Hi again! Sorry for the wait; it's almost time for graduation. A warning: this chapter isn't violent, but might be triggering to some. Read on and enjoy.

Belladonna007- Thanks, I'm glad you still like the story!

Lady Ravanna- Thank you so much! =)

StoryCrazy- Lol, thanks so much for the comments! :]

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It seemed like an endless amount of time had passed between then and sunset. Poor Eabha barely noticed, not even while eating a bit of dinner in that beautiful prison of a room. Thor had gotten her an extra pillow for the bed, but she wouldn't have processed the sight of a hundred pillows. She could hardly feel anything at all, aside from a deep chill in her body. The house was sufficiently heated, and yet, it was as if the coldest blizzard in history was surrounding her at every moment.

Eventually, she found herself staring out one of the windows. While the tall curtain was closed, the woman made no attempt to open it. Her body didn't feel like it had an ounce of strength. She just wanted to collapse onto the bed and sleep until the end of time. But her husband had already stripped down to his undershirt and was waiting for her. No matter how comfortable the mattress was, Thor's presence would completely spoil it.

"Come to bed, wife," he told her, pulling back the blankets. "It's late."

There was no other avenue. Her body felt as if it were moving on its own, removing the coat and unfastening her bodice and skirt with numb fingers until the chemise was the only thing left. In an unfeeling manner, she slipped into bed and covered herself. Though she'd quickly turned to direct her gaze back at the drapes, Eabha knew she wouldn't sleep yet. No…the Swede was still sitting up, staring down at her. She remembered what that meant. Her bones simply knew.

After a brief while of quiet, Thor eased himself further down on the mattress and settled right behind his wife. All he could do at first was rest an arm over her waist and inhale her scent. These long months of being away from her had haunted his mind with nearly as much strength as their time on the road. His dreams didn't consist of anything other than being with her in every way. And now, here they both were, just as God wanted it to be. As the seconds passed, the man felt something within him becoming warmer. Eabha's form against his was the only thing that could possibly quell this sensation, and the waiting was done.

Eabha flinched as her spouse moved his face to the back of her neck. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs and beg him to get it over with, but her throat felt like it was frozen. Besides, nothing else happened for the next couple of seconds. The Swede kept very still for a while, only to shift his hand to the woman's shoulder and pull her back a bit. From there, the large fingers slipped further down to the top button of the chemise. Once she felt the button open, the girl's tension snapped. She tried to wriggle away from Thor, but his other arm had coiled around her like a cobra.

"No," she whispered, knowing it wouldn't do any good.

The older man didn't seem to hear her, as he merely undid another button a few moments later. It was quickly becoming apparent that there was nothing she could do, but Eabha didn't think she'd be able to endure this. While she knew deep down that he wouldn't hurt her, the notion of him making her feel…that couldn't happen, not again. She would break.

Before the young woman could move her arm to throw back the sheets and get up, the Swede immediately stopped her. Eabha cried out in her struggle to push him off, but he only pulled her even more tightly to his chest.

"Shh," Thor said tenderly, moving his wife onto her back. "Shh, child, I'd never harm you."

"Let go!"

But she couldn't get away. He was above her now, with one arm braced on either side of her. Seeing his angelic spouse against the white mattress beneath him was such a heavenly sight, one he'd almost doubted he would see again. And yet, this was real. They were here, they were themselves, and they were together. There was no telling what the next day would bring, and like any God-fearing man, he had the slightest of worries. Perhaps the false prophet would be guarded more heavily at the moment of justice, or some other mishap of that quality would block the Lord's will. However, Thor couldn't think of such things now. Eabha was still his foothold within a potential world of peace. He needed to believe in the notion of achieving peace, and for that, he needed his wife. He needed this night with her.

Eabha's squirming was easily suppressed, no matter what she did. Part of her was glad. Everything that had happened was consuming her mind, and the thought of fighting anymore was exhausting. Then again, she had hopes of a slight escape into her mind. If she had to deal with this act tonight, her thoughts had to be as far away as possible. It was the key to her strength, and the only tiny victory she had left. But the Swede had other ideas.

He undid the rest of the chemise's top buttons in his haste to feel closer to Eabha. Once the garment was loosened, it didn't take long for him to move his arms beneath her and pull her in, pressing his lips to her exposed chest all the while. At Fort Smith, he was too distracted by his new persona to truly take in Eabha's form. Now, he could see how carrying a child had changed her. Nevertheless, it didn't detract from her beauty in the slightest. On the contrary, she was lovelier than ever before. He had to worship her.

Meanwhile, Eabha could only lie there and vainly try to disappear. She considered thinking of the massacre on her family to fend off any arousal, but those memories just made things worse. Everything hurt too much, and she was tired of feeling hurt. There was nowhere to hide herself, not in her mind or that room. It was as if every nerve was exposed, as if her very heart was out in the open. Somehow, Thor always had a way of doing that. He could make her feel so vulnerable, just so he could swoop in and protect her. Eabha hated how she was almost feeling protected at this very moment. She hated it, but she was too worn out to resist anymore. The only remaining option was to try and not feel anything.

It'll end sooner if I just go somewhere else.

But she couldn't. Her husband's hands pushing up the chemise skirt were too real, as was the unyielding touch of his lips all over her skin. It was impossible to ignore any of it. The fact that her body was already betraying her was agonizing enough on its own, but deep in her gut, there was a sense of longing that brought such comfort. She'd spent months despising herself for letting these feelings exist, and it was coming to a head tonight in a wave of unwanted sensations.

As much as the young woman didn't have it in her to fight, she couldn't help but do so when Thor moved down her body. She had an idea of what he was about to do, and with all that had transpired, it was a torturous thought for her.

"Don't," Eabha said, weakly trying to push herself away with her legs. "No!"

But the Swede pinned her thighs with ease and proceeded. While the girl wanted to struggle more, it felt like her blood was turning to stone. Nothing seemed real, but at the same time, it certainly wasn't a dream. She couldn't stand giving in, so her eyes drifted to the white curtain in an attempt to distract herself. It barely worked, and she could hardly see the tiny lace designs in the dark, but it was hard to block out what was happening. No, it was impossible. As the minutes passed, the familiar knot steadily built up. The feeling was both gentle and intense all at once, just as it was in the past. The girl's thoughts drifted to those blissful days for a moment or two, and the warmth that came with it was nearly enough to take her far away. Still, the fact that it was this man, this depraved man, who was making her feel like this… At some point, Eabha realized it was over. Everything was somewhat numb at first, but once she regained her thoughts, she suddenly felt an uncontrollable impulse to get away.

Though she attempted to leap off the mattress as soon as Thor moved aside, he was still too quick.

"No, shh." He immediately looped an arm around her waist and pulled her backwards into his lap, trapping her with his limbs. "Stay with me."

Eabha could only squirm for a few seconds before the tears came. The whole world seemed to be collapsing with no end in sight. Her very self was imploding, and for some reason, she almost took comfort in the darkness it brought. With it being so dark, at least she wouldn't be able to focus on reality. Perhaps it would let her pretend that all was well, just enough for her to raise Branna. However, she knew, deep down, that Thor would never let her retreat like this. He'd find some way to make her see and feel everything, just as he was doing now.

She made another tearful attempt to get away, but he was too strong.

"Let me go."

"Never."

"Please."

"No, my sweet…"

"Stop!"

But the girl knew he wouldn't. She wondered why she was saying these useless words, since there was nothing she could say that would make this end. It didn't help when the Swede carefully moved one hand to hers and rubbed his thumb against her skin. The gesture made that warm feeling swell in her gut, just as it had when he'd done it for the first time.

"Eabha," he muttered into the side of her neck, closing his eyes. "Stay."

And stay she did. What other option was there? Her body didn't even want to move anymore. Besides, the reluctant heat was becoming more appealing with every second that passed. As much as she wanted to deny this, even that was tiring her. There would be no way to compute anything if she couldn't rest, and if she just gave in for this one night…

After another minute or two, Thor carefully eased Eabha back down onto the mattress, and she let him. But she couldn't keep from turning away when he bent over her and wrapped both arms around her shoulders.

"I…I can't."

It was a halfhearted whisper at best, since she had to hold onto herself just a little bit. Still, her spouse shook his head and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek.

"Give yourself this night," he told her. "Let me love you, like before. Please."

When he moved his lips to hers, she didn't resist. Her brain was swimming frantically, making it difficult for her conscience to stay in control. All she knew was that she needed what Thor was offering. It felt as if her entire being was on the verge of destruction, and she couldn't take it. Right now, Eabha just wanted to be soothed. It no longer mattered where the comfort was coming from. As long as the pain went away for a while, she didn't care.

Thor could've wept with joy at his wife's surrender, but that wouldn't do. She was here, and now, he had to be here as well. Both of them needed each other, and despite Eabha's reluctance to admit it, he was going to make sure the two of them felt as much as possible tonight. Every inch of the woman's skin was so soft against his fingers, as was her hair. There wasn't a single thing about her that didn't make him want this closeness even more. By the time he finally slid into her, Eabha had put both arms around his middle and was pulling him in. It was almost as if she'd lost control over herself, but at the same time, she had all the control in the world. Though the truth was in the back of her head, it was completely out of reach. And she didn't want to remember it right now.

At some point, the movement came to a stop. Everything was quiet, aside from the sound of breathing. Once the cloud of confusion and euphoria cleared up a bit, Eabha felt herself clinging to the older man. Tears soon filled her eyes, but Thor tightened his own grip and bent towards her before she could think of trying to leave.

"Shh…sleep, my dove."

"No," Eabha wept, mostly in self-hatred.

"It's all right."

The Swede continued to whisper tender words into her ear for a while, but it didn't take obscenely long for the tearful young woman to doze off. Her exhaustion and despair was making it nearly impossible to think, and as much as she didn't want to peacefully sleep in this man's arms again, the notion was too comforting to ignore. And that might've been what hurt the most.

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