Page 28 of Heart of Chaos (Chaosborn #1)

Chapter twenty-eight

Eisa

“Explain to me how disobeying a direct command from your reirleder was following orders,” Einar growled as we entered his office.

He stood behind his desk, his eyes furious and slitted as Ragnar peered out of them.

Go on, Arik said, squeezing my hand in emphasis.

What do I even say? I glanced up at him, eyes wide as I felt Einar’s glare focus on me.

The truth.

“I did not disobey,” I said, squaring my shoulders and hoping this gamble would pay off.

“Idunn was ordered to stand down!” Einar’s face reddened as he slammed his fist against the desk, spittle flying from his mouth in his fury.

“She was,” I admitted. “And I asked her to.”

“You asked her to?“ Einar sneered.

“You know as well as I that a dragon cannot be ordered to do anything it doesn’t want to,” Arik interjected. He moved closer, his presence a balm to my anxious energy. “And for a brand new, untested drage to be ordered to control her dragon—nevermind a blue —it calls into question the judgement of the reirleder.”

“You presume to speak for her?” Einar snarled.

“I speak for her,” I cut in, Arik’s support giving me a boost of confidence. “And Idunn did what she felt was best.”

“She is not the judge of what is best!”

I felt Idunn and Baldur growl in mutual dislike.

“Did she not do what the drage were created to do?” Arik asked. “She killed half a dozen myrkvolf with a single blast of fire. How many other drage on this side of the Rift could do that?”

Was it really that unusual? I asked, trying to soothe Idunn while I shot the question over our silvery bridge.

Yes, was all Arik said in reply.

“The impressiveness of her attack is not under debate,” Einar replied, flattening his hands atop the desk as he leaned over it. “Her ability to follow orders is. ”

“Eisa has followed every one of your orders. Idunn is Drekadrottning. She is no more used to following orders than Baldur is.”

“She has undermined the entire hierarchy of the drage!” Einar bellowed. “If the dragons of one reirhold turn to her instead of Ragnar, the rest will soon follow!”

“Which is how it ought to be!” Arik shouted in reply.

The room went silent, and I could hear Arik’s heart thundering in his chest as he stared down the Dragehersker.

“I see,” Einar said with an eerie calm that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. “This is about you claiming my title. My power.”

Arik laughed derisively. “Are you so short-sighted that you cannot see the larger threat? The odemarksdyr grow in number and power as we wither. This has nothing to do with your title or ego. Idunn is a blessing from the Norns!”

I blinked in surprise. The Norns? I thought you didn’t believe in fate.

I don’t, Arik replied dryly. But he does.

“Only a fool would presume to speak for the Norns,” Einar spat. “Idunn is grounded until further notice. No patrols. No shifting. Perhaps being forced to remain in Ironholm will give her some perspective about who is in control here.”

He cannot do this! Idunn protested as Baldur raged inside both of our heads. I felt Arik trying to shut him back behind the mental door that gave us a semblance of privacy.

“You will take her place in patrols,” Einar pointed a finger at Arik. “Today. And if Baldur decides that the rules do not apply to him either, I will make sure it is Eisa who bears the punishment.”

“But his back—“

I’ll be fine, Arik insisted as Einar’s eyes flashed to yellow slits.

“You,” Einar pointed at me, his scowl deepening as Ragnar’s voice bled through, “will keep to your chambers until I am satisfied that you won’t be a liability. And since apparently my orders are a challenge to follow, any deviation will result in pain for your mate .”

“You can’t keep her locked up,” Arik growled in protest.

“I can do what I damn well please!” Einar roared, thumping a fist across his chest as his face reddened. Something dark flashed in his eyes as they narrowed to slits, then returned to normal. “I am Dragehersker, and my word is law in this mountain!”

His proclamation rang out through the small room, bouncing off the stone walls. Arik didn’t reply, but his hand gripped mine fiercely. I swallowed, trying to force Idunn back as she clawed her way up my throat, her fury palpable.

“I won’t bother asking if I’m understood, as clearly the question means nothing to either of you.” Einar continued, his arms braced against the wooden desk as if it might contain his ire. Whatever shadow I’d seen in his face had been replaced by his usual icy glower. “Get out of my sight before I send you both somewhere that you won’t be my problem anymore.”

Arik tugged me away, striding with purpose out of Einar’s office without looking back.

“Fucking moron,” he snarled, as we emerged into the smokestack and began the long spiral down. “Keeping Idunn trapped is like trying to contain an explosion once it’s begun.”

“She’ll be fine,” I insisted, letting Idunn’s simmering rage bolster my confidence. “I’m more worried about you. Baldur shouldn’t fly right now.”

“He’ll be fine,” Arik drawled, glancing down at me with the ghost of a smirk. “But it’s gratifying to know you care.”

“Of course I care. You’re my mate.”

Arik dragged me to a stop so suddenly, the only thing that kept me on my feet was his arms as they slid around me and his lips as they crashed down onto mine.

The kiss was swift and brutal and intoxicating, and he pulled back far too quickly, making Idunn grumble in protest.

Or perhaps that was me doing the grumbling.

“What was that for?” I asked breathlessly, letting him hold me upright as he cupped my jaw.

His eyes were bright as he met mine. “You called me your mate.”

“So?”

“That was the first time.”

I frowned. “I don’t think so.”

“It was. Say it again.”

The request was barely more than a whisper against my mouth as he lowered his forehead to mine. I forgot about the other drage and Chaosborn in the fortress around us, or Einar’s threats and the risk to Arik out in the Odemark with a ruined back.

All I was aware of were his silver eyes as I repeated, “You’re my mate.”

He huffed a laugh, a sound of pure joy and surprise, as he kissed me once more. The stroke of his tongue as it swept against mine made everything feel momentarily right with the world.

Mine , Idunn agreed, purring in delight.

“And you’re mine,” he murmured against my lips, squeezing my waist in emphasis. I wasn’t sure if he was answering me or Idunn, and I didn’t really care as I clung to him, closing the distance between our mouths once more.

A whistle from across the cavernous space broke the spell, and Arik pulled back and looked for the culprit as his eyes flashed to silver.

“Leave it.” I tugged his tunic in emphasis, speaking to both him and Baldur. You can’t kill someone for catcalling.

Watch me, Baldur argued as I felt Arik push him back down.

“Sorry,” he murmured, shaking his head until his eyes cleared back to their usual gray. “Still getting used to how possessive he gets.”

“It’s gratifying to know you care,” I teased.

“I had no idea a dragon and a few good meals would make you so impertinent,” he replied, weaving his fingers with mine and bringing my knuckles to his lips. He kissed each one, then tugged and resumed our downward trek.

“Flying won’t be fun, but we’ll live. What’s more important right now is keeping Idunn from getting restless trapped in our room. Perhaps we can view this time as a gift rather than a punishment.”

“Excuse me, but Idunn would beg to differ.”

“I’m sure she does. But you can use this time to research.”

“Research?” I raised my brow as Idunn snorted skeptically.

Arik’s lip twitched as if he could sense her derision. “We need to learn about this bond. About the last blue that crossed the Rift. There’s never enough time to pore through our history, but that’s exactly what Einar has gifted you. Time.”

“Except I’m not allowed to leave our room,” I pointed out.

Arik chuckled. “Is it strange that I like when you call it our room?”

Focus, I replied mentally for emphasis. How exactly do you expect me to research the history of the Rift from your bedroom?

Arik pressed a hand to his heart as if I had wounded him with my jab about the room. “That was cold, Kj?re. And Einar didn’t forbid me from moving freely. I can bring you more books than you could read in a lifetime.”

“I read so slowly, it will likely take a lifetime to read anything,” I muttered, feeling shame prick my throat as I said it.

Arik caught my waist, stilling me once more. “The fact that you can read, or walk, or even just breathe at all after the life you had is a miracle. You are my mate, and you will not be ashamed of the hand that life dealt you.” He cupped my jaw in one hand, his eyes softening as he held my gaze. “Speed will come with time and practice.”

I frowned, despite the warmth that filled my chest at his confidence in me. Sometimes I hate this fucking bond.

Arik grinned, and it made my stomach do a little flip and my heart skip a beat. I fucking love it when you swear.

Arik returned from patrols the next evening with two trays of food stacked haphazardly atop each other in one hand and a pack full of scrolls which he dropped on the floor in a plume of dust.

Idunn was already restless and hungry. I wasn’t sure if Einar’s punishment meant I couldn’t go to the dining commons, so I’d gone all day without a meal, which was nothing new for me, but had made Idunn rather irritable. I channeled her frustration into annoyance as I gathered up the precious parchment from the floor with a furious scowl.

“You’ll destroy them if you’re not careful,” I admonished, trying to straighten the crumpled edge of one of the scrolls as Arik placed the trays on the bed. “We really need a table in here.”

Arik acknowledged me with an irritated grunt as he rose and peeled the tunic from his back. I felt the flash of pain before I saw the blood.

He needs salve, Baldur rumbled tiredly. I could hear the edge of agony in his voice as I abandoned the scrolls in a messy pile at the foot of our bed and skirted behind him to assess the damage.

“Holy gods.” I winced, catching Arik’s shoulder so I could examine the damage.

“It’s nothing,” Arik lied, looking at me over his shoulder, his face an emotionless mask. “You should eat. Idunn is hungry.”

“Idunn is always hungry, and this is not nothing,” I argued. The skin had split along the wounds from the whip in angry, jagged gashes, as if it had been ripped apart where it had only just begun to heal. “Sit down.”

I pushed his shoulder, knowing that there was no way I could force him to sit if he didn’t want to. To my surprise, he complied, dropping heavily onto the edge of the bed and splashing stew all over one of the trays

Gods, he must be more hurt than he was making out.

He is, Idunn hissed in agitation. Use my magic, drageling.

I quickly shifted the food out of the way and placed my hand on Arik’s shoulder again.

He caught my wrist and shook his head firmly. “No magic. I need Idunn at full power to keep you safe,” he insisted, wincing as he tried to lean back to grab a roll from a tray. He gave up, leaning forward heavily with his forearms propped on his knees. “No magic.”

“How much danger can I possibly be in?” I reasoned. “I’ve been ordered to stay here. Unless the odemarksdyr can suddenly appear in your bedroom, I think I’ll be fine.”

“We have no idea what Einar has planned. I wouldn’t put it above him to try to strike at you when I’m not here, regardless of dragon law.”

“But–”

“No. Magic.”

I let out a little scream of frustration as I threw up my hands. “Fine, you stubborn man. Give me a minute.”

I went to the basket of towels by the hot spring and dunked one in the hot water, then found the pot of salve Revna had left us.

Arik hissed as I wiped away the blood as gently as I could, trying not to drip water or blood all over the bed as I dabbed at his back.

“Tell me what happened.”

“We were fine at first. The wounds held for the first hour. But Tormund had us out patrolling near the coast where the wind is sharper, and it ripped through his wings after a few hours.”

“How did you fly back?” I asked, gently drying the wounds. Blood still seeped from them, but it was a slower trickle.

“Didn’t,” Arik replied. “We walked most of the way.”

I stilled. “You walked through the Odemark? How many miles?”

“Twelve miles. Maybe fifteen. Took a few hours. Took the stairs to the main entrance rather than flying in.”

“You walked through the smokestack naked and dripping blood?” I frowned. He hadn’t come back for clothes, but he was dressed when he arrived.

“Stole some clothes from the supply.” He looked up and tried to smirk. “Fairly sure they’re ruined now.”

“That’s the least of our problems,” I muttered, crawling onto the bed behind him so I could smear the salve across the wounds. Arik sighed as the salve took some of the pain, and I slathered on more than was probably necessary.

I rose to wash my hands and grab fresh bandages. Arik kept a stock of medical supplies, and I was beginning to understand why. “Please tell me you have a day off to heal properly?”

He shook his head. “Tormund ordered us back out tomorrow at first light.”

“Fucking ass,” I muttered, feeling Idunn’s anger adding to my own.

Arik chuckled and caught me by the waist as I began unrolling the bandages. “Careful. You know how much I like that.”

“You’re in no shape for that ,“ I argued as I felt my cheeks heat.

Arik caught my hand as I began to wind the bandages around his torso. “You don’t know me very well if you think I’d let something as inconsequential as an injury keep me from that. ”

His voice was no more than a suggestive murmur, but I felt it like a caress rattling down my spine.

“Bandages now.” I cleared my throat, fighting to keep my hands steady as I wrapped. “Then food. Then we can talk about that. ”

Arik raised a brow, and I felt his desire pulse through our bond as I wrapped the bandages tightly around him. It forced me to practically hug his chest, and the scent of him did nothing to smother the burning need I could feel rising in me.

Since our kiss in the smokestack yesterday, and the one before I’d left for patrols, nothing else had happened between us. Revna and Jorgen and Branka had been waiting for us when we’d returned from our scolding, and we’d talked late into the night. I’d been too shy to bring it up this morning, and then Arik had left on patrol. Now the growing tension and attraction between us felt as insurmountable to cross as the Rift itself.

And my anxiety about what could happen next wasn’t helping.

“We really need to stop finding ourselves in this position,” I murmured, seeking some kind of distraction as I tucked the end of the bandages in. “Getting injured, I mean.”

“I can think of several more pleasant positions,” Arik agreed, catching my waist in his big hands. He tugged me closer, his legs parting so I could step between his knees, and my breath caught as I met his gaze.

I was only a few inches taller than him as he sat on the bed, and I lifted my hands to cup his face as he held my stare. His beard was somehow both soft and scratchy, and I ran a hand over the shaved side of his scalp as I dug my fingers into his hair.

He groaned, this time not from the pain, as he tried to tug me even closer to him.

“Eisa,” he murmured, my name like a prayer on his lips as he pressed them to my sternum, kissing me over my tunic right above my heart. “I love it when you touch me. Any part of me.”

I stroked a thumb over the tattoos again as my heart galloped beneath his lips. “What do these mean?”

“It’s Baldur’s name in the dragon tongue,” he said, tugging me forward as he shifted back. His hands shifted down to my rear, and before I knew what he was doing, he had lifted me to straddle his lap, settling my knees to bracket his hips. I felt heat rise where we pressed against each other, his body firm as stone beneath mine. “I got them mostly to annoy my father.”

“Have you seen him?” I asked, my voice sounding breathy and slant as I pressed a hand to his bandaged chest to steady myself. His scent hit me again, and Idunn wanted. “Since bonding, I mean?”

He nodded, one hand sliding under my tunic to press against the bare skin of my lower back as the other slid down my thigh. “Several times. But I don’t really want to talk about my father right now.”

He caught my mouth, and my moan as his tongue swept in was something feral and nearly unrecognizable, Idunn’s desire mingling with mine until it was difficult to tell which of us wanted this more.

“Let me take you to bed, Kj?re,” Arik murmured. “Please.”

I felt for Idunn, certain that she would propel me forward in this moment. But she was still, poised as if waiting to see what I would do.

It is your choice, drageling. You must be the one to accept him.

“Eisa?”

I took Arik’s face between my palms and kissed him soundly.

“Take me to bed, then, Kj?re.”