Page 69 of Heart of the Wolf
“Úlfr,” he said, his voice urgent and low. His eyes tracked a slow gaze over the room, landing on Brielle before dipping his chin respectfully. “We must go.”
Leif nodded, sweeping a braid over Brielle’s shoulder. “A moment,” he said, gesturing to Amund, who nodded and left. “I love you, hjartað mitt.”
“I love you, Leif.”
“Remember. I will always come home to you. To our daughter. Not even Odin could stop me from cradling you in my arms every night.”
“I know,” she said, smiling into the pad of his thumb. “I’ll be here waiting for you.”
His lips pillowed into hers, the kiss soft, unhurried, but much too short. Leif pecked her temple before leaving with his axe in hand. Once he was out of sight, she let out a stuttered breath, letting the strangled tears leak from her eyes before she hastily wiped them away.
If anyone asked, she’d blame the baby.
It made her worry more than usual.
Brielle picked from a bowl of berries, eating a few before Astrid and Liv arrived. While she wasn’t certain, sheassumed Astrid had given her a private moment alone before their arrival, having a general idea of when Leif had left based on when Amund had.
She had never appreciated anything more.
Liv dropped into the space beside her on the bench, tossing a handful of berries into her mouth before winking at Brielle, making her laugh. Liv never failed to put her at ease.
“Where is Andri?” she asked, curious about where Liv’s husband had gone since Brielle hadn’t seen him in the village.
“Andri is leading the raid; it may be a month before he returns,” Liv mused, well-versed in the English words now. Ever since learning them, she had asked Brielle to speak them with her so she could practice.
“Are you worried?”
“No. Andri is a strong warrior; he will be victorious and come back to me hungry and fierce,” she snickered, tossing her flaming braids to one side.
Astrid floated nearby, placing a bouquet of wildflowers on either side of the bed, humming something about offering protection and virility. After another spin around the room, Astrid sat on Brielle’s other side, grinning down at her stomach.
“How are you feeling?”
Brielle laughed. “Swollen, sore, hungry, nauseous, tired, and ready. Ready for this little baby to be out of me.”
Stroking her stomach, Brielle looked at the two women on either side of her, both laughing.
“You have at least three weeks more,” Astrid said. “Do not fret, Brielle. We will take daily walks, and it should encourage your daughter to make an earlier appearance.”
“Not you too, Astrid.
“Do you believe it is a girl as well?”
“It’s obvious,” Liv added, leaning forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “You have been craving rabbit for months. Almost all you’ll eat. And you cannot keep your hands off Úlfr, every morning and night.” Crimson stained Brielle’s cheeks. “It’s a girl,” Liv laughed, tossing her head back.
“Do you all hear us?” Brielle nearly shouted.
“You mostly,” Liv chuckled, and Brielle blanched.
“You and Úlfr are happy; it’s good,” Astrid said, squeezing Brielle’s hand. “Everyone cannot wait to meet your baby.”
Brielle made a note to toss a pillow over her face or cover her mouth from now on. She did not enjoy the idea of the entire village knowing how often Leif made her come. She knew the few times they had done it in the valley; it was unavoidable, people would hear, but not from the comfort of their bed.
“A walk,” Astrid encouraged, hopping to her feet while helping Brielle to hers.
After a few attempts, Brielle rocked off the bench with Liv’s help, and a chorus of laughter erupted from them.
“I’ll leave you two to it,” Liv said. “Ivarr needs help. There is this woman, Ingrid, he is intent on. He gifted her a blade and didn’t understand why she didn’t respond well. The woman is no warrior.” Liv shook her head. “I need to help my brother before he scares the poor thing off. See you tonight? I’ll make that rabbit stew you like.”
