Viking Warrior (14 page)

“Your mother needs me, but you do not,” Reyna charged.

“I do need you. We can be…” he searched for a word and seized on the only one that came to him, “partners.”

“Partner is a pretty word, Wulf, but not as pretty as wife. Ragnar does me honor by asking me to be his wife.”

“You know my feelings. Wedding a Dane would dishonor the memory of Astrid and my unborn child.”

“How would bedding me without marrying me be a more honorable choice? Your wife is dead. You cannot live in the past forever.”

“I do not want to argue with you, Reyna; I want to make love to you. This may be our only chance to be alone before I leave, unless you change your mind and accompany me.”

Reyna was torn. She had missed the closeness she had shared with Wulf these past weeks. Soon he would be leaving and she would never see him again. She glared at him. A man as stubborn as Wulf did not deserve her love. His wife had been dead two years and more. Did he intend to mourn Astrid the rest of his life? Wulf was a man of mysterious contradictions. He wanted to be with her even though vengeance still filled his heart and mind.

“I am staying with my family, Wulf. Even if I do not wed Ragnar, I will remain here, where I belong. You should leave if you wish to catch up with your hunting party.”

Reyna thought he was doing as she asked when he turned and headed for the door. But instead of leaving, he bolted the door and began shedding his clothing.

“What are you doing?” Reyna exclaimed.

He reached for her and pulled her against him.
“This,” he murmured, seconds before he claimed her mouth.

The kiss stirred Reyna clear down to her toes. The tingling began where their mouths were joined and traveled down, down, down. This was madness. She had no resistance where Wulf was concerned. His will took over, molding her to his needs, his desires, which in truth were her wants, her desires. Freya knew she had tried to resist, but this stubborn warrior owned her soul.

Wulf felt Reyna stir in his arms, felt her mouth soften and her body cling sweetly to his. Her response seemed to unleash a caged beast inside him. He growled low in his throat and began savaging her mouth. After several long, wild kisses, his control snapped and he began tearing at the ties on her tunic and undertunic.

“Wulf, I did not say…”

“You do not need to,” Wulf growled. “Your body tells me all I need to know.”

He stripped her to her linen shift. The sight of her pink nipples pushing against the flimsy material made his cock jerk and stiffen. If he didn’t have her soon, he feared he would explode. Sliding his fingers into her hair, he cupped her head to hold it in place and plied her mouth with deep, consuming kisses that made her body tremble and her mind reel.

Unable to resist her warrior lover, Reyna opened her lips to take his tongue deep into her mouth. Pushing her fingers into the silk of his sun-streaked hair, she slid her hands downward over his cheeks in a gentle caress. Groaning, Wulf grasped the soft globes of her bottom and pulled her against his hardening body, making her aware of the thick ridge of his erection. The fever inside her grew as her hands grasped his remaining clothing, pulling at the fabric in order to leave him naked and accessible to her hands and mouth.

Tightening his hold on her, Wulf hoisted her higher, walked her to his pallet, tossed aside his hunting knife and laid her down on the furs. Before joining her, he stripped naked, strode to the hearth and built up the fire. His groin stiffened painfully when he noticed her gaze roaming greedily over his bare flanks as he bent to his task.

A low growl rumbled in his throat as he stalked back to her. “You drive me mad, woman.” Then he joined her in the furs.

The wildness inside Wulf could only be sated in one way. He needed to be inside Reyna and it had to be now. “You have too many clothes on,” he muttered in a voice roughened with need.

Lifting the hem of her shift, he pulled it over her head and tossed it aside. Her thick, woolen stockings and boots followed quickly. Reaching for her, he caught her hips in his big hands and lifted her astride him. With an impatient groan, he held her in place and entered her in one strong thrust.

Reyna marveled at the fullness inside her as she pushed herself down, taking even more of him, her body instantly wet and ready for his possession. They moved together as one, their hunger for each other unstoppable and urgent. She ground her loins downward, rocking against him in wild abandon as he held her hips steady for his deep penetration.

Reyna hadn’t realized how much she had missed Wulf, how desperately she still wanted him. Needed him. Her thoughts skittered away as Wulf raised his head, took her nipple into his mouth and suckled her, first one breast and then the other. She felt the pulling sensation clear down to her womb. Blood pounded in her temples, building to a climax as fierce heat danced through her. Moments later, violent tremors ripped her apart.

His fingers digging into her thighs, Wulf drove fiercely upward, raw, frantic sounds echoing from within his chest as he raced toward his own climax. She heard him shout her name as he gave up his seed. Moments later she collapsed against his chest, aware of the harsh rasp of his breath mingling with hers.

Reyna made no move to climb off him since she had no idea what to say to this forceful warrior who held her heart even though he did not want it. Trying to deny him what they both wanted had been a waste of time.

“When will you tell your father that you are journeying to my homeland with me?” Wulf asked in a voice still breathless from his exertions.

Reyna reared up. “What makes you think I am leaving?”

“How can you deny that you want to leave after what just took place here?”

“I shall not be your bed slave, Wulf. Never again will I be a man’s thrall.”

Wulf lifted her off of him. “I did not ask you to be my thrall. You will become our healer and will be treated as one of the family.”

“So you said before. Will you expect me to warm your bed?”

“Is that not what we both want?”

Reyna shook her head. “You are a stubborn man, Wulf. Hakkon is long dead. Why are you still seeking vengeance for your wife’s death? Why can you not let that loss go and get on with your life? If you opened your eyes, you would see what is in front of you.”

Wulf frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“If you cannot figure it out for yourself, I am not going to tell you. You are neither dense nor stupid. What is it that keeps you from seeing me as anything but a thrall or bed warmer?”

Wulf looked perplexed. “I see you as a healer and a warrior woman, a beautiful Valkyrie.”

Reyna ground her teeth in frustration. “Do you see me as your wife?”

Wulf’s silence spoke volumes.

Reyna rose and searched for her clothing, feeling suddenly cold. “You should rejoin the hunting party. They will wonder what happened to you.”

Wulf gained his feet and began dressing. “I won’t be missed.”

They dressed in silence. Reyna finished first and waited for Wulf to retrieve his hunting knife and leave.

Wulf walked to the door, stopped and looked back at her. “I won’t take no for an answer, Reyna. You heard Olaf. My mother needs your skills and I need…” The words stuck in his throat.

Reyna hardened her heart. “Good-bye, Wulf. I doubt we will be alone again before you and your countrymen leave. Already the ice is melting on the fjord and the air holds a promise of spring.”

After a long, hard look, Wulf opened the door and stormed out. Reyna’s body went limp. How long could a man hold a grudge? How long would vengeance rule his life? Though she would miss Wulf desperately, she would not leave her family for an uncertain future with a man who still considered her the enemy.

Reyna was helping the women prepare the evening meal when Wulf and the hunters returned. Luck had been with them. They had bagged an assortment of rabbits along with several deer. The hides and meat would be welcome during the waning days of winter.

Reyna searched out Wulf among the men, found him and quickly looked away when their eyes met. That was the last time Reyna sought Wulf’s attention until he approached
her one day a few weeks later. “The ice is melting on the fjord,” he announced. “Olaf and I will be leaving soon.”

Reyna had been aware of the changing weather for some time. The air wasn’t as harsh, and blades of green were pushing up through the bare spots in the ground. She had known this day was coming but had tried not to think about it. Once Wulf left she would never see him again.

“It is time to pack your things,” Wulf continued.

“How many times must I tell you I am not going anywhere with you,” Reyna snorted. “I wish you a safe journey, Wulf.”

Though Wulf said nothing more, Reyna liked neither the possessive look in his silver eyes nor the oblique smile curving his lips. What ever he planned wasn’t going to happen, she vowed. She was smart enough to be wary of the determined Norseman’s tricks.

“We shall see, Reyna,” Wulf replied as he stalked off.

The next few days fled in a flurry of activity. Most of the Norsemen were off readying their dragonship while Maida and the thralls prepared food for their voyage. Reyna tried not to dwell on Wulf’s leaving. Though she knew she would miss him, she refused to return to his farmstead on his terms. It would happen on her terms or not at all.

Reyna avoided Wulf until the morning he told her father they would be leaving in a few hours. All the Norsemen had gathered around her parents and brothers, thanking them for their hospitality and bidding them farewell. Reyna remained in the background, pretending indifference while all the time her heart was breaking.

She watched warily when Wulf approached her father and said, “Reyna is coming with me.”

Both her parents spun around to look at her. “Is that true, Reyna?” Maida asked. “Why did you not say anything to us about your intention to leave?”

Reyna strode toward Wulf, her chin jutting in open defiance. She didn’t stop until they stood nose to nose. “Wulf is mistaken, Mother. I am going nowhere with him. This is where I belong.”

Hands on hips, legs spread wide, Wulf glared down at her. “I beg to differ. You are coming with me.”

Harald stepped forward and pulled Reyna behind him. “My daughter does not wish to go with you. Though I appreciate everything you have done for my family, you cannot take Reyna without her consent.”

Reyna glanced around her. All the Norsemen, including Olaf, were poised with their hands on their swords. Fear snaked through Reyna. Her family was badly outnumbered should a fight ensue. Would Wulf really go so far?

Harald did not back down from his confrontational stance despite the odds against him. “Why do you think my daughter should leave her home?”

Wulf raised his eyes to Reyna and said, “She could be carrying my child.”

Both Borg and Dag, who had come up to flank their father, drew their swords.

“Hold!” Harald said. “I wish to hear what Reyna has to say about this. Look at me, daughter. Is what Wulf claims possible?”

“I…”

“Speak the truth, Reyna,” Wulf warned. “If you carry my child, it is my right to raise him.”

Reyna had no idea whether or not she was carrying Wulf’s babe. It was too early to know. It was possible, she supposed, but unlikely. She hadn’t conceived before, so why would she now?

“Well, Reyna,” Harald prodded. “What say you?”

“ ’tis possible but highly unlikely,” Reyna admitted.

Harald’s penetrating gaze returned to Wulf. “If you have been enjoying my daughter’s favors, Wulf the Defender, you shall wed her here, before her family.”

“Father, no!” Reyna protested. “Wulf does not wish to wed me.”

“If Wulf has bedded you, ’tis best that you wed him. A man should raise his son.”

“But I am not…”

“But you could be,” Wulf interrupted.

Reyna’s mouth snapped shut. This was a tactic she hadn’t counted on. “Father, Wulf does not want to wed me. He still blames our people for killing his wife. If he says he will wed me, he lies. He merely needs my skills to heal his mother.”

Reyna didn’t know why she was protesting so loudly. She truly wanted to be Wulf’s wife, but not under these circumstances. She couldn’t understand why he was insisting so vigorously when he had refused to wed her time and again. She glanced at Wulf. His mouth was set, his fists clenched at his sides.

Wulf glanced at the Norsemen flanking him with weapons at the ready. “I could take Reyna by force if I wished to.”

“But you will not,” Harald replied. “You are too honorable to kill your host.”

Wulf grimaced. Harald was correct. He glanced at Reyna, saw her smug expression and realized she was expecting him to refuse to wed her. She was wrong.

“Well, Wulf the Defender, what say you?” Harald asked.

He straightened to his full height. “I, Wulf the Defender, vow before you and my countrymen that I take Reyna the Dane as my wife.”

“ ’tis done, then,” Harald said.

“What?” Reyna exclaimed. “But you do not want to wed me.”

“I just said I did, did I not?”

“Then allow me to state my terms before I agree to this match,” Reyna said, folding her arms across her chest.

“You have terms?” Wulf growled.

“Aye, I do. If I am not increasing, you must agree to return me to my family if that is what I wish.”

“That sounds fair,” Borg said. “In fact, we will visit Wulf’s farmstead when we set out on our trading voyages in the summer to see if all is well with her. If she wishes it, we will take her home. Is that agreeable, Wulf the Defender?”

“I agree,” Wulf said with supreme arrogance. If Reyna wasn’t with child now, she would be soon. And his mother would have a skilled healer to cure her. The only drawback was having a Dane for a wife. But for his mother’s sake, he would make the sacrifice.

Luck was with the Norsemen. A brisk wind at their backs made rowing unnecessary as Wulf steered the dragonship across the choppy sea. The men had erected a shelter on the ship to protect Reyna from the worst of the elements and her parents had provided them with fur pelts to keep them warm and food to eat during the journey.

Having departed from the narrowest point between the two countries, the longboat, propelled by the wind, made the journey in four days. Though somewhat uncomfortable, Reyna remained cozy and protected inside the shelter. She had seen blessed little of Wulf during the sea voyage. She was still angry with him for tricking her into returning to his homeland and had refused to speak to him when he made the attempt.

It wasn’t as if Reyna didn’t want to help Thora; she did. It was the underhanded way Wulf got her father to agree to her leaving that bothered her. Wulf had deliberately lied about wanting her for his wife. She knew without a doubt that Wulf had wed her only to help his mother and please her father. What kind of marriage was that?

If she wasn’t breeding, and Reyna felt certain she wasn’t, she would hold Wulf to his promise to allow her
to return to her parents’ farmstead. After she nursed Thora back to health, she would wait for her brothers to arrive, divorce Wulf and return home. Remaining unwed was preferable to loving a man who could not return her love.

Reyna was still brooding over Wulf’s contrariness when she heard someone yell, “Land ahead.”

She peeked out from her shelter, saw land in the distance and joined Olaf at the railing. “Have we reached your homeland?” Reyna asked.

“Aye, but we still have a distance to go. We will follow the shore until we reach Boknafjord. After that, ’tis only a matter of sailing up the fjord to our farmstead.”

Olaf walked away when Wulf arrived. Wulf stared at her, thinking she looked like a Viking queen with her hair braided and wrapped around her head like a crown; a pale gold halo reflecting the afternoon sun. Lust sucked the breath out of him, and his loins grew heavy at the sight of her. It had been weeks since he and Reyna had made love. He couldn’t wait to have her in his hall and in his bed.

“We will be home soon,” he said.

“
You
will be home soon,” Reyna corrected. “My home is across the sea.”

Wulf shrugged. “My homeland is now your home.”

Reyna gave a snort of disgust. “Admit it, Wulf, you wed me for your mother’s sake. You lied to my father about wanting me for your wife.”

Wulf’s silver eyes narrowed dangerously as he leaned in toward her. “I do want you, not just for my mother but for myself.”

Hands on shapely hips, Reyna held her ground against the impressive warrior. “What happens after I cure your mother and we learn I am not carrying your child? Will you still want me?”

The intensity of Wulf’s gaze sent shivers racing down her spine.

“I will always
want
you; that was never in doubt.”

Reyna forged on. “Aye, but will you honor our vows?”

“I stand by my word.”

“Even if being married to a Dane repulses you?” Reyna charged. “Remember, Wulf the Defender, if I am not breeding, I intend to return to my own country with my brothers when they visit in the summer.”

Wulf laughed. “You will be breeding long before your brothers arrive.” Turning, he walked away.

Reyna frowned at his departing back. Why didn’t Wulf understand what she wanted from him? His vow meant naught to her without his love. Even as Wulf’s wife she would forever wonder if a thrall or freewoman or new captive would capture his interest next. Being his wife would be meaningless without his esteem and love.

As the dragonship hugged the coast, Reyna could see patches of green amidst the melting snow, a sure harbinger of spring. Wulf steered the dragonship into Boknafjord, sailing around patches of ice that hadn’t yet melted. They pulled up to shore for the night and resumed the journey the following morning.

Reyna stood at the railing, watching for familiar landmarks. When they passed the village of Sauda, nestled on the bank of the fjord, she recognized it immediately.

“It won’t be long now,” Olaf said as he joined her. “Hagar will be frantic with worry after our long absence. ’tis doubtful he expected me to reach the land of the Danes much less find Wulf and return him to the bosom of our family. Bringing you with us is an unexpected bonus.”

“I hope we find your mother well on the way to recovery when we arrive,” Reyna said.

“If not, I am sure you will heal her with the herbs and cures your mother sent along with us.”

Reyna glanced at the medicinal chest beneath her shelter, filled with everything her mother thought she might need to treat what ever ills were visited upon Wulf’s family. “I pray my skills are sufficient.”

“Your skills are considerable,” Wulf said as he came up to join them.

Reyna started at the sound of his voice. “I remember the last time I arrived at your farmstead,” she reminisced. She glared at him. “It was not a happy occasion, if you recall.”

Olaf glanced between the two antagonists and walked away.

“You endeared yourself to my family and to me,” Wulf murmured in her ear. “We all grew fond of you.”

She glared up at him. “Fond? Fond? Forgive me for wanting more from you, Wulf.”

Turning on her heel, she entered her shelter and pulled the curtain across the opening. She didn’t reappear until she heard cries of shock and anger. She shoved aside the curtain and rushed out on deck. One look at Wulf and Olaf told her something unexpected was causing havoc among the crew.

“What is it? What’s happened?” Reyna cried.

Wulf pointed toward the landing. “There is a foreign longboat beached where only our dragonships should be. We know not whether they are friend or foe.”

“Foe,” Olaf said through clenched teeth. “Finn raiders by the look of their longboat. Something is amiss.”

Immediately the Norsemen took their places on the benches, grabbed up the oars and rowed toward the shore. They beached the dragonship beside the longboat.

Wulf lifted Reyna from the dragonship and set her down on the ground. “Stay here until I return for you. I
don’t know what mayhem we will find…” His sentence fell off at a shout from Olaf.

“Listen!” Olaf exclaimed, placing a constraining hand on Wulf’s arm. “Do you hear that?”

The blood froze in Wulf’s veins when he heard the familiar sounds of a battle being waged. The clash of swords and battle-axes, voices raised in rage and cries of pain all mingled to provide an ugly picture of what was taking place at the farmstead.

“To arms!” Wulf shouted as he raised his sword and battle-axe, and prepared to rush to his family’s defense.

“Wait!” Reyna cried. “If I’m to remain here, give me a sword or dagger, something with which to defend myself.”

“Find Reyna a sword,” Wulf ordered Olaf moments before he raced off toward the farmstead.

Olaf returned to the dragonship, pulled out a sword from under a canvas and thrust it into Reyna’s hands before running off to join his comrades.

Wulf’s fear escalated when he thought of the too few warriors left to defend the farmstead; Hagar and Eric and a handful of kraals. Without sufficient warning, they would be badly outnumbered and their women in danger.

The Norsemen burst upon a scene of utter chaos. One glance told Wulf that a few kraals had indeed joined the fight to repel the raiders but not in sufficient numbers to make a difference against the murderous horde of marauding Finns bent on gaining plunder and slaves.

Wulf let out a Viking war cry loud enough to pierce the sounds of battle then waded into the fray, wielding a sword in one hand and battle-axe in the other.

Reyna paced the shore, listening to the din of battle and wondering what was taking place. Remaining behind
while Wulf and the others fought for their lives was not to her liking. She waited for as long as she could then, clutching her sword, she advanced resolutely toward the farmstead.

Her first glimpse of the battle raging violently outside the hall revealed just how desperately the returning Norsemen were needed. A second glance revealed Helga and Inga, true Norsewomen to the core, standing shoulder to shoulder near the front entrance of the hall, armed and ready to defend their home against enemy raiders.

Eric appeared to have suffered a sword cut to his arm and blood was streaming down Hagar’s temple from a head wound. But from the look of the Finns, they appeared to have fared no better. Now, with the returning Norsemen joining in the fray, the tide seemed to be turning.

Reyna kept her distance, waiting to see where or if her sword arm was needed. After a few moments of observing from the sidelines, she decided to lend her help to Helga and Inga. But as she made her way around the perimeter of the battlefield, she saw two Finns converge on Wulf, one from the front and one from behind. Wulf immediately reacted to the frontal attack.

Reyna, however, saw what Wulf did not. She screamed his name, but could scarcely hear her own voice above the din of battle. Without a thought for her own safety, Reyna ducked and dodged swords and battle-axes to reach Wulf before it was too late. Then, horrors of all horrors, just as Wulf handily dispatched his opponent, the warrior behind him thrust his sword into Wulf’s back. Wulf staggered a few steps, then spiraled to the ground.

“Reyna,” he gasped, raising himself slightly when he saw her leap out of nowhere, lift her sword over his attacker’s head and bring it down.

Outrage lent strength to Reyna’s arms as she swung her sword at the cowardly Finn raider and struck him down with one vicious slice. Ignoring the bleeding Finn at her feet, Reyna stepped over him and dropped to her knees beside Wulf. He met her concerned gaze before his eyes glazed over and his head dropped down on the hard ground. Her fear for Wulf’s life escalated when Reyna saw the blood pooling beneath him. Then Hagar and Olaf were beside her, lifting Wulf between them and dragging him into the hall.

The Norsemen had broken the back of the raid. Outnumbered and reeling in defeat, the Finns began retreating toward the fjord and their longboat. The Norsemen gave chase, determined to slay them before they reached the fjord. Reyna paid little heed as she followed Hagar, Olaf and Wulf into the hall.

Helga and Inga parted to let them pass, then followed them inside.

“Is Wulf all right?” Helga asked anxiously.

“I won’t know until I examine him,” Reyna threw over her shoulder. “Place him on his stomach on a bench and send someone to the ship for my medicinal chest,” she ordered crisply. Olaf passed the order on to a thrall and rejoined them.

“We need to get him out of his blood-soaked clothing so you can inspect his wound,” Hagar said, handing Reyna his short blade. “Olaf and I will lift him while you cut away his tunic and fur vest.”

Once that task was completed, Reyna bent over the jagged wound in Wulf’s back.

“Is the danger over?” The question came from Olga. She stood outside Thora’s sleeping alcove, holding her son protectively in her arms. After assessing the situation, she rushed over to where the family was gathered around Wulf. “Olaf, you have returned! And you brought
Wulf and Reyna with you.” Her gaze settled on Wulf, lying prone on the bench, still bleeding from his wound. “What happened to him? Will he be all right?”

“Wulf has been wounded,” Hagar explained. “We don’t know how badly yet.”

“Have the Finns been driven off?”

“Aye, thanks to my brothers’ timely return,” Hagar said. “If not for the additional men, we would not have prevailed.”

Olga’s gaze rested on Reyna. “Thank you for coming, Reyna. Thora’s condition has worsened. We desperately need your healing skills. And now this,” she said, gesturing toward Wulf. “Can you save him?”

Wulf’s muffled words startled them. “I am not dead yet.”

“You are conscious,” Reyna breathed. “Thank Freya. Lie still, Wulf. The bleeding has slowed; that’s a good sign. As soon as my medicinal chest arrives, I will give you something for the pain.” To Helga she said, “I will need hot water and clean cloths.”

Helga raced off.

“Reyna, you…you looked like a Viking warrior woman, swooping down to slay the enemy,” Wulf said in a voice laced with pain. “You should have stayed where it was safe.”

“I could not. I had to know what was taking place and lend help where I could. I am sorry I did not reach you in time.”

Wulf grunted as Reyna examined the wound more closely. “How does it look?” he asked.

“ ’tis not life threatening. I will know more once the wound is cleaned.”

The thrall returned with the medicinal chest at the same time Helga arrived with a bowl of hot water and a stack of clean linen cloths.

“What is happening?” asked Thora, her voice barely audible through the thick curtain of the sleeping alcove.

“I had best go to her,” Olga said. “She will want to know what is happening. She is too weak to leave her bed.”

“I will go with you,” Hagar said. “Mother will be pleased to know her wayward sons have returned. Olaf, you and Eric take charge of the cleanup outside. The girls can help Reyna. No sense all of us hovering over Wulf while Reyna does what is necessary to heal him.”

“You are wounded, and so are Eric and Olaf,” Helga cried.

“ ’tis naught compared to Wulf’s wound,” Hagar replied. “You can wash away the blood before I go in to see Mother. My brothers are capable of caring for themselves. Their wounds and mine are minor.”

Reyna paid little heed to what was going on around her as she carefully cleaned Wulf’s wound and sprinkled dill seeds from her medicinal chest into the open slash.

“I will need to close the wound,” Reyna muttered to herself.

“Do it and get it over with,” Wulf groaned.

Turning toward her chest, Reyna saw that Inga had already threaded a needle that one of Reyna’s brothers had brought back from Byzantium.

“Thank you,” Reyna said, taking the threaded needle from Inga.

Concentrating on Wulf’s wound, Reyna pierced his skin with the needle, glanced once at his face and then began making small neat stitches, until the wound was closed and the bleeding contained. Once she had finished, she sat back on her haunches and inspected her work.