“What do you know of love?” Marteinn asked. “This man seduced you, took advantage of your innocence.”
Tyr slid sideways, grabbing a fistful of Marteinn’s tunic. “Silence.”
Erik’s face softened for a fleeting moment when he saw her. “He’s a Christian—paid to train an army that one day will destroy everything consecrated to Odin. Right now, his men are hunting pagans accused of desecrating holy ground in Nidaros. He cannot be trusted. And I’ll be damned if my only daughter and grandchildren will be raised to tremble before the cross.”
Aaron let out a growl. “You speak of things you do not know.”
Kara walked behind her husband and reached for her father’s hand. “Please,” she pleaded. “Hear him before you rush to judgment the way I did.”
“No,” Erik snarled. He pulled a knife from his weapon belt. “Odin as my witness, I’ll eliminate another enemy of the gods before his false religion takes root in my daughter’s heart.” He raised the dagger.
“Stop,” Tyr shouted. “Ask him before you strike.”
“Ask him what?” Erik paused.
“What god he serves.”
Kara took a deep breath; her future depended on how her husband answered.
“Jarl McNally,” Erik spoke through clenched teeth. “What god do you worship?”
Aaron glanced over his shoulder at his wife. She wanted to wedge herself between them, but didn’t dare interfere. He mouthed three words,
I love you
, then stared at her father again. He reached inside a pocket on his weapon belt, took out what appeared to be two gold coins, then offered them to Erik. “Proof of my loyalty.”
Erik the Bald gasped as he held them up. “Odin’s gold.” He sounded dismayed. “Where did you get these, outlander?”
“From the priest at the standing stones.”
There were a few faint echoes from the crowd. Some spoke in favor of Aaron, others against.
“After I purged the Christian god from my body, the priest gifted me with these coins and said,
Remember Odin’s generosity. You no longer belong to the White Christ. You are a son of Norway now. Someday, when you least expect it, that gold will buy your freedom. This is Odin’s message—Allfather protects his own.”
Erik’s cheeks turned red.
Kara scarcely breathed. But after her father plopped down in his chair, she realized the initial danger was over.
“All this time,” Erik muttered. “You deceived me when you came to my home recruiting for King Olaf.”
“No,” Aaron denied, sliding off the table. “I refuse to use my faith as a weapon for authority. I rely on my reputation as a soldier. Nothing more.”
“Father,” Kara said, approaching. “He is your son now. My husband. Dedicated to Allfather.”
“He’s a Scotsman.”
“No,” Tyr said, “he’s my kinsman, as Norse as any man sitting in this hall.”
Silence hung between them after that.
“What of these coins?” Erik flipped them over in his big hand.
Kara positioned herself where she could see her husband and father at the same time.
Please, Odin
, she begged,
give me the future I’ve dreamed of.
Then, as if Allfather answered through Aaron, he said, “Keep them as a token of my highest esteem for you and my wife.”
Erik leaned forward, both hands on the tabletop. “Aye,” he said. “A fair price for my daughter’s hand. Now sit with me, Jarl McNally, I’m hungry. And if you ever lie to me again, I’ll beat the piss out of you.”
Kara could hardly contain her joy as her husband opened his arms wide and she rushed into them. With her head resting against his chest, she whispered
I love you
a hundred times finally knowing what her future held.
Epilogue
One month later
Kara rolled to her husband’s side of the mattress, only to find him gone. She shot up. Where had he gone this early in the morning on her birthday? A grin spanned her face the moment she found a bouquet of roses next to her. He remembered. With all the extra duties he’d taken on over the last few weeks, she wouldn’t have been upset if he’d forgotten. Fortifying a longhouse, purchasing furniture, building smokehouses and storage sheds, buying sheep and cattle, expanding his agricultural fields, and selecting men for his personal guard took up most of his time. On top of that, although the king had sent a personal note of congratulation for their marriage, along with a generous gift of gold and silver, he also commanded Aaron to return to his duties within a fortnight.
Cradling the flowers in her arms, she scooted to the edge of the bed. Sunshine filled the bedchamber.
“Good morning, Kara.” She loved the sound of Aaron’s velvety voice.
“Milord.” She stood, surprised to see him. “Why are you sitting at the table alone?”
“I wanted to watch you sleep, my love. Come here.”
She did as he wanted, walking deliberately slow. Once she reached him, he swatted her naked backside and pulled her onto his lap. “What day is it?” he asked as if he didn’t know.
“
Sunnudagr,”
she answered. “Sun’s day.”
“No,” he said, “it’s
your
day.” He stroked her cheek and slanted his mouth across hers, plunging his tongue inside her mouth. His kisses always sent waves of heat through her body. He drew back. “Look what I have for you.”
She glimpsed at the table, nearly choking. Green leather breeches and a matching tunic, chainmail, a sword and shield, and the one thing she’d sworn off forever—a helmet. She placed the bouquet on the chair next to her and slid off his lap. Afraid to touch her gifts, she stared at her husband dismayed. “I don’t understand.”
“Don’t you?” he asked. “I made a grave mistake when I tried to change who you are. If you weren’t the same brave, defiant girl I fell in love with all those months ago, Kara, I’d be dead.”
She swallowed her tears. “But everything you told me about being a woman. Everything my father chastised me about.”
“There’s a time and place for accepting responsibility. And there’s also a need to embrace the natural talents the gods graced us with.”
She couldn’t stop herself from touching the newly hammered, steely-blue blade. The hilt was decorated with silver triangles and amber. “It’s beautiful.”
“
You’re
beautiful, wife. Now get dressed, we have a very important date this morning.”
“Where are we going?”
“The woods.”
As she often did, she found herself fantasizing about the first time they’d made love. “Which woods?”
“The ones that border our lands.”
“More trees?” she asked, tired of picking out timber for shakes.
“No,” he said. “We have two weeks left to get you properly trained to accompany me to Nidaros.”
That’s not what she’d expected. King Olaf had called a special meeting between the northern jarls
and Christians. If peace was going to be achieved, both sides must agree to simple terms. She knew her husband would be away for months before he retired from military service. Even her father and brothers were attending. But her?
“I don’t know what to say.” She really didn’t.
“Here,” he said standing. He grabbed her braies off the table and shook them out. “Try these on, I know they’ll fit perfectly.”
She stepped into them, one foot at a time, then he tugged them over her hips. She laced the front and then twirled. “Well?”
“Are you prepared to hear the
truth
, Kara?” he started. “I’ll give you the courtesy of honesty.” He walked behind her and said, “Firstly, this unsightly gusset on the back of your breeches . . .” His speech sounded vaguely familiar.
He cupped her arse with both hands and nibbled on the back of her neck. “By everything holy, Lady Kara, I love you in leather.”
She smiled, desperate to feel his hands all over her body. “As for you, Jarl McNally, I prefer you
out
of leather.”
Also from Soul Mate Publishing and Violetta Rand:
BLIND ALLEGIANCE
She’ll always fight for what she believes in…
Betrayed by a brother she hardly trusted before the bloodthirsty Viking, Jarl Randvior Sigurdsson, attacks her home, Noelle Sinclair is conveniently bartered as a means to save her cowardly sibling’s skin. Forced to leave her homeland and accompany the petulant Viking to the untamed wilderness of central Norway, Noelle is ever-aware of the burgeoning dangers around her—including her weakening resolve to resist Randvior.
Should Noelle surrender to his resplendent charms and seduction, or fight with every ounce of strength she possesses to get home?
Available on Amazon:
BLIND MERCY
The Sigurdsson family legacy continues . . .
A woman who prayed for a hero . . .
Orphaned at a young age, Rachelle Fiennes prayed for a hero to rescue her from her tragic life in England. When her only kinsman goes missing after the Battle of Stamford Bridge, Rachelle braves the aftermath of the battlefield to find him.
A man who lost everything . . .
Damned by the gods for surviving the bloodiest defeat in Norse history, Jarl Tyr Sigurdsson is still determined to get home. Hiding until nightfall so he can escape to his ship, his dangerous endeavor is disrupted when he’s accidentally discovered by a beautiful Saxon.
Brought together by war, Rachelle and Tyr face many obstacles. Can sworn enemies find peace through love, or will fate tear them apart?
Available on Amazon:
Both books are available
from Amazon and Soul Mate Publishing.
www.soulmatepublishing.com