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“When do you leave?” I demanded, trying to distract myself from the flutter in my belly that wouldn’t go away whenever I was with him.

“Tomorrow morning,” he told me, cupping my cheek and stroking it gently. I batted his hand away and sat up.

“Good. Then we can go again. If I have to go another week without sex, I want as much as I can get before you go.”

A slow grin passed over his face and his gaze turned heated as he said, “Whatever you want, raknar. You will find no complaints from me.”

The word repeatedin my head all the next morning. He’d called me it again as he was leaving, giving me a sweet kiss goodbye before mounting his giant horse and leaving with a group of four other warriors. I thought I knew enough of the barbarian language to understand him, but I didn't know that word, and I was curious. What did he think of me?

I planned on asking Maman once I met her for the day. I knew Feigrind was only asking me to look out for her so I’d stay out of trouble. I had no plans to stop her from doing what she wanted to do. But I did enjoy her company, so I’d agreed just to make him happy.

Ugh. What was wrong with me? Since when did I care so much about keeping men happy outside of the bedroom?

I was grumbling to myself as I got dressed for the day when a voice called out to me from outside Feigrind’s tent.

“Simon? Are you awake?” Patrick asked, quiet enough that if I was actually sleeping, he wouldn’t have woken me. Well, he wouldn’t have woken most people. He didn’t actually have to trythat hard not to wake me. Chanel said I slept like the dead. He’d need to be a lot louder to wake me.

“What?” I grouched, tugging one of Feigrind’s tunics over my head. He’d gotten me new clothes when I finally started speaking to him in his language, and I had plenty. I just wanted to smell him. If anyone wanted to judge me for that, they could tell my blades.

“Can I come in?”

Rolling my eyes, I replied, “Whatever. Just get in here.”

The barbarians were territorial about their tents. No one was allowed in without permission. Since Feigrind was gone, it was my permission they needed to enter. That felt pretty good, actually. If I didn’t lock my door at the brothel, it was a guarantee someone would steal from me. I didn’t have to worry about that here.

Patrick poked his head in and smiled at me. “Good morning. Or afternoon. It’s pretty much lunchtime. Do you always sleep this late?”

My flat look didn’t seem to faze him, nor did my grouchiness thanks to waking up alone.

“I like sleeping. What do you want?”

He waved his hand toward the direction of the village center. “I was going to invite you to eat with us. My bondmate goes on long hunts sometimes, so I know it sucks when they’re gone.”

I made a face. “Feigrind isn’t my bondmate.”

He didn’t look concerned about that. “I know. There’s a whole ceremony for that. But you two seem pretty happy together.” He lifted a shoulder. “I guess I just assumed you’d stick with him. Are you hungry?”

Starving, actually. Feigrind had catered to my demands for sex all night long, and I worked up an appetite. He’d probably only managed to get an hour or two of sleep before he had to leave. I wanted to feel guilty about that, but it was hard to feelbad after coming your brains out that many times. I was starting to think he had a magic dick. That was the only thing I could think of to explain how he so easily destroyed me every time we fucked.

“Who’s we?” I asked suspiciously.

“A couple of the hunters. And I can introduce you properly to my bondmate. He’s pretty chatty, though, so he’ll probably dominate the conversation.”

I didn’t care about that. I was too tired to converse anyway. I agreed with a nod and followed him out after tucking my borrowed daggers into the sheaths on my thighs that Feigrind had got for me before he left, waking me to give me the gift and say goodbye. I thanked him with my mouth on his cock. That was one way I’d easily taken back the upper hand. He’d looked stunned when I was done, and I felt no remorse for making him late.

I probably should’ve asked Patrick to be more specific when we discussed who would be eating together. I didn’t realize that one of the hunters was Finn’s bondmate. Which meant Finn was there, too. I scowled to myself and made sure to sit as far away from him as I could. Which wasn’t as far as I would’ve liked because I’d agreed to meet Patrick’s bondmate, and he’d sat next to Finn’s before I even got there.

At least I didn’t have to socialize with him. Patrick was right that Verus liked to talk. My assumption that he was like a big puppy wasn’t wrong, and he bounced from topic to topic with a grin on his face. Other people cut in now and then, but he definitely dominated the conversation.

“So, Simon, right? How’d you do it?” Verus asked, turning his exuberant attention onto me.

I raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to explain. “Do what?”

“Get Feigrind into your bed. He’s never been interested in males before,” he said innocently.

Patrick took exception to the question, smacking Verus’s chest with the back of his hand. “Verus! You can’t ask that!”

I shrugged lazily. “I’m just that good, I guess. Why? Does it matter?”