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Astrid took my wrist in her hands again and concentrated. For the longest moment, nothing happened, and I thought she might give up on whatever it was she was attempting to do. Then, golden light sprang out of her hands.
Astrid gasped, and the magic wavered.
“Concentrate,” I said. We could marvel and rejoice after.
She nodded and focused. The magic spread out, as if it had a life of its own, but then pulled back in as she figured out how to control it. The magic solidified where my hand would be, and took a form vaguely shaped like a hand.
Astrid’s mouth thinned as she concentrated, but the magic didn’t change any further. She let out a strained breath, and the magic disappeared.
We both gazed at my wrist before she lifted her head, eyes sparkling. “I almost did it!”
I laughed when she burst into a happy jig. She took me by surprise when she launched herself at me and wrapped her arms around my neck. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her off the ground and flush against me; the soft curves of her breasts and hips molded against my hard muscles. Her soft lips pressed against mine, igniting the embers of desire for her that simmered under the surface. That one touch snapped all the control I had used to rein myself in around her in order to keep the promise I’d made.
I tangled my fingers in her hair and used my other arm to lift her higher. She wrapped her legs around me and slid her fingers up along the back of my neck, threading them into my hair.
I slammed her back against the wall, and she let out a deep moan, surging the desire in me into a fiery inferno. I kissed her harder, my tongue pressing against her lips, demanding her permission—permission she granted.
My pulse roared in my ears. Her taste and smell seared into my senses, revitalizing my memories and creating new ones with her differences in this life.
My chest rumbled with a groan and my cock strained against my trousers, pressing against her, desperate for Astrid to feel what she did to me—to know how much I needed her.
Astrid suddenly pulled away, pressing a hand against my chest. The air filled with our gasps for breath.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her eyes struggling to meet mine. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
I wanted to argue with her—wanted to show her just how good we could be together in this life. But I bit all my arguments back and eased her to her feet. “I should also apologize. I promised I wouldn’t push anything unless you wanted to. I got a little… excited.”
Her gaze flicked down, and she worked her jaw as she tore it away from my all-too-obvious erection no clothes could hide, her slightly flushed cheeks turning pinker. “I, uh, can see that. Sorry for causing that. I’m not intentionally leading you on or anything. I haven’t really had much time to think about things, with everything else going on.”
She didn’t have to think. She just had to go with what her gut told her. I’d take whatever she wanted, even if it was casual sex or something right now. It wasn’t what I wanted in the long run, but hell, I’d take something.
However, I didn’t voice any of that. She clearly was struggling with something around us, but if she didn’t want to talk about it yet, then I would respect her wishes and wait until she did.
Backing away, I shoved my hand in my pocket. “I gave you my word that I’d respect your wishes, and I’ll do just that. I can be patient.” I grinned. “Though, after a kiss like that, I can’t promise I won’t try to sway you to give me a second chance.”
She chewed her lower lip and twirled a lock of her gorgeous hair, refusing to look up at me, as if what she was doing wasn’t enough of a tease. “It wouldn’t be you if you didn’t try.”
I cocked my head, gauging her. Was that from an assessment she’d made from interacting with me these past two weeks, or did she remember more of her past that included me? She’d been a little quiet about memories about us. She seemed to remember others and her relationships with them just fine. And sometimes she let on she knew things about me from memories, but they always seemed to be from memories that involved someone else.
“Oh, I’ve been meaning to give these to you.”
Astrid blinked up at me, curious about what I suddenly had to offer.
I summoned an axe, the same one I’d purposely had out the day I was working on the woodpile, hoping it’d trigger a memory. “You’ve done well with your training. I thought it was time you had your weapons back.”
She accepted the axe, taking it in. “You kept this, all this time on you?”
I summoned her onyx blade sword with rune engravings next. “Neither of these have gone far from me. I wouldn’t risk anything happening to them.”
She held them close, her eyes going distant. “Thank you. These were… important to me. The axe was made from my mother’s staff, and… this sword once belonged to you.” She frowned. “I don’t know why you gave it to me, though.”
“It was part of our marriage vow exchange.”
Astrid cocked her head, thinking about this. Then she shook her head. Seemed she wasn’t going to remember that just yet. “Well, now Kirby can get off my back about why I’m incapable of summoning these. She thought that after I became a Valkyrie, they should come back to me instantly, or fate would give me some, I guess.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “They probably would have, had they not been bound to my storage dimension.”
“Thank you for returning them. Now I can practice with these instead of relying solely on my magic or borrowing from her or Aya.”
