Chapter 53 Elva
Elva
Inuzzled into the pillow beneath me, inhaled deeply before I rolled over to look for Njall, but his side of the bed was cold.
I pushed myself up and looked around, but the entire room was empty with only the fireplace to illuminate the place.
Sitting up, I dropped my hand beside me and hit something hard.
Lifting the blanket, I found a folded piece of paper and a box.
Tossing the blanket aside, I slipped out of the bed and grabbed a shirt off the floor to keep myself warm before I made my way across the room to the fire.
I tossed a log into it, sending the fire crackling before it grew larger and lit up the space better for me.
Once the space was lit enough for me to see everything, I checked for any sign that Njall had just gone to grab something from Killian, but his satchel and boots were gone.
I sat back on the bed and grabbed the box and paper. Flipping open the paper, I held it toward the fire so I could read it.
Elva,
I’m sorry I had to leave you without saying goodbye, but I knew if I had to face you to do it, it would have made it impossible for me to leave.
Since I can’t be with you to help you integrate into Tyndorf, I’m leaving you my most cherished possession to remember me by. Protect it for me while I’m away, and when I get back, I’ll tell you why it’s so valuable to me.
Until I return, take care of yourself and your brothers, always remember how precious you are to me, my little Pearl.
Njall
I read the note over three times before dropping it and picking up the box.
Carefully, I lifted the lid and found Njall’s pendant nestled inside.
Pulling it out by the chain, it almost looked as if it glowed when I held it up to the fire.
Exhaling sharply, I placed the rope around my neck and let the beach glass slide down my collarbone, finding a home between my breasts.
Glancing around the room one more time, I grabbed the letter, Njall’s pillow, and left the room to find my brothers’.
I adjusted my shirt and left the guard to compose himself in the alley behind the Pirate’s Booty.
Since the princes left two weeks ago, my brothers and I have moved into the cabin on our new piece of land.
I had a room on the main floor at the back of the house, while my brothers took the larger bedroom upstairs.
We even had a guest bedroom, though it wasn't much use, since we had no living relatives, no friends to speak of, but my brothers were thrilled to have all the space.
Leifur wasted no time setting up his workshop, and once it was ready, he began crafting everything we needed to fix up the house.
Sindri focused his time on the inside of the house, making it livable, as he called it.
He even furnished my bedroom for me, adding curtains, fresh bedding, a sturdy chair, and one of those mosaic vases Baldr had found for the ball.
I appreciated his efforts, but it felt unnecessary.
My days were spent outside, tending to our expanding garden and planting seeds for the future harvest. My nights, however, belonged to the Pirate’s Booty, finding someone to fill the hole that had wormed its way into my heart that I refused to acknowledge.
Tonight, that hollow feeling returned faster than I wanted.
Usually, I could manage an hour or two of relief after sending a man away, but this time it lasted all of two minutes—about as long as the guard had lasted.
I traced the scabbed bite mark on my neck before I pulled the beach glass pendant Njall had left me out of my shirt and held it up to the lantern light.
The way the light danced through it, scattering little rays around me, reminded me of Njall's smile.
I should have told him before he left. But it wasn’t fair. How would I tell him I was falling in love with him, only for him to leave for years and know I had to be with other men while he was gone? Maybe he would have asked me to go with him. Would I have?
Tucking the glass back into my shirt, I decided to head home for the night rather than stay at the inn.
I turned up the street and headed toward the city gate that would take me home.
I’d made it halfway there when I heard footsteps behind me.
Slipping my dagger from its sheath on my hip, I spun around, only to have Prince Ingvar grab my wrist and slam it into a wall, forcing me to drop the blade.
“Elva,” he said. “We’ve been looking for you, dear.”
I glared at the crown prince and his manservant, taking in their smug expressions before jerking my arm free. “I am not interested in anything you have to say.”
“But we have a proposition for you,” the manservant said in a deep but nasally voice.
Stooping to retrieve my dagger, I turned around to face them. “I want nothing from you.”
“Good,” Ingvar said. “Because I want something from you.”
“And why would I give you anything?” I laughed incredulously.
“Because if you don’t agree to give me a siren-werewolf heir,” Ingvar growled, “my brothers will return from the front in coffins.”