Page 66 of Agnarr's Jarlin

“Well, usually, the bride and groom spend the evening apart the night before the wedding,” I looked at him uncertainly, knowing he wouldn’t be a fan.

“No. Why? Why would you be apart from me?” He looked almost pained at the suggestion.

Deciding now was not the time to explain virginity and all the garbage that went along with it; I went for the more modern explanation. “It is to heighten the surprise and excitement of the wedding day. You aren’t supposed to see me in my wedding dress until the ceremony, so I can hardly get ready with you,” I explained.

“What if you need me?” he asked, eyebrows raised, making his meaning clear.

“That’s kind of the point. Wedding night sex is supposed to be amazing and memorable. I mean, it rarely is because half the time, the couple is too exhausted or drunk even to have sex, but that’s the tradition.”

“Ah, so we don’t have sex the night before the wedding to make the wedding night sex better? Because we’ve gone without?” He was catching the idea, at least somewhat.

“Yes, exactly,” relieved he followed.

“No. I don’t think that will work,” Agnarr said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“What? Why not? It is a tradition I want to do—mainly for the surprise factor. And think of how amazing sex will be if we’ve been apart,” I batted my eyelashes at him. He looked down at me, and I could tell his resolve was crumbling.

“What if you get hurt?”

“How will I get hurt spending the night in Billie’s room? That’s not even a good argument.”

“No, no, definitely not. If we are doing this at all, you will stay here. I will sleep elsewhere,” he sighed.

“So we can do this?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“You know I would never actually say no to something you wanted. Especially considering all the customs you’ve endured assimilating into our culture. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it. And I am stationing a guard outside. And I want all the women here. You can make it like that bachelorette thing Billie explained to me,” he said darkly, like the women were taking me from him.

“That sounds amazing. Could I make it up to you? To thank you for putting up with a silly tradition?”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Well, if you aren’t busy right now...” I reached out and trailed a finger down his chest.

Agnarr said nothing as he lifted me and swung me over his shoulder, heading for the stairs.

“For the millionth time, I can walk!” I protested.

“Já, but this is faster.”

CHAPTER23

PIPER

The morning of our wedding day dawned bright and crisp. I felt refreshed, thanks to Zoey. While I was still getting to know the petite blonde, she had a military background and insisted on an early bedtime for all of us. I wasn’t sure where we would all sleep, but all ‘the girls,’ as I’d affectionately started calling them, showed up with blankets and pillows. It really was going to be like a giant sleepover. Since my group of friends had always been on the smaller side back on Earth, having a built-in set of eleven friends was a little overwhelming. But I took it in stride and tried to push aside my social anxieties as we chatted and snacked throughout the evening. I tried on my dress for everyone. They oohed and ahhed appropriately.

We tried to play a game of truth or dare, but since no one was willing to go out in the cold, no dares were taken. It ended up being an evening of deep talk about what our lives had been and where they were going. While some of the girls were still scared of the future, many were ready to move forward and solidify their space in Fýrifírar. I, more than anyone, was prepared for the future. After today, I wanted a bit of quiet. Less ceremonies and celebrations, more sleeping in, and lazy afternoons. One tradition Agnarr hadn’t fought me on at all was a honeymoon. With us taking control of the tribe, it couldn’t be a long one, but we agreed to three days back at the ceremonial pools, and I was probably more excited about that than I was about the wedding.

As I started shuffling around the rest of the girls woke up and joined me in the kitchen. Quite a few of them drank Baldrian tea, so I made an entire pot rather than the usual cup I made for myself. A soft knock came at the door, and there stood Tora and Odin, carrying heavy trays of breakfast. I hurried them in so they could place the trays down on the dining table before pulling them both into an awkward group hug where we were both laughing and hugging little Odin’s head. Even though it had only been a few months, he seemed taller.

“Have your tusks grown since I last saw you?” I gasped in mock astonishment.

“Jarlin Piper, you just saw me last vika,” Odin responded very seriously.

I laughed, “I remember. And I remember telling you to call me Piper. Do you call Astrid Jarlin Astrid?”

“No, but that’s because I call her Aunt Astrid,” he giggled.

“Well, do you think you can try to call me Piper?” I asked.