“I’d rather die than betray my country—” the criminal started.
Tyr thumped his head. He sank down, shaking and whining.
Sick with rage, Tyr stared at Rachelle. “This situation is ripe for trouble.” His only concern should be for his own survival.
She addressed her countryman. “If you refuse him, he’ll cut your heart out.”
For a noblewoman, she had a way with words. Tyr nearly laughed out loud at the absurdity of what came out of her mouth. He’d learned something important about her, though. Either she’d experienced more violence than any woman should or she was as frigid as an ice shelf. Regardless, her warning changed the Saxon’s mind.
The man pointed at his camp. “There are horses and food over there.”
With a twist of an earlobe, Tyr forced him to his feet. He harbored a special hatred for rapists. If he couldn’t disembowel the bastard, he’d find another way to make him suffer. It didn’t take long. A grin spread across Tyr’s face as he framed the man’s punishment in his mind. He would tie a noose around his neck, loop the rope over a high branch, and make him sit astride a horse with his hands tied behind his back. If thedrukkinmoved, he’d hang himself.
All three started up the footpath leading to the far side of the lake. After eating his fill, he’d saddle a horse and ride like thunder. Nothing would stop him from reaching his ship.
Chapter Three
Confusion
In the end,the fool threw a tantrum after Tyr tied his hands behind his back. Rachelle wanted to vomit after Tyr punched him silent. Riding sidesaddle in front of the Norseman now, she glanced over her shoulder to catch a last glimpse of her countryman. Tyr smiled wolfishly down at her and she cursed him. The shrewd bastard found a way to sidestep her demandnotto commit murder again. No one would hear the man screaming for help. The closest farm must be miles away. Furious, she refused to speak. One thing she didn’t regret though—the death of that greasy man that nearly succeeded in violating her. The others should have been spared the Viking’s wrath.
The way he leered at her made her uncomfortable. His expressions were ridiculously juvenile, almost obscene. And she could barely hide her own strange fascination. Anyone with a soul couldn’t kill so mindlessly or move that adroitly. After riding a short distance in silence, she gave in. Words of gratitude were long overdue. “Thank you.” Her voice was ice. “Needless deaths benefit no one.”
The large hand resting on her right hip patted her. Was this his way of acknowledging her obligatory appreciation or her disapproval? They’d been unfairly flung together and it felt incredibly dreamlike being anywhere with him. Sitting stiffly in the saddle, she still wondered why he’d rescued her. Thoseanimals… she bowed her head, realizing just how close she’d come to the afterlife.Good God. She could’ve died. She shivered.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
She shook her head, her gaze hardened. Deep inside, she wanted to soften against him—banish the anger she felt and let him console her for what little time they had left together. Whatever she chose, he’d question her. This man was a warmongering Cretan—a bloodthirsty murderer with no scruples. Normal men are judged by their hearts. Not this one. The way he manipulated a weapon, as if it were an extension of his own body, made him seem unreal. She pursed her lips discontentedly. He made violence a spectacular thing to behold, whether you wanted to watch or not. Admittedly, she stared with sickened obsession. The same way she gawked at traveling entertainers who visited her village every summer.
Christ’s words echoed in her head.Judge not.Bloody hell, he had spared her life.
The horse stopped unexpectedly and she peeked at Tyr. Unable to read his expression, she waited for him to say something. He slid from the saddle, then helped her down.
Standing in front of him, she could see something deeply troubled him.
“I have a duty to my men,” he started.
“Is duty really the inspiration for this conversation?” She already knew the answer.
“I’m foresworn to sacrifice my life under any conditions to protect them. Odin take my soul, I’ve stayed here too long. Lust blinded me. And my brother’s death tortures me with every breath. Nothing good can come from our meeting. Do you understand? We’re adversaries and must part ways here.”
His words tormented her almost as completely as his lips. “Why?”
“Didn’t you listen to anything, woman? We’ve passed a dozen farms. I’ll drop you near one. You’ll be out of harm’s way.”
Caution told her to go. Accept his offer and part peaceably. He’d been different from the beginning—nothing more than a dream. Refusing to let this opportunity pass, she stepped close enough to caress his cheek. “I’m sorry…”For finding you,she finished silently.
The muscles around his mouth went tight. Realizing her touch unwelcome, she clenched her hands together. “Do whatever you want. I’m too exhausted to fight.” Everything was in God’s hands now. She swallowed the huge lump in her throat.
“Rachelle.”
His rough voice was as gratifying as honey on her tongue.
“You should have fled.”
Laws of nature separated predator from prey. So why did he defy those rules by protecting her? She averted her eyes and sucked in a timorous breath. Helpless as always, she silently prayed for him to vanish.
He didn’t.
