Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 37456 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37456 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 187(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
"The night the Forsaken came for me, my parents came to warn me…" Her words are muffled against my chest, but I hear her pain. I feel it tearing at my heart. She may not have known them, but she grieves them regardless.
"Warn you about what, ljúfr?" I murmur, holding her tighter.
"The Forsaken." She swallows hard, clinging to me like I'm an anchor, rooting her to earth. "They told me to find the Fae. To tell you that the Forsaken were coming."
Faen. How the fuck did her parents know about us? About the Valkyrie? Even if they were Blooded, it doesn't make sense. None of us knew who the Valkyrie were until they were plucked from the tapestry of fate one by one.
Marion's sad sigh has me filing the question away for later.
"My whole life, I saw her watching me, Malachi," she whispers. "I thought she was a figment of my imagination, but she wasn't. I think she was watching over me."
"I'm sorry, ljúfr." I brush my lips across her temple, trying to soothe her. But she tips her head back, and my lips graze hers instead. I groan at the taste of her, the feel of her soft lips against mine igniting a fire inside me.
The way I want this woman is terrifying.
For millennia, I've wondered what it would be like to have a mate, to know love. But I knew long ago that those things weren't for me. Fae warriors sworn to protect Valhalla don't mate. We gave up that dream when we swore our oaths. And yet, I craved it anyway.
Now, she's here in my arms…and I'm fucking terrified I'll love her wrong. That I've spent too much of my life at war to ever know true peace, and too much of it being a rock for my brothers to ever be the shelter she deserves. This tiny, beautiful Valkyrie deserves the world. All I have to offer is a battle-weary Fae who hides behind laughter and jokes.
It's not nearly good enough for her.
"Please," she whispers, her plea wrecking me. "Kiss me, Malachi. Just once, teach me what it feels like to be wanted."
Every fiber of my being aches to lose myself in her, to show her just how desperately wanted she is. But the weight of duty, of destiny, hangs heavy. We teeter on the edge of a precarious precipice, the fate of worlds resting on the delicate balance between love and war.
How can I protect her while empowering her to fulfill her fate? How can I be both her shield and her sword against the darkness? Questions swirl like storm clouds, even as her intoxicating scent invades my senses.
Faen. Somehow, some way, I will keep her safe. Even if it means shattering realms and defying the very weavings of the Norns. There is no other choice.
I slip my hand into her fiery curls, angling her head back until her eyes meet mine.
"Just once? Nei, Valkyrie," I breathe against her lips, need pounding through me. "Not just once. You aren't wanted just once. You're wanted always."
She whimpers my name, a delicate, greedy sound that unravels me. I swoop, claiming her lips in a searing kiss that sets my soul ablaze. Desire sings to life between us, vast and infinite. My pulse pounds in my ears as I lick into her mouth, tasting her, savoring her. Claiming every piece of her soul as mine.
She trembles in my arms, opening her soul to me without reservation. I crawl inside and take up residence there, carving out a spot for myself. Burrowing so deep she can never root me out again.
"Mine," I vow against her lips, dragging her closer. My hands roam down her body, exploring in a way I've ached to do since I first scooped her into my arms. Her full breasts overflow my hands. "You belong to me, ljúfr."
She sobs her agreement, clawing at my shoulders, her nails digging in deliciously. I pinch her nipples, making her sob again.
Part of my mind tells me I should stop now, that I've gone far enough for one day, but I can't stop now that she's in my arms and my hands are on her.
I slide my hands down the roundness of her belly, eagerly seeking the heat between her legs.
I slip a hand between her thick thighs, pressing against the heat of her sex through her pants.
Her eyes fly open on a gasp, locking with mine.
"This is mine too, ljúfr. When you're ready, you'll know what it is to belong to this Fae in every single way."
"Please," she gasps. "Please, Malachi."
Unable to resist her sweet plea, I grind my palm against her, tormenting us both.
Her Light spills across my skin in a hot rush as she comes apart in my arms with a keening cry.
Her knees buckle as she shatters, but I scoop her up easily, carrying her to the bed.