My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian (Sera and Fenris) novel Chapter 136

Sera

"I was actually relieved," I said softly, my voice muffled against his chest. "When I lost to my father, I thought I was going to be married off to the reasonable son of the Volkov house."

I giggled lightly, tracing a line over his chest with my finger. "I was so glad I wasn't being given to 'The Butcher'."

Fenris went completely still. He didn't interrupt.

"I was terrified of you," I admitted honestly. "I was worried about what would become of me up here in the frozen north. To me, you were just a feral beast."

I lifted my head and looked straight up at him. Fenris was staring down at me, his face unreadable, his dark eyes locked onto mine.

"But now..." I said, my voice dropping to a whisper. "All I see is an exposed man. A man left entirely open to a brutal, unforgiving world. You were left to deal with the corrupted, violent circle that your father and your brother left behind."

I searched his eyes. "You were left alone in a fortress full of vultures just waiting for you to fall."

I brought my right hand up from his chest. I cupped his rough, stubbled jaw. I held his face firmly.

I looked at him as deeply as I could. "Fenris..."

Fenris just stared at me. He offered absolutely no response. He didn't pull away. He didn't agree or disagree. He just kept his intense, black eyes burning directly into mine.

After a long, stretching silence, he finally opened his mouth.

"Yes, my love," he answered, his voice a gravelly rasp.

I smiled. A fierce, protective warmth flooded my veins. "I'm here to protect you. I am here to make absolutely sure that nothing comes close to hurting you ever again."

I clenched my bare toes tightly against the wet stone floor. The alcohol and his proximity were hitting me in relentless waves now. My entire body broke out in heavy goosebumps. My nipples contracted painfully against the cold, wet fabric of my dress.

I didn't break eye contact. I reached up and grabbed his thick, heavy forearm. I brought his massive hand up and placed it flat against my own chest, right over my collarbone. Then, I slowly, deliberately dragged his hand downward.

I shivered violently the exact second his calloused palm grazed over the front of my dress. He felt my nipples. They were hard as actual diamonds, standing at completely sensitive ends, begging for friction.

I finally stopped his hand right over my heart, and then I placed my own hand firmly over his, trapping his heat against my body.

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