Tro (Elsker Saga Book 3) (7 page)

“I’m trying. I just didn’t think it would actually be there.”

“You underestimate yourself, Kristia. You are capable of more than you know.” Ull crossed behind me. Now his breath was cool on my neck, and his hands were again cupping my behind.

“Thank you. But that is not helping me focus.” I nodded to the cloud, which was now practically transparent.

“Right. Sorry.” Ull stepped back. “Now let it go.”

I stared at my palm and brought my lips together in a loose
O
. With a gentle breath I pushed the cloud up until it hovered a few feet away. “Now what do I do?”

“Now you activate it.” Ull gestured with his finger and I copied the movement. A flurry of thick, white flakes fell from the cloud, melting on the sand next to Ull’s significantly prettier ones.

“My snowflakes look like drowned cotton balls.” It was hard not to sound dejected.

“But you made snowflakes,” Ull pointed out. “It is not easy to learn this skill, and you produced precipitation on your first attempt.”

“I nearly killed a squirrel on my first attempt,” I corrected. “This is take two.”

“Regardless, you have done well.” Ull clapped his hands together once, and our clouds disappeared. “Would you like to try again? Maybe something like this?” He took a breath, then sent a beam of ice onto the sand. He waved his hand in a circle until a small frozen pond appeared. “Fancy an ice skate?”

“Uh, no. Not the best idea for me.” Even with my newly enhanced agility, ice-skating would be pushing my luck. One did not simply forget nineteen years of sheer and utter lack of grace; not even when one became Goddess of Winter.

“Care to make a pond, then? Or are you scared of that too?” Ull crossed his arms.

He knew me so well. “Oh, it’s on.” I closed my eyes and drew all the cold I could muster to the tender spot in my brain. Then I pushed it to my fingertips. They felt cooler this time, almost uncomfortable. The feeling built until I couldn’t take it anymore, and I pushed my hand away from my body. “Ouch!”

My eyes flew open as sheets of ice shot from my fingertips. They coated the sand in a thick blanket, creating a frozen surface that was a tenth of the size of Ull’s. When the ice stopped flowing, I cupped my hand to my chest, rubbing to stop the burn.

“Darling.” Ull stepped in and raised my hand to his lips. He sucked each finger in turn, rolling his tongue across the pads until the pain was replaced by a much more pleasant sensation. “You did well.”

“Um…” My eyes rolled closed as Ull kissed my palm. “Was it supposed to hurt?”

“It has been a long time since I learned this skill, but I remember it being uncomfortable the first few times,
ja
. It will get easier with practice.” He sucked gently on the inside of my wrist. “Would you like to try again?”

I opened my eyes and watched his lips move against my skin. “Um…yes?”

Ull looked up from his ministrations with a raised brow. “Am I distracting you?”

“You know you are.” I pulled my arm away from his mouth and pointed a few feet away. “Maybe you’d better stand over there.”

“Whatever you like, darling.” Ull stepped aside and folded his arms. “Try the snow again. And ground yourself. The more firmly you are rooted to the earth, the easier it will be to channel the elements.”

“Easy as that, huh?” I closed my eyes and focused. This time when the cloud left my palm, it emitted thick, fluffy flakes. And once the sand was covered in fresh snow, my palm felt cool, but the burning sensation was gone.

“Very good Kristia,” Ull praised. “Again?”

I nodded and repeated the motions, this time sending a tiny blizzard that dusted the shore from Ull’s feet to the water’s edge.

“Well done.” Ull ran a hand through his hair. “Are you ready to retire for the evening?”

“Not quite. I want to try the ice thing again first.”

“Ah.” Ull crossed to my side and wrapped his arms around my waist. “As you saw, ice can be tricky. Try drawing your power from here.” He placed one hand on my stomach, just below my belly button. I shivered.

“Okay.”

“Now close your eyes,” Ull instructed. “Center your mind. And pull from this.” He pressed gently against my skin, and I jumped. A frozen stream flew from my palm to the sand, creating a tiny sheet of ice on contact.

“Woah,” I murmured.

“Mmm.” Ull rubbed his nose along the back of my neck. “Not bad. Care to try again?”

“Okay. But it’s kind of hard to focus when you’re doing that.”

“Right.” Ull stepped to the side and crossed his arms again. “I will behave. Go.”

Ignoring the insanely beautiful deity staring me down, I closed my eyes and focused on the spot in the middle of my brain. Then I pulled all the power I could manage from my center, and released the energy through my palm. When I opened my eyes, the tiny sheet of ice had grown to the size of a tennis court. It was nearly as big as the one Ull created.

“Kristia Myhr.” Ull slow-clapped his approval from two feet away. “I am impressed.”

“I kind of am too,” I admitted. “I was afraid I was going to freeze a crab or a seagull or something.”

“You understimate yourself.” Ull closed the distance between us and peppered a trail of feather-light kisses along my forearm. Where my skin had been cool just moments before, it suddenly felt like it was about to combust. “Now may we go inside to celebrate?” Ull used the tip of his tongue to draw a small circle on the inside of my elbow. My knees buckled, and he caught me in his arms.

“Mmm, yes please.”

“Your wish is my command.” Ull marched toward the house with determined strides. Now that his mouth wasn’t touching my flesh, my head began to clear. There was so much I still needed to learn if I was going to be of any use come Ragnarok. Maybe we shouldn’t be spending so much time…honeymooning. Maybe I was being selfish.

“Ull,” I ventured, hesitant to break the mood.

“Yes.” Ull didn’t stop walking. We were ten feet from the porch steps.

“Would you be up to another training session tomorrow? With weapons, maybe?”

The
V
between Ull’s brows popped and he skidded to a stop. “You ask this now?”

“I’m just worried. I’ve only just learned the weather thing. And I don’t know a whole lot about how to defend myself,” I hedged.

“You are doing fine. Your hand-to-hand training was more than sufficient. Besides, I thought we agreed that I would look after you.”

“We did. But you know me. Luck favors the prepared, right?”

Ull stared at the house. The French doors leading to the bedroom were mere feet away. “You are anxious.”

“A little,” I admitted. “I just feel like there’s some piece I’m missing, and when it finally comes together I’m afraid it’ll be too late.”

“Too late for what?” Ull rubbed his thumbs against my hips.

“I don’t know. That’s what’s bothering me. And until I figure it out, I want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to take care of our family.”

“It is not your job to take care of them.” Ull looked me square in the eye. “They will take care of you. You are brand new to all of this. Nobody is expecting you to jump in with both feet.”

“I am,” I countered. “It’s what I’ve done my whole life. I don’t go halfway on anything. It would make me feel better if I had at least one weapons lesson under my belt. Please?” I wrapped my arms around his neck and blinked up at him. Then I shifted in his arms so my bottom pressed lightly against his hips.

“Holy Helheim, Kristia. That is not fair.”

I pressed harder.

“Kristia!”

“Will you do it?” I asked.

Ull let out a low growl. “You know I will.”

“Thank you.” With a smile, I rested my cheek against his chest. His heart thudded steadily against my ear.

“One lesson. That is it. But you know it is going to cost you.”

Ull lifted me so I could wrap my legs around his waist. Then he dropped his head to my neck and made a series of bites that sent heat spiraling down my torso. My eyes rolled closed as the bites moved lower. When they reached the neckline of the dress Victoria had designed, I dug my fingernails into his neck. Ull ran his nose along the edge of the fabric, letting out a slow breath that made my skin feel like it had been raked with an electric prod. Every nerve ending was almost uncomfortably alert.

Ull slowly dragged his nose back and forth along the fabric until he came to rest at the low dip of the V-neck. He kissed the swollen flesh, then lifted his head to meet my hooded eyes. “You willing to pay, Mrs. Myhr?”

My nails grazed the top of Ull’s back, drawing small circles along his spine. “Name your price.”

Ull broke into a slow grin. His eyes moved from the French doors to the sand. “
Faen
,” he swore. “I am not going to make it.” He lowered me onto the sand with one hand, and ripped his shirt off with the other. Then he moved over me, so I could feel the heat coming off his chest in waves.
Hot bejeebus
…

He chuckled. “Name your price, eh?”

“Anything,” I breathed.

“Why, Kristia.” He blew softly in my ear and I shivered. “I was hoping you would say just that…”

“KRISTIA? WILL YOU
please come down here?”

Early morning light streamed through the kitchen window as I stood at the counter, stirring sugar into my tea. After I set my spoon in the sink, I turned toward the sound of Ull’s voice. The living area was empty, so my eyes moved outward to the verandah. No Ull.

“Where are you?” I called back.

“Down here.” Ull sounded far away. I eyed my tea wistfully.

“I’m coming.” With a sigh, I picked up my oversized mug, cradled it in both hands and padded across the cool wooden floor. My silk nightie and matching robe didn’t provide much protection against the light breeze wafting through the open windows, but since they’d been such a hit the night before I hadn’t wanted to change.

Actually, it was entirely possible I was going to stay in this outfit for the rest of my existence.

“Where are you? Wait, did you say ‘down here’? This is a one-story house.” My head whipped around as I tried to figure out where Ull might be.

“No, it is not.” Ull’s head popped around the doorframe of the walk-in closet in the living area. “Come with me.”

“Into a closet? Is this some weird Asgardian version of Seven Minutes in Heaven?” I shrugged. “Okay. I’ll play.”

Ull’s eyes moved from my grin down my torso, stopping at the hem of my robe. It didn’t cover much—in fact, it stopped just below my tush. He stared at the expanse of bare skin, and when he finally opened his mouth he spoke to my legs. “I thought you wanted to learn weaponry. But think I like your idea more.”

I was
so
happy I’d let Victoria pack my honeymoon wardrobe.

“You’re actually going to teach me to fight with weapons?” I squealed.

“I promised I would.” Ull’s eyes didn’t leave my legs. “Lucky for me, I am a very efficient teacher. I believe we can wrap this up by lunchtime.”

“Perfect. But if we’re not playing a junior high kissing game, why do you want me in a closet?”

“Because this is not a closet.” Ull smirked.

I sighed. “Of course it’s not.”

“Follow me.” Ull held out his hand. I shifted my mug to one hand and twined my fingers through Ull’s as he stepped into the tiny space. Ull held his thumb to a small picture on the wall. It emitted a series of beeps, then retracted.

“What the…”

Ull lowered his face to the hole as an optical scanner emerged. The white beam ran along his eyeball while I tried not to gape. Satisfied with its reading, the beam disappeared and the entire wall dropped, revealing a spiral staircase. Ull squeezed my hand and pulled me after him, down the steps and into a massive room.

“Of course. You’ve got a secret hidey-hole here too.” It was official. The surprises would never end.

“Not as comfortable as Ýdalir’s, but it will do for a vacation residence.” We followed the stairs down to the second story, glowing wall sconces lighting our path. Once we reached the lower floor Ull tapped a panel and the lights brightened, illuminating the couches, table, and large open space.

“Where’s the kitchenette? What if I want some tea while I’m picking out my…” I crossed the dark wooden floor to the glass case on the wall, pausing to touch the soft leather of the couch. This was such a man-cave. My eyes landed on a metal ball covered in spikes. “Is that a mace?”

“Indeed.” Ull came up from behind and wrapped his arms around my waist. He rubbed the silky fabric of my robe against my stomach, and I nearly dropped my mug. “And do not worry about the missing kitchenette. If you want more tea, I will be happy to run upstairs and fetch it for you.”

“I love that about you.” I turned in his arms and kissed him. Hard. Then I pulled back and beamed up at him.

“We could always do this later. Maybe in an hour?” He ran his palms down my thighs, sending a wave of goose bumps across the exposed skin. I took a determined step back and cupped his cheek in my palm.

“For that, I’m going to need more than an hour,” I murmured.

“
Faen
, Kristia. You kill me.”

“You’re immortal. You’ll survive.”

Shaking his head, Ull crossed to the glass case. He rested his palm against a flat metal surface on the wall, and it beeped. The glass slid to the side.

“Pick your poison.”

“This is…wow.” I joined Ull at the case and ran my fingers across the flat surface of a shiny, metal blade. It was three inches thick and easily as long as my torso. The thing looked like it weighed a ton. To its right was a star-shaped blade hung from a leather rope, and on its left was a thick wooden club with curved blades sticking out of each end. “I don’t even know what half of them are. Can you really teach me how to use them?”

“Eventually, yes. Some of them are fairly easy to pick up, like this one.” Ull pointed to the long blade. “Broadsword is a matter of speed and strength. It is one of my favorite weapons. Others are slightly more strategic, like this.” He touched a longer, thinner blade with an elaborate handle. “This is a rapier. It is Inga’s favorite. Because of it’s relatively light weight, the angle and force of the impact determine the extent of the damage to its victim. Then there are these.” He gestured to a series of smaller weapons that looked more like torture devices. “These require direct application to an attacker, which means you would need to be sufficiently skilled to debilitate them hand-to-hand. You will get there, but it will take some time.”