Chapter 3 #2
Except they weren’t.
He was a monster. And she had foolishly made a deal with the devil.
They rode in silence. The sun dipped below the horizon, and silver starlight streaked across the sky.
It was as if her mother had painted it for her.
A well of emotions bubbled over, making her body tremble. Her companion tightened his hold, rubbing the gooseflesh away from her pebbled skin.
She hated that it comforted her. That she took solace in his touch. Had she been so starved for affection that she allowed herself to find it in someone so cruel?
Too tired to fight it, she relaxed. The gentle sway of the horse rocked her, his massive hand keeping her body steady.
No voices whispered. No chill shook her. No visions clouded her mind. No energy crackled in her limbs.
For a moment, she felt normal.
As normal as she could given the situation.
“Are you the king?”
“No,” he mumbled.
The clipped answer irritated her.
Taut skin bounced beneath her nails as she scratched them along his exposed forearm, desperate to add a few scars of her own. Scarlet stained her fingers as blood rushed to the surface while she maneuvered her bound wrists.
“Soreinn,” he snarled, yanking his arm away.
She wobbled slightly before his hand flew to her delicate throat, collaring it. Thunder hammered in her ears, drowning out all other sounds.
It would be too easy. If he wanted, he could crush her windpipe.
Fingertips flexed over her pulse, squeezing softly. As if he were debating doing that.
“I’m not afraid of you,” she hissed with a confidence she had never felt before.
A raspy chuckle vibrated against her back. His grip around her stayed firm as he leaned in, close enough to feel the brush of his mouth against the shell of her ear.
“It appears as though your flame is not easily doused.”
“No. It’s not.”
“Good,” he murmured, the hand around her neck falling back to her stomach. After a beat, he spoke again, his lips still dangerously close to her face. “Konungr is our chief. I am his Jarl. I serve him.”
So, someone of importance.
With the sway of the stallion, something hard poked her. She ignored it. Not wanting to draw more attention to the fact that he stirred in her presence. Or that the heat at the crux of her thighs intensified with his touch.
A salty tang hit her nose, mixing with a faint hint of wet moss. The brush thinned, revealing the mouth of a rocky beach framing an endless span of blue disappearing into the horizon.
A silhouetted mass sat illuminated by dozens of flickering torches, making it look as though it had been engulfed in flames. When she heard stories of raiders, she expected fishing boats, not something this large with dozens of oars protruding from its sides.
Sparks pricked her fingers, and she shifted slightly.
“Have you been on one before?” he asked, some of the gruffness in his voice softening.
“No.”
Clicking his tongue, he brought the horse to a stop, dismounting with more grace than she thought possible for a man of his size. Hands fell to her hips, and he helped her off. He held her gaze until her feet hit the pebbled sand.
The bright colors of the evening exploded behind him, dwarfing her in his shadow.
Each breath turned more labored, pinned underneath his assessing stare. When he finally pulled away to speak to the man behind her, her chest expanded, relieving the ache in her lungs.
They exchanged words in a foreign flurry until the man bowed his head, leaving to tend to the horse.
“You must be hungry,” he said, holding onto the rope lead to guide her on board.
Despite not having had anything since breakfast, the idea of food made acid coat her tongue. She shook her head, suddenly finding her linen shift itchy.
A frustrated sound rattled in his throat, as if the idea of her not eating displeased him.
It didn’t matter. She wasn’t there to please him.
“Sleep then.”
At the mention of rest, her eyes hooded. Catching the motion, he steered her toward the back of the ship where a stretched hide hung over an enclosed space. She hated how infuriatingly perceptive he was.
Narrowed eyes followed them, tracking their movements. Voices murmured, fingers pointing in her direction as if she were an oddity to be ogled.
She lifted her chin and straightened her shoulders.
With one arm, he pushed the hide aside, ushering her into the space.
Inside was nothing grand, but it was private.
More than she thought she’d have.
Along the wall sat a platform filled with furs she longed to bury under, wanting to close her eyes, secretly hoping she’d wake up to find out this had all been a nightmare.
Those haunting eyes stared at her as he towered over her. Carefully, he unwound her bindings, tossing the cord aside. Without looking away, she rubbed her raw wrists, soothing the tender flesh.
“No longer afraid I will stab you?”
“You can try.” His brow pinched as he feathered his thumb over the irritated skin. “But in close quarters, I have the advantage, little flame.”
The pet name made warmth pool at the base of her spine, and she looked away. Voices carried from beyond, the sounds of laughter mingling with scratching steel and thick trunks grinding along the wooden deck.
The man rubbed a hand over his bearded jaw before his fingers fiddled with the clasp on his fur. It released, exposing his bare chest. Elara froze, captivated by the sight. Old scars and blood stained his pale torso, fresh bruises mottling the skin near his ribs.
Beads of sweat sluiced along the lines of muscle disappearing beneath his wool bottoms.
Trust the devil to make his demons positively sinful. Her throat bobbed as the tip of her tongue swept along her lower lip.
One side of his mouth quirked, catching her greedy perusal of his naked torso.
“Like what you see, little flame?”
Heat licked at her cheeks as she tried to hide behind her hair. She toyed with a loose thread near her clavicle as he tossed the thick, black fur aside. The muscles in her body went rigid as her mouth opened.
“Wait. Is this… your room? Am I to share it with you?”
“Either here or the deck with my warriors. Your choice.”
A sickening lurch tugged at her navel as the room shrank around her. Instinct told her to refuse, but her chances were better alone with him than with dozens of men. Her heart galloped, making her vision blur.
Done waiting for a response, he pinched her chin, forcing her gaze to meet his.
“I have duties I must attend. Rest. I’ll bring you food if you are still awake when I’m finished.”
As he left, all the tension in the room dissipated with him.
Elara sucked in a gasping breath, hard wood hitting her knees as she fell to the ground. Arms wrapped around her abdomen, applying pressure, trying to calm the tide of emotions crashing into her.
Shuddering breaths made her body tremble uncontrollably, and she worried she might black out. Images of Papa and Momma filled her mind. Instead of soothing her, it only fueled the emptiness where her heart was.
Now she’d lost both of them.
Lost Edmund.
Lost everything.
Moments later, sinister voices called from nowhere, beckoning her.
“We come for you, Seiekona. There is nowhere you can hide.”
Even here, the draugar found her.
Shadows stirred, and an inky paw shifted out of the coalescing mist. The panther snarled, standing like a sentry in front of Elara’s crumpled figure.
The pressure in her chest loosened, each breath coming easier as the whispers silenced once more.
With Alruna curled at her feet, rumbling a hissing growl. Elara did the only thing she could. She sobbed, letting her tears flow freely, staining her cheeks until she passed out into an uneasy sleep on the floor.