I scowled at her. “I am going to—”
“What, dear cousin? You’re going to do what?” She raised an eyebrow.
“It would be rude to say it in front of a stranger.” I glanced back at Arric. “No offense.”
“Some taken,” he retorted.
“Well, if I don’t have time to show you around,” Catriona continued, focusing back on me, “then, Isla, you should give him the royal tour. We like to make people feel welcome here.”
“Some people,” I muttered.
She gave me an evil little smile which I planned to deal with later. Maybe in the form of plastic wrap on her toilet. The highest form of retaliation when we were kids.
I glanced up at Arric, scowled, then tugged on Cat’s arm again. “We should go.”
“You can go,” Cat said. “I’d like to get to know Arric a bit.”
A sudden wave of jealousy swept through me and I frowned. I didn’t want my cousin to ‘get to know’ him. I didn’t want any other woman anywhere near him. I shook my head and took a deep breath, forcing down my irritation.
“Have fun,” I said, and walked away.
“Chicken,” Arric taunted under his breath.
I turned on my heel and glared up at him. “You’re an arse.”
He smirked. “If ‘arse’ is Scottish for ‘ass,’ it’s not the first time I’ve been told that.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt it.” I closed the distance between us and crossed my arms, mimicking his. “Why are you here, Arric? You act like you don’t want to be, so why not just leave?”
“Do you want me to go?” He asked, leaning closer.
“As a matter of fact, yes.”
“You have strong feelings about someone you don’t even know,” he replied.
“I don’t have to know you. I don’t want to know you. Everything around here has been haywire since you showed up, not to mention you almost killed my father.”
“He put his hands on the king,” Arric replied.
“He’s his brother,” I protested.
“This may come as a shock to you, but I have no idea what’s going on around here. Since the moment I arrived at Castle Gunnach I’ve felt like I’ve been renting space inside my body. As if something or someone is guiding my steps. I have no idea why I grabbed your old man, other than I was compelled to protect Kade Gunnach. I also have no idea what I would, or could, have done to him, had you not stepped in.” His eyes met mine for a second and I grimaced.
Was that fear that just flickered across his face?
I felt rather than saw Cat skitter away.
“Why do you think I’m here, Isla? I want to know what the hell is going on. What the hell is happening to me. You were born into all of this. You grew up learning about kings and immortal Vikings. I’ve been thrown into the deep end of a pool that’s on fire,” he rasped, and my heart went out to him, so much so, I couldn’t stop from settling my hand on his arm.
My heart began to race, and I was suddenly in the middle of nowhere, mist surrounding me, watching Arric fight with a man in a heavy cloak.
“Sindri, hver er meiningin með þessu?”Arric demanded.
As the Icelandic words swirled in my mind, they began to translate into English as Arric began to argue with the man, Sindri.
“I’m doing what has to be done, boy,” Sindri said, his palm landing on Arric’s forehead.
“You’ll never get away with this.” I could see Arric struggle to raise his hands, but the old man was too strong for him.
