The Road of Bones: A Viking Romantic Fantasy (The Ashen Book 1) by Demi Winters

Author:Demi Winters [Winters, Demi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-06-27T00:00:00+00:00

THIRTY-FOUR

HVER

Jonas sat in a darkened corner of the mead hall, surrounded by unending noise and the scent of old ale. A rowdy group just down the long table from him spoke with the kind of enthusiasm which lodged slivers of jealousy beneath his skin, and he clutched his cup of ale tighter.

It was the eve of Longest Day, and the air pulsed with anticipation. Tomorrow, the tables would be moved outdoors, laid with moss and garlands of trailing leaves and bouquets of wildflowers. The town would go wild, celebrating the longest day of the year with food, games, dancing, and bonfires. It was one of his favorite holidays, and with the food, drinks, and women, Jonas knew he should be excited.

But gloom clung to him like cobwebs, as it had since Rey and Silla had headed westward. His blood felt heavy, oozing through his veins and fouling his moods.

A raven-haired woman approached, a coy smile curving her full lips. Their eyes met for the briefest of seconds, but Jonas looked down at his ale. He hoped she’d take the hint and leave him alone; speech felt too ambitious at the moment. He blew out a long breath. What was the matter with him? He could have any woman in the room. All it would require was a smile and a crook of his finger, and he’d have a soft body in his lap.

But it did not appeal to him.

He could only think of her. Her. He screwed his eyes shut and rubbed his palms against his eyelids. What in the eternal fucking fires was the matter with him? She was parting ways with the Bloodaxe Crew, and there was nothing he could do about it.

But each time Jonas closed his eyes, he saw her brown gaze looking back at him. Not just looking but seeing. Seeing through all his carefully erected barriers, straight to his true self. And instead of turning away, she looked at him with optimism, with belief.

And when he’d laid on his bedroll last night, he’d felt the ghost of her touch scraping along his scalp, skimming along his shoulders and down his chest. He remembered how she’d moved at first with caution, then with abandon. Her enthusiasm was catching, and it hadn’t taken long for Jonas to be consumed by her touch, by her sound, by her smell. The very memory filled him with reckless thoughts—drawing her into his furs and discovering all the ways he could drive her mad; convincing Axe Eyes to deliver her safely to Kopa; bringing her to his farmstead so she could see it with her own eyes.

That last thought shook him from his stupor. It was utter madness…the woman had infected his mind, there was no other explanation.

Focus, he urged himself. She leaves the Crew, and you must focus on the task at hand so that you can take back what you are owed. A hearth of your own. Land for you and for Ilías.

Family. Respect. Duty. Jonas closed his eyes, forcing the image into his mind—the longhouse.

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