“Sven!” Emily rushed to him when he tried to keep going. “Stop!”
The tattoo was oily black now like the trunk of the evil Yggdrasill.
“I can get through it,” he said through clenched teeth as she fell to her knees in front of him and gripped his shoulders. Her dragon roared up in his mind’s eye once more, again in cruelty, but this time he ignored it, refusing to believe it was really her.
“No, you can’t get through this...it’s hurting you too much.” She shook her head and yanked her hand back in fear when his dragon must have lashed out at her again.
“I can do this, Emily,” he gasped, the pain all-consuming now. “I have to.”
Their eyes held for a moment before she came to a decision and nodded.
“Yes, you can do this,” she whispered, pain in her eyes for him mixed with determination as she stood and grasped his hand. “But you won’t be doing it alone.”
He could tell by her expression that she was facing off with his dragon. Except this time she wasn’t backing down. Instead, she shook her head and refocused on his eyes as she helped him up.
“You ready?” She wrapped his arm around her shoulders for support. Renewed strength lit her eyes as they stayed with his. “Because we’re doing this.”
Sven hated the idea of risking her safety but knew she wouldn’t back down. And he couldn’t back down. So they would do this together despite what Kjar said. Despite his fear for her.
He nodded, and continued slowly, bearing the pain for her. For what they needed to accomplish. Eventually, step by step, the pain didn't increase but thank the gods, began to lessen. Moments later, their surroundings changed, transforming into the steep cliffs they were looking for. Two steps more and the pain vanished altogether.
“We did it.” She smiled at him before growing concerned again. “How are you? Any better?”
“Much,” he said softly, not pulling away as he met her eyes. Just like that, he had returned to that dazed place he had been before the tattoo started acting up.
All he could see was her.
All he could feel was her body next to his.
Either caught in the same limbo or ready to honor her bet with Håkon, her eyes fell to his lips. Not dragon eyes but very much her. The woman inside.
“Emily,” he whispered as he touched her chin.
“Em,” she whispered but didn’t pull away.
Thanks to his inner dragon, he was aware of her heartbeat increasing as he leaned closer. Her breathing grew more ragged as he slowly closed the distance, eager to taste her.
“Are you all right?” came Kjar’s commanding voice, echoing all around them. “Did you make it?”
Those on the other side could not see anyone standing in the Place of Seers.
Emily blinked several times then pulled away as though nearly caught doing something she should not.
“Stay here,” he murmured, disappointed they had been interrupted. “I’ll go get them.”
She nodded, evidently mute for the moment as she looked anywhere but at him.
Moments later, he led everyone in safely.
“Your tattoo has changed, Sven.” Kjar eyed it with interest. “Right there on the tip of both dragon wings.” He pointed the areas out. “A bit of color.”
“What do you suppose it means?” Håkon asked, peering at it before he looked at his own unchanged tattoo.
“Something better,” Emily murmured before she shockingly enough touched Sven’s tattoo. Based on how quickly she had pulled away from their potential kiss, he figured she would keep her distance for a while. “Whatever happened, it improved things some.” Her eyes rose to his. “Do you see?”
He nodded as her dragon’s face filled his mind’s eye again. This time it wasn’t warning him away but seemed indifferent. While he wasn’t overly pleased with that, like she said, it was an improvement, no matter how minor.
When they shared what had changed with the others, Kjar nodded.
“It is because you worked together to get here,” he replied. “I am sure of it.” He looked between them, pleased. “I imagine the key to fighting whatever is trying to separate you is to remain by one another’s side no matter what. To remember to see past the evil trying to trick you and remember how much you care for each other. Remember who one another really is, not what this darkness wants you to see.”
“I think we can do that,” Sven murmured as he and Emily’s eyes lingered on one another’s.
“Of course you can!” Halla chimed, bubbly with excitement. “You two are a team.”
“I always thought as much,” came a much welcome telepathic voice as Fenrir appeared.
“Good to see you.” Emily smiled at the wolf. “Thanks for your help in Maine.”
Though nobody could see or hear the wolf other than her and Sven, their kin always seemed to know when he was around and didn’t question her staring at something that was not there. But then, they were used to it because of her and her kin’s ability to see the dead.
“You do not ever need to thank me, Emily,” Fenrir replied. “I am here to protect you.” His eyes went from Sven to her. “I have made Goddess Hel aware of your situation. She is investigating.”
“Good. Thanks,” Emily said. “What of Eirik? He’s with her, right?”
While Emily adored her younger brother, Sven had always been a little wary of him. Though she said he felt that way because Hel unnerved him and Eirik spent so much time in Helheim with her, there was more to it. What that was, he had yet to figure out.
“Yes, your brother is with Hel,” Fenrir confirmed. “Though, he did not say whether he would stay with her while she looked into this.”
That right there was part of what made Sven edgy when it came to Eirik. He should have come home immediately after he heard about the disappearance of their kings. He should have come to Emily’s aid right away for added protection if nothing else.
As usual, Emily quickly repressed her disappointment in his absence but instead smiled and nodded. “I’m glad to hear it. Eirik’s safest with Hel.”
Meanwhile, Sven caught the others up on Fenrir’s revelations.
Håkon frowned and shook his head, but said nothing. Normally he would be the first to voice his opinion about Eirik not being here, but knew now wasn’t the time. Sven gave his cousin an appreciative look. Because right now Emily needed to stay positive as did they all.
“How are your tattoos feeling?” Sven asked his cousins. They hadn’t mentioned anything but best to be sure. Both confirmed that all had returned to normal.
“Good.” He gestured at the caves staggered along the rock walls. “We will take shelter then set out before the sun rises on the morrow. We have enough food and drink to last us until we hunt again.”
Orange spikes of fading sunlight cut through the vibrant foliage far overhead and streamed down as far as the eye could see. The Place of Seers was a sanctuary for those with seer blood. Those who had descended from the original seers who came from Vanaheim, one of their Nine Worlds. They possessed great magic much like the Sigdir’s Scottish descendants, the MacLomain wizards, and came to this place for many reasons. Some to procreate, others to meditate or perfect their craft in solitude.
“I will sleep with Halla,” Emily began before Halla shook her head and interrupted. “Sorry, I’m sticking with Davyn. I promised him.”
Emily glanced at Sven, already seeing a set-up unfolding because she knew they wouldn’t allow her to sleep alone. Even in this place, it was too risky. It was fine for the men but not the women.
“Then I’ll crash with Håkon,” she started to say before her brother shook his head and shot her an apologetic look made less genuine by the unmistakable twinkle of humor in his eyes. “Sorry, Sister, I will be sleeping out here and taking turns keeping watch with Kjar.”
“We can all take turns keeping watch,” she started again but didn’t manage to get the rest out before Kjar cut her off, his tone final. “Håkon and I will
take turns keeping watch, and Sven and Davyn will keep an eye on you girls.” When she went to say something, he shook his head sharply and flashed his golden demi-god Heimdall eyes at her. Something he rarely did. “That is final.”
Sven winked at her in passing as he headed for the cave they always slept in when they were here. “Come along, Emily. We’ve slept together plenty.”
“We have,” she conceded, eying him warily as she followed. “And we are friends.”
“Yes, we are friends,” he agreed, having come to the conclusion that he would not wait for her to see through her and Håkon’s bet. No, he followed her in, pulled her into his arms and murmured, “So we might as well get that kiss out of the way.”
Chapter Eight
SHE HAD NO time to respond before Sven cupped her cheek and kissed her. It took all of one second flat for her to figure out that this kiss outdid the last. That said something considering she swore she still felt that one lingering on her lips to this day.
Yet this time it felt entirely different. Not tentative and chaste but perfect right away. Engulfing. Somewhere way in the back of her mind, her inner voice was telling her she should pull away. That this might change things and she would lose the Sven she loved. But that voice was hard to hear as his lips closed more firmly over hers.
In all actuality, she really didn’t want to hear that voice.
No, she much preferred the warm syrupy drowning sensation she felt as his arms wrapped more securely around her and the kiss deepened. He didn’t use his tongue. Not yet. But then he didn’t need to. She was already completely enraptured. Gone.
“There,” he murmured, ending the kiss far too soon. “Now that’s out of the way we can go back to being friends.”
“Friends?” she whispered, having no idea what she was talking about, just repeating the last word he had said. Still wrapped up in his arms, she blinked several times as she tried to readjust to reality. That, she soon discovered, only made her more aware of how much he affected her. Mainly because of the mind-numbing arousal that screamed up when she felt his erection straining against her.
“Sven,” she managed hoarsely, fully aware of everything now. The blatant need in his eyes. More than that, how quickly she could fall under his spell. How much influence he still had over her. “I’m not ready...we’re not...”
“We are long past ready, Emily,” he replied, scowling in frustration as she wiggled out of his arms. “I don’t want to wait anymore.”
“Then don’t,” she snapped without meaning to as she set to making a fire, so she didn’t have to look at him. It might be summer, but it was chilly surrounded by all this rock.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, not sure what else to say. For that matter, not entirely sure what to feel at this moment. There were so many sensations rolling through her. Desire, love, fear, worry, anguish. Too much. Always so much when it came to him.
As was his way, Sven said nothing at first but let her work through her emotions as he laid a blanket down and pulled some mead and dried meat out of a satchel. Finally, he murmured, “Come sit beside me, Emily. Tell me what you want. What I can do.”
She had always loved that about him. He didn’t mince words but kept an open line of communication between them. Or at least he had before they went their separate ways.
“If I only knew what I wanted,” she whispered before she met his eyes and remained crouched in front of the fire for now.
“You do know what you want,” he replied. “You always have. You’re just hindered by fear right now, and it’s holding you back.” He shook his head. “It goes against your nature to be held back by anything, most especially yourself.” He grabbed a small piece of wood, dropped his eyes to it and began whittling, knowing full well it relaxed her. “Right now you are blinded, but you won’t be.”
While tempted to deny most of what he said, she didn’t. Mainly because he was right to an extent. “What about you, Sven? Aren’t you afraid of what will happen between us?”
“Why would I be?” His eyes stayed on the wood as he worked the knife with admirable finesse. “When I know what we have shared up until now will pale in comparison.”
He sounded so sure of himself. So convinced. She couldn’t say that she was though. “Not if you keep treating me like you do...did. Before we traveled into the future.”
“I treated you as I always did,” he murmured.
“And that was the problem,” she reminded. “I didn’t want to be treated that way anymore. I wanted to be treated differently...looked at differently.”
“And I was looking at you differently.” He kept whittling away as a form quickly took shape. “I saw the woman you were becoming. How many men wanted you.”
Her ears perked at that. This was new. Sven had never mentioned other men. For that matter, up until that first kiss, she wasn’t entirely sure he was paying attention at all. “And what did you think of that?”
“Conflicted,” he replied more honestly than she expected.
“Why?”
“Because I wasn’t sure what was best for you at the time.” His eyes finally met hers while he kept whittling. “Now I do.”
She could tell by the confident, unwavering look in his eyes exactly what that was.
Him.
Before she could respond, he beat her to it, surprising her with his words. “Tell me about your time in Maine. What conclusions you came to. Why you did not pursue a relationship with Pierce when he so clearly wanted you.”
Though thoroughly caught off guard as he likely intended, she sat back, wrapped her arms around bent knees and tried to appear unruffled as she considered him. “It seems you were quite the spy.”
“Enough to know you truly considered staying in the twenty-first century,” he said softly. “That you considered not coming back to me.”
While she was determined to hold his gaze she just couldn’t. It was too hard knowing he knew that. Seeing the flicker of hurt in his eyes. So she looked at the fire and contemplated how best to phrase things.
“As you know, as cliché as it sounds, I left so I could think things over. So I could find myself. Who I was when you weren’t around.” She shook her head. “Pierce was just a good friend. I got to be...” She searched for the right words. “I got to be a version of me I never was before.”
The truth was she just needed to take time away from home to discover where she really wanted to be. Was it in the future with its endless possibilities? Or was it here with her family and him?
“And did you like this version you became better?” he asked. “Were you set to embrace her and pursue a life there? Was that what you wanted?”
She finally met his eyes again. “You might have known if you kept in touch.”
“I was always there telepathically, Emily, and you know it.” He set the piece of wood between them. “Always.”
She picked up the small carving and fought a well of emotion. It was of her sitting on the back deck in Maine staring at the sea, thinking as she often did. Interesting how though she had always felt at peace there and thought she was coming to good conclusions, her expression said otherwise. It told of a conflicted, almost forlorn woman. As if she missed something or someone greatly.
While she could say he had falsified it for his benefit, she knew he hadn’t.
“Come sit beside me, Emily,” he murmured at last. “So that we might talk like the good friends we are rather than what I wish us to be.” He held out his hand. “Please.” He shook his head. “I will not speak of things that make you uncomfortable again. We will return to what we were.”
As if that would ever be possible again. Not after that first kiss and especially not after the second one. But she could tell by the look in his eyes that he meant it. He missed her. What they had shared before it all got so confusing. She missed that too. So much so that she took his hand and joined him.
Yet she would not pretend things could return to what they once were.
�
�We cannot return to who we were before because we’ve both changed,” she murmured. “We’ll just have to navigate this new friendship and see where it leads.” Her eyes met his. “You asked me what I want. That’s what I want right now. Us together in a new way. Not necessarily romantic yet, but equal partners in this new friendship we’re forging. One that doesn’t revolve around the past and us knowing each other since I was a child. I want to be independent and to think on my own. I want a friendship where I don’t need to turn to you for every little thing...where you let me stand on my own two feet.”
She sensed he wanted to say a great many things. How he felt she had been standing on her own two feet just fine. That he hadn’t always wanted her to turn to him for every little thing. And perhaps some distance between them at the time was a good idea. But he said none of those things. Instead, he handed her some dried meat, nodded, and didn’t challenge her like he might have a few years back.
“I look forward to this new friendship.” He offered a warm smile that put her mind at ease. Yes, it was the one he had always given her before, but this time it felt different. Better somehow. “What would you like to talk about?”
“Honestly, I’d like to answer the questions you just asked,” she replied. “I want to tell you about my time in the twenty-first century. The part of me independent of you.”
“And I’d very much like to hear about that person.”
So again she told him the things she had chatted with him about both aloud and in her mind while she was in Maine. Not telepathically but as if he were actually there. Because if one thing had not changed in her soul searching, it was her instinctual need to share everything with him. So though she needed to get away from him, in a weird way he was still right there. Only now she was in control. She came to her own conclusions off input he likely would have given. Then she went one step further and didn’t necessarily always take his advice.
“I didn’t realize you felt you always needed to take my advice when you were here,” he murmured.
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