Chapter 42
Njall
None of us got any sleep that night. Elva stormed off into the woods and didn’t return until dawn broke.
Even then, she refused to utter a word to anyone.
Despite Leifur's warnings, Sindri tried to get her to talk, but all it got him was a swift right hook to the face and a black eye.
After that, we all gave her a wide berth.
With tensions running high, we swiftly gathered our supplies and set off along the mountain base, hoping to slip past the last of the Huestur territory and make good time to the Forest of Endilaus.
I knew once we arrived there, we'd find more of my father’s men and allies to help us should we need it.
Elva maintained her silence the entire day, which made the rest of us afraid to speak.
Watching her ferociously fight the Huestur guards had been a harrowing experience, more brutal than when General Magni had challenged the former general to take his title in Tyndorf.
In my homeland, the king appointed generals, but required them to prove their mettle in combat by killing the current general—another one of my family’s cruel traditions designed to control the population with fear rather than respect.
But after seeing Elva fight, I was sure she could best one of our generals, especially if her enchanting song were added to the mix.
The oppressive silence lasted for an entire day and another night.
This time, she slept with us at camp, but she moved her bedroll as far away as possible, even foregoing the one blanket we had to share.
It wasn’t until we made camp on the third day that she finally spoke, though it was only to tell us she was going hunting.
“I’ll come with you,” Sindri said.
“No,” was all Elva would say.
“Then take Leifur,” he protested. “It’s dangerous here.”
Elva's glare would have scared any man in my father’s army.
Sensing the tension between the siblings, I stepped in. “I have to collect wood. I’ll stay close to her,” I offered. A quick glance was her only reply before she vanished into the woods, leaving me to chase her.
We ventured deeper into the woods, sticks and leaves crunching beneath our boots. The late-daylight cast long shadows across the forest floor, making it difficult to track anything for dinner.
“I don’t need a guard.” Elva finally said after we’d gotten away from her brothers.
“I know you don’t—”
“Good. Then you can collect your wood and go back.”
“But Sindri is right. There are a lot of creatures here.”
Elva rolled her eyes. “Which I’m not scared of,” she retorted.
“No, but I am,” I said sheepishly. I cocked my head to the side and grinned playfully. “Did you even stop to consider that I wanted you to protect me?”
Elva shook her head and turned to keep walking. I hurried after her, intending to bring up the conversation from the other night, but I wasn’t sure how to.
“Njall?” Elva stopped between a pair of trees and looked back at me. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” I asked, taking a tentative step toward her.
“For not stepping in sooner ... when Coral and the sirens had you.”
“You did.”
“But not soon enough.”
“You were there?” Realization dawned. “Wait, you were there?”
She nodded briefly. “Near the end.”
I pictured Talia’s face when she’d used me.
River’s song had been so different from Elva’s—harsh, lacking the warmth that made Elva’s voice feel like a balm to my soul.
As much as the memory of Talia and River revolted me, it made me realize that what I’d felt with Elva had nothing to do with her being a siren.
It was just her. Her laughter, her defiance, her quiet vulnerability.
When I got home, Baldr would get a kick out of the story, after how many times I woke up in strange beds after drinking too much with him, but I could see the fear lingering in Elva's eyes, deeper and darker than she let on.
Her gaze lifted to meet mine, hollow and searching, as if waiting for something.
What exactly, I wasn’t sure. Did she want forgiveness for not stopping Talia, or something deeper?
Our conversation from the other night resurfaced in my mind, and without thinking, I stepped closer, taking her hands in mine.
They were cold and I expected her to pull away, but she didn't. Instead, she let me raise them to my mouth, where I blew warm air against her chilled fingers.
“You don’t have to tell me,” I said softly, “but if you want to share ... what it was that made you a warrior ... I’d like to know.”
Her eyes grew wet with tears, and her lips twisted into a scowl. “Why? So you can be entertained? Hear what stupid things the young siren did?” She tried to pull her hands free, but I held them firm.
“No. So I can try to make it better for you.”
She stared at me, her mouth parting slightly as if in shock. Her eyes locked onto mine, unblinking, searching.
“Some things you can’t fix,” she whispered, barely audible.
I stepped closer, my fingers tightening around hers. “I’d still like to try.”
She swallowed hard and looked away from me for a long minute.
“I was young and stupid,” she murmured, as if speaking more to herself.
“I loved a boy and ... I thought he loved me, but he just wanted to brag about bedding a siren. He brought his friends, and … they …” Her voice cracked, and she paused, her jaw clenched tightly as she fought to continue.
“Afterward … it was the elder male sirens who put me back together. And the warriors—they protected me. So I became one of them, so no one would ever make me feel weak again.”
Her guilt for not stopping Talia and the others made sense now. So did her caution around men, her walls, her refusal to let anyone close. That she’d needed to use her body to save me from some guards made me want to retch, but then an even darker thought hit me. What happened to them?
Elva’s expression had gone stoic just before she looked away into the near darkness, her eyes scanning the forest as if searching for something—anything—to distract her from the memories.
Then, without warning, she sniffed the air sharply, her head jerking toward me.
Her eyes widened in realization. “Do you smell that?”
“Smell what?” Her sudden change confused me.
“Rotten eggs.” Her eyes lit up, and she took off into the brush, leaving me to scramble after her.
“Elva, slow down,” I called after her. As we ran through the dense undergrowth, the stench of sulfur grew stronger. When I emerged from the trees, Elva was already leaning over the edge of a steaming hot spring, gliding her hand along the water with a big grin on her face.
I joined her, crouching to dip my hand into the warm, bubbling pool. “I’ve only ever read of natural hot springs,” I said, longing to strip and experience the soothing waters for myself. “Is it safe?”
Elva nodded, her eyes shining with excitement. “The water's clear, and if it were too hot, it would have burned us by now.”
I stood up and shook the water from my hand. “Should we get your brothers?”
Elva's fingers curled around her shirt, ready to strip, but she stopped and glared at me. “No.”
I wanted to say something else, but as she pulled off her shirt and slid out of her pants, I found myself lost for words.
My eyes followed her movements as she lowered her glistening legs into the water.
As she turned, I caught sight of something glinting on her tailbone—a pair of scales, faint but unmistakable. Ferflucs. She’s running out of time.
I stripped in seconds, leaving my clothes in a heap on the ground, and waded into the hot spring to join her.
As I sank into the water, I couldn’t help but moan.
I couldn't remember the last time I’d had a warm bath, and the heat soothed my battered body, melting away the months of grime and abuse.
I closed my eyes and sank below the surface, letting the heat envelop me until my lungs needed fresh air.
When I surfaced, Elva had moved closer. A shiver ran down my spine as she swam nearer, her eyes locked onto mine. “I’m not mad at you,” she said, rising from the water. “I just don’t want my twin telling people things I’m not ready to share.”
“I’m not judging you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Elva shook her head. “I didn’t think you would. You have your flaws, but you don’t seem the type to judge me for that. The king and your werewolf brother? Absolutely. But you and Baldr are different.”
“Can I ask one more thing?” I inched closer.
Her gaze never left me as her mouth vanished under the waterline. She seemed to consider it. “One thing.”
I swallowed hard. “Were they punished?” I asked. “The ones who ... did that to you?”
Her expression shifted from shock to an unsettling grin. “Three of them were, yes. But the ring leader escaped with his parents. I never got to kill him, but one day I will.”
“If he’s hiding in Tyndorf, I’ll make sure you get that chance,” I said, my voice low.
“Now, can I ask you something?” She swam toward me, stopping just beyond my reach.
“It’s only fair.”
Her eyes darkened, and she studied my face carefully before lowering her gaze to the clear water between us. “Why did you follow me? Into the water, I mean?”
Inhaling deeply, I drew closer to her. “I wanted to offer my services for your little problem.” My heart thumped wildly in my chest as her eyes widened in understanding.
“Ah,” she said, pushing herself back into the water and moving away from me. “So you want a repeat of our night at the inn.”
“No,” I replied firmly. “I want a better one.” With a sudden surge of boldness, I grasped her wrist and tugged her toward me.
My mouth was on hers in an instant, and I gave her a moment to pull away, but when she didn’t, I kissed her even more passionately, while reaching around to grab her ass.
Our bodies entwined beneath the water's surface, and I let out a soft moan as I kicked my feet to keep us afloat.
Elva broke away for a moment to catch her breath before grinning wickedly at me. “Like that?” she teased.
“No,” I murmured against her skin as I peppered kisses on her neck and chin. “I want so much more, but I won’t push you.”
“You don’t scare me,” she said, sliding her hands up my chest to squeeze my shoulders.
I nipped her neck before I stopped to gaze into her eyes. “Now tell me what exactly you need from me to keep things in check.”
Elva's voice was barely above a whisper. “To cum.”
I smirked. “All I have to do is make you cum? That’s too easy,”
“No,” she said, her fingers tracing patterns on my chest. “You have to cum … inside me. Whether I do or not doesn’t matter.”
“That’s it?”
She nodded, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “That’s why it’s easy for us—most men are happy to provide that service.”
I fisted her hair and pulled her head back so she was forced to look at me. “I’ll take care of that need,” I said. “And make sure you cum more than I do.”
“Is that a challenge?”
“No. It’s a promise.” I scanned the edge of the pool for a suitable spot and noticed a smooth patch of grass nearby. I slipped my arm around Elva’s waist, letting my fingers brush against her little scales as I kicked softly with my legs. The scales were soft, with a sharp point on the end.
“What are you up to?”
“You’ll see,” I said, and gripped her hips and pushed her out of the water up onto the soft bank. She looked at me quizzically until I slowly pushed her thighs apart.
“Njall, you don’t have—”
She sucked in her breath as I traced my thumb along her inner thigh, brushing against an X-shaped scar I was now sure was from the men who’d hurt her.
Her hand moved to stop me, but I caught it and kissed her palm.
Her chest rose and fell as I moved my lips from my hand to her thigh.
When my lips pressed against her sensitive skin, she melted into me; her moans echoing through the clearing.
“Are sirens always this wet?” I asked.
“Yes,” Elva murmured, her fingers tangling in my hair as I continued to explore her.
“Did you answer the question, or do you like what I’m doing?
” I kissed the side of her clit, and she let out a strangled cry as I used my strength to hold her thighs in place, pinning them down with an intensity that surprised even me.
As she struggled beneath my grasp, I couldn't resist pushing further, flicking my tongue along the seam of her pussy.
The flesh around my fingers was white from trying to keep her from writhing around.
“Well?” I demanded as I released one of her thighs.
She gasped out a reply: “Both!”
“Good girl,” I growled at her. The sound of her surrender sent shivers down my spine, and I reveled in the power coursing through me.
With a satisfied grin, I released her other thigh, allowing me to move freely.
I began flicking her clit with the tip of my tongue.
When I finally wrapped my lips around it, I felt her hand close on the back of my head as she grabbed a fistful of my hair.