“You were the womanIwanted,” he said quietly. “You befriended me and taught me your ways. And whether or not this marriage was meant to be, I hold no regrets.”
There was something about Katarina that grounded him to this place. He was a thousand years lost in time, and his family and friends had not even been born. He could not tell her any of this, but in her, he had found an anchor. Her friendship and inner strength bound them together, and he hardly cared what had happened in the past. For him, there was only now.
But words would not convince her of his interest—only actions. He lifted his hands to cup her face and forced her to look at him. He traced the outline of her jaw, brushing his thumb against her full lips.
“This union was not one I anticipated,” he said quietly. “But I am grateful for every single moment of it.” He slid his fingers into her hair and kissed her lightly. “I wanted you from the first time I saw you. Each night, when I lie beside you, it feels right to have you with me. And though I will let you go, if you want your freedom, I desire you still.”
He pulled back, giving her the choice of whether or not to continue. Her eyes were bright, and she appeared discomfited by his attention.
“I do not know what I want,” she admitted. “Thevolvatold me that I needed to be there for you. That we would…be together.” She tightened her lips and glanced over at the bed furs. “But now, I think I understand the danger. If you are not from this world or from this time, you may be unable to stay with me.”
He would not force her into anything. “The choice is yours, Katarina. If you want this to be a true marriage, I will not deny you. Or if you would rather end it, I will accept this.”
She appeared shaken by his proposition, but he wanted her to be in command. They had no way of knowing whether or not the prophesies were true or how much time he had left. But he never imagined there was any possibility that he could stay here. And if that were true, he intended to make the most of every last day he had with Katarina.
Eric took a step back and granted her space. He stretched, rubbing at his sore muscles.
“You look weary,” Katarina said at last. “I suppose my brother fought with you for hours after I left.”
He recognized the tactic as a means of delaying her decision. “For a man with only one arm, Hrafn is fierce.”
“He is,” she agreed. Slowly, she took a step toward him. He didn’t know if she had made a decision, but the single step gave him hope. “Arik—or Eric—I cannot say what I believe. It is a lot to accept, but I do believe that you are not Thorgrim.” Her shoulders lowered. “What I do not know is what sort of man Thorgraham is.”
“But you do know the sort of man I am,” he countered. “I am a man who finds you beautiful,” he said. “Brave, too—even if you did put your blade to my throat.”
“I had a good reason for that.”
“So you did.” He took a step toward her but still maintained a slight distance. “As a boy, I always wanted to sail across the seas and explore distant lands. And now that I have, I wonder if it was because I was meant to find you.”
Her expression remained somber. “I feel as if my life has been pulled apart, and I do not know what to say or do.”
“Do you trust that I will never harm you?”
She nodded. “You have proved that, time and again. I suppose I can only trust what I do know of you.” With a deep breath, she drew him to sit down. “Would you like me to ease your pain from the training? If it would help…” Her face flushed, and she added, “Your muscles may be tight after all the fighting you’ve done.”
It was a gesture of peace, and one that he’d never expected. She had accepted his explanation without question, granting him her trust. Her offer to massage his shoulders was a dangerous temptation. If she touched him, he wasn’t certain he could hold back his response.
But he would not refuse the offer, and she accepted his nod as an invitation. And when she began removing his belt and tunic, he held himself motionless.
Freya help her, Katarina didn’t know why she had suggested this. But her husband was in pain; that much was evident. And surely she ought to be able to rub his shoulders and loosen the knots.
Yet when he removed his tunic, she found herself captivated by his bare skin. The scars of the past were gone, and she was shaken by his stories of traveling through time.
It was true—she believed him now, more than before. And whether he was from a thousand years in the future, reborn in the past—or whether he had been sent back as someone else, she found that it didn’t matter. Eric Fielding, Lord Thorgraham, was a good man who had fought to protect her. He had given her friendship and never pressed her for anything more.
MóðirGerda had claimed that they would conceive a child. That might be the reason he was sent here. And every time she was near this man, she felt the physical urge to touch him. It went beyond human need, and after the past week when he had left her alone, she now knew he would never take what she did not want to give.
Katarina moved behind him and rested her palms upon his shoulders. His skin was warm from the fire, and she began kneading the tension from him. With her touch, she found the tightness and soothed it.
“Katarina,” he breathed, as she massaged his back. She tried not to let it affect her, but she remembered their wedding night and the feeling of his weight atop her. It should have been terrifying…and yet, he had awakened feelings within her. She had yearned for this man since that night. And now that he was here, she didn’t know what to do. There was no denying that she still cared for him, although he might not stay. And whether that meant his death or another journey back to his own time, she knew that if she lowered her defenses to this man, it would break her heart.
Her hands slowed upon his skin, and she questioned whether it was wise to tempt fate. He’d said he wanted her. For now, he belonged to her. He was hers to touch, hers to claim. But she was afraid to risk being with him.
She massaged his shoulders, noticing the shift in tension. “Am I hurting you?”
“No.”
But she didn’t miss the slight growl in his voice. Her hands did have an effect upon him, and she wondered if she should continue. Gently, she moved her hands to his neck, tracing circles upon his nape. “Is there somewhere else I should touch you? Somewhere else that it hurts?”
