Page 86 of Soul of Fire

I laughed. “Yes, Arik. I will marry you.” I slid my hands into his hair, not caring that I may ruin the braids on the sides of his scalp as I tugged. “I love you, and I will marry you.”

“Fuck, I love you,” he groaned against my neck. “I have loved you for so long, Kjære.”

“You do?”

Arik stilled, lifting his head to frown down at me. He brushed away the tear that tracked down my face. “More than life itself, Eisa.”

I shook my head, feeling like my heart might beat right out of my chest. “You never said it. Before now, I mean.”

More kissing, growled Idunn.What is this talking for?

“Because I’m a fucking idiot,” Arik growled, pressing low to trail kisses down the other side of my neck. I felt my nipples pebblebeneath my serk as a fire lit low in my core. “Let me make it up to you.”

His hand slid down my body to where I was aching for him, and I let out a gasp as he nipped my collarbone with his teeth.

More,Idunn demanded. She was a being of pure need and energy, still flitting around the white light that seemed to blink in and out of existence at the end of our mental bridge.I need more.

Her need became mine, and it wasn’t sated with so many layers of fabric between us. I tugged at the overdress, letting out a whine when I couldn’t tug the skirts up high enough.

“Let me.” Arik hitched up my overdress and pressed his muscular thigh between my legs, and I gasped. His fingers caressed me with only the linen serk between us, stoking the fire Idunn was building. “How’s that?”

“Good,” I gasped as I rocked against his hand and leg, the friction too good to stop even if I’d wanted to. “So good. But I’m still bleeding.”

“I don’t fucking care,” Arik grunted, removing his hand from my waist to adjust himself before lifting the underdress. Cool air was immediately replaced by the heat of his leather-clad thighs and hand between my legs, and I let my head fall back against the stone as Idunn’s desire grew to a feverish intensity. “Do you want me to stop?”

“Themess–”

“Fuck the mess.” He nipped at my throat, one finger slipping inside me as I moved. Then another. I moaned at the pleasure of his intrusion, the slick between my thighs growing more heated.

He was breathing hard, his body rocking against mine as I ground out my pleasure. “Do you want me to stop?”

“No.” I shook my head, uncertain I could stop even if he did. Positive Idunn wouldn’t let me. “Don’t stop.”

He grunted, his length hard against my stomach. “Fuck, Eisa, I can’t–”

Pleasure spiraled out from the place where his fingers met my heat in a glorious wave. Arik’s eyes turned molten silver in the moonlight as he spilled himself into his trousers with a groan, his fingers still inside me.

White light flared in both of our minds as Baldur came roaring back into consciousness.

Chapter twenty-eight

Revna

Whatdoyoumean,our mate?

I stood unmoving in the doorway to the small room, frozen by Kindra’s words as Arne lay dying on the bed.

“Revna!” Jorgen was shouting at me, and I blinked at him. “Help me get this off him! We need to cool him down!”

I moved, feeling like I wasn’t in control of my own body. Perhaps Kindra was in control as I helped Jorgen pull the tunic over Arne’s head. His chest was mottled with scars, some long healed over and others still pink. He must have spent a great deal of his life fighting, though all of the injuries appeared to have been made by blade rather than claw.

“Here.” Branka came sloshing into the room with a bucket of water and a pile of linens. She dipped the linens in the bucket andthrew one at Jorgen, then another at me. “Cover his chest and brow.”

I placed the towel over his chest, unable to tear my gaze from his face. His eyes were closed so I couldn’t make out their color, and he was certainly older than Arik by at least a decade. His dark hair, cut shorter than most drage men, was graying at the temples. His beard was liberally streaked with silver, and his strong features were weathered in a way that told me he was not in his first flush of youth.

Beautiful,Kindra noted smugly.

I couldn’t disagree.He’s rather hairy.