“Stefan? What just happened?” I pressed a kiss against his temple. “I’m right here. You can let me go.”
He shook his head stubbornly against my breast. He rolled to his back and pulled me on top of him, his arms still wrapped around me. Wiggling slightly so I could rest my head against his shoulder, I studied his profile. His eyes stared at the ceiling and his handsome face looked troubled, tiny lines deepening around the corners of his eyes.
“It is as I thought. You have shattered me,” he whispered. “You have torn me apart and I do not know how survive without you. My heart, my existence is solely in the palm of your beautiful hand. Imagine, living almost 1,000 years on the earth to discover that one woman will be the very death of me.”
Stefan arms went limp and I slipped to the bed. Sitting at his side, I stared down at him. He turned his head to look at me, his blue eyes boring into mine, stormy and terrified. I went to touch his face and his hand blurred to encircle my wrist, ceasing my movement.
Dread crept over my body like ice. “What does that mean? You’ve broken me too, Stefan. There’s no one else for me.”
“It means that my fate is tangled with yours. That if you would die tomorrow, I would seek out a way to end my life. It means that I cherish you above everything else, that I love you desperately,” Stefan admitted, sitting up beside of me. “Do you understand? There is no me without you.”
My eyes glazed over as his words sank in. He had described exactly how I felt. “Two parts of a whole,” I murmured weakly.
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry, Stefan. So very sorry.” I lowered my head and my hair fell over my shoulders, shrouding my face. He reached over and pressed a finger under my chin, tilting my face up to him.
“Never be sorry, vackra. Not about this. I love you. Today, tomorrow, for an eternity. För evigt.” As if admitting his feeling resolved his inner turmoil, his face finally relaxed into a smile. “I have something for you.”
He dashed from the bed to the dresser and pulled out a long, black velvet jewelry box. He sauntered back and sat back down beside me, leaning over to press a kiss on the tip of my nose. He placed it on my leg and anxiously waited as I reached down to pick the box up with trembling fingers.
Flipping open the case, I inhaled abruptly as I admired the long gold chain and ancient looking pendant that gleamed against the velvet. It was a crude carving of a man and a woman facing one another. Stefan reached over and picked up the necklace, his eyes taking on a distant look as he held the pendant in his hands.
“It’s beautiful,” I stammered. He placed it around my neck and it came to rest just above the swell of my breasts. My fingers unconsciously reached up to stroke it as I leaned forward to kiss him softly. “What does it mean?”
“It is one of the few possessions I have from my human life. It depicts the courtship of Freyr and Gerda. They were from different worlds, yet Freyr still fell in love with Gerda. She at first spurned his affections, saying she could never love him because of what and who he was. She conceded in the end.” Stefan’s finger rubbed over the pendant. “While you never spurned my affection, we come from different times and different worlds. It is a token of my commitment and love to you.”
“Stefan, I don’t know what to say.” I moved to sit astride him, nestling against him.
“You only need to tell me that you love me and you are mine. That is all I ask from you, vackra.”
Kissing his muscled chest, I draped my arms around his neck. “I love you, Stefan Lifsten. I am yours,” I paused and took a deep breath. “And I’ll move in with you. You’ll be sick of me.”
Stefan gripped my arms and pulled me back so he could look in my eyes. Pure happiness radiated from his face, his handsome face glorious. He crushed me back against him, his strong arms holding me in a tight embrace. “I will never tire of you.”
I yawned against him and laughter resounded deep in his chest. “I have worn you out. Come, you need to sleep.”
He released his hold on me, letting me shift to slip under the covers. Stefan smoothly stretched out beside me, spooning his large frame behind me. I relaxed against him, the vibration of his humming lulling me to sleep.
I awoke early to find Stefan still in bed, his arm tight around my waist. Rolling over to my back, I noticed the gold of the necklace he had given me late last night around my neck. Running my fingers over the pendant, I sighed happily.
“What has you so happy this morning?” Stefan mumbled sleepily. He opened one blue eye to look at me.