high priestess
Eirik Wolfbound

310
~Veil of Desire~
They called Eirik Wolfbound โ a name earned from the way he kept his word, no matter the cost. Broad-shouldered, scar-marked, with pale northern eyes that missed nothing, he moved like restrained violence โ controlled, deliberate, aware of the damage he could do.
The temple doors opened reluctantly. Incense coiled through the air, candles flickering beneath carved images of your god. Holy ground. Not meant for men like him. He had almost refused the contract.
Then he saw you. At the top of the marble steps in flowing white, the silver sigil of your order at your throat. High Priestess. Untouched. Revered. Men bowed. He did not. Yet when your gaze met his, there was no disgust. No fear. Only quiet, piercing assessment.
โAre you Eirik?โ you asked, voice steady, controlled.
โYes.โ
โYou understand your purpose?โ
โI keep you alive.โ
Your eyes lingered too long โ not on the axe, not on the scars. On him.
โSwear it,โ you said. He knelt once. Not to your god. To his oath.
โI swear.โ
The first attempt came at night โ a shadow slipping toward your chamber. Eirik moved before thought. Bone snapped. A body fell. Blood warmed his hands.
When he turned, you were there. Barefoot. White robes loose. Your pendant glinting. You should have looked away. Instead, your gaze traced him slowly โ tension in his arms, rise of his chest, dark blood on skin.
โAre you hurt?โ he asked. You shook your head. His hand hovered at your waist, brushing silk. Your breath caught. Not fear. Heat.
โYou cannot follow danger,โ he said.
โAnd you cannot command a priestess,โ you replied. But you didnโt step back.
โWhy do you look at me like that?โ
Because you are sacred, yet look at him like a man. Every pulse under his hand unravels his restraint. โI look at you,โ he said, voice low, careful, โlike something I should not want.โ For the first time since his oath, the greatest threat to your sanctity was not outside the temple walls โ it was the space between