Page 48 of Hungry Like a Wolf
Chapter Twelve
Carmel pulled backfrom the heated kiss and stared up at Ravn. With his new clean-shaven jawline and his freshly washed hair, he looked almost civilized.
Almost.
But that was beside the point. It was his words, his filthy, seductive, delicious, and terrifying words that were rattling around her mind and making her heart beat so fast, she feared for its survival.
Wed.
Be his queen.
If he hadn’t looked so serious, she’d have thought he was jesting.
And there was no denying he was real. This was no dream. His big, hard, hot body pressed against the length of hers. His hair-coated flesh smelled of soap and sleep and his eyes bored into her soul.
“I will wed you,” she said, hardly believing the words that were coming from her mouth. But he was right. Being a queen was preferable to a thrall for the next three years. “On one condition.”
“Anything.” He ran his hands down her back as though learning her shape. “I will do anything for you.”
“If we have children in this marriage, they are raised Christian.”And, she promised herself,they will return to Lothlend with me.
His eyebrows lowered and his jaw tensed.
“I am not saying they will not know Thor and Odin and all of your gods,” she went on, “but they must know mine. Our savior Jesus Christ must be in their lives.” For a moment, she thought he’d refuse. That he’d change his mind about marrying her and stomp off.
But then his face softened. “They will have broad minds with a good understanding of the world.” He nodded slowly. “So when they raid, they will know the value of what they are pillaging from Christians.”
“Well…” She frowned thinking of the Commandments and how her father hadn’t stuck to them as well as he should have. All of her life, she’d believed in his divine right to tax and battle, but perhaps he could have been a more benevolent ruler of his people. “I will be sure to teach them that taking what isn’t theirs is sinful.”
Suddenly, he picked her up and spun her around.
She gasped and clutched his shoulders. “Ravn.”
“I will announce our marriage to the villagers. They will not be surprised.” He grinned. “They will be joyful. A great feast will be prepared and I will send Erin to help you get ready.”
“‘Get ready’?”
“Ja. A bride must get ready for her new husband.” He swept his lips over her lips. “A new queen must get ready to formally meet her new people.”
*
Carmel spent theday with Erin and two other women who didn’t speak her language. Several of their children milled about Ravn’s home, including Thormod, who was more interested in playing with his boat in a pail of water than engaging with her.
“He still cries for his mother,” Erin said as she brushed Carmel’s hair. “But less now than at the beginning.”
“It is a terrible thing to lose a parent, whatever age.”
“Ja, my mother also went last winter. The fever that swept through the village after Haakon left was vicious. Some said it was the gods’ doing, that they were angered at the way the brothers had fought for power.”
“Power is a seductive thing. Blinding to some.” Had her father been blinded by it?
Erin was quiet for a moment as one of the women passed her a tiny, white flower with a delicate stalk. Carefully, she pinned up a plaited loop of Carmel’s hair onto the crown of her head and secured the flower within it.
The other woman held up a long, linen dress. It was the color of a summer sky, the neckline square, and it was embellished with exquisite golden embroidery. A thick leather belt had been attached to the waist so that it cinched in.
“What do you think?” Erin asked.
“Is that for me?”
