Page 18 of Night Fall
“But—”
He shook his head. “I will wash the rest of the blood off in the river then change,” he said, before gathering a fresh set of clothes for himself.
“Will you toss your bloodied clothes in the hearth? I have already put my gown there, and I would like to set a fire and burn them to remove any trace of evidence.”
Erik’s fingers stilled for a moment, then he gave her a smile so dazzling she felt weak at her knees. He stepped before her and dropped a kiss on her head. “That is an excellent plan, fagr skjaldmær min. I will be back to you shortly, and we can set a fire then.”
When Erik returned, his clothes joined hers in the hearth. They stood together, her arm wrapped around his waist, and his around her shoulder. Erik took a deep breath, filling his lungs with air. Mya watched his eyes flash orange, and when he exhaled, flames shot from his mouth. They filled the hearth, quickly eating away at their bloodied clothing. Mya hoped that one day, much like the clothes which curled and burned to ash under the intensity of the heat, so would the remnants of their negative pasts, never to be seen or experienced again.
SEVEN
They watched in silence as the fire continued to dance before them, then Mya looked up at Erik, her dark olive eyes meeting his silver.
“Tell me what you did to the men that attacked me. Tell me how much of their blood you spilled.”
One breath passed, then another and another as Mya waited for Erik’s next words. She watched him, the twinge in his brow, the tightening and relaxing in his jaw, as if he was trying to plan his thoughts in an order that would be respectful to her.
She did not want respect. That form of politeness and modesty did not match her. She wanted brutal honesty, the darkest parts of Erik, because she knew she could digest them. Mya wanted to digest them, to steep in them and make them hers, because they called to something in her that could understand them, something that knew them.
Erik met her eyes, reading her desire to create more bonds between them. He was the entry to her exit, the positive to her negative, and she was his. He tightened his grip on her shoulder, then relaxed as if to let her slip away from him should she need to.
She did not. The thought of leaving him would never enter her mind.
“They did not get far from where they attacked you. Walter”—Erik said his name as if it was worse than the Black Plague—“was unconscious, and they were carrying him back to one of their estates.”
Erik spun his fingers above the hearth. The fire built, responding to the anger and edge in his tone. “I broke their limbs so they could not walk, then I dragged them into the woods. There I tortured them for information. They had attacked and raped several other women, so I broke a bone for each of them. Then I carved their flesh and tore chunks out of it, making sure not to hit vital organs or veins. I left them to bleed to death, starve, or be eaten––whichever came first. Once they died, I broke their carcasses down and left them to the wolves. What they did not devour, I burned to ash.
“I found the women they attacked and have offered them employment, as well as a guard that will travel with them should they decide to take the position. That, unfortunately, was the best that could be done.”
Fury rolled off Erik in waves, and Mya knew he wished he could do more. She squeezed his waist.
“They got what they deserved, and you have done well. I am sure those women will accept your offer. Perhaps they will be able to build a better life for themselves than what they had previously been afforded.”
Erik nodded, his gaze on the fire as he said, “You are taking all of this rather well.”
She turned to him. “Did you think your brutality would scare me?”
“Not scare you, but give you pause.”
“As I said earlier, I wanted them dead. I wanted to know how you killed them to know the depths of your rage, to know what it looks like when it is controlled. I would have not been able to think the way that you did, but perhaps with adequate training I will be able to remove myself from the situation enough to ensure I have covered all my tracks.”
Mya took his hand and stepped in between him and the fire. “You are my inspiration, Erik, in many ways. You will never scare me. My trust in you has not wavered, nor will it ever.”
His breath hitched. He squeezed her hand, and when he spoke his voice was lower, deeper. “We should go to bed.”
She nodded and gave him a small smile as she followed him to the bed. She laid on her side with Erik behind her, but she noticed that he made sure not to touch her in any way.
“Erik?”
“Yes?”
“Hold me the same way you did the other night,” she whispered, as she tried to temper her nerves.
He sighed. “You may not be … comfortable.”
“I will be just fine. Come,” she said as she patted the bedding draped over her hip.
Erik moved behind her until he was pressed against her back. She lifted her head for his arm, and he shifted her hair to the side. “Would you like me to braid it for you?”
