks he can tell me what he is and is not going to do as if it is not up for discussion. I almost deny him the slave, except, I decide to allow it this time. I will just put them on a different ship from my own, it will be a good excuse to keep him and his misplaced rage away from my bride.
“Very well, Fiske. We leave in two weeks’ time.”
Without another word, I stand and turn my back to him before I walk toward my bride. I don’t look back at him, I have no desire to see the evil swirling inside of his body. It is there, just beneath the surface and it is something that I will no doubt have to deal with sooner rather than later.
Opening the door, I call out to Hagen, making my presence known before I fully step inside of the room. He grunts, walking into the middle of the room as I slip inside.
“She sleeps,” he grunts as he walks past me.
“You won’t be needed this eve,” I inform him.
His lips twitch and he shakes his head once. “You must stop playing with her, Aaric. She is not of here, or so you say. She does not understand our world and you have not been accommodating.”
I snort, though I know him to be correct, however, I will never admit it aloud—at least not to him.
“We leave on a raid in two weeks’ time. I need a meet tonight after everyone has gone to sleep.”
“The cabin?” Hagen asks on a whisper.
I dip my chin. “It is important.”
“I will tell the men.”
Hagen leaves us alone. Turning toward the door, I place the wooden piece in place, locking us inside and alone. Standing in the middle of the room, I cross my arms over my chest and watch her sleep for a moment.
There are a million things that I could say to her, but none of it matters. She is mine as I am hers, a fate decided by the gods. A prophecy yet to be fulfilled and a lifetime to spend together, bound by magic and possibly one day, even love.
“Aaric?” she asks, her voice hoarse.
Lifting my gaze to meet hers, I silently watch her for a moment. Her lips tremble into a smile as she pushes up to a sitting position. She brings her legs up, bending at the knee before she wraps her arms around her shins and rests her chin on her knees.
“Why do you hate me so much?” she asks softly.
“Hate? I do not hate you, Liv.”
She shakes her head a couple of times. “You had me dragged out of here completely naked. All because you think that I hold some kind of magic? I mean, you didn’t think that I had any when I just poof appeared out of nowhere a few weeks ago? C’mon, this is more than some magic you think I have.”
I grunt, lifting my hand and gathering my hair at the back of my neck, tugging before I release it. “If you control the weather, that can destroy a country, the people’s lives within it, the surrounding islands under my control. My people can be wiped from the earth, especially if you cannot control that magic.”
LIV
Watching him, seeing the worry etched in his eyes, I wonder if both of us have possibly overreacted. I have to remember that as new and scary, downright terrifying, this is for me, it is probably the same for him.
Licking my lips, I watch him for another moment, taking in his tattoos on his face, wondering why they are so damn sexy?
Then I clear my throat. “I liked you, a lot, Aaric,” I admit. His brows snap together in confusion and I can’t help but smile. “You hurt me by doing what you did. You humiliated me. I don’t know if I can ever forgive you for any of that.”
He doesn’t argue with me, he also doesn’t apologize. Instead, he takes a step toward me, and another, until he is directly next to me. I wait for him to crawl onto the furs next to me, but he stays completely still.
“Aaric,” I warn.
He clears his throat, then turns and sinks down on the edge of the furs. “We leave in two weeks on a raid. You will join me.”
“We need to talk about all of this, Aaric. I deserve an explanation, in the least. An apology, at the most.”
I watch as his lips twitch into a small smile. He lifts his hand and I hold my breath as he cups my cheek. His touch feels too good and I hate myself for leaning into it. This man completely destroyed me just hours ago and now here he is being sweet. I hate it and I love it all at the same time.
He shakes his head once, his thumb sliding across my bottom lip, dragging my flesh with it. “Fated by the gods. A gift to me that I don’t know if I am capable of holding on to,” he mutters.
“You don’t have a choice,” I state. His brows rise and I think about shifting from his touch, but I’m enjoying it far too much. Licking my bottom lip, I smile as my eyes flutter closed. “We’re bound to one another, Aaric. I cannot leave this world without you. You’re stuck with me.”
He hums, his face softening. “A wife should always be available to her husband, this isn’t such a bad thing.”
“It is if you’re the wife and you want the fuck out of here,” I snap.
“I will have you beneath me, víf. You will never want to leave me. My child grows inside of you.”
Laughing softly, I press my lips together. “In my world, sometimes women raise their children alone, without a father. Do you really think that knocking me up will be a reason that I will want to stay?”
“We are not in your world,” he says matter-of-factly.
I hum. “Yes, but I am of my world, Aaric, and I am not afraid to raise a child alone.”
Without even a hesitation, without a thought, I watch as he throws back his head. Laughter fills the room, bouncing off of the stone walls and I lift my hand, pushing his arm away from me.
The asshole.
Pushing away from him, I slip off of the bed on the other side, standing across from him as he laughs it up like the jackass that he is. Stomping my foot, I let out a growl of frustration.
“You are funny, sváss.”
“I’m not trying to be funny, I’m serious,” I grind out.
The humored look leaves his face and I watch as his eyes turn black, with what I can only describe as fury. He stands to his feet, straightening his tall body as he looks down his nose at me from across the bed.