She had no idea how much time passed as they drifted together, sometimes like this, other times as dragons, before she seemed to float back down. When she did, his lips touched hers again, and a deep rumble of thunder rolled overhead. Mist mixed with sunlight as blackened clouds seemed to roll across the sky far faster than normal.
As though the planet spun a hundred times quicker.
Fresh warmth filled her as the kiss deepened and he began to move. Slower this time, lost in each other, they made love again. She knew she should be sore, but she wasn’t. Instead, she felt saturated in both the afterglow of climaxing combined with the building pressure of another orgasm swelling as he moved faster and faster.
This time, their need for one another was far more animalistic. Fueled by their dragons trying to claim their mate, it was fast and furious as the increasing warmth in their blood seemed to burst into flames. Steam surrounded them as their pleasure grew, as their skin nearly ignited. Lightning splintered the sky and thunder crashed as if egging them on, and pushing them over the edge.
When Sven roared and finally let go, a booming crack of thunder shook the heavens, and she released as well. His head hung beside hers as they struggled for breath. As their hearts hammered and their bodies continued to shake.
When his eyes finally met hers again, they had returned to normal.
Yet she still felt his inner dragon close to hers. Just not in the way she expected. They weren't bonded like they should be. Rather, they seemed much like they were before. Great friends. Aroused by one another. But they weren’t what they should have been after what she and Sven had just shared.
They had not claimed each other as mates yet.
“It's all right,” he whispered sensing it too. “We are in a place of great magic. It will happen soon enough. Never doubt that.”
She nodded and whispered, “I know it will.”
“That aside, are you all right,” he said, concerned as he brushed his finger down her cheek gently. “I should not have taken you again so soon...you needed more time.”
“No,” she said softly unable to quell her emotions. “There’s been too much time already...”
He nodded as she struggled to find the right words but none existed. All she knew was that as far as their human halves were concerned, they were finally where they were supposed to be. They were finally what they were supposed to be.
“I love you, Emily,” he whispered, kissing her one last time before he reluctantly pulled away...and then froze. They both did. Not only was the last of the sudden storm dwindling down to nothing over their very heads but something had appeared in the grass beside them.
A sword the likes of which they had never seen.
With a thick black hilt and black pommel, it was lethal and sharp. Large and masculine like Sven, it looked familiar somehow. Steam rose off it, and residual streaks of blue lightning ran up and down the unusual black metal of its blade as it sizzled against the moist grass.
“A blade sharpened by Thor himself,” came Kjar’s soft voice. “A sword forged in the fires of Múspellsheimr.” His eyes met Sven’s. “It is a gift...a very powerful weapon forged by the great serpent Níðhöggr himself.”
Chapter Seventeen
THE MOMENT HE lifted the sword, Sven knew the weapon would play a crucial role. That it would help see him through what he suspected was going to be a long, difficult road for him and his kin.
“Join us soon, and we will discuss what this might mean,” Kjar had said before he left them to their privacy.
What it meant, without a shadow of a doubt, was trouble. Lighter than it appeared, the craftsmanship was untouchable. The metal of the blade was foreign and far sharper than anything Midgard produced.
“It’s not nearly as shiny and grand as the one Thor gave Uncle Heidrek during the last war,” Emily murmured as she dropped the blanket she had wrapped around her. “But far more dangerous.” He heard the concern in her voice as her eyes met his. “Set it aside for now and come join me.”
Even a powerful sword sent by the gods couldn’t keep him from following her into the water. Aroused again in an instant, his eyes trailed down her perfectly sculptured backside. As he knew would be the case, nothing compared to finally having her. To losing himself within her. Though he knew now wasn’t the time because she needed to heal, he wanted her again and again. Over and over. Yes, it was partly his dragon wanting to impregnate her, but it was also his human half.
He had never felt anything like her.
She was addictive and delicious.
Yet she wasn't entirely his until their dragons lay claim to one another. Something that should have happened but didn't. Something had stopped them. Barred them if he didn’t know better.
She should be his mate right now.
His dragon should be roaring it for all to know.
“I think all of Níðhöggr’s Realm heard us,” she murmured as he joined her in the water.
He arched a brow. “So we’ve named this area now?”
“Sure, why not?” She shrugged. “It definitely feels like Níðhöggr’s Realm.”
It was as good a name as any, he supposed, sensing that she understood like he had, that there was a long road ahead for them and their kin. That meant things should have names. Because he had a strong feeling these new things and places were going to play a huge part in their future.
“It’s the same blade,” she said softly as she shifted closer and touched his tattoo gently. “The sword between the dragons is the same blade that just appeared.”
He nodded. “I know.”
“So we came together when we were supposed to. At least our human halves.” Her eyes rose to his, exceptionally light blue. “Us doing that brought the blade, didn’t it?”
“It seems likely.” Unable to keep from touching her, he ran the pad of his thumb along her soft, damp jaw. She fairly glowed as her dragon sheen continued flickering on and off. A telling sheen of pleasure still there even though they remained unmated.
“How are you feeling, Emily?” he murmured, aware that she was both sexually satiated and confused about their dragons’ behavior. But that wasn’t what he was asking about. He was curious about other things. What had mattered most to her before this all began. “Are you well?”
“You know I’m well,” she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his chest. “I don’t think I could get much better outside of our dragons claiming each other. But like you said, that will happen when the time's right. I’ve got to trust in that.”
He couldn’t agree more, but that wasn’t entirely what he meant, and she knew it based on her next words.
“I wouldn’t trade what we just shared for the world, Sven,” she murmured. “And things feel better between us somehow. Not changed in the way I feared.”
“Good,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her and simply held her until he couldn’t anymore. Until his arousal became too much and he reluctantly pulled away. “It will be...trying for me while your dragon is in heat. We will struggle to think clearly when we need to most.”
“I know.” Her eyes met his and held, her dragon flaring brightly in welcome of more romping even as she put distance between them. “We can do this, Sven. If anyone can, it’s us.”
She sounded like the old Emily now, and it made him smile.
“What?” She met his smile even as she worried.
“I have always enjoyed your optimism,” he replied as he washed up. “It is very welcome now. More than you know.”
“Only way to be,” she said, keeping her voice upbeat as she turned and washed up as well. He understood her need to look away. How arousing it was to gaze at one another, especially when they were nude.
By the time they made it back to the others, she had managed to cheer him up as much as possible. Not to mention, he remained in a pleasant state of well-being from lying with her. A sense of relaxation born of releasing his seed into the woman he
loved. It was a euphoric sensation that agreed with both his human and dragon.
Naturally, it took no time for his kin to share their thoughts. Ones that surprised him considering his dragon hadn’t officially claimed her. Even so, it seemed his inner beast wasn’t about to let anyone else claim her either. So said the telepathic message it had sent to any male dragon in the immediate vicinity and perhaps even further out.
“You didn’t need to roar at me that she is yours, Sven,” Håkon muttered. “She’s my sister.”
Having been warned away too, Davyn chuckled, shook his head, happy for them more than anything. “It’s about time, yes?”
“Way past time,” Halla chided, smiling broadly. “And now the whole of Midgard knows it.” She kept grinning as she eyed them. “You two were seriously loud.”
Emily blushed but held her own as she snagged Halla’s skin of mead from her and plunked down in the clearing with them. “Get used to it, sweetie.” She winked at her cousin. “The fun’s just beginning.”
Kjar seemed fine staying out of the conversation as he studied Sven's sword. Vigdis, however, appeared quite overjoyed as she sat beside Emily. He wasn’t surprised when Emily blocked her telepathic conversation with the seer. Matriarchal figure or not, Vigdis was lustier than most so he could only imagine their internal chat.
Fenrir just sort of eyed Sven before he plunked down on Emily’s other side. He got the impression the wolf’s response was almost fatherly, but then, he had been with her since she was very young.
“So I’ve been exploring.” Halla pointed to the northeast. “From what I can see, the easiest route toward the tree is up that way.”
“She is correct,” Fenrir confirmed.
Sven connected with Halla and looked through her mind’s eye at an exceedingly long waterfall that seemed to fall the entire length of the mountain. Bordered by trees all the way up, he knew that while it was certainly steep, its sheer drop was an optical illusion.
“This blade will cut through anything,” Kjar remarked, eying Sven’s tattoo with renewed interest. “I find it interesting that the blade remains on your arm as well.”
“I agree,” Vigdis added. “There is something off about that...or delayed.”
“Why?” Emily frowned and looked back and forth between them. “Sven and I are on the tattoo yet still sit here.” She cocked her head. “And the only time something vanishes from his tat is when an assassin is after us.”
“Yes,” Kjar agreed before he sheathed the blade and returned it to Sven. “I just sense there is more to this.” He considered the tattoo. “And it is not fully colored yet. As if more challenges lay ahead for you two. Something you must overcome.”
The fact their dragons had not mated might have something to do with that, and Sven shared as much. He could tell by their shocked expressions they had assumed their dragons had already claimed each other.
Either way, he had never felt closer to Emily and knew based on the look in her eyes when they met his she felt the same. He could feel it in every beat of her heart, and every breath she drew in. They were connected in a whole new way.
“I’m sure your dragons will mate soon enough,” Vigdis assured though he could see the concern in her eyes. “This is a strange place overseen by a powerful ancient dragon. One that might very well be keeping your dragons apart until the perfect moment.” She tilted her head and considered them. “Nevertheless both of you have strengthened. Your powers have intensified.” She looked back and forth between them. “Can you not sense it? The change?”
“Sorry it’s hard to sense much beyond my dragon hormones,” Emily said, her dragon eyes flaring as they flickered over him for about the tenth time since she sat. Well aware of her scent, he kept his eyes anywhere but on her lest he end up between her thighs again.
“Dragon hormones that are moving things along.” Halla patted Emily’s hand and grinned. “So if I were you, I wouldn’t worry about anything else.”
All things considered, Sven could not help but wonder. Maybe her going into heat now couldn’t have come at a better time. Because if something was finally going to bring their dragons together, it was lusting. Frequently. As soon as she was healed that is. To his mind persistence could sometimes be the cure all. Or so he told himself as he justified perhaps not waiting a whole day before he took her again.
“Like Emily, it’s hard for me to feel much beyond a strong response to her dragon,” Sven said to Vigdis. “If my powers have intensified I’m unaware.” He kept his tone confident. “But I’m sure that will change as time goes on.”
If only he truly believed his own words. All he knew was that his desire for Emily made thinking extremely difficult and thinking, above all, was his strongpoint. It was deeply interconnected with his powers, so there was no way to know if he was growing stronger. It seemed unlikely considering his scattered thoughts.
“I was always under the assumption that a dragon’s power increased when they claimed one another,” Emily said. “So why would Sven and I have grown more powerful? Just sleeping together shouldn’t do that right?”
In truth, lying with her had felt so profound, so perfect, it wouldn't surprise him at all if they had strengthened because of it. Honestly, if a sexual experience had that capability, he was surprised they weren’t the two most powerful people on Midgard now. On any of the Nine Worlds for that matter.
Based on the small, soft smile she offered him she agreed.
“In this place anything is possible,” Kjar murmured. “I believe this was all planned by Níðhöggr.” He began slicing the fish he had cooked over a fire. “I believe he wanted Emily in heat for this.” His eyes went to the sword before going to Sven. “It is clear he has a master plan, one which requires you two coming together in every way possible. And what better way to do that than by lying together while Emily is in heat? Is that not when your magic might be at its strongest?”
“Yes,” Sven conceded and gestured at Davyn. “As we all know.”
Davyn and his sister had been conceived when their mother was in heat, magnifying not just her magic but his father’s.
“Ah.” Davyn nodded his thanks when Kjar handed him some fish. “So are we thinking Níðhöggr wants Emily to conceive for added power? Much like the power my unborn sister displayed.”
Though Davyn never seemed distraught when he spoke of his sister, Sven always thought he repressed deeper feelings. Emotions he kept well-hidden for his parent’s benefit. Whether fraternal or identical, dragons shared an intense bond in the womb.
“I’m not sure I like the sound of that,” Håkon muttered, eying Emily with concern. “It seems as though she’s being used inappropriately.”
“Rest assured, Sven’s not using me inappropriately in the least,” she replied before she realized what she said and blushed. “You know what I mean.” She shook her head. “As to Níðhöggr being responsible for this, who knows, maybe he is.” Her eyes met Håkon’s. “It’s not something I can worry about let alone stop, so I’ve got to roll with it. We all do.”
Håkon sighed but said nothing further as they began eating. Once they finished, they rested for a short while before they packed up and continued on. It was already past noon so they would walk until evening then stop for the night if they found a good spot.
“Loki’s Hel, Níðhöggr doesn’t make the entrance to...” Halla glanced at Emily. “What is it you’re calling this place again?”
“Níðhöggr’s Realm,” Davyn enlightened as Håkon and Sven fell in behind Vigdis and Emily.
“Right,” Halla said, her eyes bright as she and Davyn walked in front of the women. “Well, it’s one heck of an entrance.”
And it was.
As he knew it would be, the incline wasn’t nearly as steep as it appeared from the ground but it was steep enough. As clear as the bay below, the waterfall was more of a rapid river. It was as if this place had never been touched by mankind which it probably hadn’t been.
“Do
you sense seer magic here?” he asked Vigdis as she occasionally picked up stones from the river’s edge. “Do you believe this place drained the mountain’s magic?”
“I do not know,” she replied. “The magic I sense here is very different. Not of Vanaheim.” She shook her head. “But that does not mean anything. The process Níðhöggr used to shift it here and make it his could have transformed it entirely.”
“I’ve yet to see a spirit which is super strange,” Emily murmured. “Even when things are normal, spirits meander about here and there.”
“It is unnatural,” Håkon agreed, frowning as he continually scanned the thick forest on either side of the river. “There is no crossing over of the worlds at all here.”
“But there is,” Kjar reminded. “Or that sword would not have manifested. It was touched by both Odin’s Asgard and Múspellsheimr. Touched by both Thor and Níðhöggr.”
“I get the impression it was under Níðhöggr’s control though,” Vigdis said.
Kjar nodded, agreeing. “We can only hope. That would mean nothing else can access this place.”
“So if we’re thinking worlds are crossing over outside of Níðhöggr’s Realm,” Emily said, “then shouldn’t we get everyone here once we figure out what’s going on?”
Sven understood her concern. While crossing worlds with Asgard, the land of the gods, might be okay, that’s about where it ended. There were far too many creatures in the other worlds that didn’t belong here. As it was, Múspellsheimr wasn’t just home to dragons but fire giants and demons. Jotunheim possessed giants as well. Large, grumpy ones from the sounds of it. Svartalfheim was home to dwarves and Alfheim, elves. He knew little of the dwarves except they were quite tiny next to humans and almost nothing about elves, a private race said to run angelic for lack of a better word.
Then there was Niflheim, not just a world of fog and mist but the primordial world of ice. Though it would be unpleasant if its climate alone crossed over, he was more curious about something else.
“Though tales of Níðhöggr have already been proven folklore since this began,” Sven said, his eyes never leaving the churning river. “What of Niflheim and his supposed connection to that world?”
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