Page 61 of Heart of the Wolf
Shards of icy blue mixed in with the swirls of gray in his sleepy gaze, hinting at the slumbering wolf inside. Sometimes, after spending too much time transformed, Leif still maintained his wolfish features. It must have still been early, with only a few young children and mothers milling about. A pleasant feeling pooled in her belly at the smiles following them when they disappeared into the longhouse.
Leif placed her in bed, smirking at her slight pout when he left her to stoke the fire. It didn’t matter how often she watched him. The sight of his sculpted figure made her long for the weight of him buried between her thighs.
The gods had crafted Leif just for her, and she wouldn’t be ashamed of the speck of drool that clung to her mouth at the vision he made. The glow of the fire illuminated him like a fallen angel, sent to earth to collect her soul, one she would willingly surrender to him.
To the naked eye, he was all hard lines and jagged scars, a blood-stained and unyielding warrior. But to her, he would always be the moon and stars, bathed in its silver light. Perhaps her story hadn’t been entirely untrue; someof his darkness spilled into her light, and some of her sun brightened his moon.
They complemented each other, as Freyja intended, bringing balance to the world and pleasing Thor and Odin.
“I must meet with Amund. Shall I send for Astrid or Liv to sit with you?”
His tall figure loomed over her, his gentle hold on her so at odds with the ridges of muscles strung taut under his tunic.
“You are tense,” she said, running her finger over his jaw.
“I don’t like leaving you,” he murmured, nudging her nose with his. “My wolf is restless for some reason.”
“Go. And no, no need to send for them. I’m a bit sleepy.”
She shook her head, burrowing under the furs. Grinning, he pressed a kiss to her temple, heading outside. Feeling unusually tired, Brielle slept most of the day, trying to ignore the nausea rolling in her stomach.
Chapter sixteen
Brielle
It was nearly dark when she finally woke and sipped on a skin of water, washing away the faint taste of bile lingering on her tongue.
At some point, someone must have snuck in while she slept, adding logs to the fire and leaving water and food for her. Not that she had to guess. If it wasn’t Leif, it was someone acting on his word to see that his kona was taken care of.
The scent of smoked fish hit her nose, and she choked back a gag. Covering her mouth, she shook her head, willing the unease to settle. Normally, it was her favorite, but now her body betrayed her as she shoved the food away, groaning.
“Should I send for the Laeknir?”
Leif’s dark frame filled the doorway; an arm tucked behind his back. Brows pinched toward the bridge of his nose as he eyed the untouched food.
Footfalls lumbered nearer until the bed dipped under his weight. With the hand not hidden, he cradled her jaw. The motion was so gentle as he tilted her head to examine her, making butterflies swim in her belly. She would have sighed if it hadn’t sent acid shooting up her throat. Instead, she groaned, rolling her head onto his shoulder.
“Steady yourself, Úlfr. I am a healer, and I’m telling you, I’m fine.”
Smooth leather grazed under her fingers as she caressed his biceps, grinning sleepily at the flexing muscles there. The hard lines of his face didn’t relax at her reassurances. Slowly, she rose to her knees, lips smiling against his rough stubble. With her touch, he cracked, a sigh easing the tension around his eyes.
At times, a lack of appetite was worrisome. But this wasn’t one of those times. No sweat dotted her brow. No rash or fever stung her chest. While not pleasant, it would clear up in a day or two. Maybe then he would settle. In the meantime, she changed the subject.
A brow rose into her hairline as she attempted to steal a glance at what Leif had hidden behind him. The corners of his mouth flipped upward, a hint of his white teethflashing in the flickering firelight. A frustrated huff shook her breasts, and Leif’s tender smile twisted into something greedy. Need ached at her apex, coiling so tight that she might snap under his amused gaze.
“Stop,” she hissed, covering his face. “It is unfair when you look at me like that.”
“Your beauty is what is unfair, kona. Every time I look at you, I am hard between my legs.”
Fiery blush stained her cheeks, and a deep, possessive noise purred in Leif’s throat. Teeth dug into her lower lip as she hid beneath her wild curls, now loose from their braids. In the middle of her sleep, she had tugged the leather straps binding her hair free and hadn’t bothered to fix it.
“What are you hiding?” she asked.
If her stomach wasn’t still twisted in knots, she would drag him on top of her and call his name until the sun rose. The hungry way his gaze roamed over her was more than enough to make her wet and desperate for him.
Except now, he piqued her curiosity.
“You are a distraction,” he said, wet lips feathering along her temple. “I almost forgot. I have a gift for you.”
