Bride of the Sea (The Prophecy of Sisters #2) - Hayley Faiman Page 0,105
before my own. Something has happened, something is going to happen, I can see it behind his gaze. Lifting my hand, I touch my palm to his talisman on his chest.
“Aaric, tell me,” I breathe.
“The baby survives,” he rasps.
Shaking my head, I frown. “The baby? Why wouldn’t the baby be okay?”
He grunts, shifting slightly as his gaze flicks down, then lifts to meet mine. “You bled. Runa said she was worried. I reached out to Quest. He was able to sense its presence still within you.”
Letting out a shaky breath, I don’t know whether to cheer or cry. I’m so confused. The talisman starts to glow a soft blue glow. It doesn’t spark like it has when we’ve made love, it’s just a soft glow, almost loving and warm.
“The man?” I ask.
“A völva of some kind. I am unsure who sent him. Runa did not sense his magic when he was here. We must go to your sister, she could be in danger.”
“What about the man who actually went to find her? How do you know this wasn’t him?” I demand.
Aaric smiles softly, releasing my hand as he lifts his arm and cups my cheek with his palm. “He could not have traveled to Bunafi and back in the time that he’s been gone. It didn’t make sense. Not unless there was magic at play.”
“Is my sister okay?” I snap.
Aaric’s lips curve up into a grin. “I do not know, sváss. I feel that we must go to her, just to be sure.”
“But who will protect Wolfjour Ail?”
He jerks his head in obvious surprise at my concern for his country. I watch as he licks his lips, his gaze flicking from my eyes, to my lips, then back to meet my own gaze. I hold my breath, waiting to see what he will say next.
“I am going to have a bath brought in for you and food.”
“Aaric,” I warn.
His lips twitch into a grin. “Let me handle Wolfjour Ail, já?”
“What about Sylvi? Can she be in charge?”
His eyes widen at my suggestion, he releases me and stands to his feet. My hands automatically fall from his body when he does, and I find that I miss the warmth of his skin against my fingers. Aaric tilts his head to the side as he looks down at me.
“Sylvi?”
Shifting my legs over the side of the bed, I look up at him. “She is competent. She is strong and able. With a guard at her back, she can run and protect Wolfjour Ail without fail.”
I think that he’s going to say absolutely not. This is such a male-dominant place, but he doesn’t speak right away. Hope blooms in my chest that he may actually allow a woman to run this country in his absence.
“I will think on this, víf. For now, let me have a bath brought to you and some food to feed my child. You have been in and out of your sleep for well over a week, your body needs proper nutrients.”
Without another word, he turns his back to me, tugging the door open, and I hear his voice bellow for a bath and food from the kitchens.
He stands in the corner of the room while his slaves hurry to do his bidding, I hate every second of watching them, but before they leave, he dips his chin in a silent thanks and closes the door, barring it so that we’re alone again.
Aaric walks over to the side of the bed and silently strips me out of my undergarment dress. Then he picks me up and carries me over to the tub. Slowly, he lowers me inside. I let out a moan as the warm water touches all of my achy muscles.
Silently, Aaric strips out of his own clothes and he climbs in behind me, his legs on either side of me, tugging my back against his front. He slips his hands around my middle, touching my belly as his chin rests against my shoulder.
“I would not survive this world without you, Liv,” he whispers. “Never will I leave your side again.”
“I’m okay,” I say.
He hums, rubbing the side of his cheek against my temple. We’re both silent for a moment as he just holds me, keeping his arms and legs wrapped around me like a safe, comfortable, protective cocoon.
“Já, you are indeed okay. I am not.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
LIV
After our bath, and Aaric’s demand to hand feed me delicious bread, fruit, meat, and cheese, he dries my body off and