Finn
Athena looked gorgeous in the dress we had found for her in Laura’s closet. Her long red hair stood in beautiful contrast to the blue dress with the slim waistline.
Zeus, the interviewer that had been brought in for this scoop of a story, was the best news anchor in the Northlands and known to keep things interesting with his hard questions during interviews. The man was in his early fifties and had a long impressive beard with small braids in it. In the past our paths had crossed when he had interviewed Khan or Magni to get comments for different stories. I had always thought of him as a professional, but this time, he annoyed me. It was the way he gazed at Athena and showered her with compliments.
“That’s so fascinating,” he said before we went on the air. “You can really read the old languages?”
“Some of them,” Athena said in her signature soft voice. “The neat thing is that when we priestesses meet at our yearly meeting, we can always tell from looking at each other’s forehead what languages we’ve mastered and what areas of expertise we have. The symbols of our tattoos carry messages of knowledge.”
“They are stunning,” Zeus said and marveled at them. “I have to say that so are you, Athena; I love the color of your hair and the brilliance of your green eyes. Finn is a very lucky man.”
“Yes, I am,” I said, not appreciating being mentioned in the third person when I was sitting right next to Athena.
When the camera people started counting down, I rolled my shoulders in an attempt to relax a little. The thought that this interview would be transmitted to everyone in the Northlands, and later to people in the Motherlands too, was unnerving. I could tell Athena was even more nervous than me, so I leaned my head back and asked, “Are you sure my nose is clean?”
It worked to ground her, and with a small smile she assured me, “You’re fine.”
“Great,” I said just as the countdown got to seven, “but you have something on your cheek.”
Her hands flew up to her face. “Where?”
“Five, four.” The countdown continued.
“Right there,” I lied and planted a loud kiss on her face.
“Three.” The last two numbers were counted with fingers only, but Athena was sucked into my smile and didn’t seem to notice. She was grinning back at me and it made my heart hammer faster.
“I’m here with Finn MacCumhail, known to be one of our finest doctors and our ruler’s personal physician,” Zeus started, “but the real star of the day is the young woman sitting next to him.” Zeus turned to Athena and gave her an exaggerated smile. “Athena Kelly, you are not just an ordinary Motlander, but one of the few and very admired priestesses that Motlanders cherish. Isn’t that true?”
“Yes, but everyone is special and cherished in the Motherlands,” Athena said with tact.
“How do you think that your people will react when they learn that one of their priestesses is the fourth Motlander to marry an Nman?”
Athena thought about it. “Some may be confused that I would make that choice, but I’m hoping that the majority will be pleased for me and Finn.”
“Maybe we should point out that when we say you’re the fourth Motlander to marry an Nman, that’s in only a few months,” Zeus added.
“Six months,” I corrected him, but he ignored me and kept talking to Athena.
“We would love to hear the story about how the two of you met.”
Athena reached for my hand and I smiled as I felt her squeeze it. “I met Finn when I was kidnapped and brought here to the Northlands. He was my protector and kept me safe for the five days I spent here.”
“Was that when you fell in love with him?” Zeus asked and leaned in.
“No, that happened later,” Athena said with a soft smile. “It wasn’t until Finn came to the Motherlands asking for my forgiveness, and we spent some more time together, that I fell in love. You see, I asked that Finn would give me five days, just like he took five of my days when I was here.”
Zeus crossed his legs and leaned back. “And he complied?”
“Hey, I’m right here!” I reminded Zeus, but the asshole ignored me again and focused on Athena.
“Yes, Finn complied and agreed to stay for five days and follow my instructions.”
“How interesting.” This time Zeus was looking at me. “What did you do for those five days?”
“Spiritual stuff like meditating and being grateful and those sort of Motlander things,” I gave Athena a teasing smile.
“I think the whole world wonders how two people from such different cultures can have anything in common,” Zeus said. “Athena, do you want to comment on that?”
“Yes,” she said, her expression growing serious. “From the time I was twelve, I’ve been taught about love and kindness. As a priestess it’s my mission in life to spread that message around the world. It’s easy to be kind to people who are kind and loving to you; anyone can do that.”
“Uh-huh,” Zeus agreed.
“It’s much harder to be kind to someone who is mean to you.”
Zeus raised an eyebrow and gave me a pointed stare, before he asked Athena. “Are you referring to someone who kidnaps you or keeps you a hostage?”
“It doesn’t have to be that bad, but yes, a situation like that puts you to the test.”
Zeus leaned back and blinked a few times. “I’m not sure I follow. If someone kidnapped me, I wouldn’t want to be nice to them. Why would I? They would be my enemy.”
“What the hell?” I threw my hands up. “You’re an Nman and you’re supposed to be on my side,” I reminded Zeus, who sat spellbound by Athena. “And for the record, I was a goddamn gentleman with Athena.”
She raised an eyebrow and I shrugged a little and added, “Most of the time, anyway.”
“The point is,” she continued, “that being kidnapped was an eye-opener and I realized that I had room for more spiritual growth. When Finn came to the Motherlands some months later, I rose to the challenge and not only did I forgive him, but I invited him into my house for five days.”
Zeus scrunched up his face. “I’m sorry, Athena, but many Northmen will question your intelligence at this point. Why would you invite your enemy into your house?”
I leaned forward. “That’s a dumb question. I wasn’t her enemy, and only idiots confuse kindness with stupidity.”
“Is that a quote from someone famous?” he asked with his brows lowered.
“Yes, you can quote me!” I said with a firm nod and leaned back again.
Zeus returned his focus to Athena. “How about if you share with us what attracted you to Finn in the first place?”
She squeezed my hand again. “To be honest, I was blinded by all our differences in the beginning. Once I began opening my eyes to the good side of him, I saw how wonderful Finn is. When I got severely hurt in the earthquake, Finn saved my life.”
“How did he save your life?” Zeus asked Athena, once again ignoring me. This time Athena didn’t let him get away with it.
“Finn darling, will you explain?” she asked and looked at me with love shining from her eyes.
I squared my shoulders a little. “Well, Athena’s house collapsed and she got trapped under a large beam that cut her shin deep enough for her to almost bleed to death. All I did was move the beam, close her wound, and fuel her up with some strong Nman blood. I’m not some hero. Any Nman would have done the same.”
Zeus agreed. “Sure, nothing special about that.”
I gave him the stink eye because although I agreed with him, he did nothing to make me look good in this interview.
“Athena,” Zeus said and smiled at her. “Can you mention a situation where you knew you were falling in love?”
She blushed red as if recalling something sexual, and it brought back my good mood. “Finn has a great sense of humor and he’s good at making me laugh. I appreciate that about him,” she said, sticking to a safe topic.
“I’m also really well hung,” I grinned and completely embarrassed Athena, while Zeus looked like that was a valid point.
“Did that have anything to do with your feelings for Finn?” he asked in a serious tone.
“Nooo.” Athena looked into the camera. “Let me point out to my fellow countrymen that you shouldn’t judge the Nmen on their crude sense of humor. It’s just one of the cultural differences between us. The truth is, Finn is very intelligent and he is fully capable of having deep and serious conversations. He even participates in many of my spiritual practices.”
Zeus lowered his brows again, and asked me, “How do you feel about these so-called spiritual practices?”
“Athena calls me her spiritual teacher so I think I’m pretty good at it. To be honest I like to think of myself as more of a spiritual gangster, you know?”
“A spiritual gangster?” Zeus frowned. “I’m not sure what that is.”
I laughed. “It’s someone who doesn’t take life too seriously. I shake up Athena’s world and make it less predictable and more fun. We spiritual gangsters sneak in playtime a lot.” I laughed and gave her a heated look. “Like that Bugga guy, just with better abs.” I smacked my belly.
“He means the Buddha,” Athena corrected me and showed her white teeth when she smiled back at me.
Zeus nodded and moved on. “In a few minutes, our ruler, Lord Aurelius will perform your wedding ceremony and you will be husband and wife. Do you have any last messages for your countrymen before you unite?”
“I’m just happy and proud to be marrying the finest human I ever met,” I said. “We Nmen make a lot of fun of the Motlanders, calling them naïve softies. I used to do the same. Then I had the privilege of spending ten days with a Motlander myself. I saw firsthand how badass Motlanders can be.” I looked at Athena and melted a little. “This petite woman faced me head on, even though I was a foot taller than her, much stronger, and trying to mess with her head nonstop.” Her whole face softened and made her even more gorgeous as she sat there listening to me.
“The kindness that radiates from Athena blows me away. It takes strength to practice what you preach. The truth is that I’m incredibly grateful that someone as amazing as Athena will hook up with a big flawed brute like me.”
Zeus cleared his throat. “What do you say to that, Athena?”
Without words, she smiled and lifted her hand to my face, pulling me in for a kiss.
Zeus chuckled. “I take it that means you think Finn is amazing too?”
Athena ended the kiss and nodded, but was too choked up to talk. Her fingers were drying away tears.
“See?” Feeling emotional myself, I pointed at her. “A soft Motlander all the way, but I love it.”
Zeus, Athena, and I laughed together.
“We’re all very happy for you,” Zeus assured us. “Maybe we should address some of the more serious concerns that many have on both sides of the border. Surely you must have an opinion on that.”
Allowing Athena time to find her voice, I took the question. “Athena and I are excited that our countries are uniting. We agree with the Council and Lord Khan, that a process like this will have many steps. With the wall’s collapse the process has been sped up significantly. To those Nmen who feel the wall should come down right away, I want you to think of the wall as a dam. Demolishing it too quickly could potentially drown us all.
“The integration has begun. Three Motlander women have already moved here. Now I will be moving to the Motherlands, followed by nine other Nmen who will be selected by the women in the Motherlands willing to open their homes to an Nman.
“Soon we’ll be able to communicate across the border and a matchmaking system will allow everyone to register if you’re interested in a friendship or a romantic relationship.”
Athena nodded and smiled at the camera. “Who knows, you might be the next one to fall in love.”
Zeus made sounds of agreement. “That’s right, and what do you think, Athena, will the Motlander women be interested in us Nmen?”
Athena thought about it before she spoke with a graceful eloquence that had me soaking up every syllable. “I have no doubt that many will be interested. I’m asking everyone to respect that for most Motlanders this is a very frightening time. Right now, our country is suffering from the aftermath of the horrible earthquake, and many are scared of what a union with the Nmen will mean to us. Just like the Nmen have mocked us for being soft, we have whispered about you Nmen being monsters.” She paused. “Finn and I are proof that a joyful union is possible. You Nmen might look huge and scary, and you talk with deeper voices and swear a lot, but you too are sons of Motlander women. Take away the height and the cultural conditioning and we’re not that different.” Athena smiled at me and looked back at Zeus. “I know my fellow Motlanders to be kindhearted people. Now I call upon them to extend that abundance of inclusiveness and kindness to all neighbors, near and far.”
Zeus cleared his throat. “I would say that the same goes for us in the Northlands.” Turning to look straight into the camera he added, “Speaking of being neighborly: The Northlands is a compassionate neighbor. Food and supplies are being shipped from here tomorrow to those in need of help after the earthquake in the Motherlands.”
“Thank you,” Athena said and bowed her head. “I think many Motlanders will sleep better tonight knowing that the peace between our countries remains. The rumors of the Northlands invading can be put to rest and instead we can focus on a slow union that will benefit us all.”
When the interview ended, Khan performed the ceremony with a small audience consisting of Tristan, Magni, Pearl, Boulder, Christina, Archer, Kya, and the boys from the school, who had all been allowed to come while the girls had to stay behind with Marco and Shelly, since their presence in the Northlands wasn’t official yet.
“Not so long ago, I had the privilege and pleasure of marrying a spectacular woman myself,” Khan said as he stood in front of Athena and me. “It’s something I wish for all my fellow countrymen. Today I’m honored to see you, Finn, marry the woman of your dreams. I was here when you two first met. Let me say that the odds of you, Athena, falling in love with Finn were one in a million. He managed to charm you. Somehow.” Khan flashed a wide smile. “May the love you two share become a symbol of hope for our two nations, that we can all unite in friendship and mutual respect.”
We both nodded and smiled.
“Do you, Finn MacCumhail, take Athena Kelly to be your wife?”
“I do.”
“Do you promise to protect her, respect her, and love her?”
“I do.”
“And you, Athena Kelly, do you take Finn Mac Cumhail to be your husband?”
“I do.”
“Do you promise to obey him, respect him, and love him?”
Athena’s smile vanished. “Did you say obey him?”
“Yes,” Khan confirmed.
Athena’s head swung to Pearl. “Did you promise to obey Khan?”
“Certainly not,” Pearl said and looked to Khan with a frown.
“That’s because it was Magni who performed our ceremony and he forgot about that part,” Khan pointed out.
“You should have reminded me,” Magni called out to Khan. “Maybe Pearl would have been easier then.”
Everyone laughed.
“I’m not going to obey Finn. But I promise to love and respect him.”
“Works for me,” I said.
Khan shrugged. “In that case, I declare you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride, Finn.”
In my eagerness, I lifted Athena from the ground and squeezed her body close to mine, while kissing her until we were both out of breath. Everyone cheered and I looked like I’d won a million dollars, because I was so ridiculously happy.
After the news crew packed up, we had a nice and very informal celebration dinner. Later Tristan returned with Kya and Archer to the school, giving Athena and me a wedding night in my suite at the Gray Mansion.
“Pinch me,” I said and nuzzled my head against hers when we were alone. “How did I get so lucky?”
Sitting in my lap, Athena laughed and tried to pinch me, but frowned when she couldn’t. “Normal people have a layer of skin and fat; all you have is muscle,” she complained and trailed her finger along my jawline, playing with my beard. “Besides, it’s not luck that brought us together, it’s Karma. Sometimes her teachings are painful but they are always meant to help you be a better person.”
“Isn’t Karma part of some ancient religion?” I asked. “I thought you said you weren’t religious?”
Athena tilted her head. “I’m not. I just like the name Karma because it implies some divine female intelligence.”
“Ah.” I smiled. “This is where a wise man bites his tongue.”
Athena’s eyes softened and her smile widened. “You never hold back, why start now?”
I gave a questioning look to make sure she meant it.
“Trust me, Finn, I can handle your humor.”
“Ah, but can you handle me swearing too?” I asked with my eyebrows raised.
She tilted her head from side to side. “Sometimes. How about a compromise? I’ll give you permission to swear when we have sex since you can’t seem to stop yourself anyway.” She looked pleased with herself. I laughed and shook my head.
“You’ll give me permission? Clearly, you don’t understand, my love. Things are going to be very different when we go back to the mill. Your five days of control are over, and I’m a free man. We don’t ask for permission and we take what we want.”
She laughed. “I see I have some more taming to do.”
“Good luck with that.” I grinned and nibbled at her lower lip. “And for the record, you called me your spiritual teacher, from which I take it that you think I’m wise and mature.”
My face fell when Athena leaned her head back and laughed. “No? You don’t think I’m mature and wise?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“I wouldn’t call you mature or wise,” she said and caressed my face. “I would call you confident, and very, very…” She bit her lip thinking about it.
“I’m warning you, don’t say the word pretty,” I threatened and squeezed her tighter.
“How about if I call you handsome and sexy?”
I grew three inches in height, and with Athena in my lap another part of me grew significantly too.
“Did you ever have sex on a chair?” I asked.
Athena shook her head. “You know I’ve only had sex with you.”
I sucked on her lower lip and released it with a pop. “And that’s how it will stay. Me and you, remember?” My voice was low and gruff; my pulse was hammering with desire for Athena. It was the way she looked at me with lust shining from her eyes, and her slightly spread lips that got to me. With her shallow breathing and her hands roaming down my shoulders and chest, I was completely lost in her. “I love you so much,” I whispered.
“I love you too,” she said as I positioned her right where I wanted her, pressing down on her hips to feel the sweet friction created between our bodies.
“You know what my favorite part about you in a dress is?” I asked in a playful tone.
“What?” Her voice was deeper than normal, her pupils dilated with desire.
Sliding my ass to the edge of the seat, I tugged her dress up, and lifted her enough from my lap to pull the dress up around her hips. “Lean your back against my chest and lift your feet to my knees,” I instructed her. “That’s it, now spread your legs for me.” I loved the way her nape rested against my collarbone and shoulder. “Let me feel how wet you are.” I said and pushed her panties aside, opening her folds with my fingers. My woman was already wet, and she made the sweetest moans when I circled her clit and fingered her with slow movements.
Her arm lifted and she grabbed onto the back of my neck, saying my name with the sexiest voice.
“You like that?” I asked, although her reaction clearly showed that she did.
“Yeees,” she moaned.
I inserted another finger and let the thumb on my other hand rub her sweet spot until Athena’s breathing was ragged and her moans constant. When her orgasm took her over, she was pushing her head back against me and curling up her toes. The way she wriggled her butt had me rock-hard. After giving her a minute to recover, I stood up with her in my arms and placed Athena with her knees on the chair.
“Hold on to the chair,” I ordered and pulled my pants down, letting my cock slide against her moist folds, before I removed her panties. “Are you ready for more than my fingers, babe?”
The encouraging sounds she made were all the permission I needed. I pushed inside my wife, closing my eyes and leaning my head back in pure delight.
Feeling like the luckiest bastard on the planet, I took her on that chair, not caring that it squeaked and moved across the floor with my intense thrusting. We were too much in a sex haze to talk, and our only means of communication were the sounds of pleasure we made. With the back of my hand, I dried away sweat from my forehead and I picked her up, only to sit down on the chair, placing her astride me.
Seeing Athena ride me, with her green eyes hooded, made me want to scream out in victory. This woman was my spouse now. My wife and hopefully soon to be the mother of my children. My eyes lowered to her belly and I placed a hand there, imagining that she was already pregnant with our child.
Her eyes fell to my hand and she gave me a knowing smile before she leaned in and whispered in my ear. “I want you to come inside me.”
My balls tightened and my fingers pressed into her hips, holding her in place when I pushed in and out at high speed until I pushed as far as I could go, my arms wrapped around her waist in a tight grip.
And incredible euphoric feeling of release spread from my groin up my spine, and made my head spin as if I was intoxicated.
“Fuck, Athena, you don’t know how good it feels to make love to you.”
“I’m hoping it feels as good to you as it does to me,” she said, and nuzzled my hair with a sated expression on her face.
“I can’t thank you enough for lifting that curse,” I whispered against Athena’s neck before planting warm kisses on her soft skin.
When she spoke, I stiffened. Unable to understand the words, I still recognized the language from the time she cursed me. This time, however, her words sounded soft and velvety like a lover’s caress, and her fingers were running up and down my spine.
“Did you just cast another curse on me?” I asked.
She leaned back to lock eyes with me. “From now on, you’ll never find satisfaction with another woman than me.” Cupping my face, she smiled and continued. “But to make it fair, I’ll never find satisfaction with another man either. We are bound together now. Our souls are intertwined and our destinies merged.”
A knot pressed in my chest from her declaration of love, which was delivered with such conviction and determination that I wanted to make love to her all over again. “Athena, you know what, babe?”
“What?”
“I’ll never ask you to lift that curse.”
“That’s good,” she said and gave me the sweetest smile. “Because I wouldn’t be able to. Curses aren’t real, Finn. But promises are.”
This concludes Men of the North #4 – The Seducer
Thank you so much for reading the fourth story in the Men of the North series.
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(PLEASE avoid spoilers)
Want more?
It’s time for Magni’s book.
Since I wrote Book 1 – The Protector, readers have kept asking me about Magni and Laura, and now we finally get to see what happens when she returns from the Motherlands.
The Warrior – Men of the North #5
Even the strongest man in the world has a weak spot!
Magni knows what he wants and he’s used to getting it. As the second in command in the Northlands, he doesn’t care that he comes across as rude or domineering. Asking for permission or apologizing for his actions is for weaker men.
Six months ago, Laura was Magni’s sweet and submissive young wife. Tempted to experience the independence of women in the Motherlands, and to learn martial arts, she ran away. Now, she’s back. Stronger and more confident than before. Determined not to let a man dominate her, not even the one she once fell in love with and married.
Is there a way for Magni and Laura to be a couple again with her need for independence and his need for control? And can someone as proud as Magni overcome his anger with Laura for leaving him in the first place?
The Warrior is the long-awaited fifth installment in the highly praised Men of the North series. The book explodes with intense passion, deep emotions, and the fierce dialogue that always has readers raving about Elin Peer’s books.
This Sci-fi Romance offers suspense, humor, passion, and is so much more than your regular boy meets girl romance. Prepare to cry, laugh, cheer, and swoon.
The Warrior – Men of the North #5 will be released as e-book and paperback on March 27th 2018.
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