Page 71 of Between Broomsticks and Beating Wings
“Well, yeah. How else was I going to speak with her in person?”
Kari chuckled in disbelief, and I imagined her shaking her head at me with a cute little grin. “Okay, go on. I imagine you had a lot to catch up on. How did she take the news?”
I told her all about my conversation with my sister and what transpired since, and she patiently listened.
“So, there’s a chance you could become a valkyrie again?” Kari whispered, like if she said it any louder, it may not come true.
“There is.” I swallowed a hard lump in my throat, and the two of us sat in relative silence. When my hair was free, she had me tip my head back so she could wet my hair and lather it in soap. She worked quietly, keeping water out of my ears as she went. By the time my hair was free of soap, the water had already turned cold and my neck had grown stiff, but it was all worth it when she leaned over me and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.
Kari used her hands to squeeze the water free of my brown and white strands, then handed me the towel she’d brought out for herself. She began wrapping my hair up in it so no chilly water could dribble down my neck. When I was able to sit up and face her, I placed my hand over her cold cheek. She cupped the back of my hand with her palm and leaned further into me.
“Let’s get you out of this water,” I whispered, because for some reason, anything else felt like it would be too loud, too abrasive after the tenderness I’d just experienced. Kari simply nodded, so I walked over to a little wooden chest in the corner and grabbed another towel for her. When I was back standing in front of the seeress, I moved my furs out of the way to make room for her. I held up the towel, locking eyes with her as I did. There was so much I needed to say to her, so many importantthings, yet when I looked at her, every word drifted away, and I was left with nothing but her stunning eyes on mine.
She rose from the tub, hidden behind the towel I held. Once she was standing before me, I wrapped her up and then lifted her from the bath. She gasped as I did, but it was now my turn to take care of her.
Kari felt so perfect in my arms, and though my muscles could feel the strain of her body more than they used to, I wouldn’t set her down because of it. She molded perfectly into me, as if she’d been a part of me all along, and I wouldn’t be so quick to give that all up.
My perfect mortal stared up at me, her lashes full, water clinging to them. I carried her to the bed, not caring that water dripped off Kari and onto the floor as I did. She didn’t seem to mind either, too engrossed in whatever she saw within my eyes. She had her arms wrapped around my neck, and as I approached the side of the bed, she rested her head in the nape.
“What do you plan on doing with me, now that you have me?” she murmured into the sensitive spot above my shoulder.
“Do I? Have you, I mean?” I asked as I set her down upon the bed. Kari didn’t adjust herself as the towel rose up along her thigh and parted for me over her hip.
Kari was silent for a moment, her eyes boring into mine. I’d sworn my life had been coming apart, but when she finally answered me, everything felt right in the world once more.
“Rune Dragomir, you have me. In every way, you have me.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
THE THING GODDESSES FEAR
Kari
Did I really just admit I was hers?
My hair dripped onto the quilt I laid upon, and my skin rose with little goosebumps all the way to the exposed flesh of my hip. Rune stared down at me, her leathers covering far too much.
Always a tease. Always hiding from me.
Despite the leathers, she was armor-less, and while that cracked something apart deep inside me, right now, I only cared about what she was wearing, not what was missing.
The way her eyes blazed with heat, I knew she wasn’t going to waste this opportunity. I wanted to tell her I wouldn’t change my mind, that this wasn’t just for the moment, but as she wet her lips and bowed her head, my mind went blank. Whatever I was about to open my mouth to say was long gone. Nothing else mattered in this moment outside of her hands trailing over her leathers to find their seams. I reached forward and gripped Rune’s forearm, pulling her closer so I could help her get out of what kept me from what I craved.
Piece by piece, I peeled the leather from her skin, revealing parts of her I’d never had the honor of exploring. Rune gasped as my cold hands found her warm flesh, and then she let out a low chuckle, like I was going to pay for that costly mistake.
My head dropped to the mattress as she hovered over me, feet still on the floor. My fingers gripped the back of her head, and none of my gentleness from before remained as I pulled her in until her lips were on mine. Our mouths moved in impatient synchronicity, and the taste of her had me groaning between our lips.
I wanted more—no, Ineededit. Why was she not on this bed yet?
I tried to pull her up, but she just clicked her tongue and smirked down at me. A frustrated growl left my throat, and I all but whined her name.
“Not yet, seeress,” she hummed. “We have one last night in Hel, and if I get to have you in the underworld, I’m sure as fuck going to take my time.”
I cursed under my breath. “You’re going to torture me, aren’t you?”
“No, Kari.” She shook her head. “I’m going to worship you.”
I scoffed and gripped the remaining shreds of fabric clinging to her. “I’m no goddess.”
