Her husband rested his hands at her waist while they rode back. “I do not know what they want. But be assured that no one will harm you tonight or any other night.”
He returned the horse to the lean-to and helped her dismount. They walked together past the training field, but Oda stopped and sniffed the ground once more. Katarina grew chilled when she saw the dog stopping beneath the bag of grain where she had trained earlier.
Someone took the blade.She was sure of it. And the dog seemed to follow an invisible trail that disappeared over a hill.
“Let’s follow her,” she told Eric.
He took her hand and studied the animal as she sniffed her way back to the shelter where they had stayed the night before. She stopped in front of the doorway and sat back, scratching an ear with her hind leg.
“Someonewashere,” she told him.
He met her gaze and his mood seemed to darken. “I agree.”
“Do you think Leif has come?”
Eric lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “If he has, I won’t let him near you.” He unsheathed his sword and shoved open the door. Katarina remained behind him until he beckoned for her to join him.
She took hesitant steps inside but was relieved to see no one there. The dog followed her inside, and let out a low growl. Katarina studied her surroundings, wondering why Oda was unsettled.
The fire. She saw that someone had lit the fire and rearranged the wood. A chill rose over her skin when she understood who had been here. When she turned around, her gaze settled upon the table…and there, she saw the missing knife.
“Leif followed us here.”
Eric saw the terror rising in Katarina’s eyes as she took the blade and sheathed it. Against the dying fire, she trembled, and he moved forward to take her in his arms.
“We knew he would. He was not going to give you up without a fight.” He embraced her hard, caressing her hair. She held fast to him, and he resolved that he would guard her at all costs. He never wanted Katarina to be afraid—not while she was with him.
“I know he is only one man, but he frightens me. Especially after he took my blade and found out where we were staying.”
The man had stealth indeed. But even so, Eric had no intention of allowing Leif to harm them. When he looked into Katarina’s blue eyes, he saw the woman he was bound to protect. A woman who had offered herself and taken a part of him.
“He will not come near you,” he swore. He tilted her face and kissed her, trying to comfort her. “I will help you gather our belongings, and we will join the others.”
She took a breath and steadied herself. “Yes. I think that would be best.”
He helped her take the clothing and supplies, packing them into a bundle that he carried for her. Outside, the sun had not yet set, but several torches had been lit, lining the outside of Dalla’s longhouse. Several men nodded to him, and Eric murmured a greeting.
This life had enfolded him in ways he had never anticipated. Strangely, he felt as if he was losing the part of him that had once been a marquess. Even their language, which had seemed so strange at first, was now becoming second nature. Yesterday, when he’d trained, he had let go of civilized fighting and had reached into a ruthless part of him that he hadn’t known existed. And whether it was memories from Arik Thorgrim, or whether it was his own instincts, he didn’t know. But no longer did he feel like such an outsider.
He guided Katarina inside his uncle’s longhouse. Dalla invited them to sit at their table to dine upon fish, bread, boiled eggs, and venison. He shared the best portions with his wife, but she only picked at her food.
Valdr kept Eric’s cup filled, and the fermented beverage was stronger than he was accustomed to. It didn’t surprise him—ale loosened the tongue, and undoubtedly, the older man wanted answers. He was careful not to drink too much, and his father noticed.
“Drink,” he urged. “Else you will offend Dalla.”
Eric regarded Valdr somberly. “I intend to keep my wits about me. Especially when an intruder is threatening my wife.”
His father exchanged a look with Dalla. “There is someone who arrived a few hours ago,” Valdr admitted. “Someone who asked to see you.” He glanced over at Katarina and frowned. “I suspect it was the intruder you spoke of.”
He raised a hand, signaling athrall.Eric tensed, wondering if Leif had dared to come. When the door opened, he sobered at the sight of the woman approaching. Her long blond hair hung down to her hips, and her beauty was undeniable. Even so, he didn’t miss the calculating look in her eyes. And he knew, before anyone spoke her name, exactly who it was.
“Svala,” he said coolly. “I thought you had remained in East Anglia.”
She smiled brightly and held out her hands in greeting. “How could I stay when I learned that you survived your wounds?” Her gaze passed over him, and he detected a hint of apprehension, as if she were seeing a ghost.
Why was she here? And what did she want?
Katarina’s face had gone pale, and she looked as if she wanted to skewer Svala. He didn’t blame his wife at all, for this woman was to blame for Thorgrim’s near death. When he thought back to the other Arik’s memories, anger and frustration were foremost. Whatever the man had once felt for Svala had been overshadowed by hatred and betrayal.
