Page 79 of Heart of Fire
As Haakon strode toward his bag, Rurik stepped in front of him, shoving him to a halt. “You will never get into the court. It was built with magic and resides between this realm and the next, created out of pure Chaos magic. A realm within a bubble of power. Over a hundreddrekilive there. Perhaps you could kill one, but they will chew you up and spit you out before you even set foot in theplace.”
“I don’t care.” Haakon tried to shove past him. “Thatdrekitook mywife!”
“She did not steal your wife, you fool,” Rurik hissed. “Shewasyourwife.”
“What?” Haakon slammed to a halt, the breath hissing out ofhim.
“Think about it,” Rurik warned. “Drekido not eat humans, unless provoked. And what need would Árdís have to steal away your wife, when she has no interest in mating with her or eating her? You said yourself that your wife—Arja—had eyes like polished amber. You describe my sister’s mortal form. Her coloring. Tell me this, did she like berries? They were Árdís’s favorite too. And she despises smoked cod with a passion. She loves to lie in the grass, warming herself in the sun, and she has an obsession with jewelry, particularly emeralds.” He saw the other man flinch. “I don’t know if your wife had a temper, but Árdís does. She is petulant and spoiled, but when she laughs she could light the entireroom.”
The color drained out of Haakon’s face. “No,” he whispered, but it was with the tone of a man who knew he waswrong.
“Yes,” Rurik corrected, righting the chair. “Your wife was a stranger to your village, one caught out in a wild storm one night, a storm the likes of which you’ve never seen before. Those are the kinds of stormsdrekiride upon. None of you knew her, yousaid.”
Haakon’s knees gave way beneath him as he sank onto the bench. “But... how?Why?”
“Ten years ago, my sister went abroad in the world. I heard the ripples of her passing in the wind, and she is the onlydrekiI’ve connected with since I was exiled. There would have been... pressure on her to breed, and Árdíshas always disliked pressure. She wanted to see more of the world before she was old enough to accept a mate. Perhaps she came upon you. Perhaps you pleased her... for a time. But my uncle would have been pushing her to return, and she could never take you with her. I’m sorry. I don’t know her reasons for marrying you when she knew it could never last, and I can only suspect why she left. But I do know you deserve thetruth.”
Haakon scraped a hand over his face, reeling from the news. For a second, Rurik almost felt sorry for the man, and didn’t understand why. One did not feel pity for one’s enemies.But...
Haakon had based his entire life on a lie, and had killed three dragons and chased Árdís halfway across the seas in an attempt to findher.
Perhaps Rurik understood what would drive a man to do such a thing, for he felt the same need in his heart when he thought ofFreyja.
“That lying bitch,” Haakon whispered. He looked up, heat returning to her face. “Everything we had was a lie. What the hell do Ido?”
“Go home,” Rurik said gently. “Go back to your family. And bury your memories of yourwife.”
The other man’s nostrils flared. “No. She owes me the truth from her ownlips.”
“The truth will get youkilled.”
“You don’t knowthat.”
“My mother believesdrekiblood should remain pure. The second she sees you, she will kill you for daring to touch immortal flesh. Perhaps the reason Árdís left you is because she sought to save your life. Doing this will only guarantee yourdeath.”
“I don’t care,” Haakon croaked. “What would you do if that wereFreyja?”
Burn the world to ashes to confront her, and demand the truth.Rurik’s lipstwisted.
“You cannot change my mind,” Haakon declared, and Rurik saw the truth of it in the other man’seyes.
“Dig your own grave then. I’ll be no more a part of this insanequest.”
He had paid the debt Árdís owed the man, and fate would work what itintended.
It was time to findFreyja.
Twenty-Two
RURIK FOUND FREYJAin the barn, pitching hay into the stalls where her lambsrested.
After all that was said and done, everything they’d been through, she was back to acting as though she had nothing else to do rightnow.
Doubt filled him as he watched her silently from the shadows. Light pierced a hole in the ceiling, highlighting the gilt in her dark blonde hair. She muttered to herself, cursing under her breath as she finished her task and leaned on the pitchfork to rest. His heart twisted in his chest at thesight.
Let her go,said logic.Your uncle will kill her if he hears of herexistence.
But there was a part of him that was not so rational. A part of him that curled its lip and growled deep within at the mere thought of surrendering what was his. It burned within him like the molten heart of a volcano, threatening to erupt through hisveins.
