“What the hell is that?” I hiss.
Aaric doesn’t say anything right away, instead he clears his throat. “What? The Gnu?” he asks.
“What the fuck is a Gnu?” I demand, not taking my eyes off of the bird.
“It is a type of hawk. A sparrow hawk,” he says as if that explains everything.
“Why is it watching me like that? I’m really freaked out, Aaric,” I whimper.
He chuckles softly, reaching for me, he slips his arm around my waist and tugs me against his side. “Do you not have spirit animals of your gods in your world, sváss?”
“I don’t even know what that means,” I mumble.
Aaric pulls me even closer to his side. I don’t try to push him away at all, instead I curl closer to him, watching this big ass bird watch me. This hawk. I’ve never seen anything like it.
It has bright red feathers, the color of blood. They almost look like a cardinal’s feathers, but this thing is at least twenty times the size of a sweet little cardinal.
“It’s the gods keeping an eye on you, protecting you. It’s Ostus, the God of Weather.”
Licking my lips, I watch the bird. It tilts his head to the side, unmoving as we just stare at one another. I feel a pull toward this animal. Releasing my hold on Aaric, I take a step toward it, then another until I’m directly in front of it.
“Liv,” Aaric calls out.
I ignore him.
Lifting my hand slowly, I reach out toward the animal. I hear Aaric’s hitched breath behind me, then a gasp, and another, and another from other men on the ship. They don’t affect me though, my attention is on this bird, on this spirit animal.
My fingers touch the feathers and I practically moan at how soft they are. They feel like nothing I’ve ever touched before, like velvet. The bird leans into my hand. I continue to pet it, wondering what will happen next.
There is a moment of silence, a moment where everything stands still. Then, without warning the hawk’s wings spread, I drop my hand to my side and then it squawks before he leaps into the air and flies away.
Slowly, I turn around to face the ship. All of the men are watching me, their mouths hanging open, their eyes wide.
“What?” I ask as I flick my gaze over to Aaric.
“Nobody has ever seen it before, Liv.”
“Seen what?” I ask.
He clears his throat, taking a step toward me. He lifts his hands, cupping my cheeks as his eyes search my own. I don’t know what he’s looking for exactly, but I wait for him to find it. When he does, his lips curve up into a grin.
“Gnus are known for being hunters. They are not friendly animals. They fight, squawk, peck, hunt. We hear them in the morning light, but I have never seen one myself. They do not allow wee little women to pet them as though they are a domesticated animal,” he explains.
“He was sweet,” I whisper.
Aaric throws back his head in laughter, then I watch as he turns around and shouts something to his men. They all lift up one of their arms and shout before they too burst out in laughter.
“My men, they have dubbed you Liv tamer of the beasts.”
“Is that good?” I ask.
Aaric’s entire face smiles, his lips and his eyes. He leans down slightly, gathering me in his arms before he pulls me against his body. “They think you are a magical creature to have touched a Gnu the way that you have. To have petted him and he seemed to enjoy it. You have earned a bit of respect, which is good, very good.”
My lips turn up into a smile and I look up at my husband. “All I need to do is earn their respect and your love and I’ll be the happiest woman on this earth.”
Aaric dips his chin, touching his lips to mine. “Já, Liv and I have no doubt that you will accomplish this.”
“I will,” I sigh against his mouth. “I will.”
Without another word, his mouth crashes against mine, his tongue fills me and a moan escapes my throat. He swallows the sound as he backs me up against the side of the ship.
As much as I love this ship and being on the sea, I hate the lack of privacy. I want nothing more than to take him, all of him, right now. I didn’t realize how much I loved our evenings and mornings together until we started on this journey.
Aaric breaks the kiss, nibbling on my lips before he rests his forehead against mine and lets out a grunt. “We will arrive at our destination tomorrow. We’ll build a camp and before we raid, I will have my wife.”
“Yes,” I exhale.
AARIC
Most of the ship sleeps as we near land. Something causes me to feel very uneasy about this place. It is a new venture, a land that we have never gone to before. I allowed Fiske to lead the way, and I am wondering right now if I will indeed regret this decision that I made.
“There is something not right,” Hagen mutters from behind me.
“I think you could be right,” I agree.
Most of my men are still asleep, including Liv, as the sun is only just beginning to rise. Hagen stands beside me, tilting his head to the side as he watches the ship being rowed ashore. He doesn’t say anything right away, instead, we watch in silence for a while.
“Your bride, she’s full of magic. I realize you know this. The men see it now, all of them. I worry over her safety if the news gets out that she is indeed produced by the gods for the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy,” he rasps.
“This is why you and Gunnar will always watch over her?” I ask.
He hums as he clears his throat. “We will, Aaric. This will not be an easy task, not even for us.”
“You will succeed.”
Hagen nods his head. “Have you contacted your dragon?” he asks.
Shaking my head, I let out a heavy sigh. “He wants too much from me when I request him. The price will be higher than I’m willing to pay for her safety.”
“He must know, if nothing else, he must know.”
I let out a grunt, looking down at the water as we glide through it. Lifting my eyes up, I sigh at the sight of the mist-covered land in front of us. Pulling my fur tighter, I realize that it’s cold. It is no longer just a chill in the air from morning, it is now truly cold.
“Aaric,” Liv says, her voice shaking.
Turning to look down at her, I open my arms. She quickly slips between them, curling against my chest, searching for warmth.
“Why is it so much colder?”
I don’t say anything right away. Instead, I take a moment, relishing in the warmth and softness of her body pressed against my own.
“Aaric?” she calls.
Tipping my chin down, I look into her unique green eyes. “It is just another country, in another part of the world, nothing to be overly concerned about. When we get your tent up, I will ensure that you have plenty of warmth.”
“Okay,” she rasps, burying her nose against the center of my chest.
Resting my chin against the top of her head, I watch the land in front of us. It is heavily forested and the closer we grow, the thicker with fog it becomes. The chill goes down to the bone and I hope that this will be a profitable raid for us, so far, I am unsure about this entire thing.
The ship jerks as it comes into contact with the beachy land in front of us. I hear my men shout as they jump out to pull the ship farther onto the shore and tether it to the land. I don’t move, my eyes too busy surveying the area.