7
Erik lunged with his sword and caught the other warrior’s sword with his, knocking it out of his grip and sending it spiraling across the dirt. “Hold it tightly,” he said, lowering his sword. “If ye lose yer weapon, ye are as good as dead.”
“Aye, mah lord,” the young warrior replied tightly, anger filtering into his expression.
Erik knew it was because the rest were watching and that no warrior wanted to be caught without his sword, but he wanted the warrior to learn a valuable lesson. He, too, had found himself without a sword once before, and it had given him the scar that now graced his abdomen. “Pick it up,” he growled, motioning to the discarded sword. “Again.”
The warrior did as he asked, and this time when they sparred, he held onto it, making it to the end of the match.
“Good.” Erik nodded, motioning for another warrior to step in his place. “Now try it with a different opponent.”
The warrior took Erik’s place, and Erik lowered his sword, wiping his forehead with his arm. It was hot, and he had stripped his tunic long ago, opting to fight bare-chested.
“’Tis a good lesson,” Leeth replied as he came to Erik’s right side. “About the sword. We have all done it.”
“Aye,” Erik said, sheathing his sword in the leather holder hanging from the rough-hewn fence that made up the circle.
“’Tis a hard lesson tae learn when ye are trying tae hold yer guts in.”
Leeth chuckled, and Erik scanned the circle, looking for a familiar form amongst the warriors.
“She’s not here.”
Erik looked at the older warrior sharply, seeing the grin on his face. “Finley isnae here. Her aunt wanted her tae be close tae the keep today. She’s expecting the visiting clan laird and his wife.”
“I wasnae looking for her,” Erik grumbled, knowing that the older Scot knew he was lying. After last night, he wanted to apologize to Finley, to tell her that he didn’t mean to take liberties with her.
Not that he really had. All they had done was kiss, but even when he woke this morning, he could feel her nimble fingers tracing his body, and he had taken a cold dunking to rid himself of his aching member. The entire conversation had been a mistake, but more importantly, he had literally told her he wanted to take her against a wall.
A bloody maiden.
What she must be thinking about him! Finley deserved so much more than that. She deserved a husband who would be devoted to her, one that would lay her down at night and worship her body as she cried out his name.
It couldn’t be Erik. Sure, if she hadn’t been a maiden, he might have been up to a tumble or two during his time here, knowing that she wouldn’t have wanted much more than that.
But she was a maiden, and that changed his thinking drastically. Maidens wanted more than he could give, so he steered away from them, letting it be known that he couldn’t give any more than a good tumble in the hay.
And never with a maiden.
He would, however, remember the way she had looked at him when he had stripped his shirt or the softness of her touch after he had told her how he had become a warrior. Finley was a right fine lass, one that was full of power and determination that any man would be proud to have at his side.
Yes, he wanted to touch her still, and Erik didn’t think that the notion would leave him until they were separated by miles and not walls. “Too bad she’s not here then,” he finished lamely, knowing that Leeth was waiting for him to respond.
“Aye,” Leeth chuckled, slapping him on the back. “Then she could see the look on yer face when I told ye she wasnae here.”
Erik growled, but the other warrior was already walking away, moving on to the next warriors that were getting ready to spar. It pained him to know that he couldn’t see Finley and make certain she was alright, that he hadn’t ruined the fragile friendship they had started to build upon last night. If she was to be Edna’s second-in-command, then he wished to lend her some of his secrets before he left.
That is, if he could ignore the burning need to want to kiss her senseless again.
Shaking his head, Erik pulled his sword out again, palming it in his hand.
There was only one way to rid his mind of Finley, and that was to concentrate on the task at hand. Leeth had surprised him this morning by asking him to come along to the warrior sparring circle and lend his hand to the new warriors, stating that he wanted someone else to get into their heads.
Erik had all but jumped at the chance to do something that he was born to do and not sit through the council meetings that Edna had planned. He had promised he would be at her side when the new clan arrived, but it felt good to be under the beating sun, feeling the pull of his muscles as he sparred with the warriors.
That and he could clear his mind for a moment in time, especially since Finley wasn’t around this morning. While he longed to see her, he was glad to know that he hadn’t been the reason for her absence this morning.
Motioning for the next warrior to step up, he raised his sword, a smirk on his face. “Are ye ready?”
