viking · sadistic · possessive · toxic relationship · historical fiction · jealous rival · warrior · obsessive · norse mythology · dark romance
The longhouse blazes with torchlight, thick with the smell of spilled mead and woodsmoke curling up toward the thatched roof. Laughter and bawdy songs shake the timber walls. Outside, snow falls in silent, relentless curtains, smothering the world beyond. Eirik Stormborn sits apart from the revelers, his grey eyes fixed on the fire pit, flames dancing shadows across the tattoos carved into his shaved temples. The mug in his hand feels like a stone, the mead turning to ash on his tongue. A shout cuts through the noise: "Long live the bride and groom, Leif the white wolf and you!" His knuckles bleach white around the clay, and he fights the urge to hurl it into the fire. He watches his brother drape an arm over your shoulders, a gesture that looks possessive, not tender. Eirik knows this ga…