Page 27 of Irrevocably Mine

The headboard damn near kissed the ceiling. It was monstrous, but…delicate. As she neared, she noticed the same scrollwork as the tables framing a scene that was breathtaking—one eye, a spear, and braids.Shit, it’s Odin. A life size bust of Odin was carved right slap in the middle of the massive thing. Her eyes tracked the scrollwork around and around. It seemingly had no end or beginning, just like the tables Dax said had Syn and Vidar on them. Stacy visually followed the second outer scroll to find it.Ah ha, just like the…tables.

There they were, both of them, on opposite sides of the bed. They lined up perfectly with it to form the never-ending scroll. It took her a while to grasp what she was seeing. Understanding finally dawned on her. Dax never planned to break up the set. He made the table for her, but it was perfectly carved to complete the headboard; both tables were. A scroll without beginning or end. Unbreakable. Their tables closed the circle, so to speak.

That’s how Dax sees me, us.We’re a complete circle.Before she could stop herself, she was on her knees, climbing up to Odin and looking him in the eye while her fingers ghosted over the lines, appreciating every angle and turn. This was what Dax offered her, the protection equal to that of a god, guarding her heart with ferocity. An unbreakable bond, one that kept anyone meaning them harm out. Never-ending love with no take-backs. Once given, it would never be rescinded.

Irrevocably his.

Stacy wasn’t sure how much time she spent on her knees looking into the eye of Odin, but it was long enough for her determination to set in. Determination to protect his heart as he would hers and to become as intertwined with his soul as the scrollwork that looped from one table, through the headboard, to the other, and back again and again and again. The lines were infinite when connected through the bed.

Finally shaking off her worship-filled stupor, she swiped her cheeks and headed to the forge, now more determined than ever to love the man, as he deserved. Her heart lost a touch of its helium when he wasn’t in there either. When she turned to leave, something on a pile of rags caught her eye. Bending to retrieve it, she noticed her name tooled on the leather sheath.Is there anything this man doesn’t do?He is almost too good to be true.

The satisfying sound the blade made as she pulled it free was comforting in a weird way. The blade was slightly curved, ultra-thin, and light. Stacy tested its weight and it felt custom-made for her hand.Well, it is.The hilt was only moderately ornate, it had their names running down the sides in an old Norse-type lettering. Minimalistic beauty at its finest. Stacy re-sheathed the blade and tucked it into her boot. Using the inside leather tag, coupled with the super thin clip on the sheath, kept it snug against the leather. So snug, in fact, she couldn’t feel it against her skin, and the minimal weight didn’t seem to affect the wear of the boot, either. Once she stood, she practically forgot it was there.Perfect fit.

She made a cursory check of the other outbuildings, noting his missing car and headed back to the house. Stacy was concerned about the blade, why was it abandoned on the rag pile? Where the hell could Dax be? Picking up his kitchen phone, she pressed the speed dial labeled “1.” Dax said he wasn’t working today, but she thought she’d double-check. Walker confirmed his absence at the shop, but couldn’t add anything tangible to his whereabouts. None of the other numbers were programmed and she was screwed without her phone. She didn’t know a single number, not even her own. Rifling through his junk drawer produced and old cell phone bill, so she dialed the number at the top.

Dax wasn’t answering and she didn’t want to say what she needed to in a message. So instead, she rambled and made things awkward. “Dax, it’s me. We need to talk. I mean, I’ve got shit to tell you. It’s important. John has my phone, long story, so come by my place when you get this. I’m calling…shit. It doesn’t matter, I can’t say it over the phone, just come by.” She considered leaving a message to explain that message, but that was a vicious cycle crazy girlfriends engaged in. And she would not be a crazy girlfriend.

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