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Chapter Nine
Erik
I call after Astrid, but she doesn’t stop. She flees from the cellar, and then I hear her climb the stairs to the second floor of the house. Her bedroom door closes loudly.
Shit.
Magic flares off of me, and my dragon is a heartbeat away from bursting out. Astrid clearly thinks I hadn’t appreciated her kiss. That I’d rejected her. Which couldn’t be more wrong. My heart is racing, my blood feels like fire in my veins, and my dick is rock hard.
I’ve never wanted someone more in my entire life.
But I can’t have her.
She’d taken me off guard, which maybe is a good thing. Because otherwise I would have lifted her, spun her into the wall, ripped all her clothes off, and fucked her until she couldn’t see straight.
I’d felt her magic from the main floor of the house, and I’d felt the magic of the shield. Like a siren song, I’d found myself walking down to the cellar. I was the one who had been inappropriate. I never should have gone down there. But I couldn’t stop myself.
And then, there she’d been, glowing with magic, both her own and that of the Valkyries. It was as if Kára had reached across the centuries, anointing us with her blessing. Imbuing Astrid with her magic. When Astrid kissed me, I’d wanted so badly to give in. But it’s so wrong. It’s against every bodyguard code of ethics there is.
It had only been with the most supreme exercise of willpower that I’d managed to control myself. When I saw the look of horror and rejection on Astrid’s face, when she’d rushed away from me, I’d caved. But then it was too late.
Is it better to keep denying my attraction and maintain my ethics as her protector, even if that means breaking her heart?
A growl escapes me and I stalk up the stairs, heading back for the front door. I know the answer to that question. Astrid won’t die of a broken heart. But she will die if the Night Guild gets their hands on her.
The right decision is obvious.
So why does it feel like I’m tearing apart at the seams?
****
The first rays of morning light greet me after a restless night standing guard at the door. Another type of sunshine greets me as well.
Lilli skips down the hallway, dragging a floppy bear behind her. It’s not even six in the morning, and she’s wide awake. She stops a few feet away from me and stares.
“Do dragons ever sleep?” she asks, cocking her head to the side.
“Not very often,” I respond with a smile.
She takes this in with a serious look on her face, and then she says, “Look. I have a dragon, too.”
She raises her hands and a swirl of magenta magic moves around her. The light in her palm forms into a very detailed dragon that spits fire and everything. It leaps from her hand and flies around her in a spiral, shooting out little balls of light. The girl giggles and scrunches up her shoulders as it brushes past them.
I hear another set of footsteps, and Astrid comes into view. She’s wearing a blue plaid robe with fleece lining and matching slippers. Her dark hair spills over one shoulder. She’s clearly just gotten out of bed, but she still looks stunning.
“Come get breakfast, Lilli,” she calls. “Leave Erik alone.”
She shoots me a quick look, her brow crinkled with worry, as she strides past into the kitchen. Lilli goes running toward her. I can hear cabinets opening and closing, a chair sliding across the floor. A few minutes later, the smell of coffee punctuates the air. Lilli starts singing a song about her cereal and I hear a metal spoon as it scrapes against a bowl.
Astrid walks down the hall, carrying a steaming mug in her hands. “I hope you like coffee,” she says. Her cheeks pinken as she looks up at me. “Consider it apology coffee?”
I take the cup from her hands, and when our fingers brush, heat and magic shoot up my arm. “You have nothing to apologize for,” I say, my words deep and gravelly.
For some reason this makes her blush deepen. “Okay, well, sorry anyways.” She takes a deep breath, then lets it out. “Cream and sugar?”
“No, thank you.”
“Cereal? Toast?”
