The rain started some time around what Sissa guessed was mid-afternoon, a light drizzle at first that turned swiftly into a torrential downpour, soaking through her fur cloak and into her skin. She shivered violently. What was it that Danr had said about the rain never stopping on Skíð? It had actually rained less than usual while he’d been there, as if his presence had brought sunshine back into her life for a while, which, fanciful though it sounded, was true. His arrival had brightened her days. Now he was gone, it was only fitting that the dark clouds were back and apparently determined to make up for lost time.
A raindrop hit her in one eye and she winced, turning her head so that one side of her face was protected at least. Beside her, Tove whimpered, as if she felt helpless, too, but at least she was all right. Sissa smiled and made a small murmur of reassurance. That was one consolation. No matter what happened to her, at least Tove would survive. Halvar would take care of her.
She glanced at the male wolf, surprised to see him prick up his ears and then raise himself on his front paws suddenly.
‘What is it?’ She tried not to feel hopeful. It was probably just an otter or deer passing by, she told herself, though if it was then apparently it could speak. If she wasn’t imagining things, she could hear shouting in the distance.
‘Sissa?’
Her heart leapt at the sound of Danr’s voice. She would have recognised it anywhere.
‘In here!’ she shouted back as loudly as she could through parched lips though it wasn’t loud enough. Fortunately, Halvar howled for her, guiding Danr towards them while she held her breath, waiting, willing him to be real and not a figment of her imagination. It seemed like an eternity passed until she heard footsteps and he appeared around the edge of the half-collapsed longhouse.
‘Sissa.’ He vaulted over the fallen planks to reach her. ‘What happened? Are you hurt?’
‘Questions later.’ Another man, a giant with dark hair and familiar-looking blue eyes, accompanied him. ‘Let’s get her out first.’
‘No. Wait.’ Her heart lifted as she looked up into Danr’s face. ‘I love you. I should have said it before you left, but I do.’
‘You love me?’ His gaze looked arrested.
‘Even more than I did when you left.’
‘Lift!’ The other man gestured to the uppermost beam. ‘After three.’
‘I love you even more, too.’ Danr sounded apologetic. ‘But this might hurt.’
‘I don’t care. Just get me out.’
‘One, two...’
They made quick work of the beam, tossing it away and then wrenching the other planks aside as if they were simply playing some bigger version of knuckle sticks.
‘Can you feel your legs?’ Danr reached down, skimming his hands gently over her limbs.
‘Yes.’ She heaved herself up on her elbows. ‘I was only pinned down. I don’t think anything was broken or crushed.’
‘We need to get you out of here.’
‘One of the other buildings looks reasonably sturdy.’ The other man frowned. ‘It’s not the best idea considering what happened here, but we need shelter. I’ll go and have a closer look.’ He started away and then stopped. ‘About the wolves...?’
‘They won’t hurt you.’ Danr slid his arms behind her knees and shoulders. ‘They know you’re with us.’
‘If you say so.’
‘Hold on to me,’ Danr murmured, gathering her against him and carrying her across the ruins of the old village. The rain was coming down in sheets now, soaking them both to the bone—just when she’d thought it was impossible to get any wetter! Still, at this moment she found it hard to care. Just seeing him again felt too good to be true.
‘What are you doing here?’ she asked in wonderment.
‘What am I doing here?’ He gave her an exasperated look. ‘What are you doing here? You promised to stay with Hilda.’
‘I know, but you were gone for so long.’
‘Two weeks.’
‘It felt longer.’ She bit her lip guiltily. ‘But I was going to go back. It wasn’t another trick, I promise.’
‘I know.’ He lowered her down to the ground as soon as they were inside the last reasonably solid longhouse, where the other man was already inspecting the rafters. ‘That doesn’t matter now, but what were you were thinking, coming here alone, without telling anyone? You don’t have to do everything alone any more, Sissa.’
‘I know. I’m sorry.’
‘Sorry?’ Danr removed his cloak and draped it around her shoulders, soggy as it was. ‘Sorry isn’t good enough. Here, drink this.’ He handed her a flask of ale. ‘And don’t think you—’
‘Are you one of his brothers?’ she interrupted, glancing towards the other man, unwilling to be scolded in front of an audience.
‘I’m Brandt.’
‘The one who threatened to cut out his tongue?’
‘The same.’ His lips almost, but not quite, twitched. ‘Not that threatening him ever worked.’
‘I know. I’m Sissa.’
‘My new sister, I guessed.’ He looked her over with interest. ‘Let him bluster for a bit. He was truly worried. He almost lamed himself and two horses trying to get here.’
‘Really?’
‘What do you think?’ Danr sounded angry now. ‘Hilda said you just walked out of the village one day and then Joarr said there was no sign of you in the forest. I was afraid you might have fallen off a mountainside or something.’ His expression became anguished. ‘If we hadn’t arrived back when we did...’
‘I’ll go and find some firewood.’ Brandt made for the doorway again.
‘I really am sorry.’ Sissa reached for Danr’s hand. ‘I shouldn’t have left.’
‘No, you shouldn’t. Was it so hard being around people?’
She made a face. ‘It wasn’t easy, but then Hilda mentioned us building a hall and having children...’ She swallowed. ‘I panicked. I thought that maybe you’d lied about not telling me what to do. That’s why I went back to the forest. Only once I got there, I decided to trust you instead. I was going to go back, but I wanted to come here first.’
The angry look in his eye softened. ‘Why?’
‘To fetch something.’ She reached into her cloak and pulled out a wooden tafl figure. ‘My father carved this king when I was a girl. All the things I took from here belonged to other people. I never took anything from my own home. It was too painful to be reminded of my family.’
‘And now?’
‘Now I want to move on—and you kept saying we needed a game. I thought we could add this to the pieces you’ve already carved.’ There was a roll of thunder in the distance and she made a face. ‘Although I admit this probably wasn’t the best time to come.’
‘At least I found you. I’ve never been so scared in my whole life as I’ve been in the past few hours. Even that day in Maerr.’ He cupped her face in his hands, pressing his lips to her forehead and pulling her close. ‘Do you really love me?’
‘I do.’ She nuzzled her face against his neck. ‘Enough to live in a hall if that’s what you want?’
‘Who said I want that?’
‘No one, but—’
‘I told you, we’ll make decisions together, and we’ll live wherever you want. In a tree or a cave or...’
‘Here.’
‘Here?’ He looked around at the dilapidated building.
‘Well, not here, exactly, but close by. You said it was a good position. We could build our own longhouse.’
‘I’ll build you ten longhouses if that’s what you really want.’ He grinned. ‘And we’ll just go back to the forest whenever Hilda and I want to kill each other.’
‘So every other day?’ She laughed. ‘That sounds perfect.’
‘Sissa.’ The look in his eyes heated as he placed one hand beneath her chin, tilting it upwards so he could lower his lips to hers...
‘Ahem.’ Brandt cleared his throat loudly as he came back in, his arms laden with branches that he proceeded to drop in the old hearth. ‘These are the driest I could find, which isn’t saying much. We’ll just have to hope they light.’ A look of amusement crossed his features. ‘If it’s not hot enough in here already?’
Fortunately, after several minutes of futile strikes, a small flame flickered into life, accompanied by a growl of satisfaction from Brandt.
‘Come, you need to walk around, get some blood flowing back through your legs.’ Danr grasped hold of her elbows, levering her back to her feet.
‘I know.’ She stood up carefully and stretched up on her toes a few times. ‘But I feel all right.’
‘Are you certain?’ He still looked concerned. ‘Maybe I should take a look?’
‘Truly, I’m all right.’ Sissa smiled reassuringly, surprised by a snorting sound from the other side of the fire.
‘Well, you must still be hungry.’ Danr threw a swift glare at his brother and then reached into his pack for some bread. ‘Here. Eat this.’
Ten minutes later, they were all gathered around the fire, listening to the rain lashing overhead.
‘I always thought Maerr was bad for rain.’ Brandt peered outside. ‘But this place might be even worse.’
‘Are you going back there?’ Sissa looked towards him with interest. ‘Now that Danr’s told you what we discovered about your aunt.’
‘I’ll get to Maerr eventually. First I’m going to Katanes, to visit her new husband. He has a fortress there.’
‘So you think he’s involved?’
Brandt nodded, lifting a skin of ale to his lips. ‘We’ve exhausted every other possibility. This is the only one that makes sense. I need to travel there before winter sets in.’
‘Just you? You mean you’re going alone?’ She looked at Danr hopefully and he wrapped an arm around her.
‘I’m not going anywhere. My brothers have forgiven me.’
‘So your oath...’
‘Is fulfilled.’ His eyes darkened as they gazed into hers. ‘I’m back for good.’
‘Then that means we can mate now?’
This time the noise sounded like spluttering from the other side of the fire.
‘You must be getting old, Brother.’ Danr grinned, though he never moved his eyes from her face. ‘It seems you can’t handle your ale any more.’
‘I’m going to check on the horses.’ Brandt got to his feet, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like he was comparing his brother to sheep dung. ‘I’ll be back in an hour. No more, understand?’
‘Perfectly. Take the ale.’
‘What did you think I was going to do?’
‘It’s still raining,’ Sissa protested as he disappeared through the gap in the wall. ‘What about the storm?’
‘Don’t worry about him.’ Danr sounded unconcerned. ‘He’ll find shelter somewhere.’
‘But—’ She went silent as his lips touched upon hers again, kissing her with a tenderness that left her breathless.
‘What about nothing,’ he murmured against her mouth after a few mind-spinning moments. ‘A man can only endure for so long and I can’t keep my hands off you any longer.’
‘Neither can I.’ She gave a smile of assent and slid her hands up over his forearms, across his broad shoulders and then around his neck, forgetting all about Brandt as they lay back on Danr’s cloak. He made a low rumbling sound in his throat and a familiar quivering sensation took over her body, first in her stomach, then out through the rest of her limbs, heating her blood and sending tremors of excitement like hot sparks shooting along every nerve.
‘I still need to inspect your legs.’ He slid a hand beneath the hem of her tunic, caressing the skin beneath. ‘Mmm, just as I thought. They definitely need some attention.’
She tipped her head back, closing her eyes in pleasure as he bent his head and started to kiss his way up her legs, beginning with her ankles and gradually moving up between her thighs. She felt her pulse quicken, arching her back as his tongue played lightly over her skin, kissing and licking and nuzzling.
‘Danr...’ She moaned in frustration.
‘You need to get out of these damp clothes,’ he told her, lifting himself up just when she thought she couldn’t bear the tension any longer. ‘Here, let me help.’ He drew her tunic up over her head. ‘There. Much better.’
‘But it’s cold.’
‘Not for long.’ He grinned, tearing his own clothes away faster than she would have imagined possible. ‘Trust me.’
‘I do.’ She sighed with satisfaction, relishing the warmth of his body as he lay down over her again, wrapping her legs around his waist to draw him even closer.
‘Sissa...’ He slid one hand behind her back while the other moved between them, stroking gently into the curls between her legs. ‘I want you to be ready.’
‘I’m ready.’ She pressed her hands against his chest, tracing the shape of every corded muscle. ‘I’ve had to wait, too.’
He gave a low growl, skimming his lips against the side of her throat as he lowered himself against her, pushing gently but insistently at the entrance to her body. Instinctively, she tilted her hips, adjusting the angle and then... She gasped as he entered her, holding completely still as her inner muscles protested. There was a sensation of pain, so much so that she almost changed her mind, and then pleasure gradually returned again, more intense than before. She was aware of him holding still, too, waiting for her to give permission to continue, and she lifted her head, letting her tongue twine with his as she rocked her hips back and forth. They started to both move together, almost leisurely at first, then in a longer, deeper rhythm, a series of smooth glides that made her feel relaxed and tense at the same time. As the pace increased, the tension built even further until all her muscles seemed to clench simultaneously, her stomach contracting to a single coiled point that was both pain and pleasure at the same time. Then heat overwhelmed her, a bursting, blissful feeling accompanied by a trembling sensation that swept away all rational thought and pulsed in hot waves through her body, tearing a cry of release from her throat.
‘Danr,’ she called out and he gave an echoing cry, not quite distinguishable as a name, more like a guttural moan as he stiffened and then shuddered against her.
She closed her eyes, gasping for air and letting her racing heartbeat return to normal as he lay on top of her. He’d been right about one thing. She definitely wasn’t cold any longer. On the contrary, her body was covered with a thin sheen of perspiration.
‘That was worth waiting for.’ Danr’s voice was muffled against her shoulder. ‘Did it hurt you?’
He started to move away, but she tightened her arms and legs around him, holding him in place as she stroked her fingers across his back.
‘Sissa?’
She opened one eye to find his face just above hers, his expression so anxious that she almost laughed.
‘Why are you still talking, Norseman?’ She smiled lazily instead.
‘Because there are some things a man needs to know, especially from the woman he’s just made love to. For the first time.’
‘There was some pain at first.’ She sighed contentedly. ‘But it passed.’
‘And the rest?’
‘What do you think? The rest was everything I could have imagined.’ She gave him an arch look. ‘And I imagined a lot after our wedding night. But it was even better than that.’
‘It was?’ He grinned and rolled on to his back, pulling her with him. ‘Good. Because I had a hard time restraining myself just now.’
‘That was you restraining yourself?’
‘You have no idea. Next time you won’t be so fortunate.’
‘When will that be?’
‘Ideally, I’d ask you to give me a few minutes, but you might be sore for a little while.’
‘And your brother will be coming back soon...’
‘That, too. In that case, I’ll try to contain myself, but soon. Very soon. I have three years of catching up to do and we’re just getting started.’