The longship turned toward the shore, but she couldn’t see. She cursed aloud. Why could she not see them? Were they alright?
Astrid counted every second until they reached shore. Six hundred. She counted to six hundred as the longship sailed down the shore and back to its berth. Astrid ran alongside it, unable to stand still as she waited for the men to disembark.
The air left her lungs in a rush when Cormac jumped from the ship into the shallows. Teague followed behind, and together they helped Duncan down.
Her mother shot from behind her with a cry, not stopping until she pulled Duncan into a smothering hug and started checking him for injuries. Cormac also looked over the lad, his face contorted in concern.
Astrid watched them, fighting to breathe. He was alive. He was okay, and so was Duncan. She hadn’t gotten them killed.
Cormac ruffled Duncan’s sopping hair affectionately, then looked toward the shore. She knew the moment he saw her,their gazes locking, his whole body going still. Astrid was done waiting.
She ran across the sandy shore, ignoring the icy bite of the water that seeped into her shoes. His arms opened and she threw herself into them. He was soaking wet. His hair dripped. Every inch of her came into contact with water in his embrace.
And she couldn’t have cared less.
Grabbing his face with her hands, she pulled him into a kiss—hard and deep and filled with all the longing she felt. His tongue parted her lips, roughly demanding, taking. He was her whole world. He was the place where she wanted to be.
She pulled back, her hands frantically searching him for injuries.
Cormac’s hands grasped hers, engulfing them in warmth. His stormy blue eyes, the same color as the raging sea beyond, stared into her very soul. “What of Brian?” he asked, his voice rough. “What of our divided loyalties? What of leaving your people, your home?”
Squeezing his hands, she swallowed, searching for the right words. “You’ve taught me something over these past weeks,” she whispered. “Home isn’t a place. It’s a person. And my home is you.”
His hand caressed her face. “Astrid, I love you.”
Her heart swelled so that she thought it might burst. “I love you, too.”
“That’s terribly romantic, but he needs to get a change of clothes or he won’t live to the wedding,” Gormla called as she walked past them.
“Thank you both,” Duncan said, following right behind her. “Did you have to call me ‘boy’ so much, though? Honestly, Cormac, it’s insulting. I’m old enough to marry.”
“I was trying to make him feel worse about it,” Cormac defended. “Fight your first battle, and I’ll stop calling you ‘boy.’ Most of the time,” he grinned.
Teague followed behind them, and Astrid’s fury returned with a vengeance. She jumped for him, prepared to break his nose or anything else she could reach.
“How dare you, you son of a whore!” she cried as her fist connected with his cheek. “How dare you!”
“Whoa, Astrid! Hold on,” Cormac’s hands encircled her waist, pulling her off Teague.
“What are you doing?” she cried. “He deserves a sound thrashing. Maybe even an execution!”
“I spoke with him,” Cormac explained softly. “He’s helping us now, but from the inside.”
“What?” Astrid shot a disgusted look at Teague. “Like a spy?”
“Precisely,” Teague replied. “I agreed with my father’s idea of an alliance. But I wanted no part in kidnapping your brother.”
“And yet you were there,” Astrid sniped.
“I was.” Teague swallowed hard. “And for that I am sorry. My thinking was that it was better to go along with it so that at least one of the boy’s captors was prepared to keep him from dying. I would not have killed him.”
Astrid didn’t know if she believed him, but Cormac appeared to trust him. “We’ll see,” she allowed. “What of your father?” She looked toward the cliff, realizing that whatever had transpired up there must be finished by now. “What was his plan of escape?”
“He honestly thought Brian would swear the oath to save Duncan and then let him leave.”
“Then he’s more a fool than I gave him credit for,” Cormac frowned.
“You understand I cannot return with you,” Teague said. “I must find my father’s men and play the part. We will returnto Connachta as soon as possible. I wish you a long and happy marriage.”
