“He is concentrating too hard,” she said. “When he trusts his instincts, he has defeated Hrafn. I believe he can and will return to the fighter he once was.”
Valdr sobered and said quietly, “There was another reason why I wanted you to wed this man. You have never made any secret of your interest in my son. And I thought that you, more than anyone else, would know if he was an imposter. A man cannot hide his true nature in his own home.”
She held her ground, and insisted, “He is not an imposter.” And although he was not Arik Thorgrim, she had found this man to be even better than the man she had once loved. He was kind and patient with her, whereas most men of her tribe disregarded a woman’s desires. They would not have cared that she had been attacked and was afraid of men. Every last one of them would have consummated the marriage, crushing her beneath their weight while they claimed her body. But instead of doing this, her husband had given her choices. He had tempted her, teaching her that the intimate darkness held only pleasure. And because of that, she hungered for him.
Katarina looked back at the longhouses in the distance and saw her brother and Eric returning, along with Oda. The dog trotted by her husband’s side, sniffing the ground as they neared the training grounds. She approached them, and when she reached Eric’s side, he shook his head. “We found nothing. The longhouse was undisturbed, and thethrallssaw no one.”
“Then Oda was barking for no reason?”
“Dogs always have a reason,” he said. “But we found no one there. At least, not when we arrived.” But from the tone of his voice, she knew that his suspicions were on alert.
“My blade is missing,” she said. “I had put it in the bag of grain after I finished practicing, but it’s not there now.”
“It could have fallen,” Hrafn offered. “Or perhaps you mislaid it.” He took a knife from his belt and offered it to her. “Use this.”
She accepted his blade, but lifted her gaze to Eric. His eyes were clouded, and she saw the troubled look within them. But rather than worry, she said, “Let us return to training, and I may find it.”
Over the next few hours, she sparred against her brother while Eric chose a different opponent. The dog lay sprawled upon the ground watching over both of them. Hrafn pushed her harder than he had in the past, and her muscles ached from exertion. She was beginning to wonder if theyhadseen something near the longhouse and had decided not to tell her.
Eric fought against one of Dalla’s men, and from the vicious clang of weapons, she grew aware of the intensity. The fighting turned vicious, and her husband narrowly missed an axe blow to his upper arm.
“Keep your mind on this fight, Katarina,” her brother warned. “You cannot afford to be distracted.”
She nodded and clenched his knife, poised in a fighting stance. But all the while, she watched over her husband. Something had changed, and he seemed caught up within the fighting. There was a ferocity she hadn’t seen before, and at one point, he seized a handful of earth and threw it at his opponent’s face, blinding him before he took him to the ground.
“Good,” her brother murmured.
Katarina wasn’t certain what the difference was, but Eric had somehow transformed back into the warrior he had been. He had lost himself in the moment until nothing else existed, save the fight. The other warrior was on the ground, and Eric pinned the handle of the battle-ax against his throat. When the man yielded, he helped him rise, and then his gaze centered upon her.
His interest was unmistakable, and Katarina felt the blood rise within her. “That is enough for today,” she told her brother. She was about to cross toward her husband, but she felt self-conscious from his open stare. When she reached his side, she offered, “Do you want to swim and wash off the dust?”
Eric nodded, but his heated expression made her remember what it was to have his hands upon her. A rise of nerves rippled within her, and she walked alongside him. He began leading her toward the lean-to where the horses were kept.
“Where are we going?”
He leaned in to her ear. “Further away from the settlement. I want to be certain that no one can threaten you. There are too many places a man could conceal himself in the rocks along the beach. I would rather take you out to the lake where there is nowhere to hide.”
His reasoning was sound, and she helped him prepare one of his uncle’s horses. Eric lifted her on and mounted behind her. He guided the animal eastward, and Oda followed them.
As they trotted, she was very aware of his body pressed to hers. His skin was warm from training, and she welcomed the closeness of him. Katarina rested her hands upon his knees, and he rewarded her by holding her waist with one hand. As they rode, she grew conscious of his arousal against her bottom, and it provoked her own rising needs.
“I enjoyed watching you fight,” he said against her ear. “You are a strong woman.”
“Y-you fought well,” she stammered. “Especially toward the end when you stopped thinking about it.”
He tightened his grip around her. “There is much to be said about trusting instincts. Or, in this case, Arik Thorgrim’s memories.” There was a trace of irony in his voice. “When I stop thinking, it’s as if I become him. I feel more primal. The fighting becomes about survival instead of a sparring match.”
“It has to be,” she answered. “If you cannot defend yourself, you will die.” But even as she tried to distance herself from the words, she felt a pang of fear. She didn’t want Eric to suffer that fate, but neither could deny the risks facing them.
They rode in silence for a time, and after the first mile, he murmured in her ear, “Riding with you is torture, Katarina. I want to touch you. And I know that this is not the time or place.”
She didn’t agree with that at all. In answer, she drew his hand higher, guiding it beneath the apron pinned at her shoulders. She wore a thin linen gown, and the heat of his palm burned against the curve of her breast. He teased her nipple with his fingers, and the answering echo of desire made her ache between her legs. Her hands tightened upon his strong thighs, and she gave herself over to the swell of sensation. The summer air was warm, and when they reached the pond, a light breeze shifted the reeds growing along the banks.
Eric drew their horse to a stop and helped her dismount. Before she could take a single step, his mouth crushed against hers, hot and hungry. She kissed him back, reveling in the hard lines of his body against hers. She tasted his need and hardly cared that he was fumbling with the brooches at her shoulders, needing to free her body from the confining clothes. Right now she wanted him so badly, she was trembling.
She helped him unfasten his tunic and belt, dropping them to the ground. Once she stood in only her underdress, his eyes grew hooded with passion. Katarina felt the urge to tease him.
“You look like a wolf, about to tear me apart.” She took a few steps into the water, raising the hem of the underdress. It was cool, and gooseflesh pricked over her skin.
