Chapter 30
Thirty
Astrid
Astrid wasn’t sure what had come over her. The magic had just... flowed. She’d never felt so powerful in her life, but she’d also never been so terrified. The magic hadn’t felt like hers.
For years, she had known what her magic felt like.
It was a warm, comforting friend that she could call upon whenever she needed to.
The heat of it would flow down her arms, to her hands that always knew what to do with it.
But this magic had been cold. Bitter on her tongue.
It had swirled around her mouth, using her lips and tongue as its own.
The language she had spoken was unfamiliar to her. Just like when she had read the words on the talon, she hadn’t known what she was saying or what she was calling upon. It had felt like someone else was using her body as a puppet, and she hadn’t liked that.
She could still taste it on her tongue. The bitter aftertaste of that power was like she had sipped on oversteeped green tea. She couldn’t shake the strange taste or the feeling even as Bjorn lifted her into his arms and darted away from the men.
He stopped by their ruined tent to pick up a few things.
Her pack with the pretty dress he’d made her, a few more weapons, and a water skein that he hung off the side of his hip.
Then he picked her back up again, and off they went.
Running across the ground was difficult for him with her in his arms, but he made it work.
It wasn’t like any of the soldiers were following them.
The screams had died down, at least. It made the ache in her chest ease.
They weren’t dead, she hoped. They were just reminded why they shouldn’t attack innocent strangers on a mountainside and assume they could do whatever they wanted.
Bjorn remained silent throughout his mad sprint.
Even his footsteps were quiet as he picked his way over the rocks, crouching low sometimes when his big ears caught something hers didn’t, and then making a mad dash toward the next hidden area where rocks would prevent others from seeing them.
She did her best to remain quiet as well. It wasn’t like she was doing anything to help, after all. All she had to do was not talk and keep her opinions to herself.
Until they came to a crevice in the mountain that looked like a naturally made crack.
She wouldn’t have given it any thought if she had walked by it, other than thinking perhaps an animal might make that its home.
But Bjorn headed right for it, ducking underneath the stone and setting her down in front of him.
“Go forward,” he said. “I want to stay behind you in case anyone follows us.”
“Do you think they will?”
“I didn’t see anyone, but that doesn’t mean we weren’t followed.” He nudged her. “Go on. I know you can’t see, bright one, but there shouldn’t be anything that will trip you up. It will get tight, though. Exhale if you get stuck.”
“If I have to exhale to get through, how are you getting through?” She started forward though, suddenly terrified of what she would find. Was it that tight in this tunnel into the mountain? Was this even the right one?
He chuckled, and the sound eased some of the tension in her chest. “This tunnel was built for trolls, Astrid. Not for humans. Where you stand can be narrower because it was built for hips, not for chests.”
That made sense, actually. She supposed it wasn’t all that surprising that she was going to have to fit tightly where his hips were built to go. She took her time, steadily making her way through a tunnel that would have otherwise terrified her.
It still did, at points. The jagged rock was unforgiving as she pushed her body through the tunnel.
She had to turn her head to the side, so it wouldn’t scrape her cheeks.
And there was a small section where her chest simply would not fit through.
She did as he said, exhaling long and low until there was no more air in her lungs and through the stones she went.
A small spike of panic had overcome her halfway through that section. Astrid desperately needed to breathe, but couldn’t. Rocks held her chest and back compressed, but if she didn’t get oxygen soon...
“Easy, bright one,” his voice came from behind her in the tunnel. “Don’t freeze. Keep moving. If you don’t move, you will get stuck. But you can move.”
She could move. He said she could, and so she did.
She popped free from that horrible spot and inhaled air that smelled like greenery and gardens.
That little fact didn’t surprise her in her panic to get as much air into her body as she possibly could.
Nor did she notice that there weren’t rocks on either side of her, and she could bend forward and place her hands on her knees.
She just did it because she could, trying to get her body to release the tension that made every part of her shudder with fear.
She had done that.
Really, she’d done that. Some mad part of her had survived sliding through rocks that had tried to clamp down on her in their strong, vise-like grip. She could have died right then and there.
A wild part of her laughed at the thought. She hadn’t died. She’d almost died so many times recently, and none of it had stopped her. Astrid was stronger than she had ever thought, and that elation had her spinning in his direction.
“Are you all right?” he said.
She could only make out the shadow of him, coming out of the crevice himself as he wiggled his shoulders free. And the moment she could finally get her arms around him, she did. She climbed his body like a tree, framed his face in her hands, and kissed him.
Bjorn didn’t move for a second. His arms were at his sides, apparently surprised that she had climbed him that quickly.
But then his arms came around her, and he kissed her back.
Fiercely, almost violently. His tusks scraped against her cheeks, but she didn’t care.
She just needed to celebrate with him, to share the elation of being alive.
His arms closed around her, safe and warm and all the things that she wanted him to be. Bjorn had proven himself time and time again that he was so much more than the broken prisoner she had thought him to be.
“This is a reaction to using so much magic,” he murmured against her lips. But she could hear the sound of his weapons dropping to the ground. “You are not yourself.”
“I am happy to be alive.”
“You used more magic than you ever have, and your body isn’t sure what to do with that.” Now, there was a heaviness against her back. Rocks, she realized, but not jagged like the stones had been in that crevice. Smoothed out, as though they had been carved to be this way.
Astrid reached back and flattened her hands against the slick surface. His hips braced her now, she didn’t have to clutch onto him as much as he leaned all his hardness into her.
And there was so much of him. She was surrounded by his strength, his body, the tiny movements of every twitching muscle as she ran her hands down his torso.
“We can’t do this,” he said as he ripped his mouth from hers, only to trail his lips down the side of her neck. “We have a long way to go.”
“Aren’t we safe here?”
“This is just a resting area. There isn’t even a bed here.” Then Bjorn’s tongue traced a pattern against her throbbing pulse, and need shot right between her legs.
She couldn’t think when he did something like that. He was clearly suggesting she should argue with him about something, but she had no idea what she was meant to be arguing about. Who cared if they were alone here? Who cared if this place wasn’t meant for what she was about to do?
“Why would I need a bed?” she moaned, palming the back of his head as he licked over her collarbone.
He stiffened before leaning back. She couldn’t quite make out his face. It was so dim in here, the lighting was near impossible to see his features other than the horned shape of him. But then he lifted his hand, tracing a careful finger along her swollen bottom lip.
“When I fuck you, troll wife, it will be in a soft bed, so I do not scrape your back against the stones, so there is no part of you that is sore.” He leaned down, nipped at her ear, and then growled, “Other than your sweet pussy, which will remember the shape of me for days afterward.”
She swallowed hard, her eyes rolling back in her head. He wasn’t going to allow her to seduce him, that much was clear. But she could do a great many other things.
Unhooking her legs from around his waist, she stood on her own two feet.
His lips found hers unerringly, clearly thinking he was going to get away with a repeat of what they had done in the tent earlier in the night.
An urgency pushed her to do more, though.
They were so close to no longer having their privacy, and she needed to reassure herself.
Once they found her sister, Astrid had no idea what the next steps for her would be. If there was some chance she and Bjorn would be parted, she wanted to make sure he’d remember her.
Planting her hands firmly on his chest, she turned them both.
Soon, it was his back slamming against the rocks, and her hips that pressed him into place.
The length of his cock burrowed against her belly.
The damn thing really was big. It was enough to make her nervous, but she wasn’t going to stop now.
“If you won’t let me have my fun,” she whispered, trailing her lips down his chest. “Then I will find other ways to entertain myself.”
She’d seen other women do this, had done it herself, but never with a cock so massive. She tugged at the waistband of his leather pants, wanting to feel it at the very least. His thick leather pants weren’t the type to easily come down, though, and that made things difficult.
“Astrid, you don’t have to—”
“Shut up, Bjorn.” Perhaps that came out a little harsh, but she was tired of his excuses. Right now, she wanted him to feel as good as he made her feel. That was all.
He seemed to understand that she was calling the shots right now. His hands went to the sides of his pants and made quick work of ties.
Why hadn’t she thought about the ties?
And then the leather was sagging, and she still couldn’t see anything, but she could damn well feel. Reaching out, she grasped his cock in her hand and confirmed what she had been thinking.
He was big.
Really, really big.
Damn, she wasn’t sure this would ever work between them, but she was damn well willing to try. Astrid couldn’t even fit this thing in her mouth. It just wasn’t possible. Her jaw didn’t open wide enough to give him what he was likely expecting.
So instead, she licked her way up the shaft of it, measuring the entire length with her fingers and tongue. She heard the sound of his skull hitting the stone behind him, and the long groan that worked its way out from deep within his chest.
His hips bucked a bit in her hands, and she couldn’t stop herself from grinning. Finally, she reached the head of this ridiculous cock, her tongue finding the ring at the tip.
“Are you sure you’re healed?” she asked, toying with the ring.
He was panting when he responded, “I’m healed.”
“This was for me, after all. Wasn’t it?” Again another flick of the ring, and she wished she could see his features because his hands slammed against the wall this time.
“Yes,” he breathed. “All for you.”
Well, if he was going to be such a good boy…
Astrid tried her best to fit him into her mouth.
Just the head and slightly more could fit, but that was all.
She had to use both hands to work him, moving them in alternate directions, both slow and fast, meandering and hard.
She didn’t give him enough of anything all at once. The man didn’t get to come, not yet.
She wanted to learn him first. To trace the veins of his cock with her tongue and learn what made him gasp.
Was it her sucking on the head of him and flicking her tongue, or did he like it even better when she cupped his balls beneath?
He seemed to like harder movements, faster than what she was doing.
Delicate touches weren’t for Bjorn, it seemed.
Which was fine with her. She didn’t need to be delicate to do what she wanted.
Tormenting him was fun, she realized. She’d always done this just as a job or to convince a man to do what she wanted. But now it was just... enjoyment. She liked the taste of him. Liked the feeling of his ring on her tongue and how he didn’t hide his reactions in the slightest.
He was thoroughly and wonderfully loud. Every sound was an answer to something she did, and he didn’t seem to care at all that someone might hear him. She’d never been with someone who was so loud, so excitable by everything that she did.
And finally, she gave him what he wanted. Heavy, strong, squeezing him tightly in her hands while she sucked hard on his tip. Her knees had pressed up against Bjorn’s feet, and she could feel his toes curl as she did it until finally he let out a groan that made every hair on her body raise.
His come coated the back of her throat, and she swallowed it all down, licking him clean with slow laps.
He sagged against the wall, and then slid down it until he had her trapped between his raised knees. He reached for her, his hands skimming along her face and jaw before dragging her against him.
When had this become a place she was so happy to be? There was no one else she’d want to hold her like this, and he was a troll. A troll! Of all people, she shouldn’t feel so safe and at home in his arms.
But she did.
“I don’t think you understand how much I want to lock you up to keep you safe,” he whispered against her hair once his breathing settled down. “You are...”
He seemed to struggle to find the words, but even in that silence she felt her heart glowing in her chest.
“I know,” she whispered, pressing her hand against his thundering heart. “I know exactly what you mean, Bjorn.”
For the moment, they could rest with each other. They could linger in the darkness and in the aftermath of pleasure. Who knew what would happen in an hour, but for now, they were together.