“You were made for me, wife,” he groaned as he dropped his head to her shoulder and set his teeth on the raised vein that ran down the side of her neck.His beast punctured her skin and he sipped her blood as he’d sipped her juices.When she bucked against him, he lost himself in the clasp of her body, shouting his release.
Brunhild brushed her knuckles over the broken skin of her neck and mused that her husband was not a man to be ignored.She lay in the aftermath of their third bout of lovemaking, weary and sated, the coverlet brushing her midriff.She’d kicked it off when she’d woken to him feasting on her again.
Now, the weight of one muscled arm was thrown across her waist, pinning her in place.His face was turned toward her and he was peppering every inch of skin he could reach with tiny bites.
He’d marked her thoroughly, and her neck throbbed where he’d sank his teeth in.
“We’ve missed the evening meal," she said as she stretched her arms over her head.
“I haven't missed my meal, lass.But if my mate requires sustenance, I will go to the kitchens and retrieve it.”
“Bread and cheese will suffice.And a flagon of ale or mead.”
“Consider it done, Fireheart,” he said as he pressed a hard kiss to her navel and stood.
She watched appreciatively as he strode toward the pile of clothes on the floor by the door.He wrapped his plaid around his waist, his gaze intense and hooded.He was still half-aroused, and as her eyes skimmed his legs and thighs, his cock tented the fabric.
“If you want a meal that’s not my cock, lass, you'd best stop ogling me like that.”
Brunhild laughed gustily because she loved watching how her fascination affected him.She rose to her feet and watched her husband disappear around the corner, brushing away a giddy smile.
“What games do you play with my nephew, Viking?”The woman’s voice was sharp, and Brunhild didn't welcome the intrusion.
When she turned, her inquisitor’s countenance was as sharp as her tone.Toran’s great aunt stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips.
“I am here against my will.I play no games.”
“Many creatures have tried to ensnare him, and yet I return from my sojourn to find him wed to a prickly ice maiden who comes to the banquet hall bristling with weapons.”
“Ours is a political alliance.Nothing more than a gambit by my father to acquire more power and influence.”Brunhild’s response was rote because she knew there was nothing more between them than strategy and insatiable lust.Neither had spoken words to the contrary, and her husband would never know how his mere presence made her limbs quake and her stomach flutter.Despite her determination to remain aloof and unaffected, she was becoming attached.
The woman crossed her arms.“Ah, yes.Your father.The famous berserker king.A man known far and wide for his lack of mercy.”
Brunhild held no fondness for her father, and she wouldn’t have taken offense if the words hadn’t seemed to be a barb meant to paint her too.“I am not my father.And your kind can be just as ruthless as my father and his warriors.More so because you have old magic at your disposal.The same charges you level against my father could be leveled against your nephew as well.”
“My nephew is only ruthless toward those who deserve it.Those who have demonstrated their intent to harm the each uisge.He is kind and compassionate to his family, his friends and his subjects.”
“I have no designs on your nephew, madam.As I’ve told you, I am nothing more than a pawn.”
The woman shook her head in denial.“You are far more than that.You are a harbinger.Until the day of reckoning comes, none of us will know whether you are meant to be our curse or our savior.”
“My husband mentioned a prophecy at our ceremony, but provided no explanation.”
“One of the selkies has predicted our kingdom will be overcome if a queen of fire doesn’t use her sword to save it.”
“Does the entire kingdom think I am this queen of fire?”
“”I think we are all biding our time to see where your loyalties lie.We have no cause to trust the Northmen or their women.”
“I seek only the freedom to chart my own course.”
Arianrhod’s lip curled in a sneer.“That’s all you and your lot think about.Where to plunder next.”
“We live in a harsh land where winter descends hard and fast.We need the resources to feed us through lean harvest times.”
“I care not for your reasons, shield maiden.I just warn you that if you do anything to break your oaths to my nephew, or thwart his efforts to bring back our kind who have been stolen, you will rue the day you were born.”
“The Kraken have taken from more than one village?"