My stomach twisted, and it was like I swallowed rocks that weighed me down. I couldn’t stop my lip from curling and my cringing face as I recovered from the slack-jawed expression I had before. Shaking my head quickly, locks of my hair whipped across my face.
“I don’t want to hurt you.” That came out differently than what I wanted. I meant for it to be a soft plea, but instead, it came out shrill.
He gave me a gentle smile while he took a step toward me and tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear with his free hand. The gesture sent goosebumps along my arms and heat flaring in me when I should be focusing on telling him why I shouldn’t fight him.
I didn’t trust myself.
“I’ll be fine,elskan mín. You can’t kill me.”
I swallowed hard and tried to even my breaths as they sawed in my ears. Pins and needles swept through me as I glanced at the sword again. I shook my head as I shot Rune a pleading look.
“Rune,please.”
“Stay with me, Isa,” he commanded as he shifted closer and knelt so we were at eye level. He dropped the sword by his side and cupped my cheek with his rough palm while his free hand held the back of my head. It helped with calming me down, but not enough to stop me from heading toward a panic attack.
“Hold on to me,” Rune ordered, his intense blue eyes holding my green ones.
I did as he said and gripped onto his bare shoulders. My fingernails bit into the soft skin that covered his firm muscles. The prick of it went through our link, helping me slow down the attack. His warmth seeped into me through our contact, and little by little, it helped bring me back from the edge. He stayed in my mind and filled me with love, calm, and even desire since it helped get my mind on something else.
“There you are.” He rubbed his thumb in soothing circles on my cheek. When I evened my breaths and relaxed my hold on him, he brushed a small kiss to my lips. He leaned back and flicked his eyes between mine. Running his hand from my face down to the middle of my chest, he murmured, “You can’t kill me. Just like I can’t kill you. We’re bonded and share the same soul. It goes against the will of the Creator for soulmates to die at each other’s hands. It’s been made so it’s not possible for one half of a soul to snuff out the other and live. You can dismember me, and I’ll heal. One soul can’t live without the other.” He paused and pressed harder onto my chest to drive his next question. “Do you understand?”
I swallowed hard and dug my fingers back into his soft skin. The prick of pain bled through the link, and I felt it on me like someone was digging their nails into my shoulders. Rune’s blue eyes were an endless sea that left nothing hidden as he gazed at me. In them I saw the truth of his words and confession.
I wasn’t sure what soulmate would want to kill their other half. Maybe he meant the Creator made it so soulmates were always perfect enough that they couldn’t deny the other. Like all the romance books I’d read about rejected mates, maybe that wasn’t the case with soulmates. Or maybe he meant by some magical soul thing that mates could harm each other but didn’t die.
I didn’t freakin’ know, but it helped me calm down a little again and be able to breathe without feeling like I was about to pass out.
Nodding, I leaned forward and rested my forehead against his. My fingers dragged up to the sides of his head, tangling into his braided hair. Even though they were intricate and took some time for him to braid, he didn’t care that I was messing them up.
“Yes,” I whispered, closing my eyes.
We stayed like that for a moment, soaking each other up as I calmed down further. I held onto the thought that if and when I got lost in fighting, he wouldn’t die. He wouldn’t get sent to the hospital. Not that there was a hospital here, but there was a healer and that was the same. Right?
He’ll be okay. I’ll be okay. I can’t hurt him. He won’t leave me.
Rune brushed kisses to my lips, one of his hands at the back of my head while he dragged his fingers lightly up and down my spine to keep me here with him. He offered me comfort and, through our link, he whispered sweet nothings.
God. I didn’t deserve this man because of how patient and loving he was with me. But I was thankful that he was mine and that I could give him everything I could just to show him how much I loved him.
Taking in a deep breath, I kissed gave him a brief kiss then stepped away when I was ready. He rose to his full height with his sword back in his hand and offered it to me again, this time with a gentle smile.
“I’ll take you through the steps for a refresher. But I want you to let go of everything and attack me like I was the enemy. Understand?”
Refresher? I never learned sword fighting...
A memory of working through the crowd on a battlefield, mowing down everyone who approached me to try and slow me down from reaching the kings, popped into my head.
Oh.
I nodded while I grabbed the sword. My shoulders dropped, and I grunted as the tip of the sword thumped to the ground like a couple of cinder blocks had been tied to it. I shot Rune a wild look with my mouth in an O shape and glanced back down at the weapon as I tried lifting it with everything I had.
I managed a few inches before it thunked back to the mossy ground.
“Jesus, fuck, this thing is heavy!” I groaned when I used all my strength to lift it again.
He took a step back with a pleased smile. “Mmm, it is. But it’s the best sword in all the realms and can cut through anything. It’s mine, and you’ll train with it. I want you to be able to fight with it, should anything—” He stopped when he realized where he was going with that thought.
I snapped my eyes to his face, drawing my eyebrows together as I made a face I was sure showed my pain. My stomach dropped to my feet, and I became nauseous with worry that something would happen to him.
