Page 108 of A Spark So Bright
The prince stood back up, dusted himself off, and then continued as if nothing had happened. "Torbin doesn't understand how the mind of a woman works. And if we understand the why of what she's doing, then I do believe we can?—”
Gunnar slammed the door in his face.
Sighing, he turned to look at Rose who was blinking at him from her place on the bed.
"That wasn't very nice," she scolded.
"You are completely naked in my bed, and I refuse to have another man looking at you when you are." He stalked toward her, already feeling uncomfortable with what had happened.
He didn't care if the princess was gathering her forces.
He didn't care if there was an army of humans camped right in front of their mountain.
All he wanted was a few more moments with his bride, as stolen as they were. He wanted to indulge himself in the moments of privacy that they had. Climbing onto the bed, Gunnar crawled over her and laid them both back down on the mattress.
She didn't seem to mind when he cuddled her like this, and he greatly enjoyed it. All he wanted was to rest his head on her chest and listen to the sound of her heart.
Just like she had started doing regularly, Rose worked her fingers through his hair. There wasn't ever going to be a single knot in those locks if she constantly touched him like this. He couldn't blame her. He did the same thing to her when she was lying on his chest.
This was a moment to love and be loved. He adored listening to her breathing, her heart, to everything that made her alive and he just...
What he could hear now was her thinking.
Groaning, he asked, "What is it now? What is the problem?"
"It's just... If he needs our help, don't you think we should offer it?"
"Magnus doesn't need anyone's help. He is a complete menace to society and all he's looking for is someone to listen to him. There are a lot of people in this castle that would be more than happy to listen to the prince speak. He doesn't need us."
"What if he does though?"
Gunnar sighed. He lifted his head from her chest and looked up her body to see her glaring at him. Clearly she felt strongly about this, and who was he to deny her anything?
"You have an opinion about this," he said, and it wasn't a question.
"Yes. If she's trying to gather her forces, then I agree with him. The princess is cruel, not stupid. She must have something else up her sleeve that she's quite certain will work. And if people are following her? Then they know exactly what she's got up her sleeve and that makes that person, item, magic, whatever it is, even more dangerous."
"I met her in the labyrinth. She wanted Ragnar to do a song and dance for her because she was supposed to marry him. I'm sure it's something to do with that."
"Maybe. She is vindictive. But she never wanted to marry a troll, so it has to be more than that." Rose cupped his jaw in her hand, stroking her thumb over his cheek. "Don't you think we should at least try to figure out what it is she's doing? She's not the same threat as her father, but she certainly could do a lot of damage to your people. To our people."
He sighed, heavily. "Yes, I see your point."
"I don't want you to say no to all of this simply because you don't like Magnus."
"It's not that I don't like him. I just think that he's an idiot who gets far too much attention for someone of his low intelligence." Gunnar groaned and rolled to the side. "Fine, fine, I understand that you want to help and I do as well. There's no reason for us to stay locked in here for the rest of eternity."
"Maybe we could look for somewhere to live outside of the barracks," she said as he got off the bed and started for the wardrobe. There should be an extra pair of pants waiting for him, although he couldn't promise anything about the smell of either of them.
"There are a few abandoned homes in the mountain. I could ask the king if we could take one of them," he replied absentmindedly while he pulled the pants on and then sniffed underneath his arm.
Damn it, Magnus was right. They did both reek.
"I wouldn't mind living in the mountain edges instead of the main area of Trollveggen." She stood as well, and pulled on the pretty blue dress that she'd married him in. "Of course, I would need to look it over for any lingering spirits. No one needs to be subjected to what we do with each other. Spirits like to rest too, you know."
He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "What I wouldn't give to do that one more time with you before I have to face the prince again."
Rose walked up to him and patted his chest. "Thankfully we have our entire life together. You can have me any time you want, but first, we have to take care of our people."
