“Is he hurt?”
Lady Sassa’s dress sways back and forth when she enters the room from the doorway. Her hand lands on my arm, squeezing it lightly. “He is fine. The boy they found is not. Those Jackals… goddess if that boy survives, it will be a miracle. Wulf says the boy’s name is Alaric and that he knows you.”
My knees buckle at the name. Lady Sassa holds her arms out to steady me. Rian groans, rubbing his cheek against my shoulder before resting again.
“What did you just say?” My stomach turns, my skin heats, and saliva floods my mouth. “Take him. Take him!” I say. She snatches Rian from my hold in time for me to run to the window, open it, and heave up my lunch. This can’t be. It can’t be Alaric.
My hand lands on my forehead. I’m in a state of shock. “It can’t be. He is dead. He must be dead. They said they were going to kill him. Oh, goddess.”
I left him there. I could have helped him in some way. I didn’t even try. I heave again, my throat burning, and my muscles clenching from the force. A wet cloth is placed on the back of my neck, and it helps immensely.
“Thank you,” I whisper, bringing my hand back to hold it, so Lady Sassa doesn’t have to.
“Are you okay?”
I turn around to see her bouncing Rian like I was. “I never expected to hear that name again. I never expected to see him again. He was with me for years. We grew close. I’ve never had a brother, but he came close.”
My stomach rolls again and my other hand flies to it. “I’m just shocked. Is he okay? I must go see him.” I loosen the string on my dress to allow my stomach to not be encased in something so tight. My breasts are sore lately, and I just want to relax in my nightie so my body can breathe.
Her eyes soften. “I don’t know. Leiva says he has serious injuries. Only time will tell. Can I ask you something personal?”
I gasp at her implications. “No! I never had sexual relations with Alaric. That’s… he is but a child, Lady Sassa.” I have never been so insulted in my life.
“I wasn’t going to say that.” She lays Rian down on the bed of furs, tucking him in like a good mother would. “I was going to ask when your last monthly was.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Her cheeks flush, and she takes a step back toward the door. “I mean nothing by it. I just thought… with your sickness and emotions, I thought…”
“You thought that I was pregnant? No. That’s—”
But it isn’t impossible. Beowulf and I have had a lot of sex. I have been feeling off the last few weeks, but I just thought it was because I missed Beowulf, not because my body was changing.
“Goddess.” I place my hand over my stomach and smile. I’m carrying Beowulf’s child. So much is happening. I can’t process it all.
It’s a dream.
“I’m going down to see if Leiva needs help with anything. Do you wish for me to send Beowulf up?”
“No, I need time to wrap my mind around this alone. Thank you, Lady Sassa.”
But something in her eye tells me she is up to something no good. “I’m going to take Rian back down to him, then.”
I nod, but I have the urge to rip him out of her arms. I have no right to feel that way. I’m not his mother. Soon, I’m alone in my room with a buzz. I may not be Rian’s mother, but I’m going to be someone’s. How will I tell Beowulf? Did he want children so soon? Especially since Rian is here. It will be chaotic.
The door opens and closes again. I rub my temples. I love Lady Sassa, but she has a hard time leaving something alone. “Lady Sassa, please—”
“Not Lady Sassa.”
The rough voice causes a whirlwind of heat to swirl in my belly.
“Beowulf,” I whisper.
He prowls toward me, tossing his sword on the ground. He reaches behind his neck and pulls his shirt off, his hard muscles flexing. His abs remind me of the washboard I use for our clothes. Oh, I’d love to wash my linens on his body. Then I’d smell of him all day. Something about it leaves the space between my thighs wet because I know what would happen if I attempted to use him for something like washing clothes. He’d flip me over and show me how to properly use his body.
“You’ve driven me mad, Angel.” His coarse hands tug his pants off. Beowulf kicks the very unwanted material off, and he stands before me like a god. All strength. His body is sculpted to my every desire. His dark chest hair travels low to the thick tuft above his low, swinging cock.
He takes another step closer, causing my breath to speed up. I can smell him. Sweat and forest. A warrior. I just want to bottle it up and bathe in it. In him.
“Do you know how much I’ve wanted you over the weeks?” His knuckles brush my heated cheeks. His cock is in front of my face. My eyes are glued to the magnificent flesh that is hardening before my eyes. “And knowing I couldn’t have you because you needed time away from me, I almost went mad.”
“Beowulf. We can’t do this here. Alaric is here—”
“And he is asleep. My priority is you. It’s always you. And I’m done giving you space. I must know if you want me. If you can forgive me. Or is the love I have for you alone?”
“You shall never be alone as long as I live and breathe. I forgave you weeks ago, I just didn’t know how to tell you.”
“I know. You are just as stubborn as the day is long.”
“I’m sorry.”
His hands, rough and calloused from hard work, slide down the curve of my neck. The mastery of his touch steals my breath. His fingers trace my collarbone until my dress gets in the way of his exploration.
“Nay, don’t apologize. It’s me who should. I kept a dark secret from you in my soul. But I only did it to protect us. I could not bear to be apart from you again. Not now. All I can ever ask for is forgiveness.”
“Beowulf,” I gasp, my heart bursting. I cannot tell if I am crying or bursting apart in lust.
“From here on out, no more secrets. No more darkness. I am yours, and you are mine.”
“I—I’m yours.”
He rips my dress down the middle, and my tender breasts pop out, sending a shiver through me. Oh, how I’ve missed his touch. How I’ve needed him.
“I’ve always known I am yours.” My eyes flutter shut as he twists my nipple between his fingers. They are so tender. Much more tender than usual. The sensation ratchets up my spine.
He doesn’t know that I’m pregnant or that I think I’m pregnant. I could be wrong, but I was due for my monthly last week, and it didn’t come. I haven’t even thought of the possibility that I could be with child.
“Aye, and I have missed you.”
His fingers dance over my ribs, dipping into the curve of my waist and skim to the middle. The light touch makes goosebumps travel across my body. Beowulf tugs on my dress until I’m bare before him. His fingers trail down between my legs, leaving fire in their wake. My body trembles from the storm of desire thundering in my core.
He spanks my slit, and my legs uncontrollably shake. “Oh, I think you like that,” he hums in appreciation when he feels how wet I am. “I’m so fucking hard for you. Do you see what you do to me? I can’t wait to feel this tight heat around my dick.”
I whimper when I look down between my legs to see his erect cock hard and leaking fluid over his belly button. It’s pointing straight in the air, begging to be touched. I love it when he says filthy words to me. I grab my mounds in my hand and pull on my nipples. He is turning me into a wanton, desperate harlot for him.
And I love it.
“Please, Beowulf. I need you.”
“Say it again.”
“I need you. I always need you. I’m sorry for all these weeks we have been apart. Never again. I can’t live—I can’t breathe without you. I love you.”
He slams his mouth to mine, diving his tongue between the lips that have only ever been his. His tongue is smooth like the finest silk. He licks every corner of my mouth, devouring me like I’m his favorite meal. I tilt my h
ips up, effectively lining the thick head of his cock between my folds. He grunts deeply but doesn’t move.
I feather my fingers over his back, the muscles twitching beneath my touch, and once I get to his pert bottom, I squeeze the globes in my palms and yank him forward. I have waited too long for this. I shall not wait a moment longer. We groan in unison as his cock finally sheathes inside me.
“Dirty and impatient,” he tsks. “Naughty, Angel.”
I bite his lower lip and let go of it with a pop. “I want you.”
“You’ll have me,” he rumbles. “It’s going to be hard and fast.”
“If I wanted slow and soft, I’d be with another man.”
He wraps his fingers around my neck again but doesn’t tighten his hold. I trust him and the way he caters to the dangerous side of my desire, pushing the boundary just a little. It turns me on. He knows exactly what I need and want before I have to say anything.
“You’ll never speak of being with another man when we are in bed with my cock inside you,” he snarls against my lips.
“Barbarian.”
He thrusts forward with one hard stroke. “Nay, woman. Viking.”
And Beowulf starts the rhythm he promised. It’s hard and fast. His muscles flex and ripple as he takes me like the warrior he is.
“Yes, goddess, Beowulf. More. Harder.”
He flips me over in a quick move and slaps my ass, thrusting his cock back inside me. He holds onto my hips, using them as leverage to gain speed and force. I can’t even recognize the sounds that are falling from my mouth. Every inch of him is hitting every single nerve in my pussy.
“Is this hard enough for you?” he grunts, pounding into me relentlessly.
It is, but I wouldn’t be who I am if I didn’t challenge him. “No. I thought you promised me hard and fast?”
“Pain in my ass.” He pushes my body down flat against the bed and shoves my legs together with his knees. He grips the headboard above me and curls his hips back. The strength of his legs press against mine as he pushes forward and dives between my folds.
“Oh, goddess!” I shout in ecstasy. This position makes him deeper than he has ever been. I cannot handle it any longer. My orgasm shatters me.
“Fuck, you’re even tighter in this position.”
He uses the leverage from the headboard to give him more momentum. The bed is slamming against the stone, and the wood is creaking. Beowulf is grunting and snarling, whispering dirty things into my ear about how he shall fill me up with his seed every day and night.
“I’m going to come,” he warns. “I’m going to come deep inside you, marking you as mine, and then I shall make you my fucking wife and claim you.” He grips the headboard harder, and he is thrusting in and out of me so fast, wet sounds fill the air, and my pussy heats more. I cry out again, spasming around his cock.
He doesn’t slow as he comes. He keeps the brutal pace until the last rope of warmth coats my insides. Sweat drips off his body onto my back, and he kisses my neck and shoulders.
“I love you, my Angel,” he says, gasping for breath. “I shall always love you.”
“I love you,” I tell him, planting a deep kiss on his lips.
We fall asleep wrapped in each other’s arms, still connected where it is most intimate, and I hope if I wasn’t pregnant before, that I am now.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Beowulf
I stand next to Lilith as she stares down at Alaric, the boy she was held hostage with. She has tears in her eyes as she notices the state he is in. He may not make it through the night. It was a miracle he survived last night. His body is too weak from lack of nutrition and abuse.
“You’ve survived much worse, Ric. You must survive this too.” Lilith runs a hand over his hair. Leiva cleaned him up as much as she could, so now we can see how he actually looks. He will be a handsome young man if he makes it out of this. He has a crooked nose from being broken, and a strong jawline. He short, so he can’t be a warrior, but there are many trades he can learn.
It kills my heart to see so many children coming to us from the Jackals. Children that have had no guidance and now must start a new life after suffering so much. When I was his age, I was training to be a warrior. I had a path, and I couldn’t imagine it taken from me like it has been taken from him, Lilith, Abram, and little Abigale. Rian may not have been taken by them, but his life is forever changed.
The little fellow is taking a nap on my shoulder right now. I’m actually worried about him. He has been sleeping a lot. Too much for a child. He should be playing with the other kids, running around the kingdom, and driving me mad, but the only thing he wants to do is to be held. Leiva says it is normal since he lost the two people that were the closest to him, and this is him clinging onto the ones he loves so nothing can happen to them.
And damn, if that doesn’t hurt. I want to protect my nephew from the evils of the world, and Alaric is a reminder that I may not be able to. I’ll die trying, though.
“Why won’t he wake up?” Lilith’s voice is high with emotion. I know she is barely able to hold it together right now. She’s so strong, and she’s been through so much. But she doesn’t have to be strong all the time. I can carry us. I wish she knew that. Lilith must give herself time to heal from everything that has happened. She has locked it inside so deep that I know one day it will burst. I can only hope I will be able to help her when it does.
“He is exhausted. He’ll wake up soon.” Leiva pats Lilith’s shoulder as she walks away. Erik, one of the guards of the castle, is in a bed across the room with a fake cough.
I know it’s fake because he shoots me a wink after every time Leiva comes to tend to him. That man has been in love with that woman since he first laid eyes on her. Erik is from the village, and when Warlord Einarr went to scout the town for more men, he saw Erik chopping wood and scooped him up. He is a big man, even taller than me and wider than the bed he is sitting on. The man has to be the largest I’ve ever seen. It isn’t often villagers get to be part of the inner kingdom, so Erik jumped on the opportunity. And ever since he has guarded the castle doors, Leiva has been his main focus of concentration.
And she has no idea.
Lilith sits down and takes Alaric’s hand in hers. “I hope he wakes up soon. I want him to tell us where the Jackals are located so you can kill every single last one of them. If he tells you, will you save anyone?”
I place my hand her lower back and rub soothing circles. “Anyone worth saving, yes.” I know we won’t kill children or women. Lord Grimkael won’t stand for that.
“I can’t believe he got away. I feel horrible. When I got my memories back, I should have saved him. I should have tried going back, but the journey from there to here I cannot remember. I should have tried harder.”
“You should have done no such thing,” I say with a little more bite than I intend, but thinking about her going back to that place makes me see red. “You have been healing. You can’t blame yourself for what they have done to him. With or without you, they would have hurt him, and they would have hurt you again. Don’t talk like that. You have no idea what that would have done to me.”
I hide my face in the crook of Rian’s neck, so she doesn’t see how angry I am at the thought of her leaving me again.
Her fingers stroke my arm, trying to soothe the rage that must be permeating off me. “I’m sorry, Beowulf. I feel responsible.”
“You couldn’t have done anything, Angel.”
“I could have done something. Look at him, Beowulf. He is barely alive.”
“But he is alive. That’s what matters. When he wakes up, the first thing we shall ask him is to draw us a map to where they are. We shall put an end to this. Those tyrants won’t know what hit them when they see us coming.” Just the thought of getting my hands wrapped around a Jackal’s throat has me thirsting for blood.
“Uncle Woof?” Rian’s sleepy voice makes me smile. I love that he can’t say my name because he is stil
l learning how to speak. It’s so damn precious.
I switch him over to my other hip and tilt my head down. “Aye, little man?”
“Is that man going to be otay?”
“I think so. He is just resting right now.”
“Like daddy? Daddy is resting.”
“Oh, my friend.” I cup the back of his head and sway him back and forth. “Not like your dad. Your dad isn’t coming back. This fellow, Alaric, he is. He is just healing.”
“Why can’t my daddy heal?”
I sweep my gaze over to Lilith, and she has her hand over her heart, staring at me and Rian. I have no idea what to say. What does someone say in this situation? “Well, Alaric’s injuries aren’t as severe as your father’s. Your father wasn’t able to heal.”
“That’s not fair,” his voice climbs, getting higher. Goddess, please don’t let him cry. He cries every day, and I never know what to do. My father used to tell me that life isn’t fair and that it wasn’t supposed to be easy or it wouldn’t be called life. I suppose you could say my father was a pessimistic man, but it wasn’t always like that. After my mother died, he could no longer see any good in life.
“I know, little man, but you have your father and your mother right here,” I point to his heart and then his head “Life won’t be easy all the time. Bad things happen like what happened to your parents. But I promise, living with the pain does get easier.”
“I miss them,” he tilts his head back on my shoulder.
I kiss the top of his head and sigh. “Aye, Rian. Me too.” Life without getting messages from my brother will take some getting used to, but like I told Rian, I’ll learn to live with it.
“Wulf!” Lord Grimkael’s booming voice echoes down the corridor. It’s the kind of tone that one does not ignore. Lord Grimkael has always been a ruthless man. He does everything he needs to for the survival of his people. He even killed his own brother after he found out his brother started competing band of rogues against both the Vikings and the Jackals. I didn’t really see a difference, but once Krane captured Lady Sassa, all bets were off.
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