by Amy Pennza
He looked up from the book he was writing in. “Yes, and this would go much faster if you stopped asking me every five minutes.”
“I can’t help it. I’m dying to see Paris.” Just a couple of weeks ago, I hadn’t thought I’d live to see the morning.
Life was precious. And glorious.
But maybe that was just because I was in love.
I looked at the gold band on my left hand, and a little thrill shot through me. Hauk and I had agreed on matching wedding bands—a simple design that wouldn’t interfere with swordwork.
Not that he planned on teaching anymore. He was taking an indefinite hiatus from the academy so we could travel the world. Our plan was to take on as many quests as we could, gradually getting him the kills he needed to earn his immortality.
I’d worried he would be angry about missing his chance with the stone—or my deception regarding my mother. But he’d been so grateful to be alive, he swore it didn’t matter.
It also helped that Odin had lifted Crom’s curse. He claimed he’d done it as a wedding gift, but I secretly suspected it was just to stick it to Crom, who tended to rub all the high Fae the wrong way. Whatever the reason, Hauk was now like any other berserker. Once he made a thousand kills, he’d become immortal. And since he was already a badass with over eight hundred to his name, getting the rest was going to be a walk in the park.
And quite the unconventional honeymoon.
I tapped my foot.
“Elin Odinsdóttir,” he growled. “If you don’t stop squirming, I’m going to come over there and spank you.”
My breath caught. “Promise?”
He looked up, a grin already in place. “Well, I don’t know. What’s the penalty for spanking a demigoddess?”
“I couldn’t say. But I think you’ll like your punishment.”
His eyes went heavy with lust. “Can we play naughty shieldmaiden again?”
“The one where I tie you—”
“Yes,” he said quickly. “That one.”
I leaned back in my chair and raised an eyebrow. “We can play that, husband. As long as you hurry up.”
He slammed the book shut. “Just finished.”
I sat up. “Hey! That’s my saga. What if you left something out?”
“I didn’t.”
“The ink’s probably still wet.”
He stood and tucked the tome under his arm. “If it is, I’ll add an addendum saying the ink smeared due to your uncontrollable libido.” He rounded the desk and pulled me from the chair.
I leaned in for a kiss, but he turned me toward the door and gave me a sharp smack on the ass. “Move it. Before I’m hard as an anvil and embarrass myself in front of the students.”
I yelped and rubbed my cheeks as I headed toward the door.
“Gods, that’s not helping,” he said behind me.
I opened the door and paused so I could give him a saucy look over my shoulder. “Last one down has to hug Olaf.”
He bolted around me like his ass was on fire.
Laughing, I ran after him. We elbowed each other as we raced down the stairs, jockeying for position. He tried to trip me. I punched his shoulder. We reached the bottom at the same time, panting and grinning at each other.
“Headmaster? My lady?”
Olaf’s voice was tentative, like he wasn’t sure what was happening but definitely didn’t like it. Maja stood at his side, her eyes darting between Hauk and me.
Hauk straightened and cleared his throat, obviously trying to be a grown up. “Olaf Karlsson. I leave Bjørneskalle in your hands while I’m away. Together, I know you and Maja will ensure things here run smoothly.”
Olaf puffed out his chest. “You have my word on it, sir.”
Maja nudged him.
“Oh.” He looked at me. “You as well, my lady.”
I waved a hand. “It’s okay, Olaf. And, please, call me Elin.” It hadn’t taken word of my true parentage to spread—and for people to act really freaking weird around me every time I appeared. I’d taken to sneaking around back corridors just to avoid drawing scrutiny.
Traveling with Hauk was going to be a dream. I was done with castles. After Radegast’s banquet, I never wanted to see another torch or banner for as long as I lived.
Of course, that might prove difficult. Odin had promised to take me off plane to Asgard, which he called his “main pad.” As a celebrity in the Mythical world, he found it hard to move around without attracting attention.
Personally, I thought he should consider toning down his hair and beard, but who was I to judge his style? Our relationship wasn’t quite there yet, but it was definitely improving.
For example, I was working on forgiving him for dumping me with Harald for twenty-one years. Hauk was a big help in that department. His childhood with Crom had taught him that gods just can’t think like normal people.
Odin had done what he thought was best at the time. He’d feared that growing up in his shadow would warp me or make me selfish or cruel. Maybe he was right. As Hauk was fond of saying, “You’re the child of a god. Abnormal is your new normal.”
It was something he was teaching me—that abnormal was okay. There was really no such thing as normal, anyway.
I stepped forward and slipped my hand in his.
He curled his fingers around mine.
I smiled at Olaf and Maja. “I know you’ll both be great at this. You love Bjørneskalle. We couldn’t ask for better people to lead it.” I put my fist over my heart and bowed.
They returned my salute. When she straightened, Maja’s face was strained. “My lady . . . I just want to say I’m sorry. The way I treated you—”
“It’s okay.” It wasn’t, really, but she’d suffered enough. And she’d learned an important lesson about the consequences of judging people. I offered her a smile. “I’m not going to sentence you to death or anything.”
She released a slow breath.
“Just torture.”
“Oh gods . . .” Her lower lip trembled.
“Maja. I’m kidding.” Honestly, what she really needed was a sense of humor.
Olaf practically vibrated at her side. “I know this is wildly inappropriate, but I just wish I could hug both of you.”
Hauk squeezed my hand. Ever since we’d returned from our near-death experience, Olaf had developed a strange penchant for hugging us. Hauk thought it was because we were his only friends. He wasn’t exactly popular at Bjørneskalle. Nearly losing us had thrown him for a loop.
I bit my lip. I’d been holding back a comment about “warm hugs” for so long, I was ready to run through the halls screaming it.
“Hugs are no problem,” Hauk said. He tugged me forward. “Are they, sweetheart?”
I gave him a look to let him know I would make him pay later.
We embraced Olaf, then shook hands with a more reserved Maja. Before they could say anything else, Hauk grabbed my hand and pulled me down the steps and past the statues.
Torches flew by, and then we were outside, the autumn sun shining down on us.
He pulled me against him, his blue eyes smiling into mine. “You know, I did leave one part out of your saga.”
“Oh? What part is that?”
He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “The part where you changed my life in that cave.”
Heat blazed in my cheeks, but I stood on my tiptoes and put my lips near his. “I can change it again tonight if you want.”
“I want.”
“Done.”
His gaze grew serious. “I included everything else, though. Like how you got us out of that forest. And how you figured out portals just to save my life. And how you took down Radegast and Harald so you could get the stone.”
“You took down Radegast. I just distracted him with my boobs.”
Hauk shook his head. “You defeated him. You did all that.” He touched my cheek. “You beautiful, wonderful, wild, lovable goddess.”
“Demigoddess,” I said, brea
thless. “Technically.” Odin had explained that I was still part berserker, since he’d taken that form when he “dated” my mother. Officially, though, I was wholly Fae, and his blood made me the highest of high Fae—with all the trappings that came with it. It was going to take me a while to master all the new powers his lifting of the veil had unleashed.
Hauk was helping me with that, too.
And another perk? He’d declared our training sessions “clothing optional.”
He smiled now. “You’re my goddess. The woman I plan to worship for the rest of my life.”
I stroked his beard. “Let’s go make sure it’s a long one.”
“As you wish, my lady.” He released me and stepped back. He brought his hands together and pulled them apart, a white portal opening in the air before us.
He looked at me. “Ready?”
For anything.
I tucked my body against his side. “Ready.”
“Don’t let go.”
I squeezed his arm. “Never.”
We stepped through the doorway and into our future.
About the Author
Amy Pennza has been a lawyer, a soldier, and a copywriter. She’s worn combat boots and high heels in the same 24-hour period—and she definitely prefers flip flops. Actually, she prefers going barefoot while writing steamy romances about strong women and alpha men with hearts of gold. After years in Tornado Alley, she now makes her home in the Great Lakes region with her husband, kids, and more baskets than any one person should own. (You can never have enough.)
Keep up with new releases, news, and giveaways by visiting amypennza.com
Also by Amy Pennza
The Favored Wife
What a Wolf Desires
What a Wolf Dares
What a Wolf Dreams
Never Say I Love You
Never Say I Want You
Ivar’s Prize
