(SIGYN)

The energy between us while we strolled south to our home sent rushes through my heart of euphoria. Grid called it hygge. I called it love.

Loki played with my left hand and stole the odd glance every few steps, but we otherwise walked in silence as the music and laughter faded behind us. I preferred it. His unspoken satisfaction was worth more than any of his poetic words, which he was more than capable of spinning into spells. His eloquence couldn't capture the depth of his green gaze, the wisdom of his age, or the beauty of his naked form—slender, strong, and all mine. I was proud to carry his legacy, and humbled by how inebriated he appeared after our last kiss, precisely the same expression he held after our first.

Once our home was straight ahead in the darkness, untouched by the orange glow of the large bonfire, he squeezed my fingers anew. "Come around the back with me."

"You're going to run out of things to surprise me with someday, you know."

"That is a certainty. But not tonight."

Behind our round hut was a bench I hadn't yet seen—made of strong timber and wide enough for two. It hung by a chain on either side to tall poles, which must've been dug deep into the ground. It swayed in the silent wind.

"A swing?" I asked, though my grin gave away my excitement.

He only brought me to the front of it. "Think you can manage getting on?"

"Shouldn't be too hard," I said. While he held it still, I hopped in and scooted against the back. Had I sat in it alone, I would've had to choose the center—with him primed to join me, I tried not to feel anxious by the generous tipping.

He climbed in on my right side and lay his arm across the back, allowing me to fall into his arm. In the quiet of the night, secluded and peaceful, Loki and I rocked beneath the unfamiliar stars.

I sighed a happy note. "Still say your romance is mischief, my love?"

"Of course it is." He kissed my temple and rubbed my arm. "Someday, I hope we can use this as refuge whenever we are desperate for time alone. It's close enough to hear if they were to fuss inside."

"You know, for a man who wasn't raised for such a life, you're more prepared than I. If it wasn't for the women in the fortress, I wouldn't have the first clue how to take care of them." I rubbed my belly, unsurprised by the babes' quietness. They regularly slept at this hour. "Without you, I'm not sure what we would do."

"Good thing you'll never have to worry about that, then." His index finger directed my face in a practiced pull of my attention, which was welcome and predictable.

We kissed like young lovers and enjoyed the growing passion of one another. Our hands found comfortable places—his in my hair, mine on his shoulders—which helped us feel close while not disturbing the swing's rhythm. His fresh scent enveloped me, blending with the faint smoke to make a distinct musk that set my heart ablaze.

Our time to be alone together, man and wife with no one else, was running out. I had few chances to satisfy his needs before we'd be forced to abstain, if I understood the gifts from the women correctly.

Best not to waste a single moment. Even this one.

Loki bridled himself and didn't offer more than his thin but learned lips. I wasn't as capable of restraint. My hand moved to his inner thigh and walked my fingers north. The corresponding whines under my breath would surely be signal enough of what I wanted.

He pulled away and halted my hand where it was, just shy of the tent in his trousers. "W-wait…last time—"

"It was nothing. A cramp is all. Please let me finish what we started earlier." I rubbed my nose against his while I begged. "Let me reward all you've done for us both."

He swallowed hard and said nothing for a few moments, clearly arguing with himself over the safety of lovemaking after I ended our last real tryst weeks ago over a sharp pain in my side. Fear held him back.

"I miss you," I whispered, then finished the journey to his prize and gripped him firmly through the soft fabric that kept him hidden.

"Let's go," he said with a slight growl and jumped from the swing. Instead of taking my hand, he risked hurting himself and carried me instead. For such a short distance, he'd manage.

Vanir didn't put locks on their doors. As honorary Vanir, neither did we. He kicked open the door and I snapped to light the candles.

"Not on the bed," I said, stopping him before he crossed the threshold of our room. "Here."

Loki did as I asked and put my feet on the floor. He gulped loudly while rising to full height again.

"Now, where was I? Oh, yes." Thus time, I took control and shoved him against the wall, knocking a groan from his lips. My fingers hurriedly found the buckle keeping his tunic closed. I didn't break his eye contact as he panted chilled breath on my face. His top fell open with ease and I hungrily grasped at his waist, just careful enough not to pierce his smooth skin with my nails. The ripples of his physique tightened.

I shifted my gaze to his bare chest, which soon had a smattering of goosebumps that ebbed and flowed with every inhale. His words might've said he wished to resist, but his body couldn't lie. "My love, are you trembling?" I asked with a cocked brow, pinching his left nipple firmly as I did.

He extended his neck upward and faced the ceiling, surrendering all the more. It was enough of an answer. I took advantage and kissed his throat, then his chest, inching south. "Help me down," I whispered.

Loki took my hands and helped me kneel. Once steady below him, I ordered, "Arms above," and he obliged.

I teased at the top of his trousers again before exposing him. His scent was strongest in the nest of black hair that announced the fine architecture of his rigidity, and I craved it. He craved me in equal part, given the sweet dew waiting for me at the end. My right hand stroked more from him before I extended my tongue and brought him into my lips.

His primal, wide-eyed expression was enhanced by the drop of sweat down his right cheek. The deeper I engulfed him, the more his lips fell open, until he finally released an unconscious moan that proved my power.

It sent a shudder up my spine. I worked faster. This rare act of pleasure was what he craved most, though he'd never ask for it directly. Thought it was impolite. Fortunately, I enjoyed reducing him to putty and echoed his encouragement with sighs of my own.

As I did, my loins ached in a new way. A painful way. Strong and sudden.

Oh, no. Not again.

Unwilling to stop, for his sake, I pulled back. "Help me up. I need you now."

"Not like I need you." He yanked me up and tore at my smock until I was nude and dove for my lips, now holding my face in his strong hands to keep still. His mouth opened slightly, inviting more passion to trade between us. It helped me forget about the jolt of discomfort, which already faded to nothing. Loki walked backward, still holding me, until his calves met the edge of our bed. Tiwaz had enough sense to leave us undisturbed.

I passed him slowly, crawling on the soft blankets and staying on my hands and knees. Donning a smirk, I turned my face to him. "I believe this is our only real option, isn't it?"

Loki joined me on the bed but didn't rush. He caressed my hips and leaned down to kiss my spine before directing himself for penetration. Even now, he chose to honor me. His thorough changes never waned, despite the heat between us clouding all rational judgment. "You're so beautiful, Ginny."

I bit my lower lip and rocked to encourage him, anxious about my body's responses.

He read my signal and thrusted into me, announcing his satisfaction with every pulse. From this position, he was shallow, yet I preferred that given the circumstances. I answered with whines of my own, releasing my hands to rest on my forearms, arching my back as much as I could, though it was somewhat futile with my belly in the way.

Loki snaked his hands over my back, almost tickling me, until he reached my shoulders. Swiftly, he lifted my front half off the bed so I would meet his chest as his arms wrapped around what was left of my waist. "Kiss me."

I reached for a handful of his hair while I accepted his command, joining him while his rhythm below remained steady. My other arm rested on his, lacing our fingers from above, only feeling dissatisfied because no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't fuse into a single being.

His thrusts slowed but strengthened. He finished while still engaged in our kiss, deflating his shoulders and lungs in tandem. When he did release me, it was only to press his forehead into mine.

"I love you," he whispered, pecking at my neck and shoulder before resting again. "Just being beside you is bliss, but—"

"Ah!" I clutched my belly and fell forward, stopping myself with my right hand. The same ache I felt before tightened my stomach.

"Sigyn, are you alright?" He shifted next to me, adding panic to the moment with his hurried words. "Have I hurt you? Gods, I should've put a stop to this before it started. Talk to me."

I took a few slow breaths, completely filling my chest before releasing with my eyes closed. Like before, almost as soon as it arrived, the pain was gone. "I'm alright. I am. Nothing to be concerned with."

"You're certain?" His arched brows betrayed his fear.

"Yes. I already feel fine. I'm ready for a full night of rest." I rubbed his cheek with my thumb. "Now help me to the washroom."

He didn't follow up with more questions, but his skin was colder than normal. Once I returned to sleep, Loki doused the candles, unraveled and retied the sacred plait at the nape of my neck, and made sure to place a firm bundle between my knees so my hips wouldn't give me grief in the morning.

I didn't mention how the cramp came and went while I was bathing, or how it was becoming more difficult to ignore. Tried to quiet the pounding of my heart. Tried to fall asleep instead of counting every one.

It was fortunate that Loki proved himself to be a willing and anxious father—even more that we had a real home and true stability. I didn't need Skuld, moon of the future, to predict how much our lives would change before the next moonrise.