Page 29 of Highlander’s Viking Snakes

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Arne Hagen and the men who had survived stood trial. Their crimes were laid bare; Arne had sent all of the Vikings out to raid nearby villages for supplies. Usually, he sent envoys to protect them, and then he would slowly take more and more until he had sapped the village dry. He was grizzled and vengeful, and at the trial, Ragnar stripped him of all his pride, claiming that he had not honored the gods and had not been a true Viking at all. He had been blinded by revenge and this lust for blood had taken too many lives. Caoimhe heard all this from secondhand information. She was not willing to leave Egon’s side until either he took his last breath or he awoke, although as the moments passed, the former seemed more likely than the latter.

Caoimhe sat in silence, wondering what things had been like if she had just believed Egon from the beginning. She was so lost in thought that she didn’t notice when his eyes cracked open. Only when his fingers caressed hers did she realize that he was awake. Suddenly all the things that she wanted to say to him vanished from her mind. All that was left was a need to kiss him. She flung herself at him and pressed her tender lips against his, only stopping when he winced in pain.

“I believe I’m still a little weak,” he said, smiling.

Caoimhe’s face was lined with happiness, and this time her tears were happy ones.

“I thought ye were gaeing tae die,” she said.

“I still have much to live for,” he said, and this time he clasped her hands. She could feel the strength in them and knew that he was going to survive. There was intent in his words as well. “Caoimhe, there is much we need to speak about, but will you bring our fathers and all the great men of the clans to me?” he asked solemnly. Caoimhe nodded, but she wasn’t sure why.

She rushed out to gather all the men, some of whom were confused and believed that they were going to hear Egon’s last words. Egon had managed to push himself up in his bed. Ragnar and Cameron were in the room with them. They were relieved to see that he was better.

Egon smiled and turned to Cameron. “There is a matter of great importance that I wish to ask you. I would like your daughter’s hand in marriage,” he said.

Caoimhe gasped. After all that had happened, she couldn’t believe that he would still want her to be his wife.

Cameron took one look at her and grinned as he saw her nod. “How could I refuse the request of a man who saved my life?” he said, and clasped Egon’s hand. There was much rejoicing as Caoimhe pushed past her father and wrapped her arms around Egon’s neck, kissing him passionately and wildly, not caring that they had an audience.

But this audience soon dispersed to give Egon and Caoimhe some privacy. She caressed his cheek and continued to pepper him with kisses. A look of wonder rested upon her face.

“I cannae believe that ye are here. Dae ye truly want tae marry me, after the way I treated ye?” she asked.

Egon kissed her cheek and clasped her hands tightly. “You were scared and worried about your father. I have never been good at dealing with people, but you taught me to be a little more patient. Besides, you saved my life and you stayed with me all this time. There is no finer woman I could think to be my wife.” He took her hand and used the ring that her father had given him to seal his proposal.

“Even though I’m just a Highlander?” she teased, admiring the way the ring looked on her finger.

Egon smirked. “I’m beginning to see that there can be honor in a Highlander’s heart too. My father and my uncle both had their hearts captured by Highlander women, so why should I break with family tradition?” he joked, and Caoimhe laughed warmly.

“But what about yer ambitions tae sail the seas?” she asked, worry suddenly entering her heart.

Egon sighed. “After what happened, I’m starting to think that there’s still a lot of adventure left for me here. After all, we don’t know how many of Arne’s allies are still out there. Someone is going to have to keep these villages safe. Also, the reason why I wanted to leave to explore the sea was because I wanted to face the unknown and discover new lands...but I know that I am never going to discover anyone like you, so how could I leave?”

The rhetorical question made Caoimhe’s heart melt, and she kissed him again. She had never known that this happiness was possible before, and now she knew she could never live without it. As she tightened her embrace, she vowed never to let him go. She had almost lost him once before, and she wasn’t going to let that happen again.

Since many of the surrounding villages had been raided and ruined, the marriage took place in Egon’s village, which could accommodate all the guests. It was a lively affair with displays of sword fighting from Egon’s students and much dancing. Egon’s entire family appeared, including his uncle, who lived on a small island off the coast, and his family, as well as Egon’s half siblings that had been born to Ailis by her first husband. As she spent time with Egon’s family, Caoimhe learned about the stories of how they had fallen in love, and she was amazed by the incidents and the tribulations that had plagued them, but they had all earned their happy endings. She wondered if one day she would be sitting down surrounded by a large family, telling the story of how she and Egon almost didn’t make it to the end.

Thankfully, she didn’t have to worry about that. Egon had recovered fully now and was back to his prime. Caoimhe was feeling better as well now that her father had returned and was eager to rebuild their home. Kylie and Andrew arrived as well as others who had been rescued from Arne’s clutches. Elise was there too, and Caoimhe witnessed the reunion of the boy and his mother, who had been taken away. She was shaking, and it was clear that she had been through a great ordeal, but Caoimhe hoped that she could begin to rebuild her life.

Caoimhe was eager to look forward to the future. Marriage with Egon seemed like the natural course of things, and she was certain about it in a way she had never been with anything else, and certainly not with Sven. The ceremony was a lovely, beautiful occasion, and when she spoke her vows, she spoke them with all her heart. Although there were many people in attendance, they all melted away as she gazed into Egon’s eyes, for he was the only one that mattered. They promised themselves to each other, and it was a promise she knew that neither of them would break.

After this was the feast, but this seemed to be more for the guests than the married couple. Caoimhe and Egon shared a sly glance and slipped away, preferring to be alone. Egon took her to his room and closed the door behind them, shutting out the rest of the world.

As they stood there alone, Caoimhe felt her body tingle. Egon approached her and cupped her face in his hands. He was so tall she had to tilt her head back entirely to kiss him properly. He gazed into her eyes as he pushed the straps of her dress off her shoulders. It fell off helplessly and formed a puddle by her feet, leaving her stark naked. Egon’s gaze slowly fell down her body, and he smiled in appreciation of her feminine figure. He placed a hand upon her stomach and trailed his fingers around her exposed skin, leaving fire in its wake. Her lips parted and she gasped as he felt the swell of her breasts and her hard nipples. Breath rushed through her as something twitched inside, something she had never felt before but knew she wanted more.

She placed her hands upon his chest and got him to pull his shirt over his head. She felt the taut muscles. He was imbued with so much strength. The hammer hung from his neck, and waves of thick hair spread over his torso. He was so huge that the expanse of his flesh seemed to go on and on. She breathed in the smell of his musk and watched as he pushed down his undergarments, revealing his manliness. Her eyes widened in awe, but there was a deep hunger as well. Nerves rippled inside as he took her dainty hand and kissed her palm before pressing it down against him. The warmth scorched her fingers, and the hardness teased her. She started to stroke, and this elicited a huge moan that rumbled through his body in a quaking burst. Caoimhe loved knowing that she could cause this reaction.

He unfurled her ponytail, and her auburn hair splayed out across her back. Egon placed a hand at the base of her skull and pulled her forward, pressing her against him, kissing her deeply. His other hand lingered over her body, roaming across her pale flesh. His muscles swelled as he took hold of her arms and walked forward, making her walk backward. She giggled as she was pushed onto the bed, landing with a creak. Her limbs splayed out, and her hair created a cascading veil.

Egon fell upon her and kissed her deeply, but this time her lips were left yearning for him as he descended down her body. Tingles spread across her collarbone and breasts, along the curve of her hip, and then down her burning inner thigh. Tension twisted and coiled within her as the heat rose, and as he grew closer and closer to her most intimate area, she became excited and scared all at once. Suddenly his breath was upon her, and then his tongue followed. Was this some Viking custom? She didn’t know, and she didn’t care. As he parted her legs with his strong arms, he lapped at her, and her eyes lolled in the back of her head. Pleasure burst in waves, radiating out of the core of her body. Her heart thundered as she felt a storm being created inside her.

She groaned and whimpered as Egon pleasured her. Within moments, his fingers had joined the dance. They were deft and long, reaching deeper inside her than she had ever thought possible. The curling motion was loving and thrilling. The way he kissed her showed her that he believed every part of her was beautiful. The sensations inside her were warm and flowing, as though there would never be an end to this ecstasy. She trembled and shuddered under his touch as he changed the rhythm, moving faster and harder, making her breaths sharper. He was some kind of wizard to cause all these feelings inside her!

He was a god.

Her hands fell down to rest upon his head, feeling the bobbing motions as he pleasured her. Her mouth opened wide and deep; long moans rumbled out of her. Caoimhe’s body was on fire, and now she understood more why Kylie had been so insistent that she get married. This happiness, this delirium, was more than she had ever dreamed. Now she knew that she was a woman. The final veil of innocence had been lifted, and it was glorious. The pleasure was raw and intense. Sweat prickled on her body and trickled in between the valley of her breasts. Egon gorged on her and didn’t stop until she was howling with pleasure as the crescendo crashed through her body. Panting, she pulled him away, feeling as though she would faint if she had to take any more.