Lottie caught the bitter undertone of his voice and turned on her side so she could see him better. “It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me,” she whispered.
But he just clasped her hand tighter. “No, you should know this. He caught a witch and tortured him until he broke, then forced him to erect a magical barrier around the island of Drageøy that hid us from the world. Then he killed him. Snapped his neck.”
Lottie stared at him. “How do you know?”
“Because Magnus told me. He was just a little kid, Lottie. Five years old. And my father had him watch the whole thing.” Eiric covered his face with his arm, and his voice broke. “He’d said it would make him stronger.”
Lottie didn’t know what to say. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered at last, into the silence that descended on them.
Eiric sighed. “Yeah, well. He protected the clan from humans and witches alike, and that was all anyone cared about.”
“What about your mother?” she asked, fearing the answer. In a family of such horrible men, what was the role of the women?
“She was taking care of me and Mikkel,” he said simply. “I was just a baby, younger than Elise and Aksel are now. And Mikkel was a toddler. She didn’t know what was going on until she felt the magical barrier go up. You’ll see what it feels like when you visit Drageøy. It’s like popping your ears.”
She wasn’t so sure shewantedto visit this land of cruel sea dragons. Then something else registered. “Wait. You said your great-grandpa was a king?”
Eiric peered at her from below his arm. “Uh, yeah. Did I forget to mention that?”
Lottie sat up. “And your father is a king?”
“He’s dead, so not anymore,” he replied.
Lottie narrowed her eyes at him. “Eiric.”
He blew out a breath and sat up. “Fine. My older brother Magnus is the king now. I was the heir because Mikkel passed away, and then I found out about these two.” He pointed at the sleeping twins.
Lottie opened her mouth, then closed it. Once more, her world shifted and rearranged itself. “So you’re a prince? And they’re…” She threw up her hands. “This is too much for one day!”
Eiric wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I know. And I’m sorry for dumping it all on you at once. There’s just no easy way to explain all this.”
She groaned. “Okay. But next time you want to reveal something like this, make sure we bring wine to the picnic.”
His lopsided grin was infectious, and she smiled back at him, then allowed him to draw her in for a kiss.
“You’ll do fine.” He sighed into her hair as he sat back against the rock and lifted her in his lap.
Together they let the sun warm them, and she pretended she didn’t feel his hardness poking into her hip. He, in turn, seemed very happy to discover her sensitive nipples, and toyed with them through the thin fabric of her bikini top, sending spikes of pleasure straight into her center.
“I would like to show you where I live,” he murmured in her ear. “Maybe make you dinner sometime?”
“That’s a fantastic idea,” Lottie said breathlessly. “I can ask Mrs. Enstad to watch the kids. Now that they’re in daycare, she misses them.”
Her world had been broken apart, but she was stitching it back together. She wanted Eiric so much, it hurt: she’d finally found a man who was just right for her. And if it took fighting a couple of dragons to get the life she wanted for herself and her children, well, she’d do it.
Even if those dragons were her new in-laws.
Nine
Eiric
Eiric parkedin front of Lottie’s house and collected the large parcel from the trunk. He’d gone and blown a small fortune in a diving store in Ålesund, picking up a present for Lottie. Her holiday was starting this weekend, and he wanted her to be ready to swim with the twins. Since her parents would arrive in August for some quality time with their grandchildren, he was hoping she’d agree to spend her vacation with him. He’d take Lottie to his island home and they’d swim, play with the kids, and possibly—hopefully—have a lot of sex.
They hadn’t gotten to that part yet, but he was already anticipating their first night together. So much so, the mere thought of Lottie in that swimsuit was enough to set his blood boiling. He inhaled through his nose and let out the breath with a whoosh. No use getting overexcited in broad daylight where anyone could see his eyes shining golden.
The scuba diving gear was an awkward load, so he focused on that instead. Hefting the oxygen tanks and neoprene suit in one hand, and the paper bag with the fins, the weights, and the mask in the other, he ascended the stairs to the narrow landing that led to Lottie’s front door.
That’s when he noticed a familiar scent on the air, and the hair on the back of his neck rose in alarm.
