Page 58 of Alliance Bride
He ran off, grunting as he waged imaginary battle. They watched and laughed, though Eadlyn noticed Aevar’s gaze slip toward her again. She got the distinct impression his excuse about bears was only that. Even so, she darted a wary look at the trees rimming the meadow. Excuse or not, she welcomed the safety he brought. A couple of months ago, she might have laughed at the notion that she would equate his presence with safety.
The women returned to gathering while Aevar remained nearby, entertaining Trygg by growling and stomping around like a great beast. At one point, when Eadlyn laughed at their antics, Aevar sent her a smile that stopped her breath. It was the unguarded, carefree smile she had been longing for this whole time. Something had changed since the morning he found her in the garden. She didn’t know what, but the difference in him was obvious.
When Katla tired of the berries, she tugged on Eadlyn’s hand and asked to go pick flowers instead. Happily, Eadlyn followed,helping the girl gather white, yellow, and orange blooms from the edges of the meadow. The children’s acceptance of her—running to her, pulling her along—meant more than she thought it ever would.
Aevar stayed near, walking a loose circle around the outer edge of the meadow and eyeing the tree line. Protective and quiet. Bending to help Katla reach for a tiny yellow flower, Eadlyn sensed his presence behind her even before he spoke.
“I don’t think you have any of these yet.”
She straightened and turned, startled to find him so close. He held out three delicate wildflowers with long blue petals and golden centers.
Her breath caught. “They’re beautiful.”
“They usually bloom higher in the mountains,” he said. “It’s rare to find them here.”
She reached out to take them. Their fingers brushed, and the contact sent a small, bright spark along her skin like the one she’d experienced on their wedding day when they’d first held hands.
“Tahk,” she said softly.
His eyes were steady on hers, serious in a way that made her stomach flutter.
She dropped her attention back to the flowers.
“Pretty!” Katla gasped, reaching for the petals.
Eadlyn knelt again, letting the girl admire them while she collected herself. When she lifted her gaze again, Aevar had already turned away, retreating with the same easy stride. She let her focus linger on his back. She wasn’t a naïve young girl to be undone by a simple flower. And yet…
She shook her head to clear it. She didn’t even know if Aevar meant it as anything more than a friendly gesture, despite howhe’d looked at her. Despite how her own heart had reacted at his gaze. He might still distance himself from her. She should not leave herself vulnerable. Not yet.
Chapter Twenty-one
Eadlynsteppedoutofthe bedroom to find the air in the longhouse unusually charged. Trygg’s words blended together so quickly she struggled to catch the meaning of them. That wasn’t unusual, but the men were also energized.
She made her way to the table where Ranvi was waiting, comb in hand. While Eadlyn had tried braiding her own hair some mornings, she still struggled to create a style on her own. She greeted her sister-in-law and sat, letting Ranvi work.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Aevar watching. She’d caught him doing that more often. Watching her from across the room, during meals, while she spoke to the children. Ever since the day in the meadow, it had happened more and more frequently. And every time, her heart fluttered in a way she didn’t fully understand yet.
But this morning his attention was divided.
She glanced at Ranvi as she finished brushing. “What’s going on? Everyone seems restless.”
Ranvi sighed as she separated a section of Eadlyn’s hair. “The men have decided to set up a game ofknattleikr.”
“Knattleikr?” Eadlyn repeated the unfamiliar word.
Erik answered from farther down the table, his voice brimming with enthusiasm. “A ball game. A test of strength, and wits, and skill.”
Ranvi tugged on Eadlyn’s hair as she braided a portion of it. Though Eadlyn could not see her face, exasperation tinged her voice as she replied to her husband, “Try not to break anything this time.”
Eadlyn raised a brow. “Break something? As in…bones?”
While the men acted as if it were of no consequence, Ranvi answered plainly, “Yes.”
Eadlyn gave Aevar a look, but he waved it off.
“Don’t worry. It’s been years since anyone has been killed during one of our games.”
Killed? “Is that supposed to comfort me?”
