Chapter Nine
The ship came at night.
Ragnar had left Elena sleeping back within the shelter while he’d spent time alone, walking along the beach.
He’d never expected to see anything among the waves, but when he heard voices, he stared out at the water, wondering who was there.
In the distance, he spied the flare of torches, revealing a vessel that paused momentarily near the outcropping of stone before it continued to the shore.
He remained hidden, a weapon in each hand. Although they had survived the first attack, and he’d burned the bodies of the raiders, there could be more invaders. And yet he wanted to wait before alerting Elena.
The ship was anchored farther out and soon enough, Ragnar realized it was their ship. The brass weathervane proclaimed it as the one that had brought them from Norway. At long last, he spied the face of his best friend, Styr.
The sight of the man should have filled him with immense relief. He should have run to Elena and awakened her, telling her that her husband had come at last.
But Styr was carrying a woman in his arms. And from the look on his face, he had strong feelings for her.
He was not only holding her to keep her from the cold water—it was more than that.
Styr was drinking in the sight of the dark-haired beauty as if she were his beloved.
And when he lowered her to the sand, his arms lingered around her.
The bastard.
Ragnar’s anger blasted through him at the sight of them together.
How could his friend do this to Elena? The young woman had fought for her life, time and again.
She’d been willing to travel across éire in search of her husband.
And in repayment for her loyalty, her husband had found someone else—his captor.
Ragnar didn’t move from his place, even when his friend and kinsmen made camp and built a fire. He spied the faces of Onund and a few other men who had been taken captive that night. They set up tents, and Ragnar waited to see if Styr would take the woman within his shelter.
He could hardly bring himself to watch them when he knew Styr was about to break Elena’s heart. He didn’t want to be right. Not in this, not when she was expecting a child. When Styr found out, would he turn away from her? Or would he stay?
The woman went inside a tent far away from the others, and Ragnar breathed a little easier. And yet he couldn’t forget what he’d seen.
He moved away from his hiding spot and returned to the shelter. This was his last night with Elena, and he suspected that the morning would bring nothing but despair. But he was here for her now, and he would not leave. Even if her husband abandoned her.
Inside the space, Ragnar could hear the rhythm of Elena’s breathing. She was curled up on her side and he moved in close. She didn’t awaken but nestled against him while he drew his arms around her.
He’d vowed not to touch her, but Styr’s actions had shattered those vows. If his friend had found someone else to love, then Elena deserved more.
The scent of her skin and the warmth of her body allured him, and it was a physical pain to be so near. He didn’t care anymore. Tonight he would lie with the woman he loved in his arms and damn the consequences.
At dawn, she awakened to feel Ragnar’s body pressed close.
Elena blinked, knowing she should get up.
..and yet wanting to remain where she was.
His strong arms were wrapped around her while her head rested beneath his chin.
The heat of his skin permeated her, and she felt a peacefulness in his embrace.
He must have returned late last night, for she’d not heard him. She didn’t know why he’d slept beside her. Perhaps he’d moved during his sleep and hadn’t been aware he was so close.
“Ragnar,” she whispered.
“Ja?”
Elena hadn’t known he was awake. She waited for him to pull his arms away, to retreat toward his side of the shelter.
Instead, he tightened his grasp around her. “There’s something you need to know.” Something in the timbre of his voice held foreboding. That, and the way he was holding her now.
“What is it?” She tried to extricate herself, rolling over to face him, but he kept her imprisoned in his arms. In the dim light of morning, it brought her body flush to his, and she sensed that whatever he had to say was not good news.
“Styr’s ship landed here last night.”
It was the last thing she’d expected him to say. Her husband had returned? A rush of relief filled her, and she couldn’t stop her smile. “He’s alive. Thank the gods.”
“And he—” Ragnar’s words broke off, as if he’d suddenly caught himself.
“And he what?” She sat up and this time, he released her. When she turned to him, there was a fierce cast to his face, the harbinger of bad news. “Is he wounded?”
Ragnar shook his head. He eyed her for a moment and said, “I suppose if it’s of any importance, he’ll tell you himself.” He rose from his place and moved to leave the shelter. “I’ll build a fire and we’ll wait for him.”
“Is he down by the shore?”
“He and our kinsmen, yes.”
“Then we should go to them now,” Elena insisted. “You should have woken me last night.” It made little sense why Ragnar would let Styr and the others make camp along the shore when they could have been together.
“We’ll wait for them here,” Ragnar said. “Let them awaken on their own. They must have traveled for hours and likely need the sleep.”
His answer made no sense at all. She’d been apart from her husband for a week, and Ragnar was concerned about them sleeping enough?
It was evident that he wasn’t telling her something.
From the shielded expression on his face, it had something to do with Styr.
Elena didn’t press him, however. Whatever it was, she’d learn the truth sooner or later.
She joined him outside by the fire, but when there were no signs of anyone approaching from the shore, she returned inside the shelter to get food. She had a bit of meat left over from last night. It wasn’t enough to feed all of their kinsmen, but it was something.
Then, when she emerged from the enclosure, she caught her first glimpse of Styr approaching in the distance. Her husband didn’t look at all pleased to see them and his arms were crossed.
Was he angry with Ragnar? For what reason?
She studied her husband, so relieved that he was unharmed. His dark gold hair was tied back and he still wore chainmail armor. It didn’t appear that he had any outer wounds and for that she was grateful.
Elena approached him, wondering if he was going to welcome her into his arms. But instead of embracing her, Styr held back. Upon his face, she saw regret. Why? Wasn’t he glad to see her again?
The shaky feeling of uneasiness sharpened at his reluctance to greet her.
She decided if he wasn’t going to speak, then she would. “I’m glad you’re all right. When they took you prisoner...I wasn’t certain you would live.” She offered a tentative smile to him, hoping it would break the invisible distance between them.
“I see that Ragnar protected you,” Styr answered. His voice remained neutral, offering no words like: Thank the gods you’re alive or I’m so glad to see you again.
His behavior was wrong, in so many ways. She forced herself to nod, but when she risked a glance back at Ragnar, she saw fury in his eyes. Whatever was wrong, he knew about it and had since last night.
Say something, she wanted to beg Styr. Tell me that you still love me. That everything will be all right now.
Instead, he held his silence, looking for all the world like he didn’t want to be here.
She struggled to think of what to say, but there was one piece of news she felt certain would bring him joy.
Slowly, she moved her hands down to her womb and said, “We’re going to have our first child, Styr. I learned of it only a few days ago.”
The expression on his face paled, as if he’d taken a blow to his stomach. There was no joy at all. No happiness at her revelation. His lack of response made her feel as if someone had knocked the wind from her.
“Aren’t you—happy?” she asked at last. “It’s what we wanted for so long.” But he didn’t speak or move. The fear inside her froze up, flooding through her body with a coldness she couldn’t dispel.
Something was very wrong with her marriage, and she couldn’t guess what could possibly have gone so wrong in the past week. Ragnar came up behind her, as if to offer his support.
“That’s good,” Styr said at last. Only then did he come closer and embrace her. But his arms did not hold her tight, nor did he seem at all pleased by the news. Elena blinked hard to hold back the tears, feeling as if something terrible had happened and she couldn’t name what it was.
Her husband seemed like a stranger now, a man who no longer loved her. The foundation of her marriage was shaped around this unborn child. She’d believed that the baby would bring them back together. But he didn’t look pleased. Instead, he looked dismayed by the news.
She bit her lips so hard she nearly drew blood, but by the gods, she would not cry. Whatever had come between them, they would work through it.
A noise from behind caught her attention, and Styr turned as well.
There were two people in the distance watching them, and one of them was a woman with dark hair.
The pieces of memory reshaped together, and Elena realized who the woman was.
It was the one who had struck Styr down, taking him as her prisoner.
She cast a glance at Ragnar, but his face was stony, unmoving.
“I’ll return in a moment,” Styr said. “Wait here.” He started to hurry toward them, as they returned to the shoreline.
“Don’t,” Ragnar warned, catching Elena’s wrist when she was about to follow.
But she had to know. Her heart was freezing over with fear and pain, and she felt as if she’d already lost her husband.