by ST Bende
“It would seem we have Ýdalir to ourselves, Mrs. Myhr.” Ull grabbed my waist and pulled me close, leaving no room for questions. I breathed in his heady scent, intoxicated by his nearness. I stroked one substantial bicep, looking up, up, up until my eyes finally reached his. His mouth was pulled into that adorable half-smile and I reached up to brush the stray lock of hair from his eyes. My insides turned soft. He grabbed my wrist and pulled it to his chest. Then he kissed me. Hard.
I pulled away, breathless. “What did you have in mind?”
The smolder in his eyes grew and he swept me off my feet, running past the startled sheep grazing in the meadow. The movement was surprisingly smooth, but despite his graceful sprint the butterflies in my belly took flight, as if someone had jabbed them with a branding iron. In an instant my hands were in Ull’s hair, pulling his face to mine. My lips peppered hot kisses along his jawline, the coarse fibers of his perma-stubble scraping my sensitive skin. I didn’t care. I wasn’t acting on any logical level anymore. My entire being was consumed with the overwhelming need to be Ull’s, in every conceivable way. And if my lips endured a few abrasions in the meantime, it would be more than worth it.
Besides, that stubble was sexy as all Helheim.
Ull bolted through the back gate as my teeth grazed his earlobe. He let out a shudder, the tremble rocking through his body and resonating where his arms wrapped around the backs of my legs. He set his jaw and ran faster, not bothering to close the French doors after he ripped them open. I shifted in his arms, pulling myself higher so I could trace the top of his ear with my tongue. The butterflies flapped harder as Ull put one hand on my hip. He swung my legs free and I wrapped them around his waist. Now I clung to him, legs cinched tightly around him like a belt, and arms twined around his neck. He moved one hand to the small of my back, fisting my hair with the other. As he neared our bedroom, he turned so he ran in reverse. He slammed his back against the door, sending wood chips flying.
“Ull!” I giggled. “You broke it!”
“Not exactly my concern right now, sweetheart.” Ull dove for the bed, cradling me in his arms to cushion the fall. He landed with a soft thud, then rolled onto his back.
I pushed myself up on my elbows and gazed adoringly at my real-life Norse god. My fingers traced the outline of his mouth and he parted his lips, sucking lightly on the pad of my thumb. His tongue was hot, and it sent a surge through my body, making me flush in a way that wasn’t remotely unpleasant. As I stared at the pale pink skin of his lips, he turned his head, teeth raking my skin.
“Breathe,” he reminded me. I sucked in air like I was drowning. In a way, I was. There was a very real possibility I could stay lost in this moment forever.
“Kiss me,” I demanded. Ull’s eyes shifted to my favorite shade as he threw his arm across my back. Before I could take a second breath, he was on top of me, the full weight of his massive frame pressing me into the soft down of the mattress. An involuntary sigh escaped me as Ull covered my mouth with a commanding kiss. His tongue pushed at my lips, exploring every surface with a frenzied need. I felt like I was about to burst out of my own skin. My nails scraped against the muscles of his back as I tugged his sweater over his head, throwing it somewhere on the floor. Or maybe it was on the nightstand. I didn’t care. I wanted—no, I needed to be as close to Ull as possible. Now.
He raised himself on one elbow and pulled his T-shirt off. The movement made him press against me in a way that sent my head spinning. My torso tensed as I willed him to hurry up. The twinkle in his inky blue eyes made it clear my message came through.
“Once a mortal.” He chuckled. “Still impatient?”
I was too distracted to respond. Ull was right there, in all his shirtless glory. The muscles of his shoulders jutted out, and his biceps bulged as he shifted his weight again. It was more than any girl could handle. I turned my head to kiss the hard surface of his tricep, then slowly made my way up his arm. Ull groaned when I moved to his neck. He put his hand under my head and tugged at my hair. I reluctantly pulled away, my eyes wide.
“Before we do this.” Ull paused. He sat back on his knees, and stared down at me. His hands moved slowly across my stomach, his fingers drawing a light pattern along my ribs. A searing heat that ran all the way to the tips of my toes immediately replaced the shiver that wracked my torso. Gods, he needs to hurry this up. I was about ten seconds away from spontaneous deific combustion.
“Before we do this,” Ull repeated. He reached the bottom of my sweater and slid his fingers under the fabric. Searing heat became an unbearable inferno. I squirmed, but Ull continued at his own languid pace. He moved his fingers up my burning abdomen, and finally lifted the sweater over the top of my head. My head fell back on the pillow as my breath came in ragged gasps.
“Oh my God, before we do this, what? What? You know you’re killing me right now.” My voice came out as a whimper.
“You are immortal.” Ull winked. I whipped my head to the side and buried my face in the pillow so I couldn’t yell at him. No matter what I was, if he didn’t finish this right now I was going to explode.
“Before we do this,” Ull said for the third agonizing time, “I was thinking. For our son’s name, how do you feel about…” He leaned down and brushed his lips against my ear, whispering something so sweet that I smiled in spite of my frustration.
“I love it.” I turned to stare into Ull’s eyes. They were endless, deep, twinkling orbs that only skimmed the surface of his beautiful soul and stretched into the depths of forever.
Just like our future.
But it wasn’t the time to focus on our tomorrows. My very own Norse god commanded my full attention. As he would, thanks to the interference of a well-intentioned Norn, for the rest of our existence.
Chapter Seventeen
“DO NOT LIFT THAT!” Ull jumped in front of me and picked up the box. “You have to take care of yourself. This is too heavy for you.”
A month had passed, and I was absolutely thrilled that Elsker and I had been right—I was carrying Ull’s baby! Inga and Gunnar had bought the cottage next door, and Bibury’s resident domestic goddess was helping me prepare a care package to mail to Ardis. She’d fallen in love with all things British on her European vacation, and was going through major McVitie’s withdrawals now that she was back in New York. I placed a strip of tape along the edge of the packing box. It was filled with Caramel Digestives, Hobnobs, and an array of English teas. The entire thing weighed five, maybe six pounds, tops. It was totally manageable for a human to handle, and even easier for a goddess.
However, my overprotective husband thought I had the constitution of an orchid.
“Ull,” I protested. “I may be pregnant but I can lift five pounds. Honest.”
“This is more like ten.” Ull easily raised the package with two fingers. “I know you think I am being overbearing, but I do not want you hurting yourself. Or our precious cargo.” He set the box on the counter and cradled my belly with both hands. “Hei hei, little one.” He kneeled so his face was level with my stomach. “Daddy loves you so very much. Yes he does. We are going to have so much fun together; do you know that? When you come out I will teach you to play football and rugby and wield a sword, and handle a mace, and—”
“Um, do you know any activities that won’t require a helmet?” Our son wasn’t even born yet and Ull was plotting to rough him up.
“Of course.” Ull gave me a dazzling smile and returned to my belly. “We can read stories and sing songs. I cannot wait to kiss your little toes, and your tiny little fingers, my darling baby boy.” He kissed my stomach and looked up at me tenderly. “Thank you for giving me a son.”
I tousled his hair. “Thank you for making me your wife. I’m glad we’re growing.”
“Me, too. You two are my world.”
“I know. But I promise I won’t hurt either of us if I carry some cookies in a basket.”
Ull frowned as he stood. “Nonetheless. Inga,” he ges
tured, “you will carry this for her.”
“Aye aye, Captain.” She saluted with a giggle. “Can we go now?”
“Are you sure you do not want me to come with you? It is a long way to the post office.”
“It is one-point-four miles. I’ll be fine. The scariest thing I could encounter in Bibury is an errant cow.”
“An errant cow can be plenty dangerous,” Ull muttered darkly. “If one had not fed Ymir, we would not have jotuns, or fire giants, or…forget it. I am coming with you.”
“No, Ull. It’s fine. You’re working. And I’ll have Inga with me. She’s the most formidable woman I know, Sif excluded.”
“All right,” Ull acquiesced. “But take your mobile. If you feel at all uncomfortable, ring me and I will be right there.”
“I know.” I stood on tiptoe to kiss him. “I love you, my sweet, overbearing husband.”
“And I you, my beguiling, stubborn wife.”
We kissed as Inga picked up the cookies that had caused so much contention. “Now may we leave, or do you want to put a GPS tracker on her?”
“Inga,” I chided, before adding sheepishly, “You know, there’s one on my phone.” Stupid fancy new phone. My flip phone mysteriously ‘disappeared’ the day Ull found out I was pregnant.
“Sorry. Ull, I promise to take care of your wife and baby if you grant me leave from your castle.” She gave her sweetest expression.
“Get out of here, Inga.” Ull cuffed her shoulder as he headed back to his library.
“Ull?” I called after him.
He turned.
“Let me know if there’s any news on Loki, okay?” The monster’s trial had been a short one, and Odin was expected to deliver his verdict that afternoon. If Loki got anything less than a life imprisonment, Ull and I would need to leave immediately to search for the cure for Olaug. Neither of us wanted to undertake our search for the lost artifact while I was pregnant. Not to mention that we didn’t want to worry about Loki ever getting near our child. A lifetime sentence would kill two birds with one stone.
The outcome I was rooting for wasn’t exactly charitable.
Ull nodded. “You know I will. But do not worry about Loki. It is not good for the baby.”
“Thank you, Dr. Myhr,” I teased.
“Any time. Be safe, my love.”
I blew him a kiss and turned to leave. Inga shook her head as we closed the front door behind us. “Boy, never thought I’d see the day Asgard’s fiercest assassin talked to a tummy.”
“Tell me about it. You know he sings to the baby at night,” I confided.
“No!” Inga’s eyes popped.
“It’s really cute. Little lullabies in Norwegian. He rubs my belly and sings for a good half hour.” Of course, I had pretty much no idea what he was singing. I quickly added learn better Norwegian to my list of nesting activities.
We walked down the drive of Ýdalir. We traveled a half-mile down the road, stopping to watch the sheep cross and waving at the farmer who kept them on their path.
“Are you having a nice afternoon, Mrs. Russotti?” I asked. Antonia Russotti was a charming woman in her early eighties, with perfectly coiffed white hair and laugh lines around her eyes. My grandmother would have loved her—even in slacks and muddy wellies, Mrs. Russotti always wore her pearls.
“I am. How are you ladies today?”
“We’re well. We’re posting a care package to a friend in the States. Do you need anything from the post office?”
“Actually, I could use a book of stamps.”
“We can get them for you,” I offered.
“That would be wonderful. Thank you, girls. How about you bring them by tomorrow and I’ll have a fresh batch of cannoli for the both of you? Bring Olaug, too. I haven’t seen her in weeks. What has she been up to?” Mrs. Russotti tilted her head.
“Oh, a little of this, a little of that.” I waved my hand. “You know Olaug, she’s not so great with idle time. Always a busy bee.”
Beside me, Inga let out a delicate snort.
“Do bring her. I’ve missed her stories. And we can show our new neighbor here the birds.” Mrs. Russotti smiled at Inga.
“They’re really neat,” I agreed. “Mrs. Russotti has a lovely aviary filled with yellow canaries.”
“Ooh.” Inga grinned. “I can’t wait.”
“See you around three, then?”
I nodded. “Yes ma’am. Um, Mrs. Russotti.” I glanced down the lane where one of her flock had taken a wrong turn. “You’ve got a runner.”
“Oops. See you tomorrow, girls.” Mrs. Russotti took off after the errant sheep, and Inga and I continued on our walk.
“Are you excited about redoing the London house?” Inga asked.
“I really am. It will be fun to live there for a while. And I can’t wait to see Emma and Victoria again. They’re both working in the city this summer—Emma’s at an economics consulting firm, and Victoria’s over at Alexander McQueen.” I smiled.
Ull and I had talked it over, and I’d decided to take a leave of absence from school. Becoming immortal, learning to control the elements, carrying Ull’s baby, and taking a full course-load was as more than I felt I could comfortably handle—even as a goddess. Instead, Ull and I were going to spend the next few months turning our Kensington row house into a family home. We planned to add a nursery to the top story, and convert part of the second floor into a playroom. Spending time with my girlfriends would make the summer just that much more perfect.
“And Ull is going to let us traipse off to London to oversee these renovations? You are bringing your bodyguard with you, ja?”
I laughed. “You can stay in Bibury and enjoy what’s left of your summer with Gunnar. Ull’s coming with me—I guess he had Olaug network the London house so he can work remotely.”
“Figures,” Inga muttered. “You know he’s making me redundant.”
“I’m sorry.” I patted her arm. “But you can always come visit! Think of the shopping you could do in London.”
“Hmm.” Inga’s eyes sparkled. “Think of the things we could buy for the baby. We need a crib, and a pram, and a rocking horse…”
My mind spiraled into baby-brain mode, imagining tiny little booties and hats. And before I knew it we were at the post office.
“Good morning, Inga. Hi Kristia.” The woman behind the counter tossed her wavy, brown hair over her shoulder as she greeted me with a fond smile. “I was just about to ring you—something came for you this morning.”
“Really? How funny. I just came in to mail this, and buy a book of stamps.” I smiled at Mrs. Dillin as Inga placed Ardis’s package on the counter. The woman weighed it, and I paid for the postage. Ardis would be one happy girl, in seven to ten days’ time.
“I’ll just be two shakes.” Mrs. Dillin ducked out and returned with a small parcel. “Here you are.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” My hands closed around the package.
“Don’t forget your stamps.” Mrs. Dillin picked up a small booklet and handed it to Inga. She slid it into her back pocket.
“Thank you so much. Have a good day, Mrs. Dillin!” Inga waved over her shoulder. She turned to me as we closed the door behind us. “What’d you get?”
“I don’t know.” I turned the parcel over. My lips drew up as I recognized the return address. “Ardis.”
Inga peered over my shoulder. “But that says it came from Nehalem. She’s back in New York.”
“I know. Must be from her parents.” With a tear, I opened the padded envelope. My fingers felt inside until I pulled out a piece of paper. My pace slowed as I took in Ardis’s mom’s loopy scrawl. The writing took me back to afternoons in the Behrman kitchen, where plates of cookies flanked by handwritten notes informed us that Mrs. Behrman had run to the market, and would be back soon.
I skidded to a stop and Inga followed suit. “What’s it say?”
“It says…um…” My eyes read through the page. “Huh.”
“What?�
��
“Ardis’s dad was my grandmother’s attorney. He found something of Mormor’s in his safety deposit box—I guess she gave it to him for safekeeping, and he didn’t find it until a few weeks ago.” I turned the envelope over and shook out its contents. A small silver ring slid out. It was plain, with a delicate blue stone in the center. “That’s pretty. The note says it was an heirloom. Wonder where it’s from.”
I turned the band over in my fingers and it emitted a long flash. Then it freed itself from my grasp, and hovered an inch above my still-pinched-together fingers.
Well, it wasn’t the strangest thing I’d seen that summer.
Inga grabbed my arm. “Do you know what that is?” she hissed.
“I’m guessing it’s not the heirloom Mormor told Mr. Behrman it was?” I hissed back.
Inga grabbed the ring out of the air and hustled me down the road. “Get that thing out of sight or all Helheim will break loose.”
“Okay.” I shook my arm free as she steered me back to Ýdalir. “I can walk on my own!”
“Hurry.” Inga marched at a clipped pace.
My steps matched hers as we sped back to Ýdalir. We crossed beneath the arch of trees and walked past the fountain without so much as a glance at the splashing fish. When we reached the steps, Inga all but shoved me inside and closed the blue door behind her.
Chapter Eighteen
“HEI HEI DARLING. Little one. Inga.” Ull came out of the library, running a hand through his hair. He crossed the living area and swept me up in his arms. “I missed you so much.” He gingerly ran a hand over my belly before kissing me with a force I wasn’t expecting. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed back, giving in to the hormones surging through my body.
Ull chuckled. “I like you pregnant.”
“Me too. Why’d you stop?”
“Because I am wondering what is wrong with Inga.”
