“I’m sure you can talk to Lord Grimkael about it. Is there someone to take your place back in Kievan Rus’?” I ask, genuinely curious.
“Da. My eighteen brothers.”
“Eighteen?” I say with shock. “Really?”
“Da. My parents have been together since they were sixteen. Child almost every year they have been together. I’m second oldest. Mikael is next in line. I may as well leave.”
“You’d want to leave that? Your entire family? They will miss you.”
Alexie starts to walk away in the middle of the conversation, zig-zagging. He lifts the bottle into the air. “No one will ever miss me. I cannot take the throne without a Queen anyway. I am nothing to them. Always have been.” He takes a swig. “Always will be.”
He stumbles off into the dark, disappearing through the thick fog and eerie night.
“We should go after him, Einarr. What if he injuries himself?”
“That’s a man working his demons out. He will be fine.”
“How can you be so sure?” We start to walk again, but I peek back over my shoulder every so often to see if Alexie is coming back. I’m disappointed every time.
“Because I’ve been a man with demons before.”
“And you are no longer a man with demons?” I never take my eyes off my feet gliding through the grass.
He stops, but I do not realize it until I jerk back, and he twirls me into his chest. “I am no longer,” he whispers sweetly. His fingers push my hair behind my ear, not before those rough calluses scratch against my cheeks. I close my eyes, enjoying the feel of his rugged hands.
“Is that so?”
“Aye,” he whispers as he bends closer to my lips. “If I were to whisk you away, right now, and marry you, would you protest?”
The words cause a delightful shiver to rush down my spine. “Nothing would make me happier.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” He grazes his lips across mine, not planting a kiss, but teasing me instead. He grabs my hand, and we run across the lavender fields.
I laugh as the lavender wafts its scent around us, invading my nose and lungs as we run. It feels freeing, running into nothing with Einarr. I turn my head to see him smiling as the wind blows through his hair. Oh, the kind warrior, so noble and fierce, but right now, he just looks like a happy man.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” he raises his voice over the crinkle of grass and wind blowing.
The moon is high and full, gracing us with its light, so we are not completely in the dark. The tree line comes quick, and it is then I realize, I know exactly where we are. This is Sassa’s escape. I can never forget all the times I have spent out here with her. So many of her tears were spilt here. So many laughs, and so many great nights with Grim, that she went on and on about.
I was so happy for her when she met Grim, and I felt like such a bad friend when jealousy reared its ugly horns. I wanted that. I wanted a love like that, and I had convinced myself, all those times of hearing her gush about Grim, that I would never get my chance, yet here I am, happy and running like the wind with him hand in hand.
My time came. My love came. And now I can truly celebrate the joy Sassa felt.
When we get the spot where Sassa used to sit, I expect us to stop, but we keep going, but the only thing ahead is a river.
“Einarr?” I ask, unsure.
“Trust me, my lady,” he answers right before gathering me into his arms, never missing a beat, and jumps over the narrow part of the river.
I hide my face into his shoulder, just knowing we are about to fall into the cold water, but it never comes. His feet land with a hard thud, and his strong legs do not give from the weight. He keeps going, ducking under the branches. I’m not sure how long we stay like this, me in his arms as he runs, but I nearly fall asleep, trusting him to keep me safe and not to drop me.
“Alright, close your eyes.”
I hide my face in his chest again, inhaling the scent of musk, pine, and sweat. I love how he smells. It’s so sexy. “They are closed.”
He slows, barely breathing hard from the exertion. The man is in impeccable shape. My hand finds his bicep, and I squeeze. I just cannot help myself around him.
“Behave,” he growls.
“I can’t,” I whine. His muscles are so large and cut. I want my hands on them all the time.
“You will when you see the surprise I have for you.”
“Oh, I love surprises,” I grin with a kick of my feet.
He sets me down on my feet and covers my eyes with his hands. Well, now I really can’t see anything.
“If you don’t like it, I can change it. I just wanted us to have a place where it can be ours without the kids. Or maybe one day we can live out here, but I don’t know. Right now, I just wanted us to have something we can escape to.”
“Einarr, show me!” I am so impatient. I need to see what he is talking about.
“I’m afraid you won’t like it,” he admits, and the slight break in his voice gives away his fear.
I turn around to face him, hopefully facing him, and open my eyes. There he is. Those familiar copper beauties gaze at me with uncertainty. “Einarr, I will love anything that you put your time into. Your heart into.” I place my hand over his heart. It is racing faster than wild horses across the land.
“You may not like this.”
“There’s only one way to find out.” I try and turn around, but his hand stops me. “Einarr,” I groan, frustrated.
“I’m just saying. Some work can still be done. It ain’t all that, right?”
I yank my arm free of his hold and turn to see why he is making such a fuss.
“Oh,” I gasp, covering my mouth with my hand. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Tears threaten my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall because I do not want my scenery blurred.
Nestled between tress, is a small cabin made of old, weathered wood. It is small, only big enough for two. A small glow comes from the inside, causing the window to look orange. To the right, a large blanket is tied between two trees, to lounge together in. A fire pit is outside— a hole dug in the ground with rocks surrounding it with two rocking chairs circling it.
The roof is green and made from moss. It hangs off the edge, giving it a fairytale presence. I see smoke coming from behind the house. I walk. I’m curious to see what it is. My feet break a few twigs on the ground, disrupting the silence around us. Birds chirp. Crickets sing. Frogs bellow. The night is alive, and it is beautiful.
“Einarr,” I cannot believe what I see. There is a hot spring next to the house. They are so hard to find. “How…”
“I was venturing into the woods, and I didn’t realize how deep I had gone. I realized I wanted us to have something special. I saw this, and I thought, shite, that is so much better than Sassa and Grim’s spot.”
I elbow him in the side. “Einarr, don’t be rude.”
“Not rude, just stating the obvious.”
Not to be biased, but I agree with him. We do have the better spot. I’ll never say that to Sassa. I’ll bring her here, and she will fall in love with it.
“Oh, Einarr. It is everything a girl could want and more. When did you do this? When did you have time?”
He kicks a heavy log, breaking it in half. It goes to show how much strength he has in one leg. “When you were recovering. I came out here at night and worked by the light of the fire. I wanted you to have something you loved.”
“And you’re just now showing me?” I tease, wrapping my arms around his thick waist. My hands do not even meet in the middle behind him.
“We’ve had a lot going on. I wanted to make sure Abram was good to be on his own.”
“You really care for him.”
“I care for all of you.” He smiles, kissing the tip of my nose. “You want to see the inside?”
I squeal and run to the front door, but it is locked. I try jiggling the handle, but no luck.
“Einarr, unlock it.”
“There’s only one way to unlock it.”
Oh, I know that tone of voice. I spin around to see him holding up a key from his necklace. I reach for it, but he holds it up higher.
“Can you jump for me? One more time,” he winks, his eyes locking on to my breasts.
“Oh, you little—” I slap his chest again, giggling from his comment, but he has no idea how good it really makes me feel.
“There are conditions to be met before entering this escape,” he says.
“Oh?”
He pulls out a scroll from his vest. It’s parchment paper. It seems a bit old and frayed on the edges. “First, we must get naked and get in the hot spring.”
“Is that so?”
“Aye.” He stares at my breasts again.
“I’m up here,” I chuckle as I snap my fingers.
“Oh, I know exactly where you are, my love.” He tucks the paper back in his vest and backs me up until the hot steam from the bubbling water is heating my skin. “What do you say? Do you agree?” He tugs on the string that holds my dress together.
“I agree to anything with you,” I whisper, wrapping my arms around his neck as he tugs my dress off.
He takes his leather vest off next, kicking off his pants until nothing but the moonlight bathes his skin. Miles of beautiful flesh revealed. His thighs bulge, large like round tree trunks and the ropes of muscle flex with every step he takes near me. Einarr’s long, hard cock is against his thigh, coming to life.
He picks me up, one arm under my knees and one around my shoulders and steps in the spring. I sigh as the warm water touches the cool skin of my thighs and heats my beaded nipples when we are fully seated on a rock. I stay on his lap and lean my head back against his shoulder, staring up into the sky where the trees break. The stars are out by the millions, almost blending together. The full moon is so big, white, and large.
A wolf howls in the distance, and a small dose of fear hits me. Einarr must sense it. He wraps his arms around me tighter. “I’ll protect you. Don’t you worry.”
His words soothe me. I relax against his broad chest, staring into a gorgeous, everlasting night sky. “What are the other conditions?”
He kisses the side of my neck. “I thought you’d never ask.” He sets me down on the rock and walks to the opposite side, drying his hands off with a towel he put out. He lifts the familiar scroll and unravels it. “This next bit is good,” he says, taking out a knife and a goblet from a bin next to the towel.
“You really have it all planned out.”
“Aye,” he nods.
“My darling, my love, I am asking you now, while we are all alone. Will you do the honor of marrying me?”
He gives me a small box, and when I open it, I cannot think. I cannot speak. All I can do is stare at the beautiful ring in front of me. It’s a simple band, but engraved on it are the words, ‘Guardian of a warrior’s heart.’
“I love it, Einarr. Do you have one?”
“Aye, I do. I know it is supposed to be some big party, and everyone is supposed to be there, but we were lonely when we met, and we aren’t now. I feel like this is something we should do together, alone. If that makes sense.”
“Perfectly.” I want to slide the ring on already, but it looks like there is a tradition involved.
“I want to get married the Viking way; if you don’t mind?”
“Like I said, I’d do anything, go anywhere, be anything with you, Einarr.”
His beard touches the water, and his hair is up in a messy bun on the top of his head. I’ve never seen a man look so good with so little effort, but Einarr does. He flattens the scroll on the ground and stares at it, long and hard.
I wonder if he is having second thoughts.
“I’ve dreamed of this. Doing this makes me truly Viking.”
“You are,” I run my hand over his shoulder as he shakes his head.
“No, you don’t understand. I’m Scottish. My blood, it’s Scottish, and no matter the blood oath I took with Grim, I knew it didn’t change my blood. But this, I’m binding myself to you in a ritual only Vikings do, and it feels fucking good. It feels so good.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter to me, but I’ve always thought of you as a Viking. That’s what you are to me. My Viking, my warlord, my warrior. I love all of you, any way you present yourself.”
“I don’t deserve you. I’ve done horrible things, but I’m too selfish to let you go. You’ve made me a better man.”
“I don’t ever want you to let me go.”
“Then let us make it official and give this to Grim in the morning so he and Sassa can sign off on our union.”
“Nothing would make me happier, Einarr.”
He yanks me to him. My breasts are against his chest. Our mouths a breath apart. The wind picks up, causing my skin to pebble, but not from the cold, it’s pure anticipation.
“I, Einarr Hohlt, Warlord of the Vikings, take ye, Thyra Dahl, as my wife. Ye’ll be my blood, my bone, my flesh. Ye’ll be my strength when I find weakness in battle. Ye’ll own me, in blood, in bone, in flesh.” Einarr turns his head to the right, grabbing the knife, flipping the blade into his palm, and squeezes until blood pools. He squeezes it over the wine goblet.
A few droplets fall in, mixing with the drink.
He grabs my hand, placing the blade on my palm, waiting for me to say the words that will bind us for all eternity. “I, Thyra Dahl, Daughter of the Lord Troy Dahl, previous second in command of King Leif, take you, Einarr Hohlt, Warlord of the Vikings, as my husband. You’ll be my blood, my bone, my flesh. You’ll be my comfort when I find none. You’ll own me, in blood, in bone, in flesh.”
I whimper as Einarr makes a small cut, waiting for the blood to bead. He holds my hand like it is something precious, turns it over, and we watch as it drips into the goblet, mixing with his.
Next, we spill a few drops on the scroll. And now, we share our blood from the goblet. He takes a sip and passes it over, licking his mouth with his tongue to get every drop. I never take my eyes off his as I hold the large goblet with both hands and swallow the concoction.
I do not know what Sassa felt after she drank out of the goblet, but my insides spark. I really do feel closer to Einarr. I feel him in my bones as his blood courses through my veins. We are one now. We are of the same soul.
“My wife,” he growls and wraps my legs around his waist.
My back slams against the dirt wall of the spring. The ravaging beast I get to call my husband stares at me like I’m his prize.
And I’m ready to be taken.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Einarr
My cock is harder than stone. I’m ready to finally fuck my wife. When she drank from the goblet, my skin vibrated with need. I tried to be patient. She only needed to swallow one gulp, but the greedy girl kept drinking until there was nothing left.
And then I pounced.
I pin her against the wall of the springs. Immediately, her legs are wrapped around my waist, and my cock probes at her entrance. Fuck, this woman is all mine, forever.
These lips.
I plunder her mouth with my tongue.
This pussy.
I slide in to the hilt in one stroke.
That arse.
I grip her thick cheeks and pull her further down my shaft.
I want her to take every fucking inch of me. I want her to feel me in the back of her fucking throat; I’m so deep. “Nothing feels better than this, my love. Being inside you, us being so close. Nothing in this world compares to being inside my wife.”
Her wet hair, darker from the water, trickles over her shoulders. I smooth her hair back, showing the sharp lines of her jaw coming to a point where her chin is. Her cheeks are red from the heat, but hopefully the stretch of my cock gliding against her inner walls too.
Her forehead lands on my shoulder as I move, curling my hips as far as I can until I have to pull back. Then I get to do
it all over again. This time with her feels different. It isn’t as rushed. We don’t have to be quiet about it any longer. We can have each other whenever and wherever we want.
The water barely waves around us—that’s how slow I am going. Her nails dig into my back, her head tilting until the tendons in her neck show. Her skin is the moon. So white, so pale, flawless, with an everlasting glow.
Mine. All mine. Her body. Her soul. Her mine. Her. Just fucking mine.
“Have my baby,” I grunt, thrusting in as far as I can again, pushing against her velvet walls. “Give me children.” Oh, the thought of her pregnant only makes more blood flow to my dick. I become harder, more sensitive when an image of her swollen belly enters my mind.
Curling my hands around her shoulders to get better leverage, I strive to be deeper than I ever have. Her delicate arms wrap around me, holding me tight as we ride the waves of our pleasure.
“Will you?” I gasp, taking her earlobe into my mouth and flicking the soft skin with my tongue.
“Hmm?” Her eyes are glassy, hazed with pleasure. She seems out of it, which means I’m doing something right.
“Have. My. Baby,” I punctuate each word with hard thrusts, causing Thyra to cry out into the dead of the night.
My wife licks from the base of my neck to the shell of my ear. “There’s nothing I want more.”
Well, that isn’t going to happen in a fucking hot spring. All my come will spill out of her and be gone into the abyss of the water. If we want to have a child, my seed must be locked inside. Oh, I cannot wait any longer.
“Hold on tight,” I tell her as I grip the bottom of her arse and lift. My sweet wife moans as I take us out of the spring. When I bend down to get the key to go inside of the cabin, she lets out a sound that I’ve never heard before.
It’s a good sound. It’s a sound that feeds my beast inside. Testing out the unique position, I stay squatted and let her use my cock how she wants. Her heavy breasts bounce from her hips rocking back and forth. She’s so perfect. All woman.
Her fingers twist her nipples, and the way she is riding me, owning me, claiming me, she is going to milk the come from my heavy sack any minute. That’s fine. I’ll just fuck her through it. I refuse to take my cock out of her tonight, or any night, not just to make sure she is with child, but just because, why the fuck would I ever want to be anywhere else?
Vikings' Brides 4 Book Box Set Page 41