Lord of the Runes (29 page)

That, and other things. She smiled and ran her hands over his shoulders and down his back. His muscles flowed beneath his skin like iron under silk. His hips were lean and strong, his stomach ridged and flat. Shining and trailing onto her arm, his hair was too soft to be a part of him, and she ran her hand through it as he bent to kiss her again. She returned it full measure.

He relaxed then, and lowered himself to one elbow, putting part of his weight on her shoulder. With that hand, he wrapped a thick lock of her hair around his fist, holding her beside him. With his free hand, he cupped her breast, his thumb caressing the tip. His touch jagged through her and she closed her eyes as a moan broke from deep within her. She set her hand on his, pressing him to her.

His strength mastered her, but he used it for her pleasure. Letting go of her thoughts and questions, she lay open to him, submitting to his power, trusting in his love.

Shifting so she lay beneath him, he let her hair go. He painted her neck and breasts with kisses, and she arched up into them, offering herself, body and soul, to him. He took that offering, as a god would accept a sacrifice. But she gave up nothing. It was he who gave to her as he moved down her body, nipping and kissing her belly, her hips, her thighs.

He lay on her legs so that she couldn't shield herself by bending her knees, his arms cradling her hips. “I'll make certain you're ready for me, Asa. I don't want to frighten or shock you, but I want to be certain I don't hurt you.”

Looking down at him, she nodded. He parted her legs and placed his hand between them and she gasped. She rose up on her elbows and stared at him. He only met her eyes as he touched her. When he stroked her, she almost jerked out from beneath him.

“Eirik, what are you—”

“Relax and enjoy this, Asa. Nothing I do will harm you. I swear it. I want your first time to be a memory that will outshine any others you have.” As he spoke, he took her hand and kissed her palm. The familiar gesture calmed her and she lay back, taking a deep breath to slow her pounding heart.

He stroked her again, but this time she gave in to the sublime sensation. Her legs grew weak and her body melted as she relaxed into the furs.

The ship, the sounds of the water against the hull, and everything around them faded. There was only his touch. As his fingers delved into her, he nibbled her thighs and the tender skin between her hips. His hair curtained her body, its strands brushing her as he moved.

A pressure built inside of her, like a storm about to break in the mountains. It swirled through her, carrying her along toward a place she'd never been. She spun in its heady force until it burst over her. Crying out as her mind came apart, she clutched at Eirik, needing an anchor in the maelstrom.

He brought himself up to her and held her face in his hands. She looked at him, her body still humming, and he smiled down at her. “Now, I think you're ready for me.”

Again? She wouldn't survive it. But he needed to find his satisfaction as well. She did know that much, at least. Nothing, not the talk of the women in the weaving room nor the boasting of the warriors, could have prepared her for this.

Locking her arms around him, she pulled him down for her kiss and let her legs fall apart in invitation. “You've given me pleasure as I've never dreamed of, but I don't know what to do for you. Yet. I'll learn eventually. For now, I hope it's enough that you find your own release.”

He chuckled. “And you think that was all for you? It was only to make certain you were ready for me. When I come next, you'll be right there with me and we'll find our pleasure together, as we always will from now on.”

“Twice?” She stared at him.

He gathered her hair at the nape of her neck. “The gods smiled upon women when they created them. For men must wait a time between their releases. Women can find enjoyment many times in a row. I'll be quite happy to show you.”

She smiled. “I await your instruction.”

He groaned and nipped her neck. With her hair held in his hand, he kept her in his control as he positioned himself. “Wrap your legs around me.”

Holding him with her arms and legs, she clung to him as he pressed into her. A sharp pain almost made her jump, but she held on and it passed in another moment. He filled her. She buried her head in his chest, love and joy coursing through her. He gave her hair a gentle tug and she lay back, looking up at him.

“I want to see your beautiful eyes when I make love to you.” He moved within her and the storm built again.

She speared her hands into his hair and gripped the back of his strong neck as he captured her in his gaze. The power of his body flowed down around her. He'd conquered her and she was now his forever, but she never wanted to be free. Not after this.

She closed her eyes as another storm rose in her soul, but this time, she wasn't alone. Eirik was with her. A bolt of lightning from the tempest struck near them. It exploded into stars that whirled around them. She clung to him, determined never to leave him. But the winds only drove them closer together, wrapping around them as though binding them together. He surrounded her with his strength, his magic, and in the distance, a dragon formed of gold hurtled into the storm above them.

The stars entered her, and the power fractured her mind. Where the stars had been, a burning rune spun in the sky. She tried to reach for it, but she fell and it vanished.

She opened her eyes. Eirik lay on top of her, breathing hard, his skin glowing with sweat in the warm enclosure. When she stirred, he shifted partway off of her, then rolled onto his back beside her.

“By the gods.” His voice was just a whisper. “I've never had that happen before.”

“What? That you found your release? I find that difficult to believe.” She smiled, though it took some effort. She was drained of even the ability to move. If an enemy attacked them right now, she would be doomed.

He gave a soft laugh. “That, I have done. Once or twice.”

She wanted to hit him, but she was too weak. He rolled over onto his side so that he faced her, and propped his head on his hand. It was more than she could do at the moment.

Brushing the back of his hand on her cheek, he said, “I had a vision and you were there with me. I saw stars and a great golden dragon that flew toward them. And then he became a rune.”

She stilled. “I saw the stars also, and a dragon. And I, too, saw a rune.”

“What did the rune look like?” He turned her face toward him, his eyes intense.

“It was the rune that looks like a sideways cross and stands for G.”

“Gyfu
.
It indicates a gift. And that gift is usually love and happiness. Surely it means the gods have blessed us.”

He lay back and pulled her over him so her head rested on his shoulder. Outside, voices rose as the men loaded the other ships. They would have to set sail before too long.

“Your cousin has fine ships. I've never seen anything like this one. But why is my dragon on the bow? Did Rorik buy it for this ship? I didn't know you'd taken it with you.”

“This isn't Rorik's ship.”

“Then whose is it? Don't tell me you have another rich relative with his own fleet.”

“Not exactly. The ship is mine. I took the dragon as your dowry.”

She sat up and looked down at him. He just folded his hands behind his head and grinned.

“You wanted it, even knowing it's damaged, like I am?”

He took her hand and kissed it. “I desired it because it's beautiful and strong and fierce, like you are, and I want it with me always. I'll have no other.”

He wasn't speaking of the dragon, and the truth of his words lay in his eyes. But there was something he wasn't saying. “How can you afford this?” She gave him a hard look. “You said you'd been raiding in the past three years, but still. Even the king would be hard-pressed to have such a ship. And only someone highly ranked can have a dragon on the bow.”

“I commissioned Rorik's shipwrights to build it for my father, but, as you know, he died last fall, so it's mine now. I also inherited his title. That of jarl.”

Shock spread through her. She grabbed a lock of his hair and gave it a hard tweak. “Jarl? You're a jarl? Why didn't you tell me?”

“I won't accept the title unless I win back Haardvik and retrieve my ancestral sword from the fjord. I won't claim that to which I have no right. And I won't insult you by marrying you before I achieve that.”

“But what if you don't win? What happens to us?” She wrapped the lock of his hair tight around her finger.

“If I'm not victorious, then I'll be dead. For that's the only way Hakon will stop me.”

She could never live with herself, as well, if she failed, knowing the outcast was still alive and preying on others. “I understand. Another woman might not, but I do. I feel the same way. I will see justice done against Hakon, or die trying.”

“Then we'll stand together, as we did in the star storm of our vision.” Sitting up, he faced her. “I believe your
fylgjur
is the dragon. That's why you saw him in your mind.”

“You saw him as well. It's said our guardian spirits appear to us to warn us of danger, and we do head into battle. But it's also a sign that death is near.”

“Death, yes, but not always the death of the one he guards.”

She leaned forward and kissed him. “The dragon and the runes. Always they have been intertwined with you and me.”

“And they always will be.”

As they rose and dressed, she watched him out of the corner of her eye. His movements were so smooth and powerful. He was a warrior in his prime and he had fought throughout the world, vanquishing all he faced. If the Valkyries came for him during this battle, drawn by his prowess and splendor, she would fight them off with her own sword, the gods be damned.

When they were clothed, he took her in his arms again.

“Ready to face them? There will be a fair amount of teasing, I think.”

“At least it won't be about my cooking this time.”

They walked out onto the deck. The men still loaded the other ships. They brought the cargo alongside the vessels with large-wheeled, high carts they pulled on top of flat rocks that formed a paved area running down into the shallow water.

Asa walked to the front of the ship and put her hand on the neck of the dragon. She looked up at the proud head. “May you guide us, my friend, and lead us to victory. May your fierceness be ours, your strength firm our hands, and your bravery harden our hearts.”

And just for a moment, it seemed the paint on the left eye glittered a bit too much for the thin light of the cloudy day.

 

 

 

“I don't understand why we haven't seen any of Hakon's men patrolling beyond the village.” Eirik sat back on his heels.

Asa crouched between Rorik and Eirik, peering down into Haardvik. They had arrived late last night, using the cover of darkness to land the ships on a strip of beach in a small tributary far to the west. They'd moved all night, quiet and careful, through the woods. Now they were spread out to the north, west, and east of Haardvik, but they'd encountered no resistance.

“Do you think it's a trap?” Rorik frowned.

Behind them, Magnus said, “With the numbers we've brought, we could challenge the king himself. This won't be difficult.”

“Don't forget,” Leif said, “Estrid is probably there by now, and they'll be forewarned. Being the cowards that they are, they'll threaten the people of the village to stop us.”

“And that's why we're going to attack from different directions,” Eirik said. “Rorik and I will take his men from the center right into the village for the main assault. Leif, you'll go to the east with the men you have positioned there now. Magnus will wait to the west with the others. When you hear me go in, you'll move in from the other directions. The only way out will be the fjord cliffs to the south, and believe me, they don't stand much of a chance if they try to escape that way. Estrid and Hjellmar can't know our true strength with Rorik's men. Even if Hakon is ready for us, they'll be overwhelmed. We have to strike hard and fast.”

“Is there any other way?” Leif grinned, his eyes gleaming.

“We have to find my mother, sister, and all the other villagers.” Eirik took Asa's shoulders. “I don't want to be separated from you. But we should be able to sweep through the outcasts before they know what hit them. If you can, try to get to the longhouse with Rorik's shieldmaidens.”

On the voyage south, she'd spoken with Kaia, Rorik's sister, who led the shieldmaidens. They were strong, capable warriors in their own right, and Asa would stand with them in any battle.

“We'll protect the people and try to locate your mother and sister,” Asa said. At his grim expression, she smiled. “We know what we're about, Eirik. We'll be fine.”

“Just remember, Hakon will be out for revenge against you.” He took her hand and brought it to his lips. “If you hadn't refused him, he might have had a very different life, and he'll blame you for all of this. Stay clear of him, Asa.”

“If I see him—”

“You'll do as Eirik says.” Magnus's voice was low but firm. “We'll find him and slay him. Don't forget that he's responsible for Eirik's father's death. He may not have thrown the axe, but he planned it nonetheless. Eirik has more reason for vengeance than any of us. Though if I see him first, that may not matter.”