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I chuckled, shaking my head. That was how Feigrind started teaching me too, but he was careful to touch the thing he was explaining first. If I hadn’t already known the language and wasn’t such a brat, I probably would’ve learned something.

“Did Feigrind teach you?” Finn asked me.

I shook my head. “No. I learned at home. I was better at servicing my clients if I understood them. I know a few different languages because of that. And I can say ‘Wanna fuck?’ in seven.”

Both their jaws dropped, and I snickered, focusing on scrubbing my skin with the bar of soap Feigrind had given me. This one at least smelled of flowers instead of just plain soap.

“I can barely say that in one language,” Finn admitted softly. “I’ve been with Rath for over a year, and I still blush when asking him to make love.”

I wrinkled my nose. He really had to stop being so damn cute. It was hard to hate him when he acted all innocent like that.

“I don’t really have the chance to ask much,” Patrick said. “Verus always propositions me. He knows exactly how to make me feel wanted.”

Feigrind was good at that too. Apparently, so was Rath, since Finn was nodding rapidly in agreement. Curious, I couldn’t help but ask, “Are they both also mind blowingly good at sex?”

Finn flushed bright red as he nodded, and Patrick laughed. “Yeah. You too?”

“Yes. It’s annoying,” I growled. “I’ve been working at the brothel for over ten years, and yet he somehow manages to make me come like it’s nothing? What even is that? Do they have magic dicks or something?”

Finn made a sort of choked sound, and a deeper voice spoke behind me, laced with amusement. “I’ve never heard someone refer to our dicks as having magic before. At least we know Feigrind is doing well at keeping you happy. I thought for sure he’d embarrass the rest of us with his inexperience.”

Glancing over my shoulder, I raised an eyebrow at Godr. “Are you standing behind us for a show, or are you just eavesdropping like an old biddie?”

He grinned, gesturing to where the other men were getting out of the water. I hadn’t realized he’d been one of them, but on closer observation, his hair was still wet, and his skin was pink from the cold.

“We’re still close enough to hear you. If you want privacy, you should learn to be more quiet.” He winked when he said it, which made me think he was referring to another time when I wasn’t quiet. I gave him a blank look.

“You sound jealous. Your right hand not doing it for you?”

Unlike the last asshole I sassed, Godr didn’t get offended. He just laughed. At least some people could take a joke around here.

“You are going to keep Feigrind on his toes, aren’t you? I will give him my sympathies when he returns.”

I shook my head, smirking to myself as I finished rinsing the soap from my skin. They were all a bunch of idiots. But maybe they weren’t so bad. At least, some of them weren’t.

FEIGRIND

It took a few days for us to travel to where the next clan was established. We were the closest to the forest, as we had the best hunters. The Halleik clan was against a river. They were best for fishing, and some in the clan even traveled by boat to trade with the towns that didn’t ban our people. We would spend a day or two trading with them before heading home again.

I worried about Simon. Despite his sass, I could see how upset he was about me leaving. I hoped the clan would make him feel more at ease. I’d privately spoken with Maman and told her of his upset. She’d said she’d make sure he was okay. I trusted her to take care of him.

While Uttin talked to those in charge of trade, I wandered away to look at their wares. I hoped I could find something for Simon. He deserved nice things. I stopped at a stall set up with items from nearby towns, studying everything carefully.

“What are these for?” I asked the woman selling them, pointing at the bottles on one side.

“They are soaps and shampoos. Good for hair and skin. They are very popular among the women in the towns. Did you want to try it?” She opened one, offering it to me to smell. I recognized the scent immediately. It was how Simon had smelled when he first arrived.I’d asked one of the women in our clan who makes soap to scent some for me, but it wasn’t the same. I wasn’t surewhat kind of flower created such a scent. Simon had said he’d be happier with his products.

“How long will this last?”

She tipped her head thoughtfully. “For the season, at least. If careful, perhaps two.”

In the end, I bought half her stock for Simon. I didn’t want him to have to be careful. He could use as much as he wished if it made him happy. If I could give him more of what he liked, maybe he would be more likely to stay.

I put the bottles into the cart that was already emptied of our goods and being filled with items we would need to survive the winter season, like vegetables that were foraged farther out from the forest and healing items. I helped where I could to hurry the process along. Uttin looked amused at my efforts, but no one complained about the work being done early.

“We will rest here tonight, with the clan leader’s permission,” Uttin said to the group once we were through. “If there are no objections, we will head back home tomorrow. Feigrind is anxious to return to his tribute.”

His tone was teasing, but he clapped me on the shoulder, and the rest of my brothers agreed to return early. I was grateful to them and looked forward to a hot meal and rest before heading home to Simon.