Page 99 of Soul of Fire

“Fine,” Arne said finally, his gaze unwavering. “Bring me a dagger.” I raised a brow, and he growled irritably. “For a blood bargain.”

“You must be joking.” Blood bargains were a fairy tale. A story told to scare children away from making promises they didn’t intend to keep.

“Ye’ll do it or there’ll be no bargain between us, she-devil.”

I sighed and unsheathed the dagger at my thigh, handing it to him hilt-first. I supposed it wouldn’t hurt to let Arne have a win. Perhaps superstitions were stronger in the east.

Wordlessly, Arne drew a line over his palm, blood beading to the surface in red droplets. It smelled like him–forests and the tang of iron—and I was glad Kindra was busy with her messages as he held out the dagger to me. “Now you.”

I did the same, cutting my own palm with the other side of the dagger. I wiped the blade on my leggings, a small part of me reveling in having a way to keep Arne’s scent with me.

Gods, mates were so insufferable.

“Now, we shake,” he instructed, holding out his hand.

I clasped his palm, our blood mingling as we shook on the agreement. A buzz of something heady seemed to flow from where our palms touched, and I pulled back my hand in surprise, the cut already healing. “What was that?”

“I felt nothing.” Arne’s face was studiously blank. “Now what?”

I frowned suspiciously, but didn’t push. “Would you like me to bind that?”

I nodded at where his palm still oozed blood, and he turned a fraction more pale.

“Fine.”

I waited, one eyebrow raised in challenge.

“Pleasebind my wound,“ he ground out, holding his palm upright so as not to drip blood on the sheets. A vein in his temple throbbed as I continued to wait. He rolled his eyes and growled out, “Revna.”

I was still laughing when Branka knocked on the door. “You wanted more broth?”

Arne groaned and pulled the sheet firmly over his head.

Chapter thirty-two

Eisa

“Perfect,”Amayasquealed,placinga final sprig of baby’s breath into the braids she had woven around the crown of my head. “You look like the Hearthmother herself, marrying the Horned God.”

I inspected my hair in the mirror and had to admit that it looked lovely. I had wanted to leave it all down, but Sigrid had insisted it should be special, and Amaya had jumped at the chance to assist.

“The Hearthmother is married?” I asked, meeting Amaya’s eyes in the mirror.

“Oh yes,” Amaya nodded enthusiastically as she fluffed the bottom section of my hair, which was hanging loosely over my shoulders. “The Horned God is her consort, though most humans don’tknow about him. The Hearthmother is their patron goddess, after all.”

“There is a whole pantheon of gods and goddesses the humans don’t bother with,” Sigrid added from her place on the bed. We were in Amaya’s dormitory for reasons that both priestesses had been extremely vague about. “To be fair, they don’t care much for the humans either.”

I frowned, wondering how much more there was to this world than I knew. Perhaps if we managed to close the Rift, I could explore it.

When, Idunn corrected. She yawned, bored with the proceedings.Why are we doing this again?

Because we love our mate?I suggested, frowning at the wording.Mates? Anyway, it’s a human custom.

You are already soul-bound for life. It seems silly to tie a string around your hands and declare it to be so. I doubt Kindra will tolerate such absurdity.

Arik had only just revealed that Arne had found our reirhold, and that, somehow, he would be Revna’s mate.

I chuckled, trying to picture Revna putting up with Arne’s particular brand of charm.She’s going to eat him alive.