Captured (13 page)

“Yes, Sir.” She saluted him, giggling at the confused look that passed over his face. He may have an English dictionary running through his mind, but he still wasn’t sure about some customs. Hopefully she’d have a lifetime to teach him everything she knew.

Chapter Eleven

For some reason it felt colder outside than it ever had before. Rugoff followed behind Venise, enjoying the delicate sway of her hips as she walked. When they got to twists or turns he would point her in the right direction, but he wanted to make sure he had her in his sights at all time.

If an animal came out of nowhere and attacked her, then he would be able to defend her. But if she vanished, there was nothing he could do. He hated the idea of going back to the “magical spot,” as she termed it. At least in the cave he felt safe. It was the place where he had lived forever. Nothing bad would happen to her in there.

But out here? He grasped the hilt of his sword just a little tighter. There was no telling what could happen out here. He didn’t want to deny her the right to travel outside the cave, but right now, he hated the idea she was in danger. If anything happened to her, he wasn’t sure he could survive, even though he was sure his physical body would not die.

They came to a break in the trees and he hurried up to her. “This way.” He pointed to the right and they went through an arch into the clearing where he’d first seen her, laying in the snow, her unique bags scattered around her.

He remembered finding her in the clearing, then chasing her through the woods before coming back with the fur only to have her fall from the tree she’d climbed up in an effort to escape him. He thought about carrying her back and striping off her cold and wet clothing, and about how frigid her body had felt as he’d cleaned her wound and bound it, about how it had healed almost by itself within a few days.

Memories of her smashing her fist into his face made him smile. The smile widened when he thought of the first time he’d slid his manhood into her welcoming warmth.

“Venise.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “Please, let us go back.”

Rugoff hated the plaintive tone of his voice, but the feel of this place had changed. Always before, especially when the snow was gone and the weather grew warmer, he’d enjoyed the clearing, even if he were by himself.

Right now, though, he felt as if the world would come crashing down if they took another step toward where she’d landed.

“Rugoff.” She gave him a bright smile. “Don’t be a pessimist. I swear to you, I won’t leave.”

Her words were wonderful to hear, but he knew that she might not be able to keep them, especially if the witch decided she’d been there long enough. She took a step toward the center, and then another, and another.

Rugoff stiffened, drawing his sword from his belt to make sure it was at the ready, just in case. But nothing happened.

He glanced at Venise, who wore a fur he’d fashioned for her that covered her from head to toe. He’d also put a pair of his foot coverings on her, stuffing them with material to make sure her feet stayed warm.

From the look on her face, she wasn’t happy. He wondered if she really believed that, like the romance novels she’d talked about, they’d step into the clearing and things would change for them immediately.

“Damn it.” He recognized her words for what they represented: frustration. She walked to the tree and put her hand against it, and he hurried after her, fear slicing through him that she would disappear before he reached her.

But she didn’t. The air didn’t change, no animals or magical beings appeared, and Venise stood in the same spot, running her hands over the bark as if she suspected a different spot would produce a different result.

“Venise.” She didn’t answer him or even acknowledge that he’d spoken to her. He took her hand and she turned to him, her face brightening.

“That’s it. We need to touch. Since we’re both going back now, that will bring about the power. I fell before, but this time it will suck us back up.”

She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close, kissing him deeply. Then she clasped his hand and placed it on the tree, putting hers over it.

Nothing happened and he could feel the disappointment flood her. She went limp in his arms and he held her close, hoping his touch would remind her that she wasn’t in this alone, that they were together and things would be fine.

“Venise.” He whispered her name in her ear, but she didn’t respond. “Listen to me, tomorrow I’ll ask the witch for some answers.”

“And she won’t give them. This is where your mother dumped me, not the witch. I had hoped that she would want to give us some answers, but I guess I was wrong.”

They couldn’t stay out here forever, and right now, she seemed rooted to the spot. He needed to capture her attention, much the same way the men in the novels she spoke about captured their women. He had to let her know her life had changed.

No one was here when he first landed in this world. He’d spent months trying to figure a way out, trying to find a route that would provide him escape. And he couldn’t let her do that.

What he needed to do was help her learn there was no way out of this land. But they could face it together.

“Tell me, Venise, in your romance novels, do the Viking heroes take their heroines with care, or do they dominate them and let them know they are their captives?”

Confusion spread over her gaze and she turned from him as if she wouldn’t respond.

“Answer me, right now.”

“They’ve changed,” she said, her voice heavy with the disappointment he knew she felt from not being able to find her magical spot. “In the early days of romance novels, the heroes would take what they wanted.”

“As a good Viking would.” He took a step back and watched as her eyes widened. Then he leaned over and grasped her behind the thighs. He threw her over his shoulder and turned back toward the cave, intent on reminding her they were in this together, and that she was a captive here, the same way he was.

Her body bounced on his shoulder and she imagined this was the route they’d taken when he’d first brought her here, only that time she’d been unconscious. In the weeks that had passed, she’d thought long and hard about a way out, but it seemed she hadn’t thought hard enough.

She’d been so sure that touching the tree would send them back, or at least summon the witch, or Rugoff’s mother, who would listen to what they had to say.

How could she have been so wrong? She’d gone over folk and fairy tales in her mind repeatedly and there always seemed to be a way out, or a lesson to be learned. What was the lesson here? And what was the way out?

They were at the door to the cave now. Rugoff didn’t put her down as he undid the latch and slid the portal to the side. Once on the other side, she tried to slide off his shoulder, but he firmly smacked her bottom.

Through the padding, the swat didn’t hurt, but she knew it had happened and shock raced through her. He’d never done anything like that before.

“You will behave, captive, or I will find rope.” He repeated the words she’d said to him when she’d taken him that first night, reminding him that she was basically the raider at his home.

Excitement coursed through her as he re-latched the door and turned toward the main part of the house. That thought made her giggle. This wasn’t a house, it was a cave. What was the old saying,
“Home is where the heart is?”
Could a cave be considered a home?

She supposed she’d find out soon enough, since it didn’t look as if they were going anywhere in the near future.

Her body continued to sway as he stalked across the floor, and then he
unceremoniously
dumped her on the bed.

“Rugoff, I—”

“Silence, captive. I did not give you leave to speak.”

“Excuse me?” She tried to sit up but he pushed her back down. The intense look on his face sent a chill through her, as she couldn’t quite read it. Had something else happened at the clearing? Had he somehow been taken over by something that changed his personality? Or was he just pissed at her because she’d insisted they go?

He undid his winter coverings, tossing them aside without a care for where they landed. She wanted to tell him that he needed to put them back into the niches where they belonged.

“A clean cave is a happy cave,”
she thought as he got to his tunic and stripped it off. His leggings followed suit and he now stood before her, naked and fully erect. The sight made her mouth water, and it made her forget all about the failure in the clearing.

She reached for him, but he batted her hand away, taking a step back. “Take off your clothing.”

There was a hard bite to his voice that she’d never heard before, and she wasn’t sure that she liked it. She shook her head ever so slightly, wondering exactly what the hell was going on.

He watched her through lowered lids, then stalked to the wall of weapons, searching them for a few moments before selecting a wicked looking knife.

As he moved back toward the bed, armed with the steel, Venise finally moved, crawling to the top of the bed as fast as the heavy garments she wore would allow. She pressed against the wall as he took the knife and stabbed it into the bedding.

The hilt of it stood out, wavering just a little. She watched it, then lifted her gaze to find him staring at her, his expression hard to read. “I will not ask again. Either take off your clothing, or I will do it for you.”

The implication was clear. He wouldn’t help her undo the laces as he’d done so many times in the past. He’d cut them from her.

Her heart raced at the idea and she stared at the man in front of her. She didn’t know him. He hadn’t even been this way with her when she’d first arrived and they couldn’t speak to each other.

“Listen, I don’t know, um, who…” She broke off and looked around the room. There was no way out of this situation.

“So be it.” He picked up the knife and advanced on her, standing on the thick mattress and walking, his movements making it sway and causing her to lose her balance. She fell onto her stomach, the bed continuing to move as he walked.

She rolled toward him, then scrambled off the bed, running to the table and putting it between them. He stepped off the bed and moved the knife to his side, his grip still firm.

“You cannot hide from me, nor can you outrun me. You are mine, my prize to do with as I see fit. You will obey me.”

“And you can kiss my rosy red ass. What the hell happened to you?” Whatever it was, she didn’t like it. The sweet Rugoff who thought first and acted second was gone, replaced by a Viking that… Realization dawned on her as she thought about their discussions on romance novels and how the captured heroine would bend to the hero’s will.

“I don’t want to play a game,” she said, shrugging out of the fur. “Let’s just leave it be, shall we?”

He didn’t answer her, but from the glint in his eye, she could see that he didn’t want to listen to her. He took a step toward the table, stopping to fix her with another one of those penetrating stares.

This was a game, wasn’t it? From the look on his face, she wasn’t exactly sure. It was a little disconcerting to see him standing there with that knife in his hand.

“Rugoff.”

“Undress!”

If there was a roof on this place, she was pretty sure his yell would have lifted it off its frame. Her heart beat just a little faster, and this time there was excitement mixed with the trepidation. There was no telling where he would take this. Well, she was pretty sure where it was heading. The hard cock gave her a pretty big hint. Maybe she should play along. Maybe it would help her to get over the disappointment she felt right now. No, not maybe. Definitely.

“Listen, I realize you’re upset, but…”

“Silence!” He moved toward her, his stride no longer hesitant. “I tire of your disobedience. You must learn that you belong to me now!” He slammed the knife into the table, the tip of it now embedded in the wood. “You will undress this very instant.”

“I think not.” She backed up, putting her hands on her hips. “Why don’t we just sit down and discuss this. I realize that…oh!”

He lunged for her, moving around the table faster than she ever thought possible. She ducked out from under his arm and ran toward the bed again, stopping long enough to realize that going to the bed wouldn’t help. She needed to find someplace where she could either hide from him, or keep away from him while she tried to talk.

She headed for the hallway, remembering as she was partway there that there were only two rooms this way. The first was the bathroom, the second the bathing room. The sound of water rushing over the falls sounded as if they were amplified by the best stereo system as she entered the room. It was either that or the pounding of her heart that sounded so loud.

There was only one place to go, and that was into the water. It wasn’t deep water, with just enough to cover a person’s waist when they were sitting, much like a bathtub. She quickly pushed off what passed for shoes, then stepped into the warm flow.

She’d only taken a few steps when she realized her error. Clothing grew heavy as it got wet, and it slowed her down as she moved toward the waterfalls. She lost her footing and fell, the water soaking through everything she wore.