cloth across her forehead. The Gnu squawks, then hops around so that its back is to me before his wings expand and he flies away.
“That was a spirit animal,” Hagen needlessly points out.
“I know,” I grunt.
“She truly was sent and is watched over by the gods,” he rasps.
“I know,” I snap.
“Aaric,” Liv’s sweet voice says.
Leaning down slightly, I reach for her hand, clasping it in mine and being careful not to grip her too tightly. I watch as her eyes flutter open, the green orbs focus on me and then her lip curls in what appears to be disgust.
“Get the fuck away from me please,” she says, her voice sounding sweet, but the words are sour.
Without a word, I drop her hand, turn my back to her and walk away. I order Hagen to stay at her side, but Gunnar follows me. Fiske is no longer waiting for me, and for that I am glad.
“I need spirits,” I bark, not looking back at Gunnar. He chuckles, then together we walk to the öl bær.
LIV
Looking around, my gaze flicks from Runa, Hillevi, then to Hagen who is glowering at me from his place against the wall. I don’t know what happened, but I feel like complete shit. Then, there’s the fact that I woke up with Aaric looking far too beautiful and concerned and that pissed me off. He has no right—none.
“Okay, what happened?” I ask, knowing that Hagen can’t understand me, so we can be frank in here.
Runa and the seeress look at one another, then flick their gazes back to meet my own, neither of them saying anything immediately.
“You became upset when I told you of my binding spell,” Runa mutters as if trying to keep the truth from me, but also knowing that she must tell me.
Licking my lips, I try not to tremble as the knowledge rushes through me. I cannot leave here, not without Aaric. I can’t take my sister and be spirited away, or however it happens. I can’t leave here. I can’t leave him and that makes my heart feel like it’s being torn to shreds inside of my chest.
“Well, rightfully so, it seems. How could you do that to me?” I ask on a whisper.
Runa shakes her head, her eyes watching me, looking almost pityingly at me. I hate it. I am a strong, independent woman and I won’t stand for being pitied, except right in this exact moment I truly feel pretty sorry for myself.
“It is not something that I did to you, Liv, you must believe me.”
“Then why?” I ask on an exhale.
It’s the seeress who speaks next. “It has very little to do with you and very much to do with the outcome of this prophecy. She didn’t do this to you, she did this so that nothing of severe devastation would happen to our people, to our world.”
Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I shake my head, wishing that I could just take my own fucking self back home. My body begins to tremble. I’m terrified, not just of this place, but of never being able to go home.
What am I going to do here?
What about my family?
What about my life?
“I can’t,” I breathe.
Runa reaches out to me at the same time the seeress does as well. Their hands grip my arms gently, but firmly.
“You cannot panic, Liv. You mustn’t,” Runa utters. “You must take care of yourself. You cannot continue being so upset. It isn’t healthy.”
“Maybe you can tell that jackass I married, to stop being a dick to me for five seconds, and then maybe I’ll stop being so upset. Or maybe you could have not cast some extra fucked up spell on me since it seems that I already have one that I’m dealing with at the moment,” I snap.
Runa and the seeress both press their lips together. Thankfully, they at least look partially ashamed for what they’ve been part of.
Letting out a sigh, I close my eyes, then open them again. “So, what happens now?” I ask.
I’m exhausted. I was literally carried out of this bed naked just hours ago and thrown into a jail cell. Now I’m back, after passing out for God knows how long and I’m being told that some binding spell was cast on me, to tether me to my asshole of a husband. My head is spinning, and I wonder offhandedly if I could literally do that, like that movie with the possessed chick?
“Now, you need to open your