Untethering Dark

Chapter Forty

Blissfully limp and languorous, Astrid’s head lolled back as Gudarīks lifted her into his arms. What remained of her tattered clothes had been pounded into the snow and abandoned at the spot where they partook in carnal delight. She cast a look at their beautiful mess of melted, tarnished snow and snuggled deeper into Gudarīks’s chest, feeling at peace.

There was a hot spring nearby. She groaned as he carried her in with him, steamy water enveloping them. Was she supposed to hate this overpowering heat? Because the stark contrast to the icy conditions they recently shared felt so, so good.

“You all right, Liebling?”

“Mmm.” Her eyes drifted closed, body melting in his arms.

“I’ll take that to mean ‘very good.’”

“Mmm-hmm.”

He chuckled, lifting a palm to dribble water along the slope of her neck. “We turned that around for the better. I’m sorry I scared you. That was not my intent, not to that degree at least.”

She stretched, limbs floating merrily. “It’s okay. We’re learning. All’s well that ends well, no?”

As she soaked, he smoothed his hands over her, cleansing sweat-slicked skin, massaging away aches. “I feel settled,” he murmured.

“The hunt worked?”

He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. “It was exactly what I needed.”

They luxuriated in comfortable silence. Naughty games followed by pampering? She wouldn’t mind an eternity of this.

“Are you looking forward to tomorrow?” Gudarīks looped a strand of her hair around his finger, twirling and untwirling. “It’s a big day.”

The ritual, the final transition.

She sank into the water to hide her grin. It’s not that she was shy about her excitement, but she wasn’t sure how Gudarīks would feel about it. Was this something he would be excited about, too? Or was giving so much of himself to help her a willing, but serious sacrifice? She didn’t want to offend him with giddiness when reserved gratitude was more appropriate.

With one long, curved claw he lifted her chin. “Why are you hiding that pretty smile from me?”

“What does being a part of my transformation mean to you?”

He titled his head. “Answering a question with a question. Are you having second thoughts?”

“No, it’s...are you sure? About giving some of your life force to me?”

“It’s not going to kill me, is it?” he teased, but this was anything but funny.

“I would never ask you to give your life.” Cupping the underside of his jaw, she made him meet her eyes, so there was no doubt how serious she was about that. “But it is a piece of you, and if you’re mortal, albeit a long-living one, it could potentially shave off precious years of your life.”

“You might not ask, but I would give it. And the remaining years of my life are only precious as long as you’re in them, living as your truest self. If there’s anything of me that you can use to make that happen, it’s yours ten times over. I meant what I said the other day. I’m honored that you asked for my help.”

“That’s more than generous of you,” she replied, but didn’t like that he seemed to think so little of his life apart from her. As much as she wanted to be an important, fulfilling part of his future, she didn’t want to be the reason he continued living, as if it wasn’t important all on its own.

“Is it? I’ve lived for so long and without fear of death. Can giving what I have more than an abundance of be self-sacrificing?”

“A great gift then, and don’t diminish it by downplaying its significance.” There was heat in her words, tears in her eyes, as she sternly pressed a finger to his nasal bone. “It’s precious to me.”

You’re precious to me.

“Oh, Liebe, I’ve upset you.” He cupped her cheeks, swiping away the tears with his thumbs. “I only meant you need not fear for me. Krampus was fine after Perchta’s ritual. You’re not taking more than I can or want to give.”

“How do you know that? Are you secret friends?”

He shook his head. “I’ve run into him on occasion. We didn’t discuss it at length, just enough to know there wasn’t a new threat to the forest. He was smiling and blushing like a maid, so, please believe me when I say I’ve no fears nor doubts about tomorrow, only excitement. If I look half as happy as he did, I’ll consider myself very lucky indeed.”

She smiled then, mind more at ease. “I’ve been looking forward to tomorrow all my life. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

It was a wonder, after so many years of jaded solitude, that Gudarīks was so desperate to give so much of himself. But this fierce, beautiful witch untethered and seized him by the heartstrings, and he prayed to the boundless, infinite universe that she never let go. That it didn’t take her from him. He didn’t want to face down eternity with yet another great heartbreak, not after remembering what made an endless life worth living. And reacquiring a taste for it.