Ragnar the Just (Ragnar the Dane #3) (8 page)

Lithasblot
continued
,
the music and dancers merging into a blur as the guests drank more ale and mead, no-one aware of the lovers meeting outside. Then again,
blots
were always times for secret trysts.

At the end of the night, Kjartan staggered home to his wife, merriness tempered with regret, soothed by his time with Lini and the knowledge he could see him any time.

Lini carried his son home and Halldora carried their daughter. No one had guessed his secret; he’d been well fed and watered and had a taste of his lover without any
repercussions. Perhaps they were indeed magically protected from harm.

*
 
*
  *

One evening, however, Kjartan went back to his home for supper, and the house was deserted.

“Your wife’s at her aunt’s. She’s having your baby,” said the next door neighbour, pursing her lips disapprovingly. Kjartan slammed the front door and hurried off.

When he reached Aunt Ymma’s home, he heard pained groans from inside and bit his lip. How selfish he had been, spending all his time making love to Lini while Mildrith needed him more.

He paced up and down outside until eventually he heard a baby’s
cry
and murmured voices.

The door opened and a midwife looked out.
“There you are. I
hope you’re proud of yourself. S
he was scared stupid.” She glared at him
. “You should have been there, t
hen I could have come round and she could have had the baby in comfort in her own home.”

“Sorry. I was -
it’s none of your business where I was.” He pushed past her to see his wife lying in bed nursing a tiny, wet-haired baby. Mildrith looked pale and drawn, but smiled weakly when she saw him.

He flung himself down to kneel next to her.

“I’m so, so sorry. I should have helped you.” He gazed in awe at the baby’s tiny fingers.

“It’s a girl. We’ll call her Dalla.” Mildrith was too tired to argue so Kjartan nodded guiltily.

*
 
*
  *

The new baby kept her parents awake every night for the next few weeks. They felt tired all the time
,
with no respite, even though the midwives visited every day to check up on mother and daughter. Kjartan was helping with the crop harvest now, which meant long days working dawn until dusk. Then
,
when he got home
,
his sleep was always broken by the crying baby, but at least as she grew, she cried less each night.

And the endless stream of visitors tired the couple even more.

“It’ll get better,” said Aelfwyn reassuringly, with her brood of three children round her ankles. Alvi was one winter and two summers old and Kjartan found it hard not to shout at him as he threw everything onto the floor.

“Yes,” said Ragnar, holding one of his twin baby daughters, Asta, while Bebbe, their adopted daughter, held Signy. The babies were nearly one winter old. “She’ll sleep better in a few weeks’ time.”

Kjartan sighed. Was this what he really wanted? He’d always been a loner, but recently liked the idea of settling down. Now he didn’t want anything but sleep and peace.

*
 
*
  *

One evening
there was a knock at the door and Lini’s caramel hair appeared round it. His eyes met Kjartan’s, who stepped towards him, then hesitated.

“We’re here to see the baby.” Halldora’s strident tones preceded her appearance
as
she squeezed through the doorway, inquisitive eyes and rosy apple cheeks. Thora and Kori skipped round her.

“Hallo,” said Mildrith, nursing Dalla.

“You look well,” said Halldora. “Your hair seems to be darker these days. Sometimes that happens after you have a baby. Can I hold her?” She held her arms out imperiously and Mildrith could not refuse.

Lini’s eyes flicked between the baby and Kjartan.

“We could have another ba
by, couldn’t we?” said Halldora, “e
specially as you’re now sleeping in my bed again
.
Lini, pay attention!
”

“Sorry.” He’d been gazing at his lover, imagining his muscly chest under his tunic, the battle scars he’d counted and kissed.

“I hardly used to see him, he was so elusive,” continued his wife. “But lately he’s been around more.”

“Oh, Kj
artan was like that for a while -
” began Mildrith.

“Something to drink?” interrupted her husband. “We’ve got ale or mead.” He clattered the cups around noisily.

“I’ve been making lots of amber beads recently,” added Lini. “I’m going to make a necklace for you as a present, but it isn’t finished quite yet.” He too wa
s working with the harvesters. E
very last man, woman and child was needed to bring in the crops in time.

“Oh, that’s kind. Thank you.” Mildrith smiled and he smiled back. After she turned back
to Dalla, he glanced at Kjartan
whose face was set in an expression of jealousy. Lini wondered which of them he was jealous about.

“He never finishes anything these days,” said Halldora. “He’s always in a world of his own.” She carried on her monologue about the shortcomings of her husband in an affectionate tone.

“I need to get more water from the stream,” said Kjartan in a strangled voice.

“I’ll help you.” Lini took the opportunity and followed him.

When they were far enough away from the house, Kjartan spoke.

“Odin’s eye, that woma
n!
She doesn’t appreciate you. S
he rambles on about what a ter
rible husband you are. She says …
”

“I’m used to it. Shut up now.” Lini pushed him into the undergrowth, into the guelder rose leaves that were beginning to turn to autumn yellow, their red berries swelling enticingly. He landed on top of him, arms and legs all over the place, kissing him like an overexcited puppy, making Kjartan smile so much he could hardly kiss him back.

“I’ve missed you,” Lini said at last. “I didn’t know where you were, but luckily Halldora heard about your baby, so I guessed.”

“I’ve really missed you. It’s been like hell. No sleep, the baby crying all the time, yet we still have to carry on as normal. I’m so tired.”

“Yes, I’ve been there,
mjaldr
. It’ll get better, you’ll get used to it.” He stroked Kjartan’s long flaxen plait, which was more unkempt than usual. “I know! Let’s go to the shelter and just sleep. You can get a break from the baby.”

“What about Mildrith
,
though? She can’t look after Dalla on her own.”

“Can’t her aunt or cousins help out?”

“I suppose so.” Kjartan’s eyelids were drooping already, so Lini took his buckets and filled them with water, leaving him dozing in the bushes. It was quite amusing really. He tiptoed back to the house with the water, not realising a pair of eyes had been watching their whole encounter.

As Lini walked out of view, Styrkar emerged from his hiding place and slunk away. His patience had paid off. Keeping an eye on his Huskarl tormentor had indeed led him to find out something he could use against him. This would
teach that white-haired fiend to humiliate him at training. He smiled to himself. He’d known there was something going on between him and the gorgeou
s amber smith.
Two men together -
how disgusting and perverted.
The way they’d pressed their bodies against each other like that, their cocks must have rubbed up against each other ... Styrkar had to stop and lea
n on a tree to catch his breath
as he was panting thinking about the scene he’d witnessed. He must have been walking too fast. How long was it since he’d fucked a woman? He must get one right now.

*
 
*
  *

“Where’s my daddy?” Halldora waved Dalla’s little arm as she sat holding her in the largest chair.  Mildrith had to sit on the bench.

Lini laughed. “He’s asleep. He was so tired he fell asleep in the bushes.”

The women laughed.

“He’s hopeless sometimes,” said Mildrith. “Let’s leave him there.”

“Can your aunt or cousins come round and help you with Dalla tonight? You both need a break.”

“I’ll ask,” said Halldora. “I know them.”

Lini smiled to himself. He’d known his wife would take charge of organising.

*
 
*
  *

Later that night, when Lini and Halldora had gone and Kjartan's wife and daughter were asleep, he stumbled out to the shelter in the woods to meet Lini, and they kissed for a long time, enjoying rediscovering the taste and feel of each other, undressing and pulling the bearskin covers over them.

“I need sleep,
tregul
, I’m sorry.” Kjartan snuggled down, wrapping his arms round Lini’s lean body. The amber smith couldn’t sleep
,
however, his erection prodding at his lover’s leg after
so many weeks of frustration, b
ut he’d have to wait a bit longer.

When they woke, birds sang exultantly and the dawn sunlight peeped through the gaps in the branches.

“Morning.”
Lini leant over as the frost blue eyes fluttered open. Kjartan instinctively pulled him into an embrace before
he was properly awake. It was only when Lini started making strangled noises he realised he was holding him too tightly.

“You’ll be the death
of me one day,” Lini
gasped, smiling and trying to catch his breath at the same time. They gazed at each other admiringly.

“I’ve - missed you -
so much,” Lini said between kissing his mouth, neck,
collarbone
.

“So I see. Or feel.” He grabbed his lover’s cock, making him jump and bite him on the shoulder. He
seized
Lini’s hair, pulling his face closer, kissing him, thrusting his tongue deep into his mouth, their naked bodies pushing urgently against each other, sticking together with sweat.

Kjartan slowly rolled them over so he was on top, still kissing Lini, pinning him down, pushing his cock against him, trying not t
o thrust but it was difficult, h
is hand caressing Lini’s hip, moving round his buttock, squeezing the muscle.

Lini stopped kissing him for a minute.

“What?” The pale blue eyes opened, gazing into his.

“You want to fuck me like I’m a woman.” Lini tensed slightly, breath coming in gasps.

“We could try it. You’ll like it.” Memories of the slave’s arousing groans echoed in Kjartan’s mind. He wanted to make Lini feel like that. “It’ll feel good for both, not just me.”

“But what about afterwards?
You’ll just cast me aside.” He propped himself up on one elbow, eyes serious, nervous. “Like a woman or slave or prisoner, worth nothing.”

“Of course I won’t!”

“If people found out I’d taken the woman’s part
…” He shrugged, making his chest and abdominal muscles ripple down their long tanned length.

Kjartan gulped.
“Well, they won’t!” he snapped, more fiercely than he meant to. “I’ll never tell them!”

“So you’re ashamed of me?”

“No! I just -
want you.” He stroked his lover’s hip again, down over his thigh to his balls, teasing them with a light touch.

“Very well.”
Lini gave a small smile.

Kjartan took a tallow candle from its holder.

“Where are you going to put that?”

“Not where you think.” He squeezed it in his hand and it melted with the heat of his body. Lini was transfixed staring as his lover rubbed the melted wax over his finger. He moved
his hand slowly between Lini’s legs and gently pushed the finger inside him, making him gasp and tense.

“Don’t. Relax.” He pushed it inside further, all the while kissing Lini’s neck and chest softly.

“That - feels -
strange,” he gasped. Strange was the wrong word, but he couldn’t think of the right one. His whole body was quivering, his mind slowing down.

“It won’t in a minute.” Kjartan took his finger out, melted some more candle in his hand and stroked it onto his cock, gazing into his lover’s sapphire eyes.

He slowly moved on top of Lini, pushing his slippery cock inside him, bit by bit. After a moment Lini whimpered, so he stopped at once, keeping his lower body still but all the while kissing him and stroking him, his hair falling in Lini’s face. He changed position slightly then pushed again, and Lini gave a surprised groan, his whole body jumping into alertness as if ready for one of his running races, trembling and hot.