“I would not survive this world without you, Liv,” he whispers. “Never will I leave your side again.”
“I’m okay,” I say.
He hums, rubbing the side of his cheek against my temple. We’re both silent for a moment as he just holds me, keeping his arms and legs wrapped around me like a safe, comfortable, protective cocoon.
“Já, you are indeed okay. I am not.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
LIV
After our bath, and Aaric’s demand to hand feed me delicious bread, fruit, meat, and cheese, he dries my body off and carries me to bed. I don’t know what I expect, this evening has been so unexpected, at least with the way that Aaric has behaved. He’s being tender, kind, and loving, I’m not used to it, he is my rough and tumble.
Aaric lies down next to me, his palm cupping my lower stomach as he dips his head down. It feels slightly uncomfortable to lie here naked with him, his eyes focused on my stomach. I know that it only has to do with the baby, and the fact that he thought we could have lost it.
Lifting my hand, I slide my fingers across the shaved part of his hair, where he has tattoos decorating his head. Slowly, he lifts his head, his gaze finding mine.
“I do love you,” he rasps. “Coming home, thinking you had been taken from me…”
His words trail off, I shake my head. “I’m fine, Aaric. I’m fine,” I breathe.
He nods his head. “You are,” he rasps.
His fingers leave my belly, dancing down to the top of my mound. He arches a brow, his eyes never leaving mine. I don’t hesitate, it has been too long without him and I am okay. I have felt fine, weak, but fine.
“I should not,” he mutters.
I hum. “Probably not,” I exhale. “But please.”
He grunts, slipping his fingers between my legs. I expect him to move quickly, but he doesn’t. Instead, his fingers slowly slide through my folds. His stroking fingers send pleasure throughout my entire body.
Arching my back, I lift my hips instinctively, needing more of his touch, more of him. As if he can sense my desires and needs, he climbs between my legs. Reaching for the backs of my thighs, he throws my legs over his shoulders.
Reaching for his hair, I grab fistfuls of his blond locks, pulling him against me. He chuckles, right before his tongue flattens and slides through my center. I let out a moan as his tongue swirls my clit. Lifting my hips, I don’t hold back as I search and climb toward my release.
Aaric grunts, his teeth scraping my clit, his lips sucking, his tongue flicking as he brings me closer and closer toward my climax. Closing my eyes, I throw my head back as I cry out. His hands slide up my thighs, grabbing ahold of my ass, pulling me against his face, against his beard, and I fall apart.
Without waiting for me to come down from my climax, he sits back, flipping me onto my stomach. His hands grab ahold of my hips, tugging me backward at the same time he surges deep inside of me.
My head flies back, his hand tangles in my hair, tugging my head back even farther as he leans over me, his blue eyes turned black, focused on mine. I can’t speak, it’s impossible at this angle, all I can do is breathe and even that is a struggle, but it feels so amazing that I don’t mind any of it.
Arching my back as much as I can, I relax the rest of my body as he surges inside of me, hard and fast. His hand not in my hair, shifts from my hip, sliding up my side before he cups my breast.
Aaric pinches my nipple, tugging on the bud roughly as he continues to slam his hips against my ass. The room is filled with the sounds of the crackling fire and the slap of our skin meeting with each of his almost violent thrusts.
“You are minn,” he growls. “No man or beast will take you from me, not ever.”
“Yes,” I say on a groan.
We don’t speak again, but his eyes, they start to glow with blue light, just like his talisman does. A shiver breaks out over my entire body at the sight. I whimper as my body begins to climb toward a second release.
Aaric’s hand slides down my belly, then I feel his fingers between my legs, swirling my clit. His hand in my hair tightens its grip, tugging back harder again, arching my neck and back at an unnatural angle. At the same time, his cock continues to thrust, hitting me at the most delicious angle—it feels amazing.
“Never again will you be in harm’s way,” he announces.
Then his blue eyes, they don’t just glow, they start to spark. His fingers slap against my clit, my body trembles as a warmth fills me from the inside out. His eyes widen, the sparks begin to circle and swirl around us right before he buries himself deep inside of me and I feel his release fill me.
Our bodies both give out, they collapse on the bed. His chest presses against my back, his cock still deep inside of me, twitching with his release. Our breaths come out in pants. I let out a whimpered sigh at the same time he groans against the back of my neck.
He rolls off of me, but doesn’t roll away. Instead, he gathers me in his arms and wraps himself around me. I press my front against his side, wrapping my hand around the side of his neck, my fingers slowly moving up to the tattoos on the side of his head.
“Sylvi can take over. She understands how I rule, she would not make any big decisions without me. She will keep things running until I return. Kjeld and Sten will stay as her personal guards. They are my most trustworthy men.”
I hum, smiling to myself as I reach up and touch my lips to the underside of his jaw. “You are a good man, Aaric,” I exhale.
He hums. “We must find out what this entity wants with you, why he attempted to harm our child with magic.”
“Yes, we must.”
“We also much ensure that your sister is alive and well. Runa will not be able to join us, we need her to protect Sylvi.”
“What about Quest?” I ask.
He hums. “He can aide us, but he is busy with the seeress.”
I don’t respond to that. I want to be angry with him for bartering a woman’s life, but I can’t. He did what he thought was right and Seeress didn’t seem overly upset, just annoyed. Hopefully, Quest will be good to her, it seems as though they indeed had unfinished business.
“Hvíla, víf,” Aaric whispers. “You must regain your strength.”
“I must?”
He hums. “Yes, I plan on doing more of what we just enjoyed in just a few hours’ time. You need your rest.”
My lips turn up into a soft smile and I can’t deny that I want more of what we just did. A hell of a lot more.
AARIC
Sylvi is pacing in my af-hús when I arrive. She stops as soon as she realizes that I’m in the room.
“Aaric,” she breathes, but doesn’t run toward me.
It shouldn’t affect me, but I miss the way she would run into my arms when she was younger. Sylvi and Oili are more like my children and less like my siblings, I have raised them since they were young. It is hard for me to remember that they are grown women now.
“How is she?”
Nodding my head, I walk over to my chair and sink down, dipping my chin toward the stool in front of my desk. Slowly, I lift my arms up, placing my elbows on the scarred wooden desktop. Looking across from my desk, I smile at Sylvi.