Odin's Shadow (Sons Of Odin Book 1) (9th Century Viking Romance) Read Online Free Page A

you don't know, boy, is that the Finngalls are the vainest race of men and would wear silk every day if they could. Their men are even worse than their women. Why, they probably bathe and wash their hair more than our lass here."
    Selia raised her eyebrows at him. Eithne had always claimed Finngalls bathed only once a year, in ice water, and never washed their clothes. But the Finngall today had been dressed very agreeably. His hair had looked soft and clean. Selia shot a dark look in the direction of the kitchen. How many more of the maid’s tales had been fabricated?
    "So, what happened?" she asked.
    Her father scowled. "I just told you—did you hear nothing of what I said?"
    Selia blushed, shaking her head. As usual, she had missed a chunk of the conversation.
    Niall sighed. "Nothing more happened, my girl. They wanted silk, we had none to trade, so they left. Not quite as exciting as Ainnileas would lead you to believe." He belched as he pushed his plate away.
    Selia knew full well her father had plenty of silk to trade—there were a dozen or more bolts of it in their storage room. Niall clearly had not wanted to do business with the Finngalls. He didn't like them, and he didn't trust them.
    Silly, to imagine men wanting silk for their own clothing, such as the foreign princes their father had once told them about. What would the handsome Finngall on the hill look like dressed head to toe in silk? She bit back a giggle and felt her brother's gaze on her as she cleared the table.
    Selia gave him a sly smile, savoring the knowledge that for once her day had been more exciting than his.

Chapter 2
    She waited for her brother in the darkness, listening to the slow, regular breathing coming from her father's sleeping bench across the room. Eithne's snores still rattled from the kitchen. Selia had covered her with a blanket but otherwise left her alone. The woman would be sore in the morning, and most likely in a foul mood.
    Where was Ainnileas? Surely he hadn't stolen away again to see the fishmonger's daughter. Not when he knew his sister had a secret. Though he would always make her wait when it was he who had an interesting tidbit to tell her, away from their father’s ears. The boy enjoyed teasing her, drawing out her impatience until she was in tears. Selia smiled a little at the unaccustomed feeling of power she felt as she waited.
    A bit later, Selia heard the soft sound of the door closing, followed by Ainnileas' footsteps. He shoved her over as he climbed onto the bench with her. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of him—obviously he had been passing time with the fishmonger's daughter. If he wasn't careful he would end up having to marry the girl. She feigned sleep to punish him for making her wait so long.
    "Selia," Ainnileas whispered, shaking her. "I know you're awake."
    "Go away."
    "Not until you tell me what you've been grinning about all night."
    She smiled but didn’t answer. Ainnileas pinched her and she squealed.
    There was a sound of rustling straw as their father rolled over on his bench. They lay very quietly, waiting until Niall's breathing returned to normal, and then Selia elbowed her brother. "Leave me alone," she hissed. "I'm tired. And you smell like a rotten fish."
    "Well, I did have something important to tell you. But since you're being cross . . ."
    Selia turned over and gave him a sharp look. Was he telling the truth? One never knew with Ainnileas.
    "All right," she said finally. "I'll tell you. But you have to promise not to tell Dadai ."
    In a whisper, Selia told him of her visit to Dubhlinn. She blushed as she spoke of the unexpected encounter with the Finngall on the hill. It was good that Ainnileas couldn't see her face clearly in the darkness. Just the thought of the big foreigner made her heart beat faster and brought a flush to her cheeks, and she had difficulty hiding her excitement from her brother.
    But Ainnileas gripped her arm. "Selia," he said in a tight, hard voice, " never