Page 50 of Alliance Bride
Fathir answered for him. “Banished from Fjellheim.”
Heida shared a glance with Aevar. Her expression suggested she was thinking of paying a visit to Sig in his sleep. Aevar wouldn’t stop her.
Inside, they found Eadlyn sitting by the fire with Móthir and Ranvi. She appeared unhurt, but her eyes…her eyes held fear. That alone nearly unraveled Aevar all over again. Just seeing her. Remembering her held in Sig’s grip. Powerless. The rage surged, and he balled his fists.
Fathir spoke first. “I apologize. That should never have happened.”
Eadlyn shook her head. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know he was here.”
“It won’t happen again,” Fathir assured her. “He’s banished and will be gone by nightfall. My men will see to it.”
The relief was visible, the tension easing from her shoulders.
But for Aevar, the fire didn’t burn out.
He spent the rest of the day at the training field, battering every man who stepped in to spar with him. After a while, Kian suggested he should take a break, but he didn’t listen. It was the only thing that kept the anger from driving him to hunt down Sig. Even after Ingvald returned and confirmed Sig had left the village, the fury still clung to him like a second skin.
Night fell, and everyone returned to the longhouse. By now, exhaustion weighed on Aevar, and every muscle ached. But his mind wouldn’t settle. When he and Eadlyn retired to their room for the night, he stripped off his gear and went through the motions of bedtime in a daze.
“Would you like me to read tonight?” Eadlyn asked.
“If you want.” He realized how cold he sounded, but he had no real desire for her tales tonight.
She paused, a small hitch in her breath.
When he dropped onto his bed, he caught the frown on her face before she turned away, gathering a few parchment pages like she did every night. Guilt pricked at him.
She read softly, her voice barely above a whisper. He tried to listen, but her words were nothing but a distance hum. She didn’t read long. After a murmured goodnight, she blew out the lamps and climbed into her bed, leaving Aevar to lie in the dark and stare at the ceiling. His body was heavy, his thoughts heavier. And now,with no sword in his hand and nothing to fight, he couldn’t escape the truth.
He had begun to care.
Not just for her safety. Not just for the alliance.
Forher.
Eadlyn.
Care enough that the threat of harm to her left him barely in control. For the first time in three years, something he had thought long dead surged inside him. It was terrifying, because caring meant he had something to lose again, and he couldn’t survive another loss.
A slow breath dragged through his lungs. He forced his eyes shut and reached for the armor he’d spent years building. Maybe if he rebuilt it fast enough, he could pretend this had never happened.
Chapter Eighteen
Thewarmspringairbeckoned, fresh grass and damp earth mingling with the bright songs of birds from the forest behind the longhouse. Eadlyn stood at the entrance, gazing out across the village, and a heavy sigh pressed against her ribs. She missed walking to the fjord.
Several days had passed since Sig’s banishment, but the thought of venturing out alone still sent a chill creeping up her spine. Everyone assured her Sig was gone, but what if he secretly returned? He’d been in the village for a month without their knowledge. She didn’t trust him to abide by the banishment. Not when he had acted as though no consequences would befall him for his actions. Such arrogance was dangerous.
“Is everything all right, my lady?”
She startled, snapping her gaze toward Kian. She hadn’t noticed him approaching. The men rarely lingered around the longhouse during the day.
She gave a small shrug. “I miss my morning walks. But ever since…everything, I haven’t wanted to risk it.”
“Ah. Well, if you’d like, I’d be happy to escort you wherever you’d like to go.”
Her heart lifted. “Are you sure? I don’t want to take you away from anything important.”
Kian grinned with a familiar boyish light in his eyes. “The men will survive without me. Might do them some good, actually. I’m starting to think they fight better when I’m not around to show them up.”
