Page 74 of Goddess of Light
Then, he pushes the layers of my dress out of the way, and the thick head of his cock teases me, rubbing against me in slow circles that send waves of raw lust coursing through my veins.
I reach up, running my fingers through his hair, feeling the silken strands against my skin. His breath quickens at my touch, and when our eyes lock, I can see the raw need in them, a need only I can sate.
With a low growl, he thrusts into me, filling me completely. I gasp at the stretch, so thick and deep and right that it takes my breath away. He pulls back slightly then thrusts again, each movement sending shockwaves of pleasure through me like an electric current.
I wrap my legs around him tighter, feeling his muscles ripple with exertion. His eyes latch onto mine once more, his gaze deep and intense, silver glowing in the moonlight. He thrusts harder now, desperate for release, desperate to take me with him.
My body responds to his urgency, matching his fervent desire with equal intensity. We move together as one, each movement perfectly synchronized. The sound of our ragged breaths mingle with the rustling of leaves and the gentle whine of wind passing through the forest.
The heat between us builds until it bursts like a supernova, washing over me in waves of pure, blinding pleasure, followedby a rush of emotion that swells, threatening to spill over. I can’t find the words to express what I feel in this moment, so I press my lips to his, pouring all my love and longing into the kiss. The world falls away around us, leaving only the echo of our heartbeats and the whisper of the branches overhead.
As we break apart and he pulls out, lowering me back to the ground, a rustling in the underbrush startles us. Tuoni tenses, his hand instinctively reaching for his sword, but instead of an enemy lurking in the darkness, a small fox of fur and bone emerges, its golden eyes curious as it regards us.
I can’t help but let out a soft laugh at the unexpected visitor. Tuoni relaxes beside me as it runs off into the night.
“We might have scarred that poor fox for life,” I tell him. “Think of the things he’ll tell Tapio.”
“Animals understand it better than anyone,” he says to me, doing up his pants and helping me smooth down my dress before he takes my hand and leads me back to camp.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
DEATH
Morningin the Hiisi Forest comes quietly and bitterly cold. Our makeshift camp rests in a glen where the ancient trees, at Tapio’s urging, have bowed their great limbs to shield us from the skies. I hunch over by a low-burning fire, the smoke locked in place by a ward Ilmarinen placed over the campfires, carefully nursing a tin cup of coffee between my gloves, a small luxury that makes camping in the wild worthwhile.
Hanna sits across from me, perched on the broad root of a gnarled tree. My wife. My queen. The Goddess of Death and the Sun, ruler of Tuonela at my side. It still jolts me to think of her fully like this, after everything we’ve been through.
But I see the hesitation on her face, the way her fingers hover over the cup I offered her. She put on a brave face, but now that the morning is here, she’s afraid—afraid that if she calls too strongly on her powers of the sun, the gift that makes her so formidable, it might strip away her true self again. Her mind, her love, her identity—fragile things balanced on the edge of that divine fire.
She sips the coffee anyway, her dark lashes lowered, chestnut brown hair braided loosely over one shoulder, ends tied togetherwith vines courtesy of Tellervo. The greenish light of the Hiisi Forest canopy makes her look pale, but I know how much strength she carries inside.
I wish I could take that fear from her. I’d carry it myself if I could, but even Gods have limits.
Lovia has gone for a walk with the Magician. I trust Lovia, and I trust the Magician, in his own cryptic way. Still, their relationship concerns me a little. I noticed it before, back at Castle Syntri, and thought nothing of it, but since we’ve come to the forest, they’ve been inseparable. Perhaps the two of them search for answers, for a path through the Kaaos threatening Tuonela. Or maybe it’s something more than that. If that’s the case, I should talk to her, because the last thing I need is for my daughter to lose her head over…well, I don’t really know what the fuck the Magician is. It doesn’t matter—she needs to keep her focus on what’s at hand, like the general she is.
The rest of our small army stirs quietly in the dawn. Soldiers rake coals back to life, sharpen blades dulled by too many battles, check their guns, and whisper hopes of winning any next battles. Still, I think they’re happier here than they were at Castle Syntri—if you can call their stern, glum faces happy. Then again, they are Finnish and hard to read.
Outside the forest’s protective canopy, it’s snowing lightly, and a few stray flakes drift down through the woven branches.
In the dim light, Ilmarinen crouches near a mossy rise, preparing to use the sampo. This morning, he found a ley line right there—one of the vital currents of power Louhi and the Old Gods have twisted out of shape. If the sampo works, the Old Gods will lose some of their strength, if not all of it. We desperately need that edge, especially with Hanna’s power out of the picture.
Hanna shifts, and I catch her eye. I see the flicker of determination and fear in her gaze as she glances at Ilmarinen’s preparations.
“Is that thing really going to make a difference?” she asks softly.
I shrug. “It better,” I say as I rise, stretching sore muscles. The night’s rest on the forest floor wasn’t kind to my bones—I’m feeling less like a God by the day—but we survived another night. That alone is a blessing.
I walk over to Ilmarinen, damp moss squelching underfoot. he kneels with his ear to the ground, muttering to himself. Soldiers form a loose perimeter, watching silently, curiously. Torben appears, yawning deeply, Rasmus by his side, his hair a mess from sleeping, both ready to help if needed.
“So?” I ask Ilmarinen.
He looks up, thinning hair pulled back, cheeks smudged with dirt. “So,” he echoes, “I can feel it pulsing beneath us. This spot is as good as any.”
I glance back at Hanna. She stands behind me, silent, her presence an anchor. My hope rekindles, small but steady.
Ilmarinen positions the strange device with reverence. It gleams faintly, a complex work of metal and crystal and grinding parts etched with ancient runes. I feel its hum, as if hearing a distant choir singing beneath the soil.
He spins one of the spheres and begins a soft chant. Soldiers tense, hands on hilts. The forest hushes. For a moment, I imagine this working smoothly: ley lines stabilizing, the Old Gods losing their stranglehold. Then, we can push forward to Shadow’s End and challenge Louhi on more even terms. Hanna’s hand drifts near mine, as if seeking comfort. I brush my knuckles against hers.