Chapter 28
What a crazy woman.
I’m lost in thought as I stroll toward the divine mountain stream. The sun is shining now, having banished the clouds. My mind is shining too. Even with all the madness Ylvin spewed out, our conversation lifted me. It made me think. Reflect on… reflect on who I am.
She’s right. I do wear a mask, several probably.
I’m always forced by convention to be someone other than I am, than who I want to be.
My fingers stroke a tree as I pass. Its rough bark resists.
Friction. The world is hard. I have hardened for it.
It’s a good thing. It’s a must. And yet, I am not present.
It’s high time I opened my eyes. Step out of the shadows. Stand. As myself—as Kilda.
I brought linen cloth to dry off after the swim. Ylvin has, mildly put, inspired me. It’s been many years since I took a dip. That all stopped when I became a thief. My mind grew weighted. Nervous. Forced to mature, to feed my father.
My mother loved to swim. She would always take me. After she died, Father never wanted to go again. “You swim like a seal,” she had said once. Gliding through the water as cool currents brush against my skin—glorious.
The waterfall is too perfect. The river too clear. Its thundering roar intensifies as I approach. Mother’s memory will be honored as I bathe underneath the rainbow.
How long has it been since I thought about my mother?
Since I let her back into my heart? Having her ripped away, my life was turned upside down.
It’s always easier to push down that which causes pain.
Tears form in my eyes, but I don’t let them escape.
I suppress the feeling, shaking my head to return to the present moment.
A smile grows on my face. I’m warmed by the memories. Ylvin’s words have moved me… strangely enough. In the beginning, I thought she was just full of it.
Of all the things Ylvin rambled on about, the craziest of all was that basta—
I freeze. My stomach jumps into my throat. I take quick steps to a nearby bush, staying low. Speak of the wolf and he comes to your door. I scoff at the thought. I should have guessed. There he is. The skald.
Ari is standing in the exact spot I’d chosen. The water reaches just above his waist. He drags his hair back, pressing it against his skull. He probably just washed it for the first time in five years. Grimy bastard.
I should move. Wait my turn, give him time to dry off.
But I don’t. I keep watching. Or spying rather.
I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s the naked man glittering in the sunlight with a crystal-clear rainbow over him.
Maybe that’s it. A thought hits me—if he had been watching me like this, I would be horrified. Enraged.
I shake my head, dismissing the thought. He would watch me too, the pervert. What’s fair is fair. I move some leaves to see better. It really is a beautiful scene. Like a fable of the gods. Even I have to concede—Ari improves the image.
As he lifts his arms, his stomach stretches, showing layers of muscle on his abdomen. I’m not even sure how many. Several scars mark his back, stretched by the muscles that flex as he strokes his hair again. His chest is broad, jutting forward.
How ridiculous. He looks like a god. A god bathing in Ifing, the river separating Asgard from Jotunheim. How stupid is he? How stupidly gorgeous? What a complete fool. A godlike fool.
I return to reality, gaping. It’s not him, of course. It’s the rainbow. I breathe deep. Okay, maybe I should sneak my way down. Wait for him to finish so I can bathe. Just as I decide on leaving, he turns to the shore, wading out. Every step he takes lifts his body farther from the water.
By every social standard, I should turn around. Women should not be lusting for men like some rabid dogs. But my blood is boiling. Such an intimate moment—Ari relaxed in the river. I can’t look away.
The man is standing naked, wiping his face with a linen cloth.
My cheeks flush as my eyes greedily lap up Ari’s body.
A tingling sensation trickles down my sides.
I fight the impulse to step forward. It’s been too long since I had some fun with Narve—that’s why.
Or it’s the rainbow making the whole moment feel enchanted.
One of those two. It’s not Ari. Ari the humiliator. The crow.
But seriously, what is this man chiseled out of?
Vidar and Asbjorn are monsters, massive men with muscles everywhere.
But with Ari, the muscles look almost unnatural on his slender frame.
He could have been shaped in the image of Thor.
It looks like some deformity. A deformity all women would dream of enjoying.
Never would I have guessed such compact power hid under that leather.
What did his mother feed him? Troll tongue? The Midgard Wyrm? Idunn’s apples? It’s hard to imagine.
I breathe out a heavy stream of hot air, trying to temper the warmth beneath my belly button.
And the vibration below that. Today, I have seen three people naked.
Two of them involuntarily, but this moment…
this has been my choice. I call Ari a pervert, but look at me now. I’m the one with the weird ideas.
Okay, it’s time to move. It’s time to—
“It’s rude to spy!”
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
I bolt down the hill full speed, keeping my head low. Ari saw me. He saw me!
That mangy bastard.
That mangy gorgeous bastard.
I’ll never hear the end of this.