“Gerdy?”
The waif made a nervous shrug, her wide eyes glistening with unshed tears. “A brew,” she repeated even softer.
Thorburn gave Adellis a quizzical look, then lifted the cup. He sniffed at the liquid, wrinkled his nose, and set it back on the plank. “Thank ye, but no, lass. ’Tis ale or whisky for me. Soon as I see Hendry, he shall fetch it.” A frown puckered his brow. “Have ye seen Hendry? ’Tis unlike the lad to go missing once the fighting is done.”
Gerdy twitched another timid shrug, then again shot a sidling glance at a darkened arch beneath what would someday be the second-floor gallery.
Adellis followed Gerdy’s focus of interest without overtly looking in that direction. She picked up the cup and pretended to sniff it, then took it to her lips. Hiding her words behind the vessel, she whispered, “Alrek is here. In the shadows. Yes?”
The girl didn’t speak, just bobbed a curtsy and stared at the mixture Thorburn had rejected. She lifted the makeshift tray and offered it to him again. “A blade is held at Hendry’s throat,” she said, nodding at the cup as if explaining the brew. “Jarl Alrek watches. Do not drink it.” She dipped her chin again, and she pressed the tray closer. “Do not drink. But for Hendry’s sake, make it look as if you do.”
Adellis feigned at taking another long slow sip, hiding her words again. “How should I act to show the poisoning?”
Gerdy forced a smile and lifted the tray to accept both the drinking bowls as though they were empty. “Cough. Thrash. Go still.” She made another curtsy and shuffled off toward a doorway on the other side of the room.
“He is mine,” Adellis whispered against Thorburn’s cheek as she rose from the bench.
With her in his embrace and his hand at her nape, he kissed her, nibbling his words across her mouth as if teasing the kiss. “Ours,m’love. Ye willna go alone, ye ken?”
She answered with a seductive smile, playing the part her brother would expect. Hooking her hand in his, she led Thorburn toward the archway as though seeking privacy. Once within a full stride of the doorway, he grabbed hold of his throat, coughing and choking as he first dropped to his knees, then fell across the floor.
Adellis did the same, clutching at her chest, coughing as though strangling. All the while, she kept the arch within view. When Alrek failed to show, she remained motionless, keeping her eyes open to slits.
Thorburn kept flailing about until she toyed with the notion of feigning one more seizure so she could kick him. The man was going to spoil their trap. He needed to stop overplaying the part. With a groan that made her want to roll her eyes, her Scottish bear at long last lay in a motionless heap.
A scrabbling across the flagstones, like the scratching of a rat, reached her ears. It was a rat, all right. Alrek was most certainly a vile rodent with a vicious bite. It took all her patience to remain still as the footsteps drew closer.
“Your master is not so mighty now.” Alrek shoved Hendry to his knees, blocking her view of Thorburn. “NoGallóglaighcan best a pure Viking.”
With the devil’s back to her, now was her chance. She sprang upward and plunged her dagger up into Alrek’s back, aiming for a kidney. Burying it to the hilt, she twisted as she yelled, “Roll away, Hendry!”
The bound and gagged knave flailed over to the side.
Thorburn surged upward and buried his blade in Alrek’s stomach.
Alrek sputtered and choked out garbled words. Blood streamed from his mouth as he went to his knees.
“No Valhalla for you, my brother.” She kicked him to the floor and took hold of his hair, forcing him to look at her. “Hell awaits you. I hope you enjoy it.”
“I will see you there, bitch,” he wheezed with a futile attempt to bat her away.
Thorburn grabbed hold of the man’s head and twisted with a hard jerk, filling the chamber with a deadly crackling.
Alrek went limp, and Thorburn let him drop to the floor.
“I was not done,” she sobbed, frustrated at a sudden trembling she couldn’t seem to stop. Why had he done that? She wanted to torture Alrek, make him pay for all the pain he had caused.
“Aye, ye are plenty done, m’love.” Ever so gently, he took her into his arms and held her. “Ye ended it. Now, let it go, and give it no more power over ye.”
The harder she shook, the more she realized Thorburn spoke the truth. Alrek would only be truly dead if she cast away the past and never let it touch her again. She sagged into his chest and sobbed, the first cleansing tears she had ever cried.
Chapter Nine
Eyes closed, shefaced the wind, enjoying its brisk touch and briny taste. Rough waters rocked the ship, and she loved it. Every wave hitting the hull swayed Thorburn against her backside, reminding her of when he had bent her over during their first night of enjoying each other. Her heart raced at the memory of the delicious pounding, causing her to hitch in a deep breath. His arms tightened around her waist, and he nibbled kisses along her neck, making her need him even more.
“Surely, we could find a quiet corner.” She spun in his embrace so the movement of the ship could shove him against her front.
“’Tis a fine-sized birlinn, but it isna known for privacy.” He settled her back against the railing and planted his hands on either side of her. With the crash of the next swell, he notched himself into her curves and emitted a low, rumbling groan. “But we will make landfall first. Just ahead, in fact. Then we shall find a quiet corner.”
