Page 15

They slipped out of the burial chamber through the entrance Talvi had reopened, and he sealed the broken mound with a muttered seier as soon as they were standing on the grass outside again. Talvi’s heart was thrumming with excitement. Seeing Hakon fight made his blood sing.

“I love watching you fight.”

Hakon glared at him, and Talvi’s exuberant mood dimmed.

“What is it, dróttning ?” Did he hurt Hakon’s feelings? Did Hakon feel let down because Talvi hadn’t intervened in the fight?

“What were you thinking, provoking a creature like that?” Hakon snarled. “Do you have any idea how dangerous a draugr can be?”

Heart sinking, Talvi caught one of Hakon’s hands in his.

“I’m sorry. I thought you were having fun. But you know I’d never leave you to fend for yourself, right?”

“What?” Hakon’s anger was replaced by confusion. He was adorable in any case, seething with anger or with brows furrowed and lips slightly parted.

“I wouldn’t have left you at the mercy of the draugr ,” Talvi clarified.

“Oh, that. Yes, yes, I know that.”

“Then why are you mad at me?”

“Because—because you’re still young, and a vala —you can’t just take on such a dangerous opponent! You should’ve gotten out of this trap when I told you!”

“You were worried about me.” Suddenly certain of it, Talvi didn’t even have to state it as a question.

“Yes! I mean, no—I—” Hakon faltered, a soft blush painting his features. “You’re infuriating!”

Talvi couldn’t help but smile. “You like it.”

Grumbling an unintelligible reply, Hakon refused to look at him.

“So you think I’m just a young boy, a helpless vala ?”

“Well, what if I had left you down there? What if your little seier hadn’t worked against a draugr ?”

“My little seier ?” Talvi chuckled. Although their banter was playful, it irked him that Hakon still didn’t feel safe with him. He didn’t want his husband to think he had to protect him. No, Hakon should feel protected. Talvi wanted to be the place where his wonderful husband would let his guard down. The place Hakon could feel at ease. He would have to show him. “You still have no idea about the extent of my powers, do you?”

“Now don’t brag,” Hakon grumbled. “I know you’re not bad. I’ve seen worse vala in battle. And you’re a decent swordsman.”

“Decent, huh?”

“Yeah.” Hakon glanced at him, a small smile gracing his lips. He looked almost... flirtatious.

For a moment, Talvi was stunned. This was new. And, of course, Talvi couldn’t help but jump at the opportunity. Stepping into Hakon’s space, Talvi brushed gently down Hakon’s side. To his delight, he found his husband trembling under his touch.

“Tell me if I’m reading this wrong,” Talvi whispered, leaning close until he was nuzzling Hakon’s ear. “And remember that you can stop me with a word whenever you like.”

Hakon’s breath hitched, and he readied his stance.

Concentrating, Talvi gathered the power around them until he could feel it thrumming at the tips of his fingers. He didn’t need to utter a word; the seier coming to him naturally. It trapped Hakon where he stood, invisible ropes slinging around his body and pulling his hands behind his back.

Hakon’s eyes widened, and he started to struggle. Talvi could feel his muscles straining against the seier , but it was no use.

Unceremoniously, Talvi threw his captive husband over his shoulder.

“Talvinen!”

“Yes, dróttning ?”

“Put me down!”

“Are you asking me to stop?”

“What? No! I’m just—I’m heavy. Put me down.”

Gods, Hakon was cute. Talvi patted his ass and adjusted his grip.

“Nah. Unless you ask me to stop, I’m going to demonstrate to you what my little seier can do.”

Talvi carried him toward the forest’s edge, while Hakon grumbled adorably but didn’t protest further. He squirmed a little as he realized Talvi didn’t plan on putting him down anytime soon, but didn’t have a chance to break the seier keeping him securely in place. After a moment, Hakon went boneless in his grip.

“Better,” Talvi hummed.

“Wait until we cross blades. Then you won’t be so smug anymore.”

“I can’t wait to test my skills against you. But until then—” Talvi’s hand went up to rest on the small of Hakon’s back. “—you’re at my mercy, little Jotunn .”

Hakon’s indignant spluttering accompanied them until they reached the small barn at the edge of the forest.

The midnight sun still painted the sky in soft blues, but the forest was shrouded in twilight. Talvi opened the barn’s weathered wooden door with a wave of his hand and stepped into the shadow of the old building. Inside, the smell of freshly cut hay tickled his nose.

“I love this place. I’ve always imagined it as the barn where Magnus took Erling to ravish him after the fight with the swamp witch. Fits, doesn’t it?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Why not? He could’ve conjured up a little nest in the hay.” Putting Hakon back on his feet, Talvi turned him by his shoulders so he could watch the seier unfold. “Like this,” Talvi whispered into his husband’s ear as he whisked up a comfortable pile of blankets.

“Convenient,” Hakon said as if he was watching volur conjuring objects out of thin air daily. Then he stilled. “You! You could’ve easily procured a rope to escape the mound!” For a man still trapped by magic, he was quite feisty.

“Maybe,” Talvi conceded. “But this isn’t how seier works.” He pushed Hakon forward until he could lay him down on the blankets.

“How does it work, then?”

Hakon allowed Talvi to place him on his back, although reluctantly. He was still bristling with anger. Talvi found it unfairly cute.

“Usually you need an invocation, maybe some tools.”

“Like a staff?”

Talvi chuckled. “That’s all Bergelmir and his kind worry about, where a vala puts her staff.”

Hakon blushed, anger forgotten for a moment. “I didn’t mean disrespect,” he said as if Talvi had been talking about him.

Making himself comfortable between Hakon’s legs, Talvi caressed him reassuringly.

“I know you didn’t mean it like that. You’re very different from your bloody father,” Talvi reassured him. “By the way, you can also use runes, herbs, animal sacrifices, and many other ingredients to perform a ritual.”

“Yeah, sacrifices.” Hakon’s gaze grew distant. He was probably thinking about how the ?sir made their worshippers soak the ground with blood in their name.

“But for me, all it takes most of the time is a proper intent .” Putting a hand on Hakon’s chest, Talvi wished his clothes away, and they vanished, leaving Hakon naked and gasping in front of him. “You see, seier is by no means straightforward. It depends on many variables, not all of them controllable or even known to the vala .”

“So, you wanted to face this draugr , is what you’re saying?” Hakon asked.

Talvi could feel Hakon squirming under his seier’s touch, his beautiful cock already half-hard. Nudging Hakon’s chin up, Talvi took in the magnificent picture of his husband spread out for him. Hakon was flushed and beautiful, panting softly. Talvi couldn’t resist kissing him deeply, and Hakon went soft and pliant under his touch.

“Let’s say I was occupied with something else,” Talvi finally said.

Rearranging Hakon’s position, Talvi trapped his hands above his head and pushed his legs apart. To Talvi’s delight, Hakon moaned softly, his cock hardening further.

“What in the Nine Worlds had you distracted?” Hakon managed, although his gaze was hazy with lust.

You. Always you.

“I was looking for a present to bring you.”

Leaning down to kiss Hakon, Talvi fumbled with the laces of his breeches. He was hopelessly aroused. After the dream incident, he couldn’t wait to get his hands on Hakon again. And the sight of his mighty warrior fighting earlier certainly didn’t help.

Talvi released his cock, and Hakon hissed as Talvi wrapped his hand around them both and started stroking them in a lazy rhythm. Talvi loved the sounds he made. And the divine feeling of Hakon’s cock pressed against his, hot and hard, had Talvi almost coming on the spot.

“You’re insufferable,” Hakon breathed. “I can’t believe you’ve survived until now.”

Leaning down, so Hakon would feel his weight in addition to the seier binding him, Talvi kissed him some more. To his delight, Hakon opened readily, practically melting under his touch.

“Insolent.” Emphasizing his statement with a pinch of Hakon’s nipple, Talvi was satisfied to feel his husband squirm underneath him. “Shall I make you come like this? Or do you want more?”

Hakon looked up at him with hooded eyes, a soft sheen of sweat forming at his temples. He was so responsive to Talvi’s touch. Perfect.

“Is this all your sex magic can do? Procuring the ropes you failed to conjure when we really needed them?” Hakon taunted, but he sounded wrecked already, a deep blush painting his cheeks and running down to his chest. And wasn’t he a delight when he was playful?

“I’m not sure if you can keep up if I unleash my power on you.”

Hakon grinned at him wickedly.

“Try me.”

A giddy excitement overcame Talvi. The trust Hakon placed in him. His bravery. Talvi could barely grasp the enormity of it.

“Last time, you asked me to fuck you,” Talvi whispered, and Hakon moaned softly at his words. “Do you want to feel my seier inside you? Do you want me to fill you up?”

Hakon froze, and Talvi was struck by sudden self-consciousness. Was he being too forward, too pushy?

Then Hakon bared his throat, closing his eyes and sighing deeply.

“Yes,” Hakon breathed. “Please.”

“Goddesses, be blessed.”

Relieved, Talvi leaned down to steal the breath right from Hakon’s parted lips. Calmness washed over him, and he needed neither incantation nor conscious effort to weave his spell. It felt more like the seier was part of his body, eager to fulfill Hakon’s every need. The ones he knew about and the ones he didn’t yet. Tightening his grip around their cocks, Talvi focused.

Hakon gasped.

“Can you feel it?” An unnecessary question. Hakon’s reaction was obvious, and Talvi could feel where his seier touched his lover’s body, opening him up and pressing inside.

“How?” Hakon’s gaze was unfocused, his lips parted in a blissful expression. So little was enough to make him squirm with pleasure.

Talvi placed a possessive hand on Hakon’s chest just where the swirling ink of his tattoos formed a powerful rune. Its force tickled Talvi’s fingertips, but instead of sucking his power in like it was supposed to do, it resonated with him. It didn’t even cost Talvi effort anymore. Maybe Hakon’s bear spirit had grown fond of him, and Hakon moaned as the sparks of Talvi’s seier danced over his chest.

“Just a little spell to enhance your pleasure,” Talvi said, allowing the force inside Hakon to expand just a tad more and sending a jolt of pure delight right to the spot that made Hakon writhe at the slightest touch.

Eyes widening and back arching, Hakon let out a stream of curses.

“Good?” Talvi asked smugly. It was exhilarating to watch Hakon coming undone under his touches, how he allowed Talvi to see him lose control.

Hakon’s only answer was a guttural moan as Talvi let his seier move rhythmically. He watched Hakon whimper and thrash in the seier’s grip as Talvi poured pleasure over him in wave after wave. He stroked them both lazily while he made sparkling delight wander all over Hakon’s body, worshiping every part of him. When Talvi finally came to focus on the seier stretching Hakon deliciously open, his husband was a mess beneath him, sweating and panting. He was more gorgeous than the most precious treasures in a dragon’s hoard.

“You’re so beautiful, moaning just for me,” Talvi praised. “So responsive. Taking everything I give you so well.”

Finally picking up the pace of his strokes, Talvi felt as if he might lose himself. It seemed like he might sink into Hakon and form a shield around him to protect him from harm. Talvi was so close, and he wanted Hakon to share his release with him. They were both leaking pre-come, and Talvi’s hand around them was slippery with it. He squeezed tighter still, his hips rocking in the same rhythm the seier pulsed inside Hakon, and Hakon was uttering the most delightful of incoherent noises, truly lost in pleasure.

Heat gathered in Talvi’s belly, and he made sure to share the overwhelming ecstasy with Hakon, pressing relentlessly against that most sensitive spot deep inside him. Hakon came, his cries of pleasure unrestrained, and the sight of his husband losing control of his body and surrendering himself completely to Talvi made him fall over the edge too. For a moment, everything around them dissolved in swirling colors and shattering stars.

Talvi came to, lying atop Hakon, his fist still curled loosely around their spent cocks. He peppered Hakon’s face with kisses while his husband was still dazed, eyes half-shut and body soft and pliant under Talvi.

“I love you, Hakon Bloodaxe,” Talvi whispered. “I love you so much.”

“Talvinen,” Hakon whispered like a prayer.

“Shhh, you did so well for me. Let me clean you up now. You don’t have to do anything other than relax and fall asleep.”

“Talvinen,” Hakon said again, reverently, as if he couldn’t believe the extent of Talvi’s dedication to him. He shuddered with aftershocks of his orgasm, and Talvi hurried to get him clean and wrapped up under the blankets.

“You asked what had me distracted,” Talvi said against Hakon’s neck as soon as he had his husband sleepy and warm in his arms.

“It had better be something important,” Hakon grumbled.

Talvi procured a golden bracelet he’d taken from the mound out of thin air like a mummer entertaining an audience at a king’s hall. He couldn’t help being at least a little flashy about it. Hakon deserved good things. Wonder and excitement. And Talvi was determined to provide him with everything he could ever dream of.

“I got this for you. A little token of my appreciation.”

Hakon groaned. “You stole from an undead king.”

“I only took what’s rightfully mine. So, will you accept my gift?”

Offering him his wrist, Hakon sighed. “Sure, you madman.”

Fastening the bracelet around his husband’s wrist was incredibly satisfying. It marked Hakon as his for everyone to see. Talvi enjoyed the beautiful contrast of the golden shimmer against Hakon’s skin.

“Thank you,” Hakon mumbled, relaxing again.

Talvi kissed the top of his head. It took only minutes until Hakon was fast asleep, his breath even and his features serene. Talvi couldn’t imagine a more satisfying sight.

The fabric of the worlds billowed. The threads of fate snapped as if they were being shaken by a storm and rewove themselves again. He smelled the sea and saw tree-high waves pulling ships into the depths. And down below, deep down, a green glow.

Talvi was wide awake at once. Soft sunlight filtered into the barn through cracks in the wood, and the smell of fresh hay tickled his nose. He lay on his back, Hakon’s head resting comfortably on his shoulder. Talvi smiled. His sleeping lover was a beautiful sight, peaceful and vulnerable. Talvi admired the red marks his seier had left on Hakon’s pale neck and shoulders. At least for the moment, Hakon felt safe with him, and Talvi was glad for it.

But there was something not quite right that tainted the tranquil atmosphere of the morning. It felt like a thunderstorm brewing on the horizon; something sharp and crackling, making the hairs on Talvi’s forearms rise. Something was coming; he could feel it.

Sitting up carefully, Talvi kissed Hakon’s cheek.

“Wake up,” he whispered into Hakon’s neck, kissing him there for good measure, too.

Hakon’s eyes blinked open slowly, his whole appearance adorably sleep-rumpled and soft.

“Talvinen?”

Pushing Isbani into Hakon’s hand, Talvi rose into a crouch.

“Whatever happens, I need you to know that I will always protect you.”