“Katarina, you are going nowhere with him.” Hrafn reached to take her by the hand, but Leif let out a battle cry and lunged at her brother.
He knocked Hrafn to the ground, and she cried out, “Stop it! Both of you.” If her brother engaged in this fight, he would lose. Though Hrafn was a strong man, he could not hope to outmatch Leif.
To make matters worse, she saw Arik approaching from the opposite side. It seemed that he had not returned to his father’s house after all. Hrafn appeared to exchange a silent message with Thorgrim, and abruptly, he lifted his arm in false surrender. She had no doubt at all that Arik would follow them, whether she wanted him to or not.
She stepped between the men, shielding herself before Leif could lash out against Hrafn. “Please. For my sake, end this.”
Leif stared hard at her. “So be it.” He pushed her away and struck her brother down, his fist crunching against Hrafn’s nose. Over and over, he hit him, and a scream tore from her mouth. Through a blur of terror, she cried out for him to stop. He was going to kill her brother unless someone intervened.
She unsheathed her blade in a panic, her hands shaking. “Let him go, Leif.”
His fists stilled, and a slow smile spread over his face. He left her brother upon the ground and took a step toward her. Nowshehad become his target, and the thought chilled her blood. Leif darted toward her and seized her wrist, forcing her to drop the weapon. Then he lifted her over his shoulder. “I like a woman with spirit.”
His words infuriated her, and Katarina fought to free herself from his grasp. “I will never marry you. Not after this.” How could she have even considered it? The man was aggressive and controlling, not a protector.
From her vantage point, she could see Arik approaching with stealth. And though she wanted to believe that he could save her, she didn’t know if he had the strength. Leif strode swiftly across the settlement, keeping an iron grip upon her.
“Oh, but you will wed me, Katarina. Because you want your brother to stay alive.” He held her by the waist and lowered her body as he bit her lip. “Do you know how easy it is to kill a one-armed man? I could have killed him right now, if I’d wanted to.”
She stopped fighting him, fear icing through her, His lips curved in a dark smile. “You will obey me in all things and become the wife I want you to be. And Hrafn will live.” His hands moved over her bottom and he rubbed his erection against her. “Do you feel how much I want you, Katarina?”
Terror lanced through her mind, and she struggled to break free of him. “I don’t want you.” And now she was beginning to understand that she’d never wanted this man. Somewhere deep inside, she’d sensed that he had a dangerous side.
“Within a few more days, you will be my bride. Tonight, I will teach you how to please me.” He pressed her up against the wall outside his dwelling, and panic swelled within her. He was half-crazed with drunken lust, and if she didn’t get away from him, he was going to lift her skirts right here. The thought made her bite her lip so hard, she tasted blood. No.
But if she fought him, he would enjoy subduing her. It was not the way to stop him. She had to yield and feign surrender.
“Leif,” she murmured. “Slow down. You’re frightening me.”
He wasn’t listening at all. His hand moved to her gown and he gripped her breast through the wool, massaging it roughly. “I could take you now, Katarina. And you will know what it means to be my wife. I will be inside you every night, claiming you.”
Nausea caught her in her stomach, and she pleaded. “No, Leif, please. Not in this way. Let me go home.”
He only laughed and tightened his hands around her wrists. “And where will you run to, little bird? You belong to me.”
Where was Arik? She had seen him follow her, but he’d done nothing to help thus far. Her fear intensified when she realized he might not be able to stop Leif. She’d chosen this man because he was the strongest, and now she regretted that decision.
Leif twisted her arm behind her back, pushing her into the darkness of his house. In spite of her earlier decision to try to reason with him, her fighting instincts overrode all else. She kicked at him and cried out for help.
He let out a laugh. “Struggle all you want, Katarina. I’m going to enjoy taking your innocence. Especially if you fight back.”
The air within the space seemed to disappear, and her throat choked up in an effort to breathe. Fear flared inside her, and she moved toward the door in desperation. He caught her waist, laughing as he struggled.
“Leif, please don’t.” She was sobbing now, so afraid of reliving the nightmare of before. She couldn’t bear this. Not now.
The door flew open and Arik Thorgrim moved in. “Let her go.” In his hand he carried a battle-ax.
Leif started to laugh. “Were you expecting to harm me with that weapon, Thorgrim? You lack the strength to wield it.”
Katarina tried to pull her way free, but Leif only twisted her hair, pulling it hard. She was trembling from the knowledge that she could not escape. Even if this was Arik Thorgrim, returned from the afterworld, Odin had claimed his strength as sacrifice. He could not hope to fight a man like Leif.
“Let her go,” Arik repeated quietly. “Then we can talk about it outside.”
There was a sudden change in Leif’s demeanor. “Were you wanting her for yourself, Thorgrim? Is that why you interrupted us?” He reached for his own battle-ax, and the moment he did, he loosened his grip on her hair. Katarina scrambled backward and seized a wooden stool as a shield. Though it might do her little good, it made her feel better to have some means of defending herself.
Arik started toward the door, but Leif growled, “You are not going outside, Thorgrim. I’m going to sever your head from your body.”
“Please,” Katarina said quietly. “Let us both go, and—”
