Page 19 of The Magic of Vanaheim

“Of course, Talvi is going to marry him. Bergelmir might think of Håkon as nothing more than a bastard son, but he’s a crown prince under our laws.”

“The king’s eldest child. Heir to the throne of Jotunheim,” Talvi said. “And Bergelmir probably didn’t expect me to marry a man.”

“But there’s no law forbidding the union of two warriors,” Perhonen smirked. “Not even in Jotunheim.”

Arngrim shook his head. “This is a horrible idea! You’ll bind yourself to a traitor for the rest of your life!”

“He’s not a traitor,” Talvi said with emphasis.

“Don’t listen to him. The dwarves don’t respect the power of deception,” Perhonen said. “If he’s not only a powerful warrior but also cunning, he’ll make a good king one day.”

“So you’re going to marry us?” Talvi asked, relieved. It was good to know at least Perhonen was on his side. He was going to marry Håkon, no matter what. But having Perhonen’s blessing meant a lot to him.

“Sure,” the seeress said, looking pointedly at Arngrim.

The dwarf glared at them for a few more seconds before throwing his hands up in exasperation.

“Oh, by the norns, a lovesick fool and a mad old hag!” Arngrim grumbled. “What have I done to deserve this? Fine, marry the most dangerousJotunnwarrior. But keep in mind that I’ll kill Bloodaxe if he kills you. I hope that’s enough incentive for you to stay alive.”

Briskly walking down the stairs to the dungeons, Talvi cursed under his breath. When he had ordered Arngrim to arrest Håkon, he’d wanted his betrothed to be detained in the royal chambers and not locked up in a drafty dungeon. But he hadn’t explicitly told Arngrim that, and of course, his mentor had taken advantage of his omission.

Talvi glared at the guards, even though he knew they weren’t to blame for this mess. He shouldn’t have left Håkon in Arngrim’s care.

“Where is he?” Talvi asked the woman in charge. He knew Thyra, a loyal guard, but not the softest of souls. She gestured toward the cell at the far end of the corridor with an unfriendly grin. Just great.

“Keys.”

Impatiently, Talvi snatched them from her grasp and marched to the cell where Håkon was kept. Heart jumping to his throat, he opened the door. He halfway expected to be attacked by a furiousJotunn, but instead, he found Håkon standing at the far end of the cell, hands chained above his head.

Talvi’s steps faltered. Håkon looked even more battered than after their brief fight, his face smeared with blood and thedelicate fabric of his hastily thrown on robe torn at the collar. He was easily the most beautiful thing Talvi had ever seen.

Feeling guilty about having failed to protect Håkon from getting hurt, Talvi carefully approached him. But, at the same time, he couldn’t stop staring at his betrothed, his mouth going dry. This was much too close to Talvi’s favorite fantasies.

“Welcome to Vanaheim, Prince Håkon,” Talvi managed, immediately cringing at his words. He was under no illusion that Håkon would despise him; the thought of being married to another man most likely repulsive to him. If Talvi wanted to make this work, he needed to woo him properly. And this was all he could come up with?

Predictably, Håkon only glared at him.

Stepping closer still, just out of range of a headbutt, Talvi admired the intricate patterns of the tattoos covering Håkon’s collarbones. He could feel their power, sucking in magical energy like a black hole. If Talvi had been a lesservalaor wielded a weaker spell, he wouldn’t have been able to stop Håkon’s attack earlier. And despite the danger the tattoos undoubtedly posed for any magical creature, Talvi’s fingers itched with the urge to touch them, to trace their lines all over Håkon’s body.

“We need to talk.”

“Do we?” Håkon snarled. “I have nothing to say to you.”

“Isn’t it common for husbands to talk to each other in Jotunheim?”

“Husbands?” Håkon’s voice rose with incredulity, a bluish blush spreading across his cheekbones.

“You came here in your sister’s stead, no?”

Håkon’s bright eyes widened as if he were struggling to process what Talvi had just told him. But Talvi’s words probably didn’t make much sense from his point of view.

“You do know that you’re a crown prince under our laws?” Talvi tried again.

“I’m not.”

“You’re Bergelmir’s first-born child.”

Håkon’s lips twisted with anger and something else Talvi couldn’t quite decipher. “But my mother was—she wasn’t a queen.”