Page 15 of Heart of the Wolf
Those ashen eyes, flecked with silver, were mirrored in the great, white wolf from the cave.
According to her father, the stories of the Norsemen’s gods were fairy tales. But Leif was a living embodiment of said stories. Knowing what she knew of her God, she wondered if the wolf form was a punishment for something he had done to displease his gods.
“Is it a blessing or a curse?” she asked.
“A gift from Odin.”
She could hear the smile in his voice. The headiness of it lathed over her like warmed honey, consuming her in the fullness of his words. The flutter in her chest intensified.
One oversized hand feathered sweetly on the exposed skin of her clavicle before it closed around her throat.
The initial instinct to fight faded as quickly as it came. His grip was more a tender embrace than a threat. Thegesture comforted her, soothing the frantic thrum in her body. It probably shouldn’t have. She was acutely aware of how fragile her slender throat was in his massive palm.
It devoured her.
He could snap it and snuff the lights from her eyes in a single squeeze. The pad of his thumb stroked her pulse point fondly, making her chest loosen. A rush of something flooded between her legs, making Brielle shift before she rested a hand along his, anchoring him to the spot. She wasn’t ready to suffer the loss of his touch, mewling a contented sound and letting herself drift.
“Will you tell me of it?” she asked, tracing a jagged scar on his knuckles.
A throaty sound rumbled in his chest, shaking her spine.
“Odin appeared to me when my father was soon destined for Valhalla. I was to be his chosen,” Leif mused, fingers flexing on the thin skin there.
“Chosen for what?” Brielle asked, tilting her head back until it hit a solid wall of muscle.
She craved to drown in his gaze. To examine the eyes that reminded her of the ice-glazed riverbeds in winter.
His hand drifted higher, cupping her jaw and holding her in place.
Braids framed his porcelain face as a bright smile welcomed her when their gazes locked. She fought thedesire to run her fingers through the scruff of his well-kept beard.
To pull him closer.
To be consumed by him.
However, her sinful thoughts had already destined her for Hell; she shouldn’t speed up the descent.
“To challenge Fenrir at Ragnarök. A battle to determine the fate of the worlds,” he added, seeing her confusion.
The gravity of his explanation hung heavy in the air. Brielle closed her eyes, focusing on the path his thumb took, tracing the hinge of her jaw. Neither spoke for a long time, her half-braided hair forgotten. She knew little of their beliefs, but for one man alone to shoulder that load seemed unfair. For a long moment, she searched his face, finding nothing in the recesses of his eyes.
“A gift, but it also sounds like a burden. That is a lot of weight to put on one person,” she mused, her brows pinching toward the bridge of her nose.
“It is my duty and my honor,” he said, his shoulders sagging as he released a breath. “I am the Konungr. With duty comes burden. You are right. They are intertwined. But no one can escape fate, Brielle. It is written in the stars.”
Humming, she remained silent, deciding not to push him. He hid his emotions behind carefully constructed walls, and his defenses cracked slightly for her.
She didn’t want to crumble them just yet. They needed to get to that point, but someday, he would tell her everything. She wanted to be the person he confided in.
Not just wanted, but needed. They were bound together as sure as duty and honor. It was a certainty that she carried in her soul from the first time their eyes met.
Silky lips brushed against her forehead in the shadow of a kiss before he gently tilted her head forward again, working on the second braid.
Skilled warriors feasted in Valhalla when they moved on, according to the old woman back home who taught Brielle how to heal.
While she had heard of Fenrir and Ragnarök before, she knew little of them, nor could she place them. She had many questions, and she believed Leif would happily answer them all.
“When will Ragnarök happen, and who is Fenrir?”
