Читать книгу Viking Warrior, Unwilling Wife - Michelle Styles, Michelle Styles - Страница 12

‘Only a glimmer of ingenuity, Vikar? You wound me.’ A huge wave of disappointment washed over Sela, crushing her to the ground with its intensity. The birch and pine that had provided shelter a heartbeat before closed around her, imprisoned her. She had thought herself to be free, but it had been the merest illusion of freedom. ‘I considered my escape magnificent. A complete triumph.’

‘Did you think you could escape that easily? How little you know me, Sela. Details and planning. I learnt your father’s lessons well.’

Vikar came out from behind a tall birch, a little way from where she had thought he might be. The sunlight streamed from behind him, making his frame appear larger and casting his features into shadow. He stood there with his hands on his hips, much as a god might survey the earth.

Sela judged the distance between them—no more than fifty strides lay between them. Her leg muscles tightened, tensed in preparation for flight. There was a small opening between two larches.

But could she make it?

Sela hesitated and glanced again at where he stood, glowering. Vikar was one of the fastest runners at court. Whenever they held competitions at the court in Kaupang, he won. He could easily cover those lengths before she made it to the trees.

With a sigh, she rejected the idea, released the air from her lungs, and forced her muscles to relax. A dark misery swamped her senses. He had timed his entrance well. She already had experienced enough humiliation for one day, for a lifetime. He had anticipated her every movement, appeared to guess her secrets. Not every secret. That one she hid. And she would keep it hidden for ever, if the gods allowed her to.

Sela pressed her hand to her mouth, holding back a sob. Her head collapsed on to her chest, but at the sound of his derisive snort, she raised her eyes and glared at him, daring him to make the first move, to reveal what he intended to do next.

‘It would appear that I misjudged the situation,’ she said carefully. ‘I thought no one had noticed my departure.’

‘Once away from the hall, you failed to remember the need for stealth and concealment,’ he said, leaning against the trunk of a birch with a deceptive casualness. ‘Did you disregard my advice from long ago or were you simply seeking attention?’

The hint of amusement in his voice was clear, a noise calculated to get under her skin. He had toyed with her! Allowed her the appearance of escaping, when all along he had been tracking her, intending to recapture her.

‘I did nothing of the sort!’

‘You sounded like a wild boar rummaging in the undergrowth,’ he continued remorselessly, the amusement growing in his voice. ‘I would have thought Bose the Dark’s daughter would have been more cautious in how she walked through the woods, particularly when those woods have such a sinister reputation in her father’s saga.’

‘I should have been.’ Sela tilted her head upward and met his green gaze. Two could play at this game. She was no longer the naïve woman who had been his bride; she had matured. He no longer had any power over her. ‘What is one shadow when you are fleeing for your life?’

Vikar crossed his arms and gave a small shrug. The material tightened across his shoulders, revealing their breadth. ‘All I had to do was give you the opportunity and a slight push in the right direction. You can be very predictable, Sela.’

Predictable. Dull. Unexciting.

The words thudded in her brain. She knew what Vikar must think of her. What he had thought of her in those brief months they had had together. She had not been a person to him, but a glass counter in his quest for glory, something to be used and discarded.

Only she had done the discarding first.

‘You wanted me to escape.’

‘It is the reason I am here.’

Sela looked up into the network of green leaves and branches rising over her head. She had no wish to show Vikar how much his casual statement cut into her soul.

She had been arrogant, so proud of her ability that she had never once questioned why the room might be easy to leave. Her desire to reach Kjartan and her father had dimmed her common sense. She had made it easy for Vikar to play his little game. Easy!

‘I could have walked through the main hall and out the front door,’ she said, once she regained control of her emotions.

‘But it wouldn’t have been as much fun, would it?’ The dimple showed in Vikar’s cheek as he casually swung one of his legs.

‘Fun? Getting spiders’ webs in my hair? Having bats scream in my face?’ Sela longed for a sharp missile to throw at his head. But it would probably only provoke greater mirth. She contented herself with clenching her fists. ‘You have some strange ideas of amusement.’

‘I had forgotten that you did not care for bats.’ His stance relaxed slightly. The corners of his mouth began to twitch as his eyes gleamed. ‘This is an added treat.’

His laughter echoed off the trees, sending several ravens flapping into the air. Sela gritted her teeth.

‘It is not funny. My mouth, nose and hands were covered in dirt and the sticky tendrils of a thousand spiders’ webs. The tunnel is far from an easy experience. This was not done for your entertainment!’

Vikar sobered, stood up and came near her. His eyes simmered with barely suppressed fury. Sela took a step backwards, her hand reaching for the hilt of her dagger.

‘No, but one way and another you have put me to a great deal of bother and you deserved some discomfort.’

‘Discomfort? Was this all about teaching me some long overdue lesson?’ Sela regarded his hands, strong but with long fingers. Hands that had once cradled her when she was in pain. ‘Particularly as you say I am predictable. Why seek to punish me in this way? Surely I have suffered enough.’

She waited for his response, every fibre of her being alert and poised. Even the breath of wind had stopped, waiting. He shifted his weight, making a twig crack.

‘Allowing you to escape served my needs.’

‘You are standing in a pool of sunlight. Perhaps it is you who ought to take lessons on concealment.’ She gave a strangled attempt at a carefree laugh. ‘I discovered you before you revealed yourself, before your plan had finished.’

Vikar lifted an eyebrow. ‘I will have to make an adjustment to my plans. It is one of my more endearing features—I learn and make adjustments.’

‘Endearing features? Do you have more than one?’ Sela asked through gritted teeth.

‘Others think so.’

‘Perhaps it is because they are unacquainted with the real you.’

‘And you are?’ He lifted an eyebrow.

‘Let me know the full horror of your plan. Exactly how was I to provide your amusement…this time?’

‘You were to unwittingly lead me to your father’s bolt-hole. The scheme had its merits, you will have to admit.’

Sela cast her eyes heavenwards. She had very nearly done that. Depending on the way she went, the hut could easily be reached by early morning. The shadows were lengthening, but there would only be a short time while it was truly dark and she had to rest. She had intended on pressing on, forcing her body to move, but now there was little point. Vikar was here, with her.

She refused to betray her father like that.

Her insides trembled, but she forced her body to be as straight as a newly forged sword.

‘Your scheme has failed. I won’t lead you anywhere.’ Her hand brushed the hilt of the dagger. If he did advance, she would have no hesitation. He was her enemy.

‘You will, Sela. You will lead me directly to your father.’ His voice dropped to a purr and lapped at the edges of her mind. The same silken sound he had used to coax her back after one of their quarrels. ‘You will obey me. You will lead me to him.’

‘Never.’ Sela spat the word and regained control of her mind.

‘Shall I make you?’

Vikar took several steps towards her. Her hand tightened around the hilt. Her entire arm ached—from her hand to her elbow to her shoulder. She drew a breath, felt her legs tense.

‘If you come any closer…’

‘The time for using that weapon has gone.’

‘Then stop tempting me.’ She forced her fingers to relax. At the slight movement, he halted. ‘If you keep your distance, I won’t use it. But I do know how to.’

‘Temptation. Let’s speak of temptation to do harm and see who has the greater right.’ A grim smile crossed his features. ‘You owe me. You left Kaupang without an explanation and you attempted to leave the hall without my permission.’

‘I was not aware I needed your permission.’

‘Twice is two times too many.’

The breath rushed out of her. This was all about his hurt pride. She had damaged his overwhelming sense of self-importance.

‘You know why I left—or you would have if you had spared me some time from the oh-so-lovely Asa’s side.’ Anger filled her. Her fingers itched to draw the dagger from its sheath. ‘You did not care whether I lived or died…until I was gone.’

‘Maybe you should have fought for me. Maybe you used it as an excuse to get away from something you feared.’ Vikar’s eyes were ice-cold green as they regarded her hand, but he made no further movement towards her.

‘How does one fight a queen?’ Sela kicked a pebble, remembering those dreadful days in Kaupang when she had waited for him to come to her at her father’s house. He had never responded to her ultimatum except to order her back. She had finished taking orders from him and had left. ‘I refused to compete, and feed your vanity.’

‘Was it about my vanity or yours?’ Vikar’s eyes became inscrutable as he took a step closer. The warmth of his breath fanned her cheek. She could see the lines in the corners of his eyes and the hollow of his throat where she used to press her lips.

‘My vanity?’ The words came out as a squeak.

‘Yes, yours.’

Vikar came closer, so close, that if she breathed deeply their bodies would touch. Her fingers trembled. To her horror, she realised that she wanted to touch him, to feel his skin slide under her palms, to once again experience that swirl of emotion. Her body remembered the times they had spent together. Remembered it and wanted it again even as her mind willed the memory to subside back into that locked place in her mind.

‘And my refusal to dance to your tune bothered you.’ His voice had become a silken purr, one that flowed over her and ensnared her in its coils. ‘You wanted me there, by your side. You hungered for me and my touch.’

Yes. The word resounded in her brain. For a heartbeat, Sela wondered if she had uttered the single syllable out loud. She blinked, but Vikar continue to look at her with the same smug expression. She drew a breath and regained control of her tongue, her body.

‘No, you meant nothing to me.’ She forced her voice to be a honeyed sweet lie. ‘It was a political alliance and it outlived its usefulness. I had no desire for you. I have no desire.’

‘I think there was more to it than that.’

Vikar pulled her against his body, moulding her curves to his hard planes. And she was not prepared for the white heat that coursed through her body. Was he going to kiss her again? Her mouth ached as if he had. His hand skimmed her arm and then pulled the dagger from her waistband. He balanced it on the palm of his hand before placing it in his waistband. She fancied his breath came a little faster.

‘A dangerous plaything for a woman,’ he said at last. ‘I think I shall put it under my protection.’

Sela fought her instincts and forced her head to remain high. ‘I refuse to go back to the hall, Vikar, to become an unknown man’s concubine. I am not some thrall to be sold to the highest bidder.’

‘I never intended selling you. What an intriguing suggestion.’ His smile widened and his eyes danced. ‘We will discuss your proposition in greater detail after you take me to your father.’

To her father. Her father, who was even now concealing Kjartan.

Sela caught her lip between her teeth, tried to think clearly and not to simply react. Her life was nothing if she could not hold Kjartan once more in her arms, tell him once more that she loved him and listen to his sweet voice asking a thousand different questions. This time, this time, she would answer without wondering if the corn had been ground or the fire properly lit. But without a weapon, she could not make it through the woods. She would never see him again.

Vikar was her only hope of reaching Kjartan alive.

She had no choice. She would have to take the risk and pray for a miracle.

‘And what will I achieve with that?’ She forced her head high, and placed one hand on her hip. ‘There must be something for me. I refuse to betray him simply because you ask me to.’

Sela held her breath and waited for his response. He had to accept her father deserved her loyalty. He had to be willing to bargain. He could not guess her decision had already been made.

‘That is admirable of you.’ Vikar tilted his head to one side, and his eyes travelled slowly down her form. ‘What has Bose the Dark done to deserve such loyalty? Left you with a few unworthy warriors while he scuttled out the back entrance to freedom? Left you to a certain doom? To rot? To be sold? What did you do to deserve that?’

‘He is my father.’ Sela planted both feet firmly and stared back at him. She knew why her father had acted that way and she did not have to explain it to anyone, least of all Vikar. Her father had protected Kjartan, and kept her secret. She knew the effort he must have made. ‘That is the only reason I need. What are yours?’

‘Peace for your people. A chance to end bloodshed before it was begun.’ Vikar put his hands on either side of her neck and his face close to hers. ‘I have conquered the hall and it will remain mine—with or without further bloodshed.’

‘You raided. You will get what you deserve.’ Sela took a step backwards away from him, away from his lips.

‘You will be saving your people. You need to think of more than just your own needs, Sela.’

‘My needs? You only think of your own.’ Sela wet her fear-dried lips. A small beacon of hope grew within her. It was possible that he did not know about Kjartan and that, somehow, she would find a way to keep Kjartan’s true parentage a secret. ‘And after that? Will you follow through with your threat? Will you force me to be your concubine?’

‘I have never had to force a woman.’ His eyes became a deep green, lit with a fire from within. ‘I never forced you.’

‘That is no answer. I want a bargain, Vikar.’

Vikar gave a weary shake of his head. ‘What is your price, Sela?’

‘My mother left me some land—to the north. After I have delivered you to my father and you have spoken with him, I want to take my family there, to live in peace. After my father has placed his hand on your sword and recognised you as the jaarl, allow us to end our days in peace.’

Sela risked a glance into Vikar’s face, but found it was devoid of emotion.

‘You ask a high price, Sela.’

‘I ask nothing more than my due,’ she said and waited as the silence grew.

‘After everything that needs to be done is done, we will speak of it,’ Vikar said when her nerves began to scream. ‘And I will not force you to return to the hall, if you take me to your father. I swear that on my sword.’

Sela rubbed her hand over her mouth. Not the exact answer she wanted, but it was better than nothing. Vikar had a reputation for being honest in his business dealings. She would have to be content with that.

‘We have a bargain.’

‘And how shall we seal this bargain?’ His eyes were on her mouth. A warm pulse coursed through her. ‘I have no wish to use force.’

Sela held out a hand. ‘As equals.’

His warm fingers curled around hers as she looked up into his eyes, deep-green pools that instantly became hooded.

‘As equals…if that is your true desire.’

He let go of her hand and stepped away. A small stab of disappointment shot through her middle. Why had she wanted more? How could she desire more? Why did all the memory of her humiliation flee at the thought of kissing him again?

‘My dagger, if you please.’ Sela held out her hand again, forced it to remain steady. ‘We are friends once again. There is no need for you to keep it.’

‘Are we friends, Sela? I need more than pretty words from your lips.’ Vikar made a mocking bow. ‘I shall keep the dagger…for right now.’

‘But I—’

‘I know what alliances mean to Bose the Dark’s daughter. My previous experience was not—shall we say, without complication. Forgive me if I remain cautious as to your true intent.’

‘As you wish.’ Sela lowered her eyes and examined the forest floor with its carpet of dead leaves, branches and pine needles. The portents were only death and destruction except for a single green seedling pushing its way through. ‘The truce will hold until I reach my father—whoever has possession of my dagger. I remain true to my promises.’

‘Do you?’ His lip curled. ‘How is it that the past holds such different memories for us?’

Sela shivered and wished she had made a better bargain ‘We need to go. And, Vikar, only force will ever induce me to return to that hall.’

‘But we go on my terms, not yours, Sela, Bose the Dark’s daughter. Remember who holds the weapons.’ Vikar blocked her way. ‘My patience wears thin and I am well versed in your tricks.’

An ice-cold shiver ran down Sela’s spine. Her gaze travelled from his firmly planted feet to his broad chest and finally met his unyielding eyes.

‘What a pity you made that remark, Vikar.’ Sela jammed her thumbs into the waistband of her trousers and struck what she hoped was an unconcerned pose. ‘Because I remember how you behaved as well.’

‘Do you know where you are going?’ Vikar called as Sela lead him around the same grove of birch for the second time. ‘Or are you just pretending to know, hoping against hope that I won’t discover the truth? The time that you pretended to Asa that you were an expert on the lyre springs to mind. Remember how I had to play the tune for you?’

‘I never said that I was an expert! And I had hurt my hand.’

‘Hurt your hand deliberately.’

‘No, that was your fault. You should not have chased me around the bed and I wouldn’t have fallen.’

‘You were the one to issue the challenge.’ Vikar pushed away the memory of them falling into bed together, her lips giving way under his, her arms pulling him down. ‘The fact remains you were incapable of playing to a crowd.’

‘I never ever said I could. Asa twisted my words. She made me.’

‘You don’t like to take the blame for anything.’

‘Only for those things I actually do.’ Sela stamped away, her backside slightly swaying as the trousers tightened across them. His body reacted instantly to the sight. Vikar frowned. Why should his former wife have this effect on him?

‘It can be a bit tricky at this stage, but I have rediscovered the proper way.’ She glanced backwards over her shoulder and gave a bright smile, transforming her face. ‘I had to be certain.’

‘Indeed.’

She had grown into her beauty. Four years ago, she had shown promise, but now there had been a full flowering, an enriching and deepening. Idly he wondered what had caused it, and why she did not use it to try to entice him into making an error. He would have to guard against it, for he had little doubt Sela would escape and leave him stranded in the middle of this forest if she could.

‘Sela…I am warning you.’

‘It is.’ Her lower lip stuck out slightly. Then she laughed, running her hand through her long hair, and Vikar caught a glimpse of the carefree woman who had been his wife, so briefly, the one who sometimes populated his dreams with her musical laugh and quick-fire wit. He had never known what she would do next, from what scrape she would need rescuing, what misdemeanour would have to be explained away. ‘I am starting to sound like Kjartan now.’

‘Kjartan?’ A cold prickling down went his back. Her entire being changed when she said the name.