Page 22

The other side smelled of Talvi and fresh snow. It felt soft, too, and comfortable. Hakon sighed.

“Talvi?” he mumbled, realizing happily that his cheek was pressed against Talvi’s chest, his hair tickling Hakon’s nose. The gods had been kind enough to allow Hakon into the halls of the heroes who died in battle, even if it was only as Talvi’s thrall.

When he looked up, Talvi was already awake, his green eyes alive and sparkling. Hakon would’ve never expected the afterlife to be like this; vibrant and real .

“Hey,” Talvi whispered, his smile all soft. “You’re awake. How do you—?”

Twisting in Talvinen’s arms, Hakon shut him up with a kiss. To his delight he found that Talvi’s chest was bare, the skin where Isbani had dealt the fatal stab soft and unmarred. Hakon traced reverently over the flawless expanse of his lover’s chest. Crawling up into Talvi’s lap, Hakon distantly noticed that their room looked like Talvinen’s chambers in Saeborg. But it felt only right that Talvi would reside in the chambers of a king, even in the Halls of the Dead.

“I thought I’d lost you,” Hakon mumbled, suddenly on the verge of tears. He kissed Talvi tenderly to distract himself from the ache in his chest.

“You won’t get rid of me so easily.” Talvi laughed and pulled him closer, wrapping his arms around Hakon’s waist.

His voice, his touch—it was really him, not some kind of cruel dream. An ugly sob tore itself from Hakon’s chest. He couldn’t stop touching Talvi, reassuring himself that they were really here. Together. Even in the embrace of death.

“I need to feel you. Talvi. Please.”

Gently, Talvi ran his hands over Hakon’s back and kissed him again, touching him softly all over his face and kissing the tip of his nose, along his neck and his chest.

“I’m right here,” Talvi promised.

“Not enough.” Hakon didn’t care how pathetic he sounded. “Fuck me,” he demanded. “Now.”

“Norns, Hakon,” Talvi breathed, pupils blown wide. “I’d love nothing more than that, but are you really up for it? Aren’t you still cold or sore? Do you feel dizzy?”

“You’re one to talk,” Hakon groused, placing his hand where the gaping wound had opened Talvi’s chest. “Are you well?”

The corners of his lips curving into a smirk, Talvi flipped them around. He laid Hakon on his back carefully, and Hakon enjoyed being handled as if he were something precious.

“I’ve never been better,” Talvi assured him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Hakon saw a white dog jumping up from the foot of the bed; a huge beast, a wolfhound maybe? With a deep growl, the dog slipped out of the bedchamber. Its large body reminded Hakon of something, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“You want your husband to pleasure you, dróttning ?” Talvi asked.

Hakon’s focus snapped back to Talvi. He could only nod.

“Can you get on your hands and knees for me?”

Scrambling to obey, Hakon turned around. Talvi’s contented hum made him preen.

“Very good. Now get comfortable, put your chest on the bed. Like this. Spread your legs a little wider.”

Moaning softly, Hakon followed the instructions. It felt so good to hand himself over to Talvi, to let his husband take care of him and let the pleasure chase away his sorrowful memories.

Talvi’s hands wandered down Hakon’s back, and with a kiss to Hakon’s spine, he made his pants vanish.

“Don’t overexert yourself. If the position is no longer comfortable, you can tell me. You’re allowed to make yourself more comfortable at any time.”

“Yes, my husband,” Hakon sighed, feeling himself falling into a deep state of tranquility and contentment. “My chieftain, my king.”

“Oh, dróttning ,” Talvi said, a blend of giddiness and awe in his tone.

He massaged the globes of Hakon’s ass, and Hakon still couldn’t fathom how it could feel so good to give himself to someone in this way.

Slick fingers pressed against his entrance, and Hakon moaned and pushed back against them. Each time they did this, it became easier to relax, and he craved Talvi’s touch inside him.

“More,” Hakon demanded. “Talvi—”

Curling his fingers, Talvi made him lose his ability to use words. His husband leaned over him, enveloping him with the warmth of his body and the softness of his skin. Pressing against that sparkling-white spot that always made Hakon see stars, Talvi peppered kisses along Hakon’s shoulder at the same time.

The sweetness of the sensations had Hakon writhing helplessly. How could the afterlife feel so good?

“Is this to your liking, my love?”

“Yes,” Hakon babbled, uncaring how desperate or needy he sounded. “Gods, yes.”

“Shall I fuck you now?”

“Please—I need to feel you.”

His back arched as Talvi slipped inside him, connecting them, filling him up so well.

“Up with you,” Talvi ordered, pulling him backward and onto his lap.

Groaning, Hakon went where Talvi guided him. The changed angle made him sink down even deeper on Talvi’s cock. Hakon cried out in pleasure. Curling one hand around Hakon’s cock, Talvi started to stroke him in a lazy rhythm with his shallow thrusts. With the other, he turned Hakon’s face to the side so he could kiss him, and Hakon moaned in pure bliss. His own hands came up to tangle in Talvi’s hair and clutched mindlessly at his shoulders.

“I love you,” Hakon panted against Talvi’s lips. “My husband, my everything.”

Speeding up his thrusts, Talvi kissed him with fervor.

“Gods, Hakon, you’re perfect. My perfect husband. Mine .”

Hakon screamed as the raw pleasure, along with his all-consuming feelings for Talvi, carried him away like an avalanche. Talvi groaned and shuddered, and Hakon knew he was being carried away with him. Slumping in Talvi’s arms, Hakon soaked up the warmth radiating from his husband. He felt sleepy; in dire need of being cuddled. Was there sleep in the afterlife? The pleasure of Talvi’s touch at least felt as divine as ever.

A silken cloth appeared out of nowhere in Talvi’s hand, and he used it to clean Hakon’s belly. It felt so good to let Talvi take care of everything. Slipping out of him carefully, Talvi helped him settle down in the sheets again.

“The Halls of Hel are more comfortable than I thought,” Hakon slurred as he snuggled into Talvi’s arms.

“Huh?”

“The Halls of the Dead. I guess Lady Hel favors you.”

Turning him around by his shoulders, Talvi faced him with a strange expression on his beautiful face.

“We aren’t dead, dróttning ,” he said, gently carding through Hakon’s hair.

“What?” Dizziness seemed to overwhelm Hakon. “I saw you die,” he choked, the horrible images threatening to drown him.

“I came back,” Talvi replied simply. “I couldn’t leave you.”

Suddenly it all made sense—their chambers in Saeborg, Talvi’s warm body, even the dog that wasn’t a dog at all.

A hurt sound tore itself from his throat and Hakon clung to Talvi.

“You came back,” he sobbed, incredulous and so relieved. He couldn’t stop the tears streaming down his face, and he didn’t try to. “I thought I’d lost you, but you came back.”

“Always,” Talvi promised. “I’ll never leave you. I’ll always find a way back to you.”

And Hakon believed him. Whatever lucky slip of the Nornir made this incredible, powerful, loving man so obsessed with Hakon, he was blessed.

Patiently, Talvi let him cry, patting his back and murmuring sweet nothings into his ear. How did Hakon deserve a man like him?

Hakon must have fallen asleep at some point because he woke up again to dim winter sunlight and familiar voices talking.

“Any signs of Arngrim or Svanhild?” Talvi’s voice was laced with anger, but the hand petting Hakon’s hair was gentle.

“None.” Gudrun’s voice was stoic and determined as ever. “But we’ve warriors all around the realm looking for them and spies heading for the other worlds.”

“They’ve both vanished from my sight.” That was Perhonen, the seeress. “It takes a lot of seier and distance to hide from me. Rest assured, they aren’t a threat at the moment.”

Hakon’s head rested comfortably in Talvi’s lap, and his husband’s gentle caresses never ceased. Gods, was Talvi talking politics with his closest advisors while Hakon slept? The idea was enticing.

“You’ll see Arngrim again,” Perhonen said softly.

“I don’t want to see him,” Talvi snarled. “He almost got Hakon killed. I’ll never forgive—”

Stirring and stretching, Hakon made a show of waking up. As he’d expected, Talvi’s attention was immediately focused on him.

“Hey, are you awake? How do you feel?” All anger had disappeared from Talvi’s voice, chased away by a softness that warmed Hakon’s heart.

Sitting up next to Talvi, Hakon attempted to look dignified despite his state of undress and the fact that he’d been drooling on his husband’s pants only moments ago.

“Perhonen. Gudrun.” He nodded at the women.

Gudrun smirked, but thankfully refrained from crawling into bed with them to hug him. It was bad enough that Hakon discovered the bear dozing like a dog at the foot of the bed. How could his life have changed so fundamentally in just a few months?

He smiled at Talvi, who regarded him with a worried expression.

“I’m fine, einar minn ,” Hakon said. At this point, he wasn’t ready to suggest Talvi talk to Frekegar, but he knew the time would come. He couldn’t yet forgive the dwarf for causing Talvi to get hurt, even if it was in a misguided attempt to protect him. But the man had been Talvi’s friend, his sworn warrior. If Talvi wanted to make peace one day, Hakon wouldn’t stand in his way.

“Are you hungry?” Talvi rearranged the sheets and pillows for Hakon to lean against. “Make yourself comfortable.”

His first impulse was still to refuse Talvi’s care. He could stand up. He wasn’t that famished. He could take care of himself.

But he didn’t have to. Not anymore. He could allow himself to be treated kindly, because he knew Talvi would never use it against him. So he leaned back with a sigh.

“I could eat,” Hakon said.

“You should,” Perhonen said, gathering her parchments. “You both should. You thwarted Svanhild’s plans, but it would be wise to get some rest.”

So, if they didn’t leave the bed for the next few days, the seeress was to blame.

The other side smelled of Talvi and fresh snow. It felt soft, too, and comfortable. Hakon sighed.

“Talvi?” he mumbled, realizing happily that his cheek was pressed against Talvi’s chest, his hair tickling Hakon’s nose. The gods had been kind enough to allow Hakon into the halls of the heroes who died in battle, even if it was only as Talvi’s thrall.

When he looked up, Talvi was already awake, his green eyes alive and sparkling. Hakon would’ve never expected the afterlife to be like this; vibrant and real .

“Hey,” Talvi whispered, his smile all soft. “You’re awake. How do you—?”

Twisting in Talvinen’s arms, Hakon shut him up with a kiss. To his delight he found that Talvi’s chest was bare, the skin where Isbani had dealt the fatal stab soft and unmarred. Hakon traced reverently over the flawless expanse of his lover’s chest. Crawling up into Talvi’s lap, Hakon distantly noticed that their room looked like Talvinen’s chambers in Saeborg. But it felt only right that Talvi would reside in the chambers of a king, even in the Halls of the Dead.

“I thought I’d lost you,” Hakon mumbled, suddenly on the verge of tears. He kissed Talvi tenderly to distract himself from the ache in his chest.

“You won’t get rid of me so easily.” Talvi laughed and pulled him closer, wrapping his arms around Hakon’s waist.

His voice, his touch—it was really him, not some kind of cruel dream. An ugly sob tore itself from Hakon’s chest. He couldn’t stop touching Talvi, reassuring himself that they were really here. Together. Even in the embrace of death.

“I need to feel you. Talvi. Please.”

Gently, Talvi ran his hands over Hakon’s back and kissed him again, touching him softly all over his face and kissing the tip of his nose, along his neck and his chest.

“I’m right here,” Talvi promised.

“Not enough.” Hakon didn’t care how pathetic he sounded. “Fuck me,” he demanded. “Now.”

“Norns, Hakon,” Talvi breathed, pupils blown wide. “I’d love nothing more than that, but are you really up for it? Aren’t you still cold or sore? Do you feel dizzy?”

“You’re one to talk,” Hakon groused, placing his hand where the gaping wound had opened Talvi’s chest. “Are you well?”

The corners of his lips curving into a smirk, Talvi flipped them around. He laid Hakon on his back carefully, and Hakon enjoyed being handled as if he were something precious.

“I’ve never been better,” Talvi assured him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Hakon saw a white dog jumping up from the foot of the bed; a huge beast, a wolfhound maybe? With a deep growl, the dog slipped out of the bedchamber. Its large body reminded Hakon of something, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“You want your husband to pleasure you, dróttning ?” Talvi asked.

Hakon’s focus snapped back to Talvi. He could only nod.

“Can you get on your hands and knees for me?”

Scrambling to obey, Hakon turned around. Talvi’s contented hum made him preen.

“Very good. Now get comfortable, put your chest on the bed. Like this. Spread your legs a little wider.”

Moaning softly, Hakon followed the instructions. It felt so good to hand himself over to Talvi, to let his husband take care of him and let the pleasure chase away his sorrowful memories.

Talvi’s hands wandered down Hakon’s back, and with a kiss to Hakon’s spine, he made his pants vanish.

“Don’t overexert yourself. If the position is no longer comfortable, you can tell me. You’re allowed to make yourself more comfortable at any time.”

“Yes, my husband,” Hakon sighed, feeling himself falling into a deep state of tranquility and contentment. “My chieftain, my king.”

“Oh, dróttning ,” Talvi said, a blend of giddiness and awe in his tone.

He massaged the globes of Hakon’s ass, and Hakon still couldn’t fathom how it could feel so good to give himself to someone in this way.

Slick fingers pressed against his entrance, and Hakon moaned and pushed back against them. Each time they did this, it became easier to relax, and he craved Talvi’s touch inside him.

“More,” Hakon demanded. “Talvi—”

Curling his fingers, Talvi made him lose his ability to use words. His husband leaned over him, enveloping him with the warmth of his body and the softness of his skin. Pressing against that sparkling-white spot that always made Hakon see stars, Talvi peppered kisses along Hakon’s shoulder at the same time.

The sweetness of the sensations had Hakon writhing helplessly. How could the afterlife feel so good?

“Is this to your liking, my love?”

“Yes,” Hakon babbled, uncaring how desperate or needy he sounded. “Gods, yes.”

“Shall I fuck you now?”

“Please—I need to feel you.”

His back arched as Talvi slipped inside him, connecting them, filling him up so well.

“Up with you,” Talvi ordered, pulling him backward and onto his lap.

Groaning, Hakon went where Talvi guided him. The changed angle made him sink down even deeper on Talvi’s cock. Hakon cried out in pleasure. Curling one hand around Hakon’s cock, Talvi started to stroke him in a lazy rhythm with his shallow thrusts. With the other, he turned Hakon’s face to the side so he could kiss him, and Hakon moaned in pure bliss. His own hands came up to tangle in Talvi’s hair and clutched mindlessly at his shoulders.

“I love you,” Hakon panted against Talvi’s lips. “My husband, my everything.”

Speeding up his thrusts, Talvi kissed him with fervor.

“Gods, Hakon, you’re perfect. My perfect husband. Mine .”

Hakon screamed as the raw pleasure, along with his all-consuming feelings for Talvi, carried him away like an avalanche. Talvi groaned and shuddered, and Hakon knew he was being carried away with him. Slumping in Talvi’s arms, Hakon soaked up the warmth radiating from his husband. He felt sleepy; in dire need of being cuddled. Was there sleep in the afterlife? The pleasure of Talvi’s touch at least felt as divine as ever.

A silken cloth appeared out of nowhere in Talvi’s hand, and he used it to clean Hakon’s belly. It felt so good to let Talvi take care of everything. Slipping out of him carefully, Talvi helped him settle down in the sheets again.

“The Halls of Hel are more comfortable than I thought,” Hakon slurred as he snuggled into Talvi’s arms.

“Huh?”

“The Halls of the Dead. I guess Lady Hel favors you.”

Turning him around by his shoulders, Talvi faced him with a strange expression on his beautiful face.

“We aren’t dead, dróttning ,” he said, gently carding through Hakon’s hair.

“What?” Dizziness seemed to overwhelm Hakon. “I saw you die,” he choked, the horrible images threatening to drown him.

“I came back,” Talvi replied simply. “I couldn’t leave you.”

Suddenly it all made sense—their chambers in Saeborg, Talvi’s warm body, even the dog that wasn’t a dog at all.

A hurt sound tore itself from his throat and Hakon clung to Talvi.

“You came back,” he sobbed, incredulous and so relieved. He couldn’t stop the tears streaming down his face, and he didn’t try to. “I thought I’d lost you, but you came back.”

“Always,” Talvi promised. “I’ll never leave you. I’ll always find a way back to you.”

And Hakon believed him. Whatever lucky slip of the Nornir made this incredible, powerful, loving man so obsessed with Hakon, he was blessed.

Patiently, Talvi let him cry, patting his back and murmuring sweet nothings into his ear. How did Hakon deserve a man like him?

Hakon must have fallen asleep at some point because he woke up again to dim winter sunlight and familiar voices talking.

“Any signs of Arngrim or Svanhild?” Talvi’s voice was laced with anger, but the hand petting Hakon’s hair was gentle.

“None.” Gudrun’s voice was stoic and determined as ever. “But we’ve warriors all around the realm looking for them and spies heading for the other worlds.”

“They’ve both vanished from my sight.” That was Perhonen, the seeress. “It takes a lot of seier and distance to hide from me. Rest assured, they aren’t a threat at the moment.”

Hakon’s head rested comfortably in Talvi’s lap, and his husband’s gentle caresses never ceased. Gods, was Talvi talking politics with his closest advisors while Hakon slept? The idea was enticing.

“You’ll see Arngrim again,” Perhonen said softly.

“I don’t want to see him,” Talvi snarled. “He almost got Hakon killed. I’ll never forgive—”

Stirring and stretching, Hakon made a show of waking up. As he’d expected, Talvi’s attention was immediately focused on him.

“Hey, are you awake? How do you feel?” All anger had disappeared from Talvi’s voice, chased away by a softness that warmed Hakon’s heart.

Sitting up next to Talvi, Hakon attempted to look dignified despite his state of undress and the fact that he’d been drooling on his husband’s pants only moments ago.

“Perhonen. Gudrun.” He nodded at the women.

Gudrun smirked, but thankfully refrained from crawling into bed with them to hug him. It was bad enough that Hakon discovered the bear dozing like a dog at the foot of the bed. How could his life have changed so fundamentally in just a few months?

He smiled at Talvi, who regarded him with a worried expression.

“I’m fine, einar minn ,” Hakon said. At this point, he wasn’t ready to suggest Talvi talk to Frekegar, but he knew the time would come. He couldn’t yet forgive the dwarf for causing Talvi to get hurt, even if it was in a misguided attempt to protect him. But the man had been Talvi’s friend, his sworn warrior. If Talvi wanted to make peace one day, Hakon wouldn’t stand in his way.

“Are you hungry?” Talvi rearranged the sheets and pillows for Hakon to lean against. “Make yourself comfortable.”

His first impulse was still to refuse Talvi’s care. He could stand up. He wasn’t that famished. He could take care of himself.

But he didn’t have to. Not anymore. He could allow himself to be treated kindly, because he knew Talvi would never use it against him. So he leaned back with a sigh.

“I could eat,” Hakon said.

“You should,” Perhonen said, gathering her parchments. “You both should. You thwarted Svanhild’s plans, but it would be wise to get some rest.”

So, if they didn’t leave the bed for the next few days, the seeress was to blame.