“You add herbs,” I say. “But you haven’t put the meat in yet.”
“Correct, dear Kilda.” He smiles, pausing. “The spice will add its flavor to the fat, when the meat is cooked in it?—”
“It will gain the taste,” I finish his sentence, fascinated.
“Exactly.”
He plucks a large slab of meat from the table. I’d missed it coming in—distracted by my visible nipples.
“Elk,” he says with a proud grin.
“Where did you get that?” Surprise lifts my voice. Elk is everywhere, but everybody wants it. Everybody wants to eat the king of the forest.
“I thought you might come by.”
He ignores my question, laying the meat flat on a board and sprinkling salt on top. The smell of garlic and herbs fills the room, making my mouth water.
“That smell,” I whisper, collapsing in the chair.
“Garlic, perhaps nature’s greatest gift to man.”
“Even greater than our mind?” I tease. “Aren’t you a skald? A keeper of myth and memory?”
He laughs.
“I’m sure our mind was offered to us so we could understand that garlic can be eaten with meat. The wolf, he just wolfs it down.”
“Some men do too,” I say.
“That they do.”
Ari lays the meat in the pan, keeping an eye on it, not daring to leave it in case it burns. It sizzles furiously. He turns briefly.
“So, did you practice Seidr?”
“I did. I practiced Thrust.”
“And?”
“And I will show you, if you let me.”
“It would be an honor,” he says with a grin. “But first, we eat. I’ve understood that magic costs a lot of energy.”
“That it does,” I nod. “I was going to eat the rest of the cheese but then I decided to visit you instead.”
He turns to me—blue eyes bright with joy. I don’t think I’ve seen him like this. A warmth swells in my chest as I realize I’m happy too. He flips the meat before he speaks.
“I’m happy you came.”
“So am I. I’ve never had such treatment before. I feel like a queen or princess.”
Ari laughs, keeping his focus. The smell of frying meat washes over me, flooding my mouth. Warmed by the fire, with the sound of rain above us, my mind wanders. This must be the goal—safety and comfort. Bathed in these sensory pleasures, Ican only imagine what sharing a life with a man like Ari would be like. But what will happen when I tell him the truth about Njord? Will he want to see me again? Ever?
He points inside the pan and flips the meat.
“Look here, Kilda,” he says, stroking my knee.
I lean forward—heated by his touch. I follow his finger as he runs it along the seared elk.
