Hollen the Soulless: A Fantasy Romance (Dokiri Brides Book 1)

by Denali Day

  Those were the easy questions.

  “Joselyn, what happened?”

  She lay curled in his arms, her forehead laid against his. “I didn’t go with Sigvard to leave you. It was supposed to be a quick flight. He’d been so excited.”

  He’d wondered. A part of him had feared she’d gone gladly with Sigvard, hoping to get away. Now, after seeing what his bride was capable of, what she was willing to do for him, Hollen couldn’t believe he’d ever doubted her.

  “That’s not what I meant.” Swallowing, he mustered the will to learn what he must. “I meant, what happened to you?”

  She stiffened in his arms. Her eyes fluttered shut. Hollen used the hand of the arm she was lying on to stroke her back. He waited with painful anticipation to absorb what she would say.

  “I killed him.”

  He’d guessed as much. “How?”

  Joselyn’s eyes cracked open, but she didn’t focus on him. “My nurse slipped me a knife. He wasn’t prepared for it.”

  After a moment, “Does this mean?” He stared hard at her. “Am I not a hopeless teacher after all?”

  There was a pause, then they both smiled. She giggled. It was the sweetest sound he’d heard since waking. He wanted to hear it again, to make her laugh.

  He couldn’t. Not yet.

  Hollen thought of how she’d looked when she’d slipped into his cell. He remembered the blood she’d been covered in. Even now, he could see the bright remnants of the bruises covering her throat. Hand-shaped bruises.

  “Did he hurt you?” Hollen forced himself to look her in the eye.

  Joselyn’s gaze went cold as her voice. “He tried. He failed.”

  Hollen’s body shook as he exhaled. He put a hand at the base of her neck and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

  Thank you, Helig.

  Hollen could have found a way to live with his shame if she’d been violated under his protection. Eventually. But, could Joselyn? Even so, there was so much he had to atone for.

  “Hollen, I’m so sorry.”

  Her words jerked him out of his own thoughts. “What are you sorry for, mu hamma?”

  Her mouth flattened, regret darkening her gaze. “Your eye. For everything.”

  Hollen squeezed her a little more. “That wasn’t your fault, Joselyn. I should never have been captured. I should have found another way to rescue you. Before.”

  Joselyn shook her head. “It all happened because of me. Because you came for me.”

  “I told you I would always come for you.” Hollen nudged the end of his nose into hers. “That wasn’t an empty promise.”

  Her lip trembled. “I need you to know . . .that I never meant for any of it to happen. I never meant to leave you.”

  “I know,” he whispered.

  Joselyn watched him. Some of the sorrow eased out of her features. She stroked at his chest, and her fingers traced along the edges of his tanshi mark. It felt good. Hollen ran his hands down the edge of her collarbone and dropped low to do the same. Joselyn hissed in startled pain.

  Hollen jumped. “What’s wrong?”

  Pulling away, Joselyn curled into herself. She covered her breasts with folded up arms. Why was she looking away?

  Hollen pushed himself up on one elbow. Alarm rose in his chest. “Joselyn? What is it?”

  Tears filled her eyes. His bride didn’t cry easily. Fear shot through him. He tried to examine the place he’d touched her, but she was hiding it from him. He sat the rest of the way up.

  “Let me see.” Rolling her onto her back, Hollen had to pry her hands away from her chest. What he saw turned his blood cold. His voice came out strangled. “You said he didn’t hurt you.”

  Joselyn choked through a sob. “He didn’t.”

  Hollen had to remind himself not to clench his fists. He was still holding Joselyn’s hands apart from her chest. “Who?”

  Silence.

  Joselyn swallowed hard. “My father.”

  There were no words.

  Hollen wrestled with twin urges to destroy and protect. To maim and comfort. He released Joselyn’s hands. Lord Fury wasn’t here. His daughter was.

  Hollen lay back down and gathered Joselyn into his arms. He held her as she wept.

  A long time had passed with Joselyn falling in and out of sleep. Hollen remained awake. He’d done enough sleeping. Now it was his turn to watch over her.

  Joselyn stirred in his grasp. Her voice barely rose above a whisper. “Does this mean I can’t stay?”

  Hollen loosened his hold and pulled back to see her face. “What?”

  “The day you claimed me, you said the mark was necessary to avoid a curse. That your gods demanded it.”

  He put a finger under her chin. He waited until her gaze wandered up to his before speaking. “Joselyn, Helig herself couldn’t command us apart. You understand that, don’t you?”

  She blinked, her expression unreadable. “I was so afraid of you that day you marked me. All I wanted was the scar removed. But now?” She drew in a shaking breath. “I never imagined I could feel this way. Like I’d die if you sent me away.”

  Hollen leaned down and brushed the softest of kisses against her chest, just above where her tanshi mark had been. “I’ll never send you away, mu hamma. Only you have that power.”

  Joselyn threaded her fingers into his hair. The sensation of her nails drawing against his scalp made him groan. She pulled his head upward until they were face to face. “Do I also have the power to command us together, then?”

  Hollen shook his head, amazed at the force of will this woman held over him. “For as long as you’ll have me.”

  “Forever, Hollen. I want you, forever.”

  43

  Mu Hatu

  Every man, woman, and child in Bedmeg made their way outside, a song on their tongues. This one was bright and cheerful, full of wonder and promise. They were heading for the ledge where sacrifices were made and rites performed.

  The sun shone bright, glittering off the snow. Joselyn shivered as she stepped into the cold. It was late winter, and a wool shift wasn’t enough to keep her warm in this weather. Hollen was shirtless and unaffected as ever. He squeezed her hand in his, urging her forward.

  “Not having second thoughts are you?” He grinned.

  Joselyn pursed her lips. “Are you?”

  He laughed, and Joselyn marveled for the thousandth time that losing an eye had not robbed him of his beauty.

  “Not a chance.”

  This was the day. The one she’d been looking forward to every moment since returning to Bedmeg. Today, she would become Hollen’s. Or perhaps, more accurately, he would become hers.

  She would have insisted on this as soon as Hollen was strong enough to come outside. But her brand had needed time to heal. It wasn’t the only thing. Hollen’s balance had suffered, but he’d made adjustments and his aim was improving daily with both his axe and his bow.

  For all the strides their bodies had made, the nightmares still plagued them both. When one of them would wake in a cold sweat, the other was always there. And really, that was the only thing either of them needed.

  “You sure you want to do this, little sister?” Erik asked, sidling up alongside Hollen.

  “There’s still time to change your mind!” Ivan added from behind.

  “Blink twice if you need us to hide you!” Magnus piped in.

  Hollen directed an obscene gesture at all of them, and the surrounding crowd roared with laughter.

  Joselyn shook her head in mock dismay, certain she’d never been happier than she was just then. The only thing that could have made the moment more perfect was if Sigvard had joined in. Joselyn was certain he was present in the crowd, but it was rare to find him in the thick of things these days. He preferred instead to stick to the edges. Along with Hollen, she hoped someday soon the Sigvard they all knew and loved would return.

  A new song started, and Joselyn understood just enough Dokiri to make out some of the words. T
hey were singing of bonding, of the gods, and of love. Joselyn squeezed Hollen’s hand as he led her up onto the ledge. The people filed in around the front, pressing forward to get a good view. They were smiling at her, and their open regard infused her with pride.

  She’d learned much in the past months. Not the least of which was how to be a Dokiri Saliga. Joselyn hadn’t yet mastered the role. She still made mistakes. But she knew in her heart she was grasping something far more important. A sense of her own goodness. That virtue didn’t come from blind duty. It came from deciding daily who she would be, and why. That mastery was what would make her into the leader her people deserved. One day. For now, she was Joselyn of Bedmeg. And it was enough.

  She remembered the moment just before Hollen had stolen her away, as she sat upon Morningstar’s back. She’d been watching the mountain. This mountain. She’d marveled at how something so large was so still and made no sound. Glancing around now, Joselyn realized that the mountain was not what she’d believed. This was a place for singing. A place for dancing. A place for life.

  Home.

  Hollen took her by the hands and turned her toward himself. She looked up at him and drank in his sheer magnitude. He was the wildest thing she’d ever seen, and he was all hers. Her Hollen. Her savage. Hers.

  Hollen reached to his side and produced the gneri blade he’d given her on her first night in Bedmeg. The sun carved into its ivory hilt reflected the light. The rays seemed to glow with a light of their own.

  She accepted the gift.

  As the crowd roared their approval, Joselyn brought the tip of the blade up to Hollen’s chest. She met his gaze then. It blazed with an intensity she knew to be completely for her. He grinned, and bent toward her ear.

  “Don’t lean back,” he whispered.

  She would always love Hollen, because he would always do the same. That was loyalty. That was strength.

  Joselyn pressed the knife into his skin. “Never, mu hatu.”

  The End

  Order the next book in the Dokiri Brides Series. Click Here.

  She never thought to find love.

  He never thought to keep it.

  Coming August 13th, 2020

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  About the Author

  When Denali Day was trying to figure out “what to be when she grew up” she noticed all her written stories featured a scene where the beautiful heroine patched up the wounds of a gallant hero. So she decided to become a nurse. Twelve years and two degrees later, she realized all she ever really wanted was to be a writer.

  Now she lives in the midwest with her adoring husband, a real life gallant hero, and their two wicked goblins (children). When she isn’t writing she’s reading and when she’s not doing either of those things she’s probably plundering the fridge for something she can smother in whipped cream.

  www.denaliday.com

  Also by Denali Day

  Sven the Collector

  Erik the Tempered

  Ivan the Bold

  Coming Soon

  Magnus the Vast

  Sigvard the Nameless

  Glossary

  atu (ah-too): your/yours (Dokiri language)

  bedmeg (Bed-meg): one of six Dokiri clans along the Crook-Spine mountain range

  bok (boh-k): a smooth-walled cave hollowed out by ancient volcanic creatures (Dokiri language)

  dokiri (doh-ki-ree): a race of peoples who dwell in cold places, large bodied, hardy, unable to produce female offspring

  ebron (eb-ron): desert lands to the south west of the Crook-Spine mountain range

  gegatu (ge-gah-too): wyvern (Dokiri language)

  gegatudok (gegah-too-dock): a rite in which Dokiri boys become men by taming a wyvern (Dokiri language)

  glanshi (gla-n-shee): an expletive (Dokiri language)

  gneri (ner-ee): rite (Dokiri language)

  gritu (gri-too): a widowed Dokiri hamma (Dokiri language)

  hala (ha-la): a traditional dress worn by Dokiri hammas on special occasions

  hamma (ha-ma): only/mated woman (Dokiri language)

  hatu (ha-too): only/mated man (Dokiri language)

  helig (he-lee-g): one of two Dokiri deities, the ‘earth mother’

  idadi (id-ady): a collection of bodily scars the Dokiri use to denote their deeds and clan-status

  idaglo (id-ah-glow): a summit among the Dokiri in which the Salig is asked to stand as judge (Dokiri language)

  kild (kild): a stringed instrument made of wood. Rectangular, flat, uses a bow

  kreesha (kree-sha): an expletive (Dokiri language)

  lagi (la-gee): peace (Dokiri language)

  loragi (lor-a-gee): farewell (Dokiri language)

  morhagen (mor-hey-gahn): temperate lands to the north of the Crook-Spine mountain range

  mu (moo): my/mine (Dokiri language)

  na dokiri (nah-doh-ki-ree): he who conquers (Dokiri language)

  podagi (poh-dah-gee): idiot/moron (Dokiri language)

  sestoria (sess-tor-ee-ah): the planet on which the Dokiri Brides Series takes place

  salig (sa-lee-g): chieftain (Dokiri language)

  saliga (sa-lee-gah): chieftainess (Dokiri language)

  selska (sel-sk-ah): blood/body (Dokiri language)

  tanshi (tah-n-shee): bonding (Dokiri language)

  veligiri (vel-eh-gee-ri): under-creature (Dokiri language)

  veligneshi (vel-eh-g-neh-shee): a rite in which Dokiri riders become full citizens by killing a veligiri (Dokiri language)

  velsa (vel-sah): a word of command (Dokiri language)

  vokmadi (vah-k-mah-dee): a game similar to tug of war, played by the Dokiri peoples

  Acknowledgments

  While this wasn’t the first book I’ve ever published, it’s the first book I ever ever wrote. The year and a half surrounding its publication has been the most trying and incredible time of my life as a writer. Of course I’ve had significant help from people who want nothing more from me than to see me succeed. Each of them is worth their weight in gold.

  AJ, my husband, I doubt there is a better model for that of the “supportive lover”. You’ve helped me in so many ways I could take up a chapter mentioning them. Paramount among them has been your steadfast commitment to seeing me achieve my goals if for no other reason than my own happiness. You’ve made countless sacrifices on that altar and I’ll always be grateful.

  Hollee Mands, my critique partner, I’m convinced God put you in my path right from the beginning of this journey by design. I honestly don’t know if I would have made it this far apart from your constant encouragement and willingness to come alongside me every step of the way. Thank you for being a friend as much as a teacher.

  Kelley Luna, my line-editor (and also cheerleader), your enthusiasm cannot be matched. Your joy is infectious and was occasionally the only thing that kept me from hating my work and everything about it. Thank you for puffing up my ego while still managing to teach me how quotation marks work.

  Ivy Williams, occasionally you’ve supplied me with some of the most creative solutions to story problems I’ve had and it blows my mind. Thank you for your “outside the box” thinking.

  Justena White, if there’s an award for fastest reader on the planet, I think you should apply. Thanks for always being an instant message away.

  Isla Cristeon, one of my very first beta readers, thank you for your endless supply of positivity and clever marketing tips. You’ve been there for me even when I haven’t been around for you. You’re the best sort of friend a writer could ask for.

  Jacie Lennon, I met you a little later in the game, and yet you somehow were one of the first people to convince me I might actually end up with decent number of readers who actually cared to read Book #2. Thank you for never being sparing with your praise.

  Courtney Kelly, finding you was a
god-send. Thank you for providing the highest quality service anyone could ask for, with a price tag that this stay-at-home-mom could afford without crying. Your constant communication and willingness to go the extra-mile has been an absolute pleasure throughout my journey.

  Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

  A Special Bonus

  Congratulations, you picked this book up in the early days! As a thank-you, I’d like to offer you a special bonus.

  Click the link below to snag your free copy of “The Lost Scenes”, a collection of deleted chapters and tid-bits that never made it into “Hollen the Soulless”.

  Click Here