“Ow,” she grumbled as she reached up and rubbed her chest where the cut had been made. Then, several remarkable things seemed to come to her mind all at once. “You have long hair and a beard. You’re in my room.” She turned and looked at Myra. “With a woman who claims to have magic. And you let her cut me.” Her eyes began to blaze with the heat of the anger that made me want to poke her more just to see how far I could push her. “What is going on, Torben, and why do you look like that?”
“Do you trust me?” I asked.
She nodded without even thinking. “I don’t know if I should any more since you allowed someone to carve me like a holiday bird.”
I smirked. “Being a bit dramatic, don’t you think, princess?”
“I woke up bleeding. I am entitled to dramatics.”
“I told you that you needed your anchor to survive,” Myra interrupted. “Do you remember that?”
She nodded.
“Torben is your anchor. He is the match for your soul, and without him, your ability to heal and continuation to do so will take a piece of your life with every attempt.”
“What?” I growled. “You didn’t say any of that to me, witch.”
“Did you want me to take time to explain while she slipped further into oblivion, or did you want her to live?”
I pursed my lips. “All right, you have sound reasoning.”
Myra turned back to Allete. “We have begun the bonding process by the joining of his blood with yours. Hence the cut.” She pointed to the wound. The bleeding had slowed, but not fast enough for my liking. I tore a piece of my tunic and pressed it to the wound. Allete slapped my hand away which made me chuckle.
“One day, princess, you won’t be pushing my hands away,” I said, knowing it would ignite her temper.
“Want to bargain on whether you can hold your breath longer than I can keep pushing your hands away?”
“Would you two please stop acting like kids with crushes and complete this bond so you both can be stronger?” Myra snapped.
I was too busy grinning down at the woman I had fallen for, loving that she always rose to the challenges that I threw at her. She was my equal in every way—my soul match.
Allete shot me one more glare before turning back to Myra. “Am I marrying him?”
Myra shook her head. “One day I’m sure you will marry in the way of your people. But what we are doing is more permeant. It is a merging of souls. There is no bond that is its equal. Soul matches are a rare occurrence that only happen with those who possess magic. This is not to be taken lightly.”
Allete turned and looked up at me. “You truly want this? We’ve only known each other a short while, and I still have no idea why you look so barbaric at the moment.”
“I am a Northman, a Viking. Myra put a spell on me and my men to make us look like Englishmen so we would be easily accepted as guards. What you are seeing now is what I truly look like.”
“Why did you come here and pretend to be my guard?” she asked.
I rubbed the back of my neck. “That’s a bit complicated.”
“I’m about to bind my soul to yours. Un-complicate it, and do it quickly.”
“The fear of rejection was not something with which I had ever contended. I am a warrior. I protect that which is mine, I destroy my enemy, and I lead my people. That is what I have always been. But with her, I am more. And even as a warrior, with all the times I stood on a battlefield staring down death, I was never as afraid as I was then. Staring down at my love and praying she did not destroy me by rejecting me.”
* * *
~Torben
“My clan came because our Jarl wanted to raid the ships of the king that was coming to marry you,” Torben said, then added reluctantly. “And your father as well.”
“And why did you come?” I could tell by the sound of his voice that his answer was not the complete story.
“I came for you,” he finally admitted.
“To abduct me?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No. I came to court you, but the only way I could do that was by getting close to you. We came across Myra, and she agreed to help us.”
“Why would you want to court me? How did you know me?”
“You were part of a prophecy that my mother received. She is an Oracle. She saw that our futures were intertwined. In order to save both of our people, we must be joined.”
I started to argue. I was already in a betrothal that was based upon the benefit of two kingdoms. I did not want a marriage based upon political alliances. Before I could say anything, Torben held up his hand to stop me.
“I know what you are going to say, and I understand it,” he said. “I would not want a marriage that wasn’t based upon love. I did not want to be forced any more than you did, I promise you. That is why I wanted to court you. If we are meant to be, wouldn’t it stand to reason that we would be in love? I would never have forced you. And I still won’t.”
I believed him. From what I’d learned about him over the past month, despite not knowing his true background, his actions had proven his character. And, right or wrong, I loved Torben, a Viking warrior.
“And how do you feel?” I asked him. Perhaps I was pushing for something I already knew. He’d expressed his feelings before, but if we were doing something so permanent, then I needed to hear it.
“I love you,” he said simply. “I knew the minute I saw you that you were created just for me. The past few weeks have just confirmed it.”
As I stared up at him, at a future that I wanted to grasp with both my hands, yet seemed so very far out of my reach, I wondered if we could make it happen. Could it be as simple as just trying, as he’d said a couple weeks ago? Did we really have the power to choose our own destiny?
“You need to choose.” Myra broke the silence that had filled the room.
My jaw clenched tightly as I made my choice. I sat up and reached for Torben’s hand. “I need you to understand why I’m about to make this decision.” I could tell that he thought I was rejecting him. It was obvious in the way his body tensed, and his mouth drew out in a tight line. His eyes narrowed and seemed to flash with a near uncontrollable anguish.
“Listen,” I encouraged him and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “I am not choosing you because I can’t survive without you. I am not saying yes to us because of some prophecy. I am not choosing us simply because the gods ordained it. I’m not even choosing you simply to avoid Cathal, even though that would certainly be reason enough. I’m choosing you because my heart is yours. Even if every army from every kingdom stood between us, I would still choose you and fight to be with you.”
I didn’t wait for his response. I turned to Myra and nodded my head.
“Will you, Allete, Seer and Healer of the Hakon Clan and soul match to Torben, pledge yourself to him? Will you stand beside him as his equal? Will you support him as his queen? Will you be his helpmate and share your insights, encouragement, and advice to ensure he stays on the path intended for him? Will you let him protect you, lift you up when you need it, carry you when you cannot walk, shelter you when the storms of what is to come become too much? Will you bind your soul to his and take his into your keeping as well?”
“I do and I will,” I answered, the words seeming to simply flow from my mouth like the chants that came when I was healing. As soon as the words passed my lips, a soft glow and feeling of warmth surrounded Torben and me. The light grew brighter and brighter, and the heat felt as though it was trying to meld us into one being. I felt a tugging deep inside of me, as though a string was attached to my heart and was being pulled gently, the force directed at Torben’s chest.
I looked up at him, and my lips curved up to match the smile that was glowing on his face. His eyes were filled with a contentment that I felt deep inside of me. As the light and heat slowly faded, I knew it was done. Torben, my soul match and anchor, was bound to me and me to him.
“It is done,” Myra said and took a deep breath
. “There are things coming that I cannot speak of, but it is imperative that you let nothing come between what has been joined here today. The gods have blessed this union, and nothing in heaven, in hell, or on earth, can destroy it. Be prepared, a fight is coming your way.”
She melted into the shadows of the room and was gone in a matter of seconds as if she’d never been there.
“That did not sound very encouraging,” I said as I sat back in the bed. Torben sat next to me, his hand resting on my thigh.
“We will face whatever is coming, together,” he said with a certainty that I trusted because he believed it, even though I didn’t feel such assurance myself.
“What now?” I asked.
“Now we pretend as though nothing has happened until the morning of the wedding,” Torben said.
I really did not like the sound of that, but I understood why it was necessary. As he stood from my bed and walked around to the other side, I felt a sudden urge to grab onto him and never let him go.
“I feel it, too,” he said as he looked down at me, his handsome face exhibiting a tenderness that I only saw when we were alone. “I don’t want to leave, not even to be just outside. But I have to keep you safe.”
I nodded. “I know.”
He leaned down and kissed me, a sweet, lingering kiss that had my toes curling under the covers. I kept my hands to myself, knowing that if I wrapped them around his neck I would try to pull him closer.
“One day left,” he whispered against my lips. “The banquet is the evening after tomorrow. Then we will make our escape. I will be honest, I’m still trying to devise a plan.”
I smiled. “You infiltrated my father’s castle as a guard and captivated my heart. I have every confidence in you.”
“Sleep well, princess.” With a final kiss, he stood and walked to the door.
“Torben,” I said quickly. He turned and looked back at me. “I’m glad it is you. I’m glad you are my soul match.”
“As I am glad, Allete Auvray, that you are my everything.”
The door shut quietly behind him, and I laid back in my bed no longer feeling as though I was at death’s door. In a matter of a few hours, my life had veered off one path and been placed on a completely different course, one with a considerably better outlook. I was sure in that moment the smile on my face could not get any bigger without my face splitting in half, and my heart could not swell with any more love without bursting.
Torben was mine, and I was his. For once I felt as though I was exactly where I was supposed to be and that my life finally had a purpose.
When morning came, I still couldn’t wipe the stupid grin off my face.
“Are you going to tell me what happened in there?” Brant asked as he motioned with his head to the door behind me.
“I made her mine,” I said simply.
Brant’s eyes widened. “She allowed that without any vows?”
I shook my head. “Does your bloody mind always jump to the ditch, man?”
“You said you made her yours,” he argued. “How else should I interpret it?”
“We bound our souls.”
“Oh, well,” he nodded. “That’s good.” He scratched his head and narrowed his eyes on me. “What the hell does that mean exactly?”
I could not help but laugh. “Remember Myra?”
He nodded. “Of course. Why you think I look like this?” he said, motioning to his face.
“She was here last night. She explained some things about what it means to be a healer and a seer. Apparently, Allete is both, though she’s never had a prophecy. Myra explained that a seer did not begin to have the sight until she was united with her soul match, her anchor. I am Allete’s match. We took a blood oath last night and bound our souls. She’s mine in every way but one. And as soon as we are off this damn continent, I intend to marry her and make her mine in body as well.”
“And she’s on board with all of this?”
I nodded and the grin I’d had only moments ago returned. “She loves me.”
Brant shook his head. “I really thought she was smarter than that.”
“Shut your mouth, you horse’s arse. You’re just jealous.”
“Why should I be jealous? I’ve got my eye on the future mother of my offspring as well. She will admit her undying love soon enough. Just wait.”
“I don’t doubt she will admit her undying love. And I’m anxious to learn who the object of her affection is,” I jested.
Brant scoffed. “I am not worried, brother. I can simply kill anyone who thinks he can have her.”
“I’m sure murder will endear her to you.”
The object of his affection rounded the corner only seconds after his words had left his mouth.
“Good morning, dashing brutes,” Dayna said with a grin.
“Princess,” Brant said bowing his head. Apparently, he thought that this formality was what would endear her to him because he reached for her hand and tugged her closer. He lifted the hand to his mouth and ran kisses across her knuckles. Dayna looked shocked for a moment, but quickly recovered herself.
“You are sure of yourself, Brant,” she said in a tone that she probably intended to sound severe. Instead it came out husky and breathless.
“No, beauty. But I am no fool when fate drops a gem in my lap. No man finds riches and turns away. He grasps it with both hands and holds it close to protect it from those who might steal it.”
“And you have found such riches?”
“I have found something far greater than riches, lovely Dayna. I have found the one my soul cannot live without.”
My brow rose as I stared at my long-time comrade. When had he become such a poet? When I looked at Dayna’s face and saw her flushed skin, I knew his words were having a profound effect. I coughed, adding some words that I hoped would break his spell. “Too young.”
Brant dropped her hand but didn’t look away from her. “Not for long she isn’t,” he said, responding to my prodding.
Dayna stepped back from Brant and then surprised us both. “I am inclined to think you are full of horse droppings … but … I do not think you are so dense as to try and seduce a princess into your bed while in her own home and under the eye of her father. So I guess you will just have to prove your words to me. You do that, Brant, and I’m yours. Of course, you will have to wait until I come of age. Which means no playing about with other women until then. I know there are many who are much too eager to lift their skirts for a handsome warrior.”
I choked as I swallowed. She was young, and yet she spoke her mind with such decisiveness. I could see why Brant was smitten with her.
“I wouldn’t dare,” he murmured, his eyes taking her in as though she was the first piece of a land he’d seen after being on the ocean for months.
Dayna pulled her shoulders back and raised her chin. Her eyes danced with the same fire I’d seen in Allete. “I am not jesting, Brant. You want me?”
“You know I do.”
Well, damn, these two weren’t going to just continue to flirt. Then again, I knew that once Brant made a decision, he never wavered. There would be no changing his mind. If he said he wanted her, then he meant it with everything in him.”
“If I even hear of you setting those eyes on another woman, then I’ll cut them out and feed them to fish. I won’t allow my heart to be toyed with.”
“So you want me as well?” he asked her. “You do not think you are too young to be making such a declaration?”
“I may be young, but I know my own damn mind, and when I see what I want, I am not afraid to take it. My own ability to wait for you does not need to be a question. I am a female and one of high ranking. Even if I did not respect myself and took a man to my bed before taking him as my husband, I would be disgraced. But a man…” She laughed, but there was no humor in it. “A man can take as many women to his bed as he pleases before taking a bride, and everyone turns a blind eye. Your past is your past, but if you are telling me tha
t I am what your soul wants, then you had better be ready to show me the truth in your words.”
She turned and reached past me to grasp the handle to her sister’s chambers.
“Dayna Auvray,” Brant’s voice came out in a low growl.
She looked back at him over her shoulder.
“I have no problem proving anything to you, and I am not an animal in rut, needing to satisfy my every urge. But hear me, female. You expect my devotion, and you have it. I expect the same.”
She began to speak, but he held up his hand to stop her. “I am not talking about your body. I’ve no doubt you will keep your skirt down and your beautiful legs closed. I am talking about you. You want me to be yours, then you had damn well better be mine. None of that flirty shite that you do so well. No casual touches from other males, I don’t care if they are a member of your father’s court. We clear, little princess?”
Dayna’s lips tightened. She obviously did not care for the endearment.
“We are clear. But, Brant, if you ever call me little princess again, I won’t have to worry about you ever lusting after some barmaid. I will make sure you are cut to be a eunuch, and I will be the one doing the cutting.” After a moment of intense staring between the two hotheads, she grinned and blew him a kiss.
When she was behind the door, Brant let out a sigh. “Damn, I want that one. She’s perfect for me.”
I cleared my throat. “She just threatened to cut your balls off, and you think she’s perfect.”
“Hell, yes,” he grinned stupidly. “A woman who can handle a blade can no doubt handle other things just as well.”
“Bloody hell, man,” I said shaking my head. “I suppose you’re right. She’s just as crass as you are and doesn’t blink an eye at your crude comments. And she’s just as violent as you. I have a feeling there will be blood drawn many times before you two make it to the marriage bed.”
Brant nodded. “Of that I’ve no doubt. Too many of those pansy, court males look at her as though she’s a trophy to be set on their mantle. I’ve no doubt, if we stay here much longer, I will have to kill a few. She’s the type who will flirt with them just to piss me off.”