Felicity the Valiant’s heart dropped at the news that the one man she should not see planned to arrive at any time today.
“Rykert the Bold and Felix should be here any moment.” Ari the Noble and wife of Kellen the Mighty had extended an invitation to all Aasguards to come celebrate this unprecedented school opening. They also invited said Aasguard warriors to teach at the new school, heal from wounds, spend time figuring out what they wished to do next, or any combination of those options. Felicity and her blue dragon, Maeze had arrived a couple of days ago to help with the official school opening.
She and Ari had become fast friends and kept in touch. Felicity and Maeze had taken Ari and Kellen’s place in Swiftland, Ari’s brother’s kingdom which required much work. The people had hunkered down to die until Lajos the Swift and his new bride Stefana arrived to revive the country. Ari’s other brother had done the unheard of when he married the reigning queen of Montequirst. He wed Queen Raene and welcomed the duties of king upon their nuptials. It was in his realm where Lajos met Stefana. Both Aasguard warriors had proved to their kind that they could do better than merely protecting treasure and persons of wealth.
Now Ari and Kellen were determined to train new Aasguard warriors. They decided upon this course of action after learning the dismal, dwindling numbers of their kind. With a noticeable dearth now in the Aasguard ranks, this school provided hope for their revitalization.
Felicity admitted to excitement at being a part of this school but the pending arrival of the one Aasguard she didn’t wish to see made her heart protest.
Ari must have caught the nuance. “It is going to be difficult for you to see Rykert?” Her friend sent her an encompassing look.
Felicity’s mouth twisted. “It’s not that I do not want to see him.”
“It is that you should not.” Ari’s lips thinned. “Felicity, it has been months since Kellen and I joined our lives together. There is no reason why you and Rykert cannot do the same.”
This proved to be new information. “What? I thought we were supposed to refrain?”
“It has been over a year. Swiftland is prospering. Lajos and Stefana have not opened any additional portals. Neither have Kellen and I or Vidar and Raene. Raene is a full Aasguard now as well.” Ari had witnessed Stefana’s birth to Aasguard when they battled desampus, nasty reptilian horrors from another dimension. Ari and Kellen’s marriage was speculated to have opened the portal. A theory that could neither be denied nor confirmed.
Mages had locked all known portals and in the intervening months had discovered a couple of young wizards who could sense portals. Every one of the portals to other dimensions had been locked. Their belief however was that Aasguards should refrain from joining their lives together until it could be determined whether it was safe to mate.
Thus far she had resisted, despite Rykert’s overtures. He did not appear to have heard of the precautions and the man had been pursuing her relentlessly.
“So I can give in to the blasted man?”
Ari’s head jerked up and she searched Felicity’s face. “He has been chasing you?”
“With fervor.”
The chuckle that escaped her friend’s mouth eased the tension in her shoulders.
“I can believe that. He knew he wanted you from the moment you met, didn’t he?”
“Yes. And now Maeze is old enough to mate, so Felix is also making noises about joining.” Maeze, her blue dragon, had been too young upon their first meeting of Rykert the Bold and his bright yellow dragon, Felix. These days, Maeze was fully adult. Whether her crush on Felix had developed into something deeper remained to be seen.
Her dragon remained understanding as to why Felicity drug her heels. Maeze had been present during that portal opening and the ensuing battle. The only battle to date that Felicity had feared the outcome.
“I have not relieved your mind.”
“What if we give in to this and something terrible happens?” Felicity’s insides iced.
Ari didn’t rush to reassure her. More chill crept around her.
Rubbing her own arms failed to provide warmth.
The outline of a dragon and rider appeared on the horizon. Felix’s bright yellow girth couldn’t be missed. Much less the large, easy going warrior riding him. This pair brought sunshine and light to the masses, if the masses cared. At least to the Aasguard population. But Felicity had seen another side to the man.
The side that took him through the rigorous Aasguard training so long ago and kept him in this world for the millennia he had endured with only Felix for company. Everyone knew dragons enjoyed long naps.
Therefore they made good companions, but not great ones.
A warm hand gripped her arm. “I think you should give in to the urge to marry that man.” Ari squeezed her arm before releasing her.
They watched the dragon land with all the skill of one who has done so countless times through the centuries. The man who dismounted and patted the dragon is who drew her attention, however.
Tall, broad, muscled, but those red-gold curls caught the sun and played with the beams of light. Those same curls did not detract in any way from the impressive man or his skills. They might deceive the unwary, but never her. Rykert the Bold was a warrior through and through.
And so attractive he might melt her sword.
His blue eyes landed on her. Rykert’s long legs carried him quickly across the expanse of lawn. He nodded to Ari, but swept Felicity into his arms.
She gasped in surprise before his magnificent lips claimed hers.
‡‡
The kiss Rykert pressed on Felicity was everything he had planned it to be. Yet it proved so much more. He had not anticipated how his heart picked up in beats per minute and his respiration caused him to pant. Never in his long life would he have suspected the emotions assailing him at this one simple act.
For her part, although he caught Felicity off guard, and she gasped when he kissed her, she revealed her own feelings for him in the manner in which she participated in the unexpected kiss. Her fierce embrace and the accompanying aggression made his heart soar.
He had expected no less from a warrior as intense as himself.
Everything about her appealed to him. When he heard one of their own had wed a queen—never before entertained notions took flight.
They broke the kiss to stare at each other. Ari made an amused comment as she left them. She probably didn’t wish to see this anyway.
“Why did you just kiss me?” Felicity’s dark hair framed her face in the loveliest of ways. Her purple eyes sparkled with ire and intrigue in the sunlight.
“You failed to notice my intentions.”
She fiddled with her dark braid. “Of course I noticed. But I have been resisting because the last time two Aasguard warriors joined their lives a portal to desampus opened.” Her acidic look made him smile.
“I am aware of that. However, I have also been in conference with several mages and a few seers and they have all unanimously encouraged us to join our lives.” His arms contracted, tugging her closer.
The litheness of her body called to him. All Aasguards kept in good shape and this might be even more true for the female version. They had to work that much harder. Where he and his male counterparts could rest for a day if they wished, a female did not enjoy the same luxury.
They were judged by different standards. This had caused more than one fight with others on his part.
“You are saying that those with knowledge have said it is acceptable for us to marry?” Her jaw took on a rigid edge.
He leaned down to kiss that taut line. She shuddered. “Rykert.”
“Yes. Ever since Vidar wed Queen Raene, I have been thinking about joining my life with my mate.”
“How did you even know you had one?” The nuance of a note simmered there, embedded deep but he could not identify it.
“I did not know. But I hoped, then I met you and any remaining doubts fled.”
She heaved a deep breath. But didn’t dispute his statement. Then again, she could not. It had likely been as instantaneous for her as it had been for him.
“I also was interested in learning more about Vidar and Raene, and then Lajos and Stefana. Still, it is dangerous. At least for two Aasguards.”
“Vidar and Lajos’s wives have turned fully Aasguard and nothing untoward has occurred.” He was compelled to point this out.
Rykert felt her deep breath since he still held her close.
“Nothing has happened thus far.” The rigid line of her spine softened though, especially when he smoothed a hand down it. The woman was exquisite.
And made for him. Nothing on this land would deter his pursuit.
He added, “Kellen told me he and Ari have determined they shall meet any threat or issue when it occurs.”
Those purple eyes searched his. She absorbed his words, her brain turning over what he said.
“What if…” Her thought trailed off.
“Whatever you are thinking could occur regardless of whether we join our lives.”
Her mouth firmed. “No.” And something about her stance implored him to delve deeper.
All Aasguard warriors had the ability to read intentions and they could read the most public minds of others. Of a sort. Now he delved deeper into her misgivings and smacked headfirst into a tumult. It shocked him so much he released her.
“What?”
Her grim mouth and morose eyes did not reassure him. “If we do this, which I also want, I am inundated with feelings that all will go wrong.” She tightened her grip on his arms. “But I cannot pinpoint what or why.” Frustration seethed in her tone and through her person.
He firmed his own thoughts and took control of himself before reentering her apprehension. “This is not you denying us.”
“No. Every bit of my warrior is saying we cannot do this.” She remained firm.
He took a step away from her because a warrior’s instincts did not lie. “I didn’t wish to hear that.”
She tugged at the end of her dark braid. “I have not wished to either. But it is there, warning me.” Her gaze turned stricken. “And now you have kissed me.”
This wrenched his insides. Rykert snatched her into his arms again. “We are here to assist Kellen and Ari with the school opening. We must do so. Once this is concluded then we shall go in search of answers as to why you are feeling this way.” He hated every word he spoke.
Her reluctance at having to wait was a balm to his wounded self. He had come here with the intention of claiming his mate. But…