Bride of the Sea (The Prophecy of Sisters #2) - Hayley Faiman Page 0,114

up. She shifts her hair to the side, exposing her neck to me.

“You are not joining me,” I rasp as I hook her dress up the back. She hums as I lower my face and touch my lips to her still exposed neck. “You cannot,” I murmur against her skin.

Liv turns around, her green eyes blazing as she watches me. “Who is here?”

Pressing my lips together, I debate not telling her. My gaze flicks down to her belly and I soften as I think about the life growing inside of her, my heir. Clearing my throat, I shift my gaze back up to meet hers.

“It is the völva who attempted to hurt you,” I say.

Fear flashes in her eyes, but she quickly chases it away. I watch as she jerks her chin up, looking down her nose at me. “What happens now?” she asks.

Taking a step back, I shake my head once. “You stay in here. You are protected by Runa’s magic, you and the babe. If he breaches that door for whatever reason, you use the escape that I showed you.”

“Aaric,” she warns.

“Nei, víf,” I bark. “You will protect yourself, you will protect the babe. If he breaches that door you will run.”

Then, I do something that I should have done a long while ago. Walking over to the small trunk that I have kept for years, one that I have not dared to open, I take out three items. Turning around, I carry them over to my dróttning.

“These were my mother’s,” I explain as I set the metal and jewel-encrusted crown on top of her head. “I should have given it to you on our wedding day, I hadn’t thought much of it. My emotions being so up and down in the beginning of our affair.”

The jewels match her eyes. I should have remembered, I should have known that she was meant to be my queen without a doubt, another fated reason the gods sent her to me.

The handle of the dagger matches the crown. Slipping it into her hand, I also wrap the piece of leather around her waist and slip the dagger into the sheath.

Next, I tie a small leather pouch to her waistband as well. “The dagger and this pouch were also my mother’s. The dagger is for protection. I should have been teaching you how to use this all along. I apologize for that, but you must if you need to, Liv.”

“I will, Aaric,” she whispers.

I hum, knowing that she is not prepared for any of this, she may not kill a man if she is faced with the need. There are warriors who hesitate during their first battle—trained warriors. Liv is strong, but she has not been trained at all, and I don’t think that her world is the same as mine, in a lot of ways, but mostly in defending land and one’s self.

“The pouch is full of coin and jewels. If you need to run, run. Sten and Kjeld are trained trackers. They will find you, until then, find a village close by and pay for room, board, and food with this coin. Only use the jewels if you run out of coin.”

“Aaric,” she whimpers.

Lifting my eyes to meet hers, I see the tears streaming down her cheeks. The crack of lightning and thunder sound outside. She’s scared.

“If I need to leave, I will go to your spot at the beach. I will wait there for as long as I can.”

Lowering my head, I rest my forehead against her own. “Yes, fagr. Go there, I will come to you when this battle is won.”

She sniffles, the rain starts to pour down outside. Touching my mouth to hers in a swift kiss, I tug the door open. “Bar this,” I demand.

“Yes, Aaric,” she breathes.

I do not look back. I cannot. Instead, I look straight ahead and make my way toward Runa. She shifts her gaze behind me, nods once, then together we walk through the húsgørd.

Kjeld and Sten meet me on the way, no doubt, Runa waking them as well. I tell them the plan and they nod without offering a single word. They are like me, they are getting into their warriors’ minds. They are pushing everything else behind them. They are preparing for war with a völva.

Chapter Forty

AARIC

I am surprised by the appearance of the völva. He is nothing as I expected. He looks like any of my men. He is tall, strong, and commanding. Except when he lifts his