“Zhenni…” I warned. The village horn had long since blasted, we were already late.
She was dressed in no time at all, with her thick auburn hair piled loosely atop her head. We walked toward the hall together, but by the time we entered, a few of the other villagers were filing through the doors with us, masking our conjoined arrival for the most part. We took the two vacant seats near Alexavier and tried to be still, so we didn’t draw any more ugly looks. No one had even started speaking yet, but the crowd was on edge.
What the fuck had we missed?
Zhenni
I hadn’t really dried off that well, so the hem of my gown was clinging to the back of my calf the entire walk to the meeting. I used my heel hoping to discreetly free it once we arrived. Fat chance, it felt like every eye in the place was on us. The men I had come to know as the village elders were seated at the table facing us. A few of the Saxon men from Galena were gathered around the edges. None of them took a seat, though there were enough available to comfortably fit twice their number.
The horn cried out again, much softer than the warning call. This was meant to silence those gathered.
“As you all know,” Veleif began, slowly raising from the bench as he did so. “We are forming a functional government while still maintaining a degree of independence. In order to open conversations and establish order, each elder shall choose a proxy-man to travel to Galena on his stead and learn the navigations of such a duty.”
Whispers flourished around us. Trysta turned about and scanned the crowd, her gaze narrowing dramatically when she noticed me sitting between her sons. Veleif turned to Alrik and tipped his head.
“My cousin Jotnar will be travelling in my stead,” Alrik quickly responded.
All eyes turned on Thorne’s father. Ulfr’s wrinkled leathery face revealed nothing, but his eyes settled on his eldest son. Thorne sat up a bit straighter and obliged his father with a nod of understanding. It all happened in a silent but universally understood exchange.
Einar sat on the end of a bench a few rows from the front. His hair damp and freshly combed. The children appeared moderately happy and dressed in clean clothing. That was all I cared about, it was more than I had expected, from the likes of him.
I gazed up at Thorne and noticed the subtle tick and clench of his jaw. The rest of the meeting went by in a blur. I hadn’t realized it had ended, until he patted my hand and urged me to walk home with Alexavier.
Thane had already escaped; I had an idea that he might be headed for the ale house. He had been in the corner talking to Gunnar for most of the meeting.
We walked through the shadows in silence. Some dozen yards away, his mother was saying enough for the both of us.
“No shame. None. Not an ounce of concern that he embarrasses his own mother in front of the entire village,” she harped. “You will draw the ire of the Gods upon us, Alexavier. The lot of you.”
She jabbed about, each taunt growing louder as she hunted for a response. He afforded her none. Instead, his hand snaked out in search of mine. His thick fingers laced between my own and a gentle tug steered me down the path toward my cabin. My nerves were so shaken I’d almost walked past it.
I hated scenes.
An explosion of curses chased us to the door, but once we were alone behind it, nothing else existed. The place had become a home, the crackle of the hearth and soft dancing glow spoke to my soul. I gravitated toward it and collapsed to my knees. Alexavier joined me, chuckling quietly while he watched me roast my palms. He pulled me into his big arms and nuzzled his face in the crook of my neck.
I craved him. All of them. The frustration of not knowing the details of Thorne’s assigned journey was bad enough, but the torment of Alexavier’s full lips and lust-drunk, sea-colored gaze was too much to bear. I twisted about until I was straddling him and draped my arm around his neck. Our noses brushed affectionately, his lips threatened mine, but never actually connected. I rocked my hips as if it might help the situation. Strong hands ceased my waist and his tongue flickered across my lips.
It had been innocent, almost accidental contact, and then it became so intense I couldn’t stand it. I used my free hand to reach between us. I didn’t care how rabid I looked. I jerked ties and wrangled with the leather fabric until I had what I was looking for.
My hand curled around him, guiding the half hardened silky length from his pants. I ran my hand down the length of it and curled my thumb around the thick head. My lower lip was sucked into his mouth, and he moaned like I had injured him in the sweetest of ways.
The tender way he held me while I worked atop him was a rush all of its own. He was the one who wore the bear coat. The berserker, and yet he was the most loving of them all.
His palms cupped my jaw and slid to my hair in anticipation when I ran his cock playfully about my slit. He was thick, I didn’t dare take him whole; instead, I savored the slow stretch of his entrance. His fingers stroked my hair, and his soft lips explored my throat
His grip on me tightened, and I gasped as my body was maneuvered so that I was on my back with my head facing the hearth. He held my hips snuggly against him, his meaty cock still lodged deeply inside me, and caressed my sides. He seemed fascinated by the way the light played over my chest. I arched my back, knowing it would make his view all the better.
He thrust into me, and lightening shot through my body. I reached for the fire as if it might offer some reprieve from the maddening waves of pleasure that jolted through my contorted body with his every thrust. The demanding sense of urgency grew until I was clutching the rug with wafts of fur caught between my fingers.
His weight dropped over me, and his palm clapped against the floor for balance. Every thrust slid over something delicious within me. I writhed beneath him, crying out with the frenzied need to sate the violent throbbing of my cunt and the clenching of my core. I didn’t have to say anything; his body moved with mine, until he had located and battered against the source of my agony.
My nails sank in and dragged so deeply, he arched into me and locked his calves. He thrust deeply, burying his cock so well I thought he would fuck his way through me. We lay there catching our breaths for what felt like an eternity but was only a matter of seconds.
Thorne’s husky groan sounded from the corner. The minute I saw him, that dimpled grin split his features into an appreciative smile. Alexavier gave my thighs a squeeze and rocked to his knees. I followed suit but left him to get dressed by himself.
I wasn’t sure if my legs could hold me, but I knew I wanted to watch Thorne look at me like that up close. I wiggled my finger and Thorne pushed himself from the wall and made his way toward me.
I forgot all about the meeting and the journey.
Thorne
To Galena it was, I thought to myself the next morning, but for now, I could only be bothered with the woman before me. She was beautiful anyway, but when she poised on her knees and beckoned a man like that? Even the Gods wouldn’t have been able to deny her.
Her hands locked with mine and she held them out to the side while nuzzling against the crotch of my pants. She coaxed my cock free and sprinkled kisses down the length of it. I sucked in air and clutched her hands while she twirled her tongue around the tip of my cock without breaking eye contact.
She was bold, and her mouth was greedy. I had to keep myself aware enough not to crush the hand that held mine. No easy task when she was determined to take every inch. My toes curled, and my eyes rolled back against the slick steady massage.
It was a slow snatching of my every thought. The world disappeared until all that was left in that moment was the honey eyes that burned up at me and the lips that commanded my very existence. She owned me. I would have oathed her my life and taken as many as her heart desired. There was no going back, I realized, when she locked my cock between the roof of her mouth and her tongue and used the pressure of a threatened escape to leave me crying out on a breath.
My fingers knotted in
her hair, and her lips sealed around the base of my cock. Her eyes glistened over, and the efforts of her gag reflex rippled over the crown of my cock.
I collapsed to my knees in front of her and skimmed a kiss to the top of her head. I didn’t care if she felt the exertion trembling through my arms, I still held her snuggly against me.
“You can’t leave,” she whispered.
“I’ll be back before you know it. It is only a weeklong stay,” I promised.
The door banged behind me, and I tipped my head in greeting toward Thane and Alexavier.
“A week’s ride there and back, and a week at work,” Thane agreed. “He will be back before the new moon.
Her fingers furrowed into a nervous fist. I grabbed her hand and tilted my head so I could peek into her eyes.
“You can’t,” she repeated.
“I will be—" I began to reassure her, but she cut me short.
“I’m pregnant.”
Thane killed his ale in one swig and reached for the wine while I stared into her eyes like the half-wit my father accused me of being.
Chapter Nine
Secrets of the Night
Thorne
I ran my finger along her jaw and tried to silence her fears with a kiss. Her hitched breath betrayed the turmoil behind her brave beautiful face. I squeezed her tighter and planted my lips against the top of her hairline.
“I... I don’t…” she babbled.
“You don’t have anything to worry about.” I combed her hair with my fingers and glanced up to Thane. Pride shone in his blue eyes. Alexavier was grinning like the village fool, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“I don’t want anyone to know until you get back. Your mother…”
“Never mind our mother,” Alexavier assured her. “She wanted grandchildren. If she wants them bad enough, she will accept that it is you we chose to have them with.
She looked like she was on the verge of speaking more than a few times before she finally formed a query.
“You’re not angry.” She looked toward me first before peeking at Alexavier and Thane.
I shook my head and rubbed her arm. “Why would I be angry?” I asked, canting my head thoughtfully.
“How do we know who the child’s…” she hesitantly began.
“It doesn’t matter who fathered the child. Alexavier and I have nothing to give you or the child. It is Thorne who will inherit whatever is left when the Gods welcome our father. It is he who must be acknowledged in public as the father.” Thane said matter of factly.
“It truly doesn’t bother any of you?” She looked up in disbelief, but it slowly melted into a smile when she saw how genuinely happy we were.
“We promise not to announce our blessing until after I return,” I finally consented. My brothers eagerly nodded their head in agreement. She could have asked for a throne and three kingdoms at that point and we would have delivered.
Thane
“It is why Thorne must be the one to claim you. So that your future and that of the child is secured,” I furthered.
Alexavier nodded along, but Thorne remained quiet. He stared down at her. I swear it was the first time in my life I had ever seen my brother unnerved. I had inadvertently put him on the spot. Afterall, what if she didn’t want him, or any of us for that matter? We had, after all, only managed to assist her from one mess to the other these past few weeks.
Mother would be fit to be tied, but that didn’t matter. She would get over herself. My brother had nearly paled before Zhenni smiled and nodded. She leaned up and pecked his lips before laying her head on his chest. It was the happiest I had ever seen her. She looked serene.
“Shall we get on with it then?” Thane asked, staring down at her.
She looked up, confusion momentarily sprawled across her features and her jaw to drop when she realized he intended to have a ceremony tonight.
“Oh.” She nervously laughed and made her way to the back of the shack.
It took her the span of two ales to get ready. When she reappeared, her cheeks were rosy, and her eyes shone with something that made my heart smile. Her long auburn hair had been pleated into tiny braids. Some were bound with strings and decorated with little pieces of metal. She slunk to my side and wrapped me in a side hug that was readily returned.
“I know where this creepy… yeah, this way.” I mumbled. The seer woman made my skin crawl. They followed me toward the forest. Instead of entering it, though, I led them to the right of the tree line.
“I’m starting to wonder if you didn’t bring us up here to offer one of us in sacrifice,” Alexavier complained half-way up the first cliff. The haggard part after the cliff probably cemented his theory. The path was lined with berry bushes. Their vines tangled about over the pathway with splinters that grabbed for flesh and sandal alike. I was still mumbling about the Gods’ shitty humor when we rounded the corner and found the hooded seer standing in wait.
My eyes bugged, and I grappled for air like someone had gutted me. The condescending smirk was expected, but it still pissed me off when I saw it. I forced myself to be thankful she hadn’t yet mentioned the visit with our mother. She didn’t really have to, the way she kept staring into my eyes and subtly nodding, leaving no doubt that we were familiar with one another.
A twig snapped behind me. I turned to find Osanna and Sven staring from the shadows. I wiggled my hand, and the girl ran forth to claim it.
“He is gone again?” I inquired. She bobbed her little blonde head and I shook mine.
“Quick, while the hour is darkest,” the ominous voice drifted from behind the heavy robes. A hand came out expectantly. Thorne laid his atop it, palm to the darkness of the night’s sky, and was promptly rewarded with a deep cut to the center of his palm.
His eyes lit with warning, and I could taste the curse that lingered on his lips when he leaned toward the dagger-wielding, respected figure. He jerked free and fisted his hand, allowing the blood to drip freely over the soil while Zhenni shakily offered her palm. It was sliced much less viciously.
The Seer’s long belled sleeves blew about in the breeze while she reached for each of the marked hands and placed their bloodied palms together. A piece of leather was wound about their hands before they were left to dangle. Crimson droplets spilled between their fingers. It pooled and seeped into the soil below, captivating me. I swore it happened in slow motion, each individual drop sounding like the beat of horse hooves. I knew at once that I was watching something much deeper than any of us could have possibly comprehended.
Alexavier gasped beside me, and Osanna giggled quietly before pointing. On the largest of the sacred stones sat a nearly translucent woman. A thin shift proudly revealed her perfect body. Her slender, shapely legs hung down the side of the stone, swinging now and then as she watched the union before her. As soon as I saw her, she was gone.
Chapter Ten
Face the Music
Zhenni
Two weeks turned to six. Each day piled on until my nerves were frayed. A distinct swell was forming beneath my skirt. It was becoming a task to hide it, especially when all I wanted to do was shout my joy from the rooftops.
As miserable as the nauseating mornings were, the afternoons were filled with dreams of the future. Though I didn’t have Thorne, Alexavier and the children took their meals with me each evening. When Thane finished with their parents, he would come and share the night with me while Alexavier stayed at Einar’s cabin with the young ones. They had both expressed their hopes that I would allow them to tend to things at night, in case Einar showed up intoxicated again.
The aromatic sweet bread sat cooling on the table. Osanna loved sweets, so I stooped over the trunk and searched for a thicker dress. When I wore the right ones, with my shift beneath it, no one could tell I was expecting if I held my hands just so when I stood. It would have to do, I thought to myself, before vowing to make it my last trip out for a few days.
I sliced the bread and wrapped it in a bit
of cloth before heading for Einar’s cabin. He hadn’t been home since the night of the ceremony. I tipped the door open to find Osanna scrubbing some clothes in the corner. When she saw me, her face lit up and she ran over to throw her arms around me. I scooped her up and sat her on the bench.
“I smell a sweet!” she squealed.
“Indeed. You do.” I laughed, laying a few slices before her. The rest I folded back up and scooted toward the center of the table for Sven. I started toward the laundry she had abandoned, but when I passed the doorway to the back bedroom, the stench of stale ale and piss crippled me with nausea. My hand shot to my stomach and the other frantically sought the ledge of the doorway. I heaved loud enough to alert half the village to my condition but managed not to lose my breakfast.
“You alright?” Einar grumbled behind me.
“Concerned, are you?” Zaphori growled from the doorway.
I darted away from him and stared in shock at the returned woman.
“Zaphori…”
“You honorless bitch. I trusted you with my family… just look at you.” Disgust dripped from every word. I felt cornered trying to side step Einar and back away from her all at once. Osanna leapt from her seat at the table and began to whimper.
Zaphori charged toward me, the woman’s face was contorted with rage. I caught her upper arms and flung us both toward the wall. Panicked, I tried to let go and get away from her, but she wasn’t done. The woman rushed forward and shoved me. The table caught the center of my back. I cried out as pain bit into my spine and my knees tried to buckle.
“Help!” Osanna screamed. She darted out the door while Zaphori and I wrestled about. Einar made no attempt to intervene, instead he swigged from his bottle and watched the show at hand. She slapped me, sending a familiar sting splintering across my cheek. I unleashed half a lifetime of pent up injustice on her. I beat her like she was Domhain. Her tunic top was wound so tight in my clutches that it ripped down the front.
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