Viking Warrior (16 page)

“I am glad you decided to join me,” he murmured into her ear. “You must be exhausted.”

When she did not reply, he pulled her into the curve of his body and promptly fell asleep, thinking of how
nice it would be to make love to her upon awakening in the morning. Morning sex was a delightful way to charge the body for the coming day’s activities.

Reyna stepped away from Rollo’s cradle, allowing herself to relax for the first time in two days. The child was breathing easily and sleeping peacefully. There was nothing more she could do for him to night.

“You should return home,” Olga advised. “You have cured my son and I am grateful. You look exhausted. I will send for you if you are needed but I doubt it will be necessary. Take a torch with you, ’tis dark outside.”

Reyna took one last look at the sleeping babe and nodded. She was tired and looked forward to joining Wulf in his bed, where she would be warmed by his big body.

She threw a cloak over her shoulders, removed a torch from a wall sconce and quietly left so as not to awaken the sleeping household. The air outside was brisk as she crossed the yard to Wulf’s hall. The room was dark but for the dying fire in the hearth. Reyna placed the torch in an empty sconce, hung her cloak on a wooden peg and stumbled to Wulf’s sleeping alcove. Stifling a yawn, she pulled the curtain aside…and froze.

Enough light filtered into the alcove to reveal two bodies entwined in the furs. A large male body all but covered a smaller female one. Wulf and…She crept closer, peering through the dim light at the woman occupying her place in Wulf’s bed.

Uma!

“devil take you, Wulf!” Reyna shouted loud enough to wake the occupants entwined cozily in the furs.

Wulf jerked upright, a puzzled expression on his face. “Reyna?”

“Apparently you did not expect me to return to night,”
Reyna spat. “Is this the kind of marriage I can expect from you? Well, I will have none of it. Keep Uma as your bed slave for all I care.”

“Uma? What are you talking about?”

Uma rose up beside Wulf, her naked shoulders gleaming seductively in the pale light. Wulf turned his head and stared at her, as if seeing her for the first time. Reyna scoffed at his show of innocence.

“Thor’s hammer, Uma! What are you doing in my bed?”

“Don’t act the innocent with me, Wulf,” Reyna charged. “Any woman will do for you. You do not need me.”

Rising to his knees, Wulf grasped Uma’s arms and hauled her from his bed.

Reyna stared at Uma’s naked body. Without the shapeless tunic covering her form, she was generously curved in the right places. What man could resist her? Not Wulf, apparently.

“You made no objection when I climbed in bed with you,” Uma pouted. “I only wanted to comfort you.”

“Get out! We will speak of this on the morrow.”

“Do not kick your bed slave out on my account,” Reyna said sweetly. “I will find a bed in Hagar’s hall.”

“Go!” Wulf shouted when Uma lingered.

As Reyna turned to follow Uma through the curtain, Wulf grabbed his wife’s arm and pulled her across the bed. “I did not invite Uma into my bed,” he growled.

“I do not believe you, Wulf. Let go of me. I am returning to your brother’s hall. I would rather sleep on a bench than take Uma’s place beside you.”

“I told you, I did not invite Uma into my bed,” Wulf repeated through clenched teeth.

“Don’t tell me Uma was bold enough to come to you of her own accord,” Reyna scoffed, “for I find that difficult to believe.”

“Come to bed. We will work this out in the morning. I’ve missed you, wife.”

“No, I mean naught to you. I am merely your family’s healer.”

“Reyna, be reasonable. Did I not wed you before your father? Why would I do that if I did not want you as my wife?”

“You needed my skills.”

“That, too, but I wanted you for myself.”

Reyna slid off the bed. Wulf reached for her and missed. Finding herself free, she raced through the curtain and into the hall. She was out the door and across the yard before Wulf could stop her. Chancing a glance over her shoulder, she saw him standing in the doorway, a naked god in all his magnificent glory.

Wulf turned away. He had done nothing to warrant such treatment from Reyna. Then his glance lit on Uma, cowering in the corner, and he advanced toward her, his silver eyes glinting with barely contained anger.

“Explain yourself, woman!” he roared.

“Reyna does not deserve you,” Uma whimpered. “When you welcomed me into your bed, I thought you wanted me.”

“Thor’s hammer! I was asleep. I thought you were Reyna. At the first opportunity I will find you a new owner.”

“No, master, I beg you. I do not want to leave. I will behave, I promise.”

“We will discuss this later,” Wulf growled, offering little hope for her future as his thrall.

Wulf strode to his sleeping alcove, dressed quickly, lit a torch from the dying embers in the hearth and stormed from the hall. He would be damned if he would take the blame for something not of his doing. This time
Reyna was being unreasonable. He had done nothing to earn her contempt.

All was quiet when he entered Hagar’s hall. Holding the torch high, he searched for Reyna and found his wife huddled beneath a wolf pelt on a bench near the door.

Stiffening his impressive form, he marched to the bench and stopped, arms folded over his chest, legs wide apart. She appeared to be sleeping but Wulf wasn’t fooled. “I know you are awake, Reyna.”

“Return to your bed slave,” she hissed.

“You judge me wrongly,” Wulf returned gruffly.

Reyna sat up, her green eyes glittering fiercely. “I know what I saw.”

“I did not invite Uma to my bed. You know how soundly I sleep. She crawled in beside me without my knowledge. Naught happened between us in my bed to-night.”

“Tell that to someone who will believe you,” Reyna spat.

He grasped her arm, roughly pulling her to her feet. “You are returning with me to my hall, where you belong.”

A light flared from behind them. “What is going on here?”

Both Reyna and Wulf spun around to face an angry Hagar. “Take your fight outside. ’tis late and the house-hold is sleeping. Or they were until you two started carrying on. What is this about?”

“Ask Wulf,” Reyna muttered.

“I did naught,” Wulf barked.

“He took Uma to his bed. I found them together.”

Hagar’s eyebrows shot up. “Is that true, brother?”

“No, ’tis
not
true.” A long silence ensued. “I did not invite Uma into my bed. She crawled in while I was sleeping.”

“Ha!” Reyna snorted.

“Go home, Wulf,” Hagar said. “You and Reyna can sort this out tomorrow.”

“I am not leaving without Reyna. My wife belongs in my hall, in my bed. Your son is cured of his illness, thanks to Reyna’s skill, and she is no longer needed in your hall. Do not interfere in this, Hagar.”

Hagar sighed. “I care naught about your marital problems as long as you confine them to your own hall. Please leave so I can return to my bed.”

“Hagar is right,” Wulf agreed. “It is wrong of us to air our differences in his hall, in the middle of the night.”

So saying, he tossed Reyna over his shoulder and strode out the door.

“Wulf, put me down!” Reyna cried. “Your show of strength does not impress me.”

“I know exactly what will impress you,” Wulf growled. “I have been without the comfort of your body too many nights. ’tis time you performed your wifely duties.”

“I am sure Uma will be happy to take my place in your bed.”

“I am sure she would, however Uma is not the woman I want or need in my bed.”

When they reached Wulf’s hall, he flung open the door and stormed inside. “You,” he shouted, pointing to Uma, “leave. I have decided your fate. Henceforth, Hagar is your new master. I have just gifted you to him. Be thankful I will not sell you as I threatened.”

Grabbing her coarse cloak from a peg, Uma left in a rush. Wulf carried Reyna to his sleeping alcove and tossed her onto his bed. She scrambled to her knees but he pushed her back down.

“Stay there and listen to me, you little wildcat. Think you I want Uma when I have you?”

Her chin rose in open defiance. “I am a Dane.”

“I am aware of that.”

“You never wanted to wed me; you were forced into marriage by my father and brothers. Once you tire of me, you will take Uma or another like her to your bed.”

“I did not have to admit to your family that we were lovers. I could have left your farmstead without you and never looked back. Why can you not accept the fact that I wanted you in my life?”

“You are a lusty warrior, Wulf. Yes, we are good in bed together. But that is not enough for me. I want…”

“What do you want? Love?” He made a scoffing sound. “I had love once and lost it. Love is a fragile emotion; I have no wish to open my heart to that kind of pain again. Why can we not let what we have be enough? I do not hate you, Reyna. Far from it. I went against everything I believe in to keep you with me.”

Reyna shook her head. “tis not enough, Wulf. What
do
you believe in if not love?”

“Honor, pride, vows, even though I broke mine when I wed you. Everything I swore I would not do I did, for you. Against all odds, you, a Dane, are my wife.”

“Tomorrow I shall stand in the doorway and shout my intention to divorce you to one and all,” she said.

Wulf’s silver eyes narrowed to a smoky gray. “There will be no divorce. I will prove to you that we belong together, that the emotion you call love is but a word that means naught.”

“Why do you want me?” Reyna cried. “Give me a reason I should remain your wife. A reason besides mutual lust.”

Wulf sent her a bemused look before answering. “You are brave and fearless. You saved my life.” A long silence fraught with tension ensued. “I believe you care for me.”

“Caring for someone works two ways. I understand that you cannot love me, but I do not have to accept it.”

“Reyna, you are being ridiculous. I am a warrior, a man of action, not of words. I can show you why I need you.”

“Not good enough, Wulf.”

“I can’t believe you wish to return to Ragnar. He is not half the man I am.”

Reyna sighed. She was getting nowhere with the stubborn Norseman. Perhaps she should accept what Wulf could give her and remain his wife. Mayhap Wulf would wake up one day and realize he loved her.

“You know I do not want Ragnar.”

“Then why are you arguing with me? I miss having you in my bed, wife.”

“Uma…”

“…means naught to me. She will never crawl into my bed uninvited again.”

Indecision bit deep inside Reyna. She lowered her head to ponder her options, but when she raised it a
dozen heartbeats later, she realized her options had been taken from her. Wulf’s hands were already releasing the ties on her tunic. He stood over her, naked, a man aware of his virility and willing to use it to gain what he wanted. And from the scorching heat blazing in his eyes, it was obvious she was what he wanted. The sexual potency he exuded was magnetic. The scent of his skin filled her with longing.

Mesmerized, she offered no resistance when he grasped her arms, pulled her to her feet and pushed her against the wall. Shoving his pelvis against her, he effectively pinned her in place as he released the ties of her undertunic and pushed both garments past her waist to the floor. Immediately his mouth covered her right nipple, pulling and sucking while his loins pumped against hers, letting her feel the strength of his desire.

The wet heat of his mouth moved from one breast to the other, taking his fill of her sweet flesh. A moan slipped past Reyna’s lips as she dug her fingers into his shoulders. She waited for him to carry her to bed to finish this and was startled when she felt his hands slide down her legs and then up again, clasping the taut globes of her bottom in his callused palms.

“Wrap your legs around my waist,” Wulf whispered against her ear.

He lifted her bare bottom as her legs clasped his waist like a vine, her breasts pressed against his chest. Her pulse beat erratically. She felt weightless in his arms. She inhaled sharply when his sex probed between her thighs. When he found the slick place he sought, he thrust deep and hard, filling her with his burgeoning heat.

She clung to his shoulders, her back supported by the wall, as Wulf pounded into her, his breath grating harshly in her ear. With a cry of need she lurched against him,
meeting him thrust for thrust, thrashing her head from side to side until his mouth took hers in a blistering kiss.

Her groans became cries of urgency. Her insides coiled tighter and tighter. Suddenly she shuddered, crying out as she dissolved in a pool of raw bliss, collapsing against him. Never breaking contact, Wulf carried her to the bed and lowered them both to the surface. He began to arouse Reyna again, kissing her breathless, teasing her nipples, nibbling her ear until her breath caught and she arched up in renewed invitation, fully engaged again in the act of love.

“I can wait no longer,” Wulf gasped. “Come with me, love.”

Reyna heard the word “love” but was too caught up in the moment to grasp its implication. Her violently aroused mind and body considered it nothing more than a meaningless endearment randomly uttered.

Fearing he would stop, Reyna grasped his shoulders and cried, “Do not stop! Not yet!”

A growl ripped from Wulf’s throat. “You are killing me.”

But Wulf didn’t have to wait long. Heat filled her belly, shock waves buffeted her as she felt her insides contract and then explode.

“Thank Odin,” Wulf muttered as he grasped her buttocks, pulled her hard against him and speared her with forceful plunges, over and over, the friction bringing him thundering to the edge. Reyna was still quivering from her own climax when his powerful body released, filling her with the life-giving heat of his essence.

Gasping for breath, he rolled to his back and pulled her hard against his side, as if fearing she might attempt to leave. Lulled by the sweet afterglow of intense love-making, Reyna had no intention of going anywhere.

Wulf was gone when Reyna awoke the next morning. She stretched luxuriously, a slow smile curving her lips as she remembered the previous night and Wulf’s loving. Then the smile turned into a frown when she recalled finding Uma in Wulf’s bed.

Reyna rose, deciding a long soak in the volcanic pool would ease some of her aches from the previous night’s activities. She dressed quickly and left the sleeping alcove, stopping abruptly when she saw a woman bent over the hearth. The woman turned and smiled at her. Reyna recognized her and returned her smile. Her name was Gerta and she was one of Hagar’s thralls. Gerta, who understood some but spoke little of the Norse language, had come from a Germanic tribe. Hagar had purchased her in Rika and, according to Thora, Gerta was an excellent cook.

Wulf had been as good as his word, replacing Uma with someone older and wiser. That small gesture pleased Reyna and made her less sure about leaving Wulf. Did she want love so badly that she would leave the man she
did
love to find someone who loved
her
? The answer became less clear.

“Mistress,” Gerta said in a guttural growl. “Sit and eat.”

The thrall set a bowl of porridge and a pitcher of milk on the table and motioned for Reyna to sit. Since Reyna was hungry she sat down, poured milk on the porridge and ate until the bowl was empty. She had started to rise when Gerta placed a dish of eggs and ham in front of her.

“Oh, no, this is too much,” Reyna demurred.

“It looks just right for me,” Wulf said from behind her.

He sank onto the bench beside Reyna. She pushed the plate of food in front of him. “Help yourself. Porridge was enough for me.”

She rose. “Where are you going?” Wulf asked.

“To the volcanic pool; I feel like a long soak this morning.”

Wulf grinned at her. “If I hadn’t joined Hagar in the steam hut this morning, I would go with you.” His eyes glittered provocatively. “And if I did not have chores to do, I would join you anyway.”

Reyna flashed him a grin and said, “Thank you for bringing Gerta to your hall. She is a definite improvement over Uma.”

“I told you Uma would never find her way into my bed again. Go enjoy your soak. You earned it. Hagar said his son is cured of his ailment, thanks to your skill. And do not worry about being interrupted; I will warn the men away from the pool.”

Leaving Wulf to his breakfast, Reyna fetched a drying cloth and soap from a cupboard and left the hall. The short walk in the bright sunshine reminded her that soon the family would leave to attend the
althing
.

Reyna’s thoughts turned to Wulf. She was torn. Could she live the rest of her life with a man who lusted after her but did not love her? Indecision weighed heavily upon her as she undressed and stepped into the pool, sinking down until the water rose up to her neck. She reclined on a ledge, rested her head back against the side of the pool and closed her eyes, letting the heat cleanse her body and soul.

Reyna wasn’t sure how long she had lain there, enjoying the hot water and sun upon her face before she heard someone say, “I changed my mind. Joining you is far more enjoyable than performing chores that can wait until later.”

Reyna gazed up at Wulf as he hastily removed his clothing. Then the water rippled as he slipped into the pool and sat down beside her.

“You appeared lost in thought when I arrived,” Wulf said. “What were you thinking?”

She hesitated, then said, “I was wondering when my brothers would arrive.”

Wulf sent her a sharp look. “What are you trying to tell me, Reyna? Have you decided to leave me?”

“I have decided naught…yet.”

“I told you I did not invite Uma into my bed. What more do you want from me?”

“I want what you cannot give me, what you refuse to give me. Astrid is buried too deep in your heart; there is no room for me. If I cannot have all of you, I want none of you.”

Wulf’s silver eyes darkened. “You had a great deal of me last night.”

Exasperated, Reyna snapped, “That is not what I mean and you know it.”

He reached for her. “I am willing to give you more now.”

“Wulf, I do not…”

That was as far as she got before Wulf’s mouth came down hard on hers. After that she had no will to resist. Her body and mind were totally consumed by Wulf as he made love to her in the pool.

Wulf spent the next few days observing Reyna. Though he knew she might leave him when her brothers arrived, he couldn’t bring himself to utter the words she wanted to hear. What did Reyna want from him? Women were a puzzle, he decided, and Reyna was more puzzling than most. Surely she knew he cared for her. Why else would he go out of his way to convince her father that she belonged with him?

Wulf was a warrior not a skald who could spew tales of romance and poetry. As for love, he had known love
once, and Astrid now lay in a cold grave with his unborn child. If Reyna left him, Wulf swore by the war god Odin that he would not chase after her. His pride would not allow it. Even so, he wondered each time she wandered down to the fjord to gaze toward the North Sea if this was the day her brothers would arrive and carry her off.

The following days were busy ones for Wulf and his family. The men spent long hours preparing the dragon-ships for their summer voyages and supervising the thralls who tended the crops, which were just beginning to shove their green heads above ground.

The women were excitedly preparing Helga for her joining with Rannulf, filling her chest with linens and other necessities a new bride was expected to take to her husband’s hall. Since Reyna did not approve of the marriage, she participated as little as possible. Even if Rannulf’s despicable act had been committed in the heat of bloodlust, Reyna could not like him.

The day finally arrived when the entire family was to visit Rannulf’s hall and discuss the final marriage terms with his parents. When Reyna announced her intention to remain behind, Wulf, after a long hesitation, seemed to understand her unwillingness to accompany them and did not press her to change her mind.

Reyna waved the family off, then set out for the steam hut, knowing she had the entire day to do as she pleased.

Reclining on a bench with hot steam misting around her, Reyna closed her eyes and relaxed, letting her mind wander. Wulf had appeared torn about letting her remain behind this morning. Did he worry that her brothers would arrive and she would leave him? If he wanted her to remain, why hadn’t he said the words she needed to hear?

Another thought plagued Reyna. If she left him, would he come after her? Something told her Wulf would not follow her across the sea. When it came right down to it, Reyna wasn’t sure she could leave him. She could talk about it, think about it, but actually leaving the man she loved would not be easy.

When Reyna left the steam hut she felt invigorated and decided to work off some of her energy. Though a gray fog hung in the air, she decided to gather some of the early blooming herbs she had noticed growing along the bank of the fjord.

She returned to the hall to fetch her cloak, basket and knife and walked the short distance to the fjord. Reyna tramped along the shore, searching amid the sea grass and water plants for herbs and roots. When her basket was full, she looked up and noticed two dragonships advancing up the fjord through the mist. Her heart thumped against her chest when the ships drew close enough for her to recognize the cut of the sail and the markings on the hull.

Danes!

Her brothers had finally arrived, but on a day the family was away. Now she had a difficult decision to make. Could she live with a man who refused to bend, who couldn’t admit to loving her, who clung tenaciously to the past?

Reyna waited anxiously near the bank of the fjord, hoping to identify one of her brothers. The fog was so thick that it wasn’t until both dragonships scraped ashore that Reyna realized the ships were not those of her brothers. The armed warriors that leapt into the surf and beached the ships were obviously raiders. Worse yet, they had seen her.

Though she knew there was no hope of escape, Reyna turned and fled. To no avail. A massive Dane grabbed her from behind and literally swept her off her feet.

“What have we here?” the Dane growled in her ear.

Reyna answered in her native tongue. “I am Reyna the Dane, daughter of Harald Fairhair. Put me down.”

“What do you here at the farmstead of Wulf the Ruthless?”

Reyna went still. It occurred to her that her countrymen were looking for more than slaves and plunder.

“How do you know this is the home of Wulf the Ruthless?”

“I have been here before with my father. And I have returned to avenge his death.”

A chill swept down Reyna’s spine as she looked into the warrior’s face. She recognized this man. “Elgar?”

“Aye, I am Elgar, son of Hakkon the Terrible. You remember what happened to him, do you not? Wulf the Ruthless killed him. Now I shall kill the Norseman.” His hand tightened on the hilt of his sword. “Revenge will be sweet.”

At Reyna’s cry of distress, the Dane shook her into silence. “What is the Norseman to you? Speak, woman!”

“Wulf is my husband,” Reyna said through clattering teeth. She noted that Elgar’s warriors were gathering around him, awaiting his orders. “If your plan is to kill him, you are wasting your time. He and his family are not at the farmstead.”

“Then we will do as we always do. Take slaves, plunder and burn,” Elgar growled. “I will return another day to slay the man who killed my father.”

“No!” Reyna cried. “Do not burn the long houses. Destroying them will gain you naught. Take me instead. The ransom my father and brothers will pay for my safe return will make you rich. They have had two successful years of trading and will gladly share their wealth with you.”