Bride of the Sea (The Prophecy of Sisters #2) - Hayley Faiman Page 0,67

it was just to get back into the húsgørd? I decide to keep an eye on the situation, not to let Isolda slither like a snake anywhere. She was given to Fiske, and Fiske’s home is where she will go back to.

Gently, I run my fingers up and down Liv’s bare back. She’s pressed against my side, her cheek resting against my chest as she breathes. I wonder what she dreams of. What do the gods give her to think about as she rests so peacefully?

There’s a quick knock on my door and carefully, I slip from beneath her softness. Grabbing my discarded hides, I tug them up my legs as I make my way toward the door. Opening it slightly, I slip out, and find myself standing across from Fiske.

“What are you doing?” I grunt.

He looks up at me, and for the first time since I discovered his demon, it is gone. All I see is Fiske staring back at me. He looks to the side, then shifts his gaze back to meet my own.

“Something is wrong,” he hisses. “I feel it growing inside of me.”

“A darkness?” I ask.

He gulps, nodding his head a couple of times. “It grows inside of me. I have lost hours and even days of my life to it. I wake up and I do not know what has happened.”

I want to believe him. I have no doubt that the darkness causes him to black out, to not be in control of his own body, but if I kill him, that darkness will enter my body and I can’t allow it, not for my people’s sake.

“Did you hurt, Isolda?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “I don’t think so. I don’t remember. I don’t remember anything.” He’s trembling and as much as I want to be angry with him, I simply cannot be.

“We leave soon, Fiske. You must get a handle on whatever is ailing you. Do you need to see Runa?” I ask hoping that he will agree to the suggestion.

He shakes his head. “Nei, I do not. I will be okay. I must go.”

“Where to?” I ask as he turns his back on me.

When he looks back at me from over his shoulder, my stomach drops. The demon is back. He smiles, it’s nothing like the Fiske of just seconds ago, it is evil and there is no denying that this is not my brother’s eyes looking back at me.

I watch in silence as he turns back around and heads straight toward Isolda’s room. I’m unsure how he knows exactly where she is, but I’m also not about to stop him. She is his, and although I don’t wish for her to be harmed, I can’t deny that I’m a bit frightened of the demon inside of him.

“Aaric?” Liv’s sweet voice calls.

Turning around, I see her standing at the door a fur wrapped around her shoulder, her red hair messy from sleep and my hands. “Fiske,” I grunt as though it will answer any of the questions that she has.

“Okay,” she nods.

“Something is wrong with him,” I explain.

“Okay,” she repeats.

With a heavy sigh, I walk toward her, then past her as she steps to the side. Closing the door behind her, I guide her back toward our bed. Once we’re lying down again, I pull her close against me, just needing to feel her body pressed against my own.

“Is this about her?” she asks on a whisper.

“Nei, Liv.”

I expect her to cease talking about the issue, but she doesn’t. Instead, she places her palm on my chest and pushes her body up so that her eyes find mine. “Aaric, what is going on?”

Shaking my head once, I shift my gaze to the side before I move it back to meet hers. “It is not your concern.”

“It is. This is my home, too.”

With a snort, I give her a mocking smirk. I know that what I say next will no doubt hurt her delicate sensibilities as I seem to so often do. However, I cannot have her poking into this situation.

“You have no say in this situation, in my people, Liv,” I announce.

She blinks, then shakes her head and I know that she is attempting to shake the hurt away that I’ve caused her. Lifting my head, I touch my lips to her forehead.

“It is not a bad thing, sváss. You will be part of us one day, but not on this subject,” I say softly, attempting to soothe the hurt that I’ve just