Page 105 of A Light So Blinding
“Thank you for that,” she whispered. “I don’t think we’re supposed to be talking.”
“We aren’t.” Piece by piece fell onto the ground until he was free from their weight. Bjorn didn’t hesitate to shuck off his pants as well, letting them drop onto the ground along with the rest of his clothing as he prowled over to her.
The things he wanted to do were downright villainous. Not to hurt, or break, but to show her that every inch of her bodydeserved to be worshipped and all the other gods could be damned. He had never cared for them, anyway.
Dropping to the furs, he prowled between her legs. Kissing up one thigh, then changing to the next, he dragged his lips and tusks over her hips, between her breasts, and then to her stunning face that was still almost difficult for him to look at.
Reverently, he pressed gentle kisses first to her cheeks, then the tip of her nose, then underneath each of her eyes.
“Are you sure we should do this?” she asked, although her arms had already wrapped around him. Her legs spread, and he settled between them.
In a sharp moment, he realized that he had never felt more at home than he did right here. In her arms. With her smiling up at him and all that emotion shining in those pretty blue eyes.
“I love you,” he said, the words ripping out of him before he could stop them.
Then he just stared at her. Like the fool he was.
Now wasn’t the time to say it. He knew that. She knew that.
But he wanted her to know. Because if Ragnar was right, then he might never see her again. Bjorn would make sure she got back to Trollveggen to live with her sister, but the odds were far less likely that he would make it.
Breathing in deeply, he said it again. “I love you. I have for a long time now. Your strength, your resilience, your kindness, all of it has made me fall deeper and deeper in love with you. No one else could ever compete with you, Astrid. No matter how old you get or how sick you become, I will still worship the ground you walk on, savoring every mark your feet leave behind.”
Tears gathered in her eyes. She pressed her palms to his cheeks, holding him in place so he had to look at her when she said, “Against all odds, I love you as well. Bjorn, son of the Destroyer, you are my salvation.”
How was he supposed to do anything other than worship her after that? He loved her quietly and without any rush for hours on end. Slowly relearning the shape of her body, all the parts of her that made her gasp or shake with pleasure. Over and over.
Because if he might never touch her again, then he was going to make this night feel like it lasted an eternity.
Forty
Astrid
Astrid was shocked at how simple it was to get into Lord Tolly’s home. She went with a small group of trolls, Bjorn included, to the back of the house. In the late hours of the night, most of the city was asleep. They avoided the taverns and any of the streets where there were brothels.
It was all too easy to stand at the back of Tolly’s home, staring up at the building she had seen countless times in her life. This quiet, opulent street now felt stifling and dull after she’d experienced the wide open space of Trollveggen.
“What are you going to do when you get in there?” Bjorn asked.
“I don’t know,” she replied. “Make it work however I have to. He’ll be glad to see me, I think.”
“He gave you up.”
He had. And Astrid had been kind to Tolly for all these years because he had promised to help her find her sister, but now? She didn’t have a drop of kindness left. Astrid was going to do what she had always wanted to do with this fool. She was goingto look him in the eye and demand that he help her the way he should have when he’d first heard her story. The way a good man would have.
Squaring her shoulders, she gave Bjorn one last kiss before she headed into the kitchens. No one would be there this time of night. She used to sneak down for evening tea when there might be a little peace and quiet.
Even the acolytes would be asleep. Tolly himself would be in his library or tucked into his room. But she’d noticed there were still a few lights on in the house, which led her to believe that Tolly was still awake.
Why? She intended to find out.
The kitchens were empty, just like she thought. Astrid snuck upstairs to what had been her old bedroom, but she had assumed it would already be occupied. She’d assumed correctly. A new priestess slept there, completely unaware that she was being watched by the woman she had replaced. The room itself had even changed. Someone had gotten rid of all the furniture she had used.
The bedroom had once been golden, just like her. But this priestess had dark hair and milky skin, a downgrade in the eyes of the sisterhood. It made sense. Tolly had lost his last priestess to the labyrinth.
Heading down into the storage areas, Astrid found her old things. It was so easy to slip into a garment that had once defined her. She chose a golden dress that spilled down over her shoulders, dripping like molten metal and clinging to her curves. It was entirely one piece of fabric, not a single seam to make it look like she hadn’t just dipped herself in metal. Beautiful, just like she wanted to look. She eyed the mask that went with the dress, then decided to leave it where it lay. Astrid no longer had to hide her face. Never again.
Then she headed for the library, where she already knew he was.
