Page 65 of Ulf's Destiny
“I do. I do love you, so, so much, my mated wolf. I have never loved anyone before but I love you. Please, say you love me t?—”
A kiss the likes of which she had never even thought could exist stopped her plea. No need for Ulf to give her an answer. It was clear he loved her as well.
“I love you,” he said nonetheless once he drew away, eyes ablaze. “I love you.Ek ann þér. Never doubt it. And I thank you for saving me. I know that killing me was your idea. No one else would have dared.”
“Yes, it was my idea. I have no idea where it came from.”
She couldn’t help a smile. Who would have thought she would owe Mildred her thanks one day? But without her order to kill Wolf’s sons, Ylva would never have thought of doing such a thing.
“Are you all right, Ulf?” Torsten asked. He didn’t appear overly worried but understandably needed to make sure his nephew was well.
“Better than all right,” Ulf answered, drawing her against his flank. Then he looked at the three men and nodded at each of them in turn. “I thank you all for coming to my rescue.”
Caedmon snorted. “As if we could have left you to rot in that cell a moment longer.”
“No. I suppose I would have done the same for you.”
“Let’s ride, shall we?” Torsten seemed eager to put distance between them and the reeve’s men, and Ylva could not blame him.
Ulf eyed up Ratatoskr, whom they had brought along for the ride back to the village. “Will you come with me or do you prefer to ride your own?—”
“Please, I want to sit with you.”
Though she had not minded riding the mare on the way to town, she needed to be with Ulf, feel that he was really here, back with her.
“Of course. Then Torsten can lead Doe.”
23
At the village they were greeted by an explosion of joy.
Ylva fell into Cwenthryth’s extended arms at the same time as Steinar drew his son into a manly hug. Looking deeply moved, Wolf shook Oslac’s hand while Torsten kissed his eldest daughter, who had escaped from her mother’s arms as soon as she had seen him dismount. Merewen was thanking Caedmon. Sven, Haakon, Eirik and Moon were seeing to the horses, their wives doing their best to contain the children’s excitement.
It was just like a big family reunion, full of happiness and warmth, just what Ylva needed.
“Thank you, Ylva.” Cwenthryth was sobbing into her neck, overwhelmed by emotion. “You saved our son.”
“Please. It was the least I could do to atone for the fact that I once tried to kill him.”
After a while, everything quietened down. Ylva looked around for Ulf and saw him talking to his grandfather, who was looking on with pride. Before she could go to him, Steinar planted himself in front of her.
She braced herself for the inevitable confrontation but to her shock, the stern man placed a hand above his heart.
“I will never forget what you did and I don’t know how to thank you.” The gruffness in his voice, for once, was down to emotion. “When you have your own son, perhaps you will appreciate the enormity of what you did today.”
“I already do.” She understood all too well, as she had saved the man she loved. It seemed just as significant.
An arm snaked around her waist and Ulf drew her to his side, right where she belonged.
“I think I’m ready to go home.”
Yes, he would be, after his ordeal.
“Thorfinn and Knut have already been sent to fill a tub with water in your hut,” Steinar informed them. “And food has been put on the table. Ylva, see to it that my son is fed, cleaned and made comfortable. I think no one will do that better than you will.”
The arm around her waist tightened. “Indeed.”
The blacksmith’s two sons were just emptying the last pot of warm water into an enormous wooden tub when Ylva followed Ulf into the hut a moment later. She was grateful to them for having spared her a strenuous job. She had barely slept the night before and her belly was starting to restrain her movements.
