I slip my hand inside of his and rise to my own feet.
Without a single word, he tugs me behind him. We walk past the entire table. I don’t look at anyone, not even Fiske and the bitch at his side. Keeping my gaze straight forward, I move my feet as quickly as I can, following my husband.
We slip inside of our bedroom and I silently watch as Aaric bars the door before he turns around to face me. Gasping, I gulp at the sight of his black eyes.
Chapter Twenty
LIV
“Aaric,” I whisper. “What happened in there?”
He shakes his head once, taking a step toward me, then lets out a growl before he turns toward the stone fireplace. I watch in silence, waiting for him to explain to me what has happened, what his brother said to make him so upset.
Instead of telling me immediately, he turns to the fireplace and starts to fiddle with the wood. The slow burn of the fire begins and I’m kind of grateful because it’s starting to get a little chilly, but I would really like to know what the hell is going on.
“My brother,” he sighs as he stands. He doesn’t turn around to face me. I don’t ask him to, hoping that he’ll finish his sentence soon. “He has always been the difficult one. He is full of defiance and spirit, he’s always been wild, feral even.”
“Sounds like my sister, Birdie,” I snort.
He looks over his shoulder, his brows furrowed in the middle. “Birdie? Like the animal, a bird?”
Tilting my head to the side, I can’t help the small smile that appears on my lips. “I suppose, yes, like the animal.”
“Why would your parents name your sister after a bird? Knowing how free-spirited and how they lack roots?”
Slowly, he turns around to face me, his brows lifted high as he waits for my answer. Shrugging a shoulder, I lick my lips and take one hesitant step toward him.
“I don’t think they really thought about that, Aaric,” I murmur. “They named us all odd names. I think they just liked to be different, unique.”
He grunts but doesn’t comment. “Well, I am grateful the gods sent me you, Liv, the protector.”
“Even if she is two years younger than me?” I ask.
Dropping his chin, his eyes find mine and he takes a step toward me. “Enough about that,” he gruffly demands.
“Is it, enough?”
He nods his head once, taking another step toward me, and another, until his body is just inches from my own. Tipping my head as far back as possible, I look up into his eyes. They’re no longer black with anger, but instead the lightest watery blue.
“It is enough sváss,” he rasps.
“Tell me what happened with your brother and his whatever she is,” I mutter.
Aaric’s lips twitch into a grin at my obvious annoyance with that woman. He lifts his hand, cupping my cheek and I lean into his touch. The pad of his thumb slowly traces my lips, his eyes following the path.
“We are going on a raid in two weeks’ time. You will be joining me on the Strïth. Fiske and his thrall will be joining us, but traveling on a different ship. He was boasting that it was his idea, that he is in charge of the raid when, in fact, he is not.”
“Was it his idea?” I rasp.
He nods. “It was his suggestion. One that I had already been debating in my own head before he brought it to me. We need one more raid before winter to secure our supplies for the harshness of the weather that is to come our way.”
The pad of his thumb continues to slowly trace my lips as he talks. Chills continue to slide throughout my whole body at the touch. My thighs tremble, my pussy aches, and my belly melts. I want him, right now.
This is almost the sweetest foreplay I’ve ever experienced—almost.
“So, you’re angry because he’s trying to take the glory from you?” I breathe.
He snorts. “Nei.” There is a moment of silence and I think that he’s finished talking, I kind of hope that he is because I am ready to move on to a different kind of conversation, but instead he starts to speak again. “Fiske is unpredictable. He’s also not behaving as his usual self, I am concerned that there is something larger at play,” he murmurs.
“Like maybe he’ll try to get people on his side by acting like he’s the big man?” I suggest, licking his thumb as