A branch snapped loud over the horses’ pounding hooves, coming from the creepy woods. My heart stuttered over a beat as I jerked my eyes to it and searched for the source. I glanced at Rune, but he still didn’t show any sign that he had heard it.
When I looked at the foggy tree line again, eyes reflected in the light, making them glow, stared back at me from behind a large bush that’d reach Rune’s shoulders. I barely caught the shadowed slim form and wild mane of hair before it stepped back into the shadows and disappeared.
ChapterTwenty-One
The day went by uneventfully as we traveled. The whole time we rode, I held my breath, waiting for something to happen. For people to jump out of a portal and attack us. It seemed like a common thing to happen, and I didn’t know how they always knew where we were. When I didn’t get the usual sensation of eyes on me, I became suspicious because it was a normal thing up till now. The ones on me now didn’t give off the same vibes. While the ones before were leering and promised pain, the ones from the woods were darker and way too intelligent for their own good. It watched us, listened and learned from us to use to its advantage.
Something else was spying on us, and it wasn’t human. That had to be it. But every time I looked its way, I remembered it being there. When I glanced away to watch Rune as he talked with the others, I forgot about the creature in the woods like it’d been plucked from my memory until I peered at it again. It was an endless cycle.
The suns sat on the horizon in their descent as we stopped at another small abandoned home. It sat nestled at the edge of the woods, trees scattered around it with fog curling around them. It made it harder for anyone who wasn’t part of our group to spot us as we unmounted our horses and began our evening routines.
It didn’t go unnoticed by me that we stupidly hung out in a creepy area that screamed,“We’re idiots! Come get us monsters!”
There were holes in the roof and walls of the small, wooden house that’d been abandoned. The windows were boarded over, and the place screamedcreepy woods witchvibes. Thankfully the dusk colors of orange, pink, and purple made it less scary. But that wouldn’t last long with how fast the night was approaching.
I glanced at everyone to see if they were getting the same feelings as I was. They didn’t look uncomfortable or act weirded out. Rune didn’t notice anything and showed no concern about it like he did with keeping me hidden from the enemies. He kept true to his promise about sticking close by my side and not allowing me to slip from his sight.
Searching through his mind through our link, he gave the same mental brush of acknowledgment and didn’t have the memory of me staring at the woods. It never changed every time I checked, hoping I’d find him noticing me looking and hearing the branches snap.
Harper didn’t notice either, but I didn’t have access to her mind to see her memories. I was going off her body language and listening to her talk. I asked her questions with a small hint to see if she mentioned it, but no. She didn’t get weird vibes and hadn’t heard anything.
What the hell was going on?
Did I go to crazy land hearing things that came straight out of a horror movie? I’d always heard whispers at night when I tried to sleep, but they never gave me the chills like this.
“Focus on me, Isa,” Rune said, his voice blanketing me with calm and comfort.
Peeling my gaze from the tree line, I bunched my eyebrows as I watched Rune walk toward me with his hand gripping his sheathed sword. I skimmed through his mind—shocked with how much easier it got each time I did—and found the same thing of him noticing me staring off into space and not at the woods.
He thought I was spiraling into the past.
As he drew the large blade out of the sheath, the metal sang and sent a shiver down my spine.
Memories of when I heard that specific sound crept into my mind like a nightmare. It was hard to push away and made my breathing pick up. Sensing it, Rune tamped it out with his firm but loving touch through our link.
I swallowed hard and gave him a soft smile of thanks. My voice wouldn’t work with the thick emotion forming a lump in my throat. I wasn’t sure if I was getting upset about the memories or from being so thankful for our bond. He helped me more than he would ever know, and I didn’t know how to show him. Or repay him. But Rune wasn’t the type that demanded something in return and most likely would refuse me wanting to.
“Mm, you’re right,elskan mín. But you know what payment I’ll take?” Rune slowly smiled, his eyes filling with mischievousness. He took another step toward me to close the distance and leaned down so his breath fanned against my parted lips. His hands settled on my waist, sending zaps through my body from the contact. Butterflies flapped crazily in my stomach.
“What?” I whispered as I cupped his cheeks. His pupils dilated, which made my stomach flip like we lost gravity. His beard scratched against my palms, and his warmth seeped through the contact making my breath hitch. My eyes fluttered as it sent a fire through me, warmth pooling low in my belly.
Rune’s ocean eyes darkened a shade. “A kiss for every second I’ve searched for you until I saw you standing in that coffee shop. A hug for every minute I’ve laid alone in the dark, imagining what you’ll be like when you come back to me. A smile for every hour I’ve raged and destroyed cities as I searched for the ones who took you away from me.”
I had no words. My voice still wouldn’t work, and all I could do was hold his face and stare into his eyes. It lasted all of a few heartbeats before I closed the small space between us and kissed him as I pulled him in for a hug. We got lost in each other, and I didn’t care about the others scattered around us and watching.
I loved this man. Listening to him admit what he’d been through without me broke my heart. I knew he had to have suffered through a lot because of how upset he looked when he talked about holding Estrid while she died. The look on his face when he told me a little about her on our date was full of adoration and gentleness. But there was pain in his eyes while he talked about her those few times.
God. I’d give himanything.
His fingers wrapped around my neck, right below my jaw, and held me in a firm grip. His other hand expertly worked on undoing my messy bun. When the damp locks tumbled over my shoulders and back, he fisted a thick chunk and pulled to lean my head further back. It brought a bite of pain to my scalp, making me whimper and squeeze my thighs together.
My small sound made him more demanding in the kiss. When it was sweet but firm, it turned into primal and rough. He demanded everything from me through it. His fingers around my throat tightened.
I could barely keep up with his thoughts because of how fast they were. But they were similar in his need to pin me beneath him and mark himself inside me. Write his name in my womb and make sure I knew who I belonged to.
Sweet lord, he’s dirty.
So was I because now I wanted him to do everything nasty to me.
