by Connie Mason
Lost in thought, Wulf consumed his food with gusto, ignoring the table talk until Hagar addressed him by name. “Is your new thrall adjusting, Wulf? Is all well in your hall?”
Wulf glared at Hagar, aware that he was being goaded. His brother’s perverse sense of humor annoyed him. “Reyna has disrupted my household, if you must know. There has already been an altercation between her and Uma that resulted in an injury.”
“What happened?” Thora asked.
“I am not sure. According to Uma, Reyna dumped a bowl of hot stew on her.”
“Ah, so that’s why Lorne asked for my medicinal chest. As you well know, I’m not a healer and am glad for Reyna’s assistance. I hope she found what she needed to treat Uma’s burn.”
“Reyna did not seem impressed by what she found,” Wulf admitted. “She wants to roam about to search for fresh herbs and roots to supplement your supply.”
“Do you believe she is a healer?” Hagar asked. “Perhaps she is merely looking for a means of escape.”
Wulf thought a moment before replying. “I believe she does know about healing. But it appears that is all she is good for.”
Hagar sent him a mischievous grin. “I doubt that’s all she is good for. She told Mother that you ravished her during a raid.”
Wulf bent his sisters a fierce scowl when they began to giggle, and an even fiercer one at Hager. Then he glanced at Olga, wondering if telling the truth about her brother’s actions would upset her? He decided it might and chose to dissemble. “Do not believe everything Reyna says.”
“Tell me more about your new thrall,” Hagar goaded. “I find it a rather amusing coincidence that you two had already met. I had no idea who she was when I bought her. My own experience with her is that she has a nasty temper. Have you beaten her yet?”
“No, though Uma advised it. I decided to let Reyna come to terms with her situation before inflicting punish ment.”
“If you cannot tame her, Wulf,” Olaf said, “perhaps you will let me try.” At twenty, Olaf perched on the cusp of manhood and had been feeling his oats of late. He had gone a-Viking with Hagar for the first time this summer.
Hagar laughed raucously. “From what I hear, brother, you have half the girls in the village vying for your attention.”
“But Reyna is…experienced, Hagar. Taming her would enhance my reputation.”
“You would do well to spend less time thinking about your next conquest, and more practicing with sword and axe to prepare yourself for next summer’s voyage.”
“Enough of that kind of talk,” Thora admonished in a stern voice.
The conversation turned in another direction, allowing Wulf’s mind to wander. He thought about the simple stew his thralls were eating compared to the abundance of food served in the main hall. Hagar’s thralls enjoyed a better board than he provided in his own hall. Reyna was a jarl’s daughter and doubtless accustomed to richer fare than he provided.
Wulf told himself that Reyna was a slave and should not expect the same comforts family members enjoyed. Besides, she was the enemy. Unfortunately it was difficult to remember her lowly position in his hall when every time he looked at her he saw a great beauty of queenly proportions who acted nothing like a thrall. Proud, defiant, lovely beyond comparison, shapely: those were the words he’d use to describe her. There was nothing meek or submissive in her manner. And she blamed him for an act not of his doing.
Once Wulf had eaten his fill, he pushed his plate aside and prepared to leave. Thora sent him a speculative glance. “Will you allow Reyna out of your sight long enough to gather herbs and roots, son? The woods are dangerous, but we do need a skilled healer on the farmstead. I would be happy for her to take over that chore.”
“Perhaps you should go with her, Wulf,” Hagar suggested. “I paid dearly for her; I’d hate to see her attacked by a wolf or bear. You need to protect your property.”
Wulf knew Hagar was baiting him. “When I find the time, I will take her into the woods so she can gather what she needs.” He stood. “Now I bid you good night.” He kissed his mother’s cheek and made a hasty exit.
“What do you think?” Hagar asked no one in particular once Wulf had left. “Did Wulf take Reyna’s innocence as she claims? More importantly, will my dour brother fall victim to his new thrall’s charms?”
Everyone seemed to have a different opinion. But the consensus was that Wulf wasn’t as unaffected by the lovely Dane as he pretended.
Wulf approached his hall with trepidation. He had no idea what he would find when he returned and hoped it wouldn’t be trouble. It had been a long time since he had found the need to beat a thrall and he wasn’t in the mood to do so now. Since Reyna was the cause of dissension in his hall, perhaps he should take her to the nearby trading port of Kaupang and sell her. He frowned. Rannulf would probably be the first in line to bid for her and that didn’t sit well with him.
Wulf opened the door and stepped inside. The hall was dark but for the dying fire in the central hearth. A quick look around revealed two distinct shapes sleeping on nearby benches, rolled up in the wolf pelts he had provided. There was no sign of a third person. He knew intuitively that the missing thrall was Reyna. Where in Odin’s name was she?
A swift inspection of the sleeping alcoves proved fruitless. Reyna was not in the hall. He even searched the privy, a separate attachment to the long house. Growing angrier by the minute, Wulf was in a rage by the time he stormed from the hall to search the yard and outbuildings. If Reyna had wandered into the woods, she wouldn’t stand a chance against wild animals.
Wulf had no idea where to start looking for his missing thrall. He’d never find her in the woods in the dark. And since she didn’t know about the hot volcanic pool located a short distance behind the long house, she couldn’t have gone there. Nor would she know where to find the steam hut, used regularly by the family.
Spitting out a curse, Wulf was too keyed up to return to his hall and decided to take advantage of the full moon and walk down to the fjord. He could use a cold swim. Erotic thoughts of the blonde beauty had caused his body to overheat and his loins to swell. He definitely needed to go to the village soon and find a willing woman. Perhaps he should buy a concubine to fulfill his needs, or accept Uma’s blatant invitation to bed her. It was certainly something to consider.
When Wulf arrived at the fjord, the sight that met his eyes stole the breath from his lungs. He had found Reyna. She rose naked from the surf, a goddess crowned with silvery hair that brushed her hips. The ethereal vision enthralled him.
Moonlight painted her naked body with gold as she walked from the water. Her breasts were round, firm, and tipped with prominent nipples. Her legs were long and shapely, her waist tiny, her hips gently curved. He wondered how those limbs would feel wrapped around his waist. The pale gold fleece on her woman’s mound was thick and luxurious. Wulf found it difficult to hate so glorious a creature.
Mesmerized, he stared at her, unable to speak or move. Then, as if the devil was nipping at her heels, she snatched up her tunic and started running. Gathering his wits, Wulf stepped into her path, filling his arms with satiny smooth woman’s flesh.
“Reyna, what is it? Has something frightened you?”
Reyna gasped, her arms momentarily clinging to him as she fought for breath. “Wulf…I saw…”
Sweet Freya, he could scarcely think with her naked curves molded against him. “What did you see?” His hands slid down to cup her round bottom.
Reyna appeared too frightened to note where his hands had drifted. “Sails!” she cried. “I saw sails in the fjord, where it curves to the left. Ships approaching at night always mean trouble.”
It took a moment for Reyna’s words to sink in, but when they did, he glanced over her shoulder. “You have a vivid imagination. There are no sails in the fjord.”
“They were there a few moments ago.”
“What you saw were dragonships returning home after a long voyage.”
“Why would they sail into this fjord?”
He looked down at her. “They could be tying up for the night near the village. I’m sure there is naught to worry about.”
As if suddenly recalling she was naked, she shrugged out of his arms and struggled into her tunic. Wulf watched her closely, suddenly aware of the angry red rash blooming on her skin. He grabbed her arm, inspecting it closely.
“What is that?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your skin is red and raw.”
Reyna glanced down at herself. “Wool irritates my skin. I knew this would happen. That’s why I wanted to wear my silk tunic beneath the wool. Uma wouldn’t let me keep it.”
Finding Reyna naked had severely taxed Wulf’s control. He was rock hard; if they remained alone much longer, he would do what his body demanded. Just thinking about Reyna’s soft curves made his cock jerk with desperate need.
Reyna is the enemy, his conscience told him. She is a desirable woman, a much louder voice contradicted. You are Wulf the Ruthless. She is yours, take her.
Wulf grasped the hem of Reyna’s tunic, raised it back over her head and tossed it to the ground. Then he pulled her against him. She stared up at him, her green eyes wide with fright.
“Stop! What are you doing?”
“Your lips…”
“What about my lips?”
“I’ve been wondering how they taste.”
“Don’t touch me! Let me go. I am cold and ’tis late. We should be abed.”
“Aye, I am thinking the same thing. My furs are far more comfortable than the ground. I know now you are not a maiden. Your Byzantine master doubtless had you many times after…well, after.”
“After you raped me!” Reyna shot back.
“No, it was not me, I swear it.”
“Liar!”
With a groan, Wulf’s mouth came down hard over hers, effectively stopping her words. His lips were demanding, his tongue probing against hers with fierce determination, forcing them open.
His tongue darted inside, exploring, savoring her honeyed taste. Wulf ached. He wanted to throw her to the ground and thrust his cock inside her sweet tunnel.
Reyna whimpered in fearful protest as Wulf’s hard mouth plundered hers. When he paid her no heed, she flailed her hands against his rock-hard chest, to no avail. When his big hands kneaded her breasts, she knew she was just moments away from being ravished again by her Norse captor. She couldn’t bear it. Without thinking about the consequences, she bit down hard on his lip.
He jerked his head back and touched his lip; his hand came away with blood on it.
“Thor’s hammer! Why did you do that?”
Panting, Reyna stepped away from him, snatched up her tunic and pulled it over her head. “I won’t let you ravish me again.”
There was no mirth in Wulf’s smile. “Though you accuse me unjustly, this time it is my right. You are my slave, to do with as I please, just as it was your previous master’s right.”
Reyna faced him squarely. “You are wrong about me. My previous master did not touch me.”
Wulf threw back his head and laughed. “Am I supposed to believe that?”
“I speak the truth.”
“Did you not reside in his harem?”
“Aye, but that was your fault. You tore me away from my home and loved ones and sold me to a slave trader.” She smiled. “I proved to be too much trouble for my master. My threats to turn him into a eunuch kept him away from me. Besides, why would he risk his manhood to bed me when he had many beautiful women vying for his attention?”
“Had you harmed him, you would have died a horrible death.”
She angled her chin upward. “I was willing to take that chance. Never again will a man take from me what I am not willing to give. That means you, Wulf the Ruthless.”
So saying, she turned on her heel and stalked off.
Wulf took two long strides in her direction, then stopped. What in Thor’s name was wrong with him? Reyna was the last woman on earth he wished to bed. Her people had killed Astrid. He didn’t know why he had carried her to his dragonship after Rannulf had finished with her. Perhaps it was because she had looked so pitiful lying there that he had felt an unexpected jolt of compassion. But once she was aboard his ship, he’d wanted nothing to do with her and had sold her to a slave trader.
Nothing had changed since that day. Nothing, not even his lusty appetites would endear Reyna the Dane to him.
Beauty was only skin deep.
Reyna stormed back to Wulf’s hall. She had gone to the fjord for a bit of privacy after Uma and Lorne had fallen asleep. Though Reyna knew the water would be cold, she had been in desperate need of a bath and didn’t think anyone would miss her.
Why had Wulf come looking for her? Why had he kissed her? What had happened to night had convinced her that she wasn’t safe from Wulf’s lustful attentions. He was a Norseman, a man born to kill, rape and plunder. No woman was safe from him.
And yet…When he looked at her, there was no denying the spark of admiration that lit his icy silver eyes. She swore she would not return that admiration. She hated what he had done to her and her family and had no intention of falling prey to the handsome brute.
Reyna entered the hall, found a wolf pelt in a corner cupboard and curled up on a bench. Sleep eluded her. The bench was hard and uncompromising. In her father’s hall she had slept in a real bed covered with furs. And in Constantinople she had experienced luxury she had only dared dream about.
Reyna was still trying to find a comfortable position when Wulf returned to the hall. She went still when he stopped beside her bench. She could feel his eyes on her and scarcely dared to breath. Would he order her to service him in bed? She released her breath in a soft whoosh when he continued on to his sleeping alcove.
Before falling asleep, Reyna recalled the sails she had seen at the entrance of the fjord and wondered if she had made too much of them. She had been terrified when she’d first noted them. To Reyna, sails on the horizon meant the approach of raiders. She had lived in terror of Viking raiders her entire life. But since Wulf didn’t seem concerned, why should she be?
Reyna drifted off to sleep with the image of sails floating through her mind.
Wulf tossed and turned on his bed of furs, aching for the soft, curvy body he’d held in his arms earlier. Reyna had to be a witch to enthrall him so thoroughly. For a moment he had forgotten who she was and what her people had cost him. In his mind’s eye he pictured her as he had seen her, rising from the fjord, her body lithe and supple; her hip-length hair glowed like pale gold in the moonlight. Wulf’s loins swelled just thinking about her. His cock was still hard when sleep finally claimed him.
Reyna was shaken awake by Uma. “Get up, lazy! Thralls do not have the luxury of sleeping past dawn.” Reyna opened her eyes. “Is it dawn already?” “Aye, long past. Fold your furs and put them in the cupboard. There’s porridge left over from yesterday.
You can break your fast after you carry water in from the well.”
Reyna rose, stretched and folded her covers. As she replaced the furs in the cupboard, she noticed that Lorne was sitting at the table wolfing down a trencher of eggs and ham.
“I prefer what Lorne is eating,” she told Uma.
“You will eat what you are served,” Uma replied. “You have done naught to deserve eggs and ham. The bucket is sitting beside the door and the well is located in the yard. I’m sure you can find it. It will take several buckets to fill our barrel, so you had best get to work.”
Despite Uma’s glower of disapproval, Reyna took time to visit the privy and wash her hands and face before leaving to fetch the water. She found the wooden bucket beside the door and carried it to the well, prominently situated in the center of the yard.
She had taken no more than a few steps when she saw Wulf and his brother, Hagar, exiting a building she supposed was the steam hut. All farmsteads, even hers, had one. Though she tried to ignore the men, th
ey saw her and came in her direction.
“Where are you going?” Wulf asked.
She held up the bucket. “I should think that would be obvious.”
“Fetching water is Lorne’s duty.”
“ ’tis mine now, or so I’ve been told.” She continued on her way.
Wulf grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks. “There are other duties you can perform. Have you broken your fast?” Reyna shook her head.
“I haven’t eaten either. Return to the hall; Uma can cook your food along with mine.”
“But Uma said…”
“I am the master here,” Wulf roared. “Do as I say.”
“Tell that to Uma,” Reyna muttered as she spun around and marched back to the hall.
“I see your problem, brother, and I am glad ’tis yours,” Hagar said, trying desperately not to laugh.
Wulf glared at him. “Go ahead and laugh. ’tis your fault, you know.”
“I had no idea you had any history with Reyna when I bought her. I thought I was providing someone for you to sport with in bed. You needed a woman to spice up your life.” Laughing, Hagar walked away.
Cursing beneath his breath, Wulf returned to his hall in time to see Uma strike Reyna.
“Witch!” Uma cried. “When I tell you to do something, I expect you to do it. Why did you return without the water? For disobeying me, you can go without food the rest of the day.”
Neither woman knew Wulf was in the hall until he spoke. “Since when have you usurped my authority, Uma?” His voice, so cold, so menacing, sent a shiver down Reyna’s spine. “I am the only one who can dispense punishment in this hall.”
“I did not mean to offend, master,” Uma whined. “Your new thrall is disobedient and must be dealt with harshly.”
“That is for me to decide, Uma. And fetching water from the well is Lorne’s duty.” He sent a pointed glance at Lorne. Lorne took the hint, plucked the empty bucket from Reyna’s hands and made a hasty exit.
“What would you have your new thrall do?” Uma asked. “She cannot remain idle.”