by Connie Mason
Reyna had no idea where to find the volcanic pool but she would rather stumble around in the dark than ask Wulf to show her the way. Though the night was black, she was fairly certain Wulf hadn’t followed her. Her relief was enormous when she finally found the pool some distance behind the long house. It was surrounded by trees and foliage, providing a modicum of privacy.
Misty steam hung like a heavy cloud above the pool. Reyna found it immensely inviting. She undressed quickly, folded the clothes Thora had given her and placed them on a nearby rock. She tested the temperature with her foot, found it hot but bearable, and sank down into the water. Relaxing, she closed her eyes and rested her head against the rocky side of the pool. It felt like heaven.
The hot water soothed her frayed nerves but not her troubled mind. She couldn’t purge Wulf from her thoughts. He could lie all he wanted, but she knew the truth. He had brutally stolen her innocence. She had lost consciousness during the assault and had woken in time to see Wulf leaning over her. Vaguely she recalled him scooping her up and taking her aboard his dragon-ship.
Reyna had learned a great deal from that terrifying experience. She had found inner strength and courage during her time in the Byzantine harem and learned that she could take care of herself. She might fear Wulf’s vile plans for her future, but she didn’t fear him. He had already done his worst to her; there was nothing left to fear.
Reyna had no idea why she had saved Wulf’s life. Why hadn’t she let him die? She believed she hated him with every fiber of her being…yet she couldn’t bear to see him die a violent death. Even though he claimed to hate her, he hadn’t treated her cruelly or ordered her to his bed. Wulf was an enigma she had yet to figure out.
Why did he have to be so handsome? Reyna mused. She pictured his face in her mind. High cheekbones, straight nose, well-formed lips and lean, hard jaw. His silver eyes weren’t as cold and empty now as they had been during the voyage to Byzantium. He had barely looked at her then, scarcely acknowledged her existence. No one had bothered her as she huddled inside a small enclosure aboard Wulf’s dragonship. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined she would one day belong to Wulf the Ruthless.
“You forgot your drying cloth and soap.”
Reyna nearly jumped out of her skin. Wulf had followed her after all. He was standing behind her, drying cloth in one hand, soap in the other.
“Go away!”
He sat on the grass and pulled off his boots and tunic.
“What are you doing?”
“Disrobing, obviously. I decided to join you after all. My bones ache after today’s battle.”
“Why didn’t you go to the steam hut?”
He stood, untied his trousers and let them drop. Reyna jerked her eyes away.
“I prefer the volcanic pool. I need a good soak.”
The water surrounding Reyna rippled as Wulf eased himself into the pool. “Why can’t you leave me alone?” she demanded. “You hate me; you can’t stand my company.”
Wulf let out a sigh as he settled in. “ ’tis difficult to hate the woman who saved my life.”
Reyna gritted her teeth, almost wishing she had let Wulf die. “Forget what I did. I would have done the same for a dog.”
Wulf’s laugh ended in a strangled growl as the moon scooted from behind a cloud, dusting the pool with thousands of sparkling stars and turning the water translucent. He stared transfixed at the perfect white globes of Reyna’s breasts bobbing in the water. His gaze wandered lower, past her slim waist and rounded hips to the golden fleece covering her plump mound.
Slowly his gaze traveled upward, taking in all the lush hills and valleys he had missed upon his first inspection. Thor’s hammer! How had he missed Reyna’s spectacular beauty the first time he had set eyes on her? Had his rage and thirst for revenge blinded him?
“I should leave,” Reyna said.
Wulf reached behind him and retrieved the soap from the ledge above the pool. “Not until you wash. Is that not what you came here for?”
She started to rise. “The hot water has soaked the dirt away.”
Wulf reached for her, holding her in place. “Turn around while I scrub your back. Then you can scrub mine.”
Reyna cringed. “No, do not touch me!”
“Reyna, I am not going to hurt you.”
“You already have.”
“No, you mistake me for another. All I will admit to is selling you into slavery during a frenzy of revenge that I now regret.”
“Tell me who hurt me if it was not you.”
“A member of my raiding party; that is all I will say.”
Reyna didn’t believe Wulf. Admittedly she had been in shock after the attack, but she had seen Wulf looming over her as clear as day. She was jerked back to the present when she felt his callused hand spreading soap over her back, and repressed a shudder. Since the raid she hadn’t been able to bear a man’s touch. But for some reason, Wulf’s caress wasn’t as repulsive as she had thought it would be. It actually felt rather soothing.
But when Wulf turned her around and spread the soap over her breasts, she made a valiant attempt to evade him.
“Hold still. Why are you so skittish?”
Deliberately she glanced down to where his hands rested on her breasts. “Your hands are on me.”
Though his hands were gentle, Reyna didn’t trust him. No man was trustworthy. She had to admit, however, that his touch sent subtle shock waves through her body. She felt…strange; her nerve endings tingled and her skin felt tight. When Wulf’s hands continued their downward path, gliding over her stomach to settle between her legs, anxiety and fear made her stiffen.
“Do not touch me there!”
When his fingers slid into the folds of her sex, panic seized her. Then she realized what Wulf was doing to her now was nothing like the first time he had assaulted her. His shockingly intimate foray into her private parts made her hot and shivery.
“I have done nothing yet.”
She raised her hands to his chest in an age-old gesture of protest and felt downy hair curl between her fingers. She jerked her hands away as if scalded. The feel of his hair-roughened skin was too raw, too intimate. Then she felt his finger slide inside her and shock pierced through her.
“Stop that!”
He rested his head against her forehead. “Now I’m doing something. Do you like it?”
“No, I do not. Nor do I like you.”
He wedged another finger in beside the first. “You are as tight as a maiden. Do you know how badly I want to be inside you right now?”
Reyna had a good idea and cursed her body’s betrayal. She arched upward in an effort to dislodge him and realized her mistake at once. She could feel every hot, hard inch of him, his massive, powerful chest crushing the softness of her breasts, his long muscular thighs pressing against hers and his thick sex probing the place where his fingers now played.
Her terror dissolved into something she refused to recognize or name. She had to remind herself over and over that Wulf was the man who had abused her. She looked into his eyes and saw a flicker of something she’d never expected to see in the eyes of Wulf the Ruthless. She saw desire, compassion, and aye, admiration. She shook those thoughts from her head. Surely she was mistaken. Wulf the Ruthless knew no other emotion save brutality and lust.
“If you need a woman, I will fetch Uma for you.”
“I do not want Uma, I want you.”
Reyna was dissolving under his sinful manipulation, her mind spinning in confusion. She could scarcely find the breath to protest.
“I am going to kiss you, Reyna.”
“Oh, no, I…”
He brushed aside her protest. The last thing she saw was the gleam of Wulf’s white teeth as his mouth came down over hers. How could a man as hard and unrelenting as Wulf have lips so soft? Reyna wondered. His lips moved over hers with assurance, as if she was his for the taking, which indeed she was. She tried to push him away, but he was an immovable presence
, bent on getting what he wanted. Unfortunately for Reyna, she was what he wanted.
When Wulf pushed his tongue past her lips, deepening the kiss, Reyna renewed her efforts to make him stop. But it was increasingly difficult with her bones melting and her head whirling. What this bold Norseman did to her body was beyond comprehension. Nothing in her previous experience compared to Wulf’s kisses.
How could this man be the same Norseman who had taken her innocence without remorse? Even the rich, earthy scent that clung to him was not as she remembered. She could still recall the pungent odor of blood, sweat and something feral emanating from her attacker.
As if they’d happened yesterday, Reyna began to relive the events of that terrible day. Her body stiffened, terror settled deep in her stomach. She had to stop this now, for she couldn’t bear that kind of hurt again.
Wulf seemed to recognize her fear and eased away from her.
“What is it? Did I hurt you?”
Tossing her head from side to side, Reyna began to beat her fists against his chest. “I refuse to let this happen to me again.”
Understanding settled deep in Wulf’s gut. Rannulf had hurt Reyna terribly and instilled in her a lasting fear of men.
“It does not have to be painful, Reyna. I can make it enjoyable for you.”
“Like you did the first time?”
Wulf cursed Rannulf. Reluctantly moving a respectable distance away from the object of his desire, Wulf decided to bide his time until Reyna came to him willingly.
“You win this time, Reyna,” Wulf said, “but I cannot wait forever for you to come to me. You belong to me and I will have you.”
Suddenly the moon slid fully from behind a cloud, revealing Wulf’s warrior’s body in all its splendor. Reyna stared at him as he lifted himself from the pool and pulled his clothing on over his wet body. Despite her fear of men, she couldn’t help admiring Wulf. He was a truly magnificent specimen of masculinity; large and hard muscled, broad shouldered, deep chested and narrow hipped. His legs were long and powerful and his body was tanned all over.
Reyna had to force herself to look away.
“Are you ready to return home with me?” Wulf asked once he was dressed.
“No, I intend to return to your brother’s hall. Olaf might have need of me.”
“My mother can take care of him. I know you are exhausted; you worked hard today to save lives.” He placed the drying cloth within her reach. “I will wait down the path and escort you to your bed.”
Reyna waited until Wulf walked away before leaving the pool and drying herself. She didn’t want to return with him to his hall but had no authority to refuse. Wulf was her master, whether she liked it or not. Why did she feel a strange tug inside her when she looked at him? The feeling was unsettling in light of their history, and she couldn’t understand why she was experiencing these unwarranted sensations. Why was she attracted to the Norse raider? She should not have any feelings but hatred for Wulf the Ruthless.
“Are you ready?” she heard him ask, his voice resonating through the darkness.
“Aye,” Reyna answered as she shrugged into her tunic and fastened her belt around her waist.
Reyna followed Wulf to his hall and stepped over the threshold. The hall was dark; no one had been there to tend the fire or rush lights. While Wulf added wood to the hearth and set a rush light into a sconce, Reyna removed a wolf pelt from the cupboard and prepared to curl up on a bench.
“No!” Wulf said, removing the wolf pelt from her hands. “You have earned the right to a real bed.”
Reyna drew back in alarm. “I am not sharing your bed.”
“There are other sleeping alcoves in the hall. You may choose one for your own.”
“Uma will be angry; she was here before I arrived.”
“Uma did not save lives today,” Wulf pointed out. “Nor does she possess a skill as useful as yours. My mother wants me to reward you, and I intend to respect her wishes. As our healer, you shall have a real bed and wear clothing befitting your skill. ’tis my way of thanking you for your services.”
Emboldened, Reyna said, “Setting me free would be a more fitting reward.”
Wulf’s mouth flattened. “I have no intention of freeing you. Where would you go? What would you do? I am your master—no one else can protect you as I can.”
“I will never call you master,” Reyna stated.
“Go to bed, Reyna. I am weary of bandying words with you. You are welcome to use the sleeping alcove or not. ’tis your choice. Good night.”
Reyna stood in the center of the hall, contemplating her choices. Could she trust a man like Wulf the Ruthless to leave her unmolested? Her bones ached and she was so tired she could barely stand upright. The bench was as hard and unyielding as it looked; she knew that from experience.
But if she chose to claim a sleeping alcove for herself, she would earn Uma’s enmity. In Reyna’s opinion, refusing the comfort of a bed and room of her own would be stupid, and she wasn’t stupid. Reyna chose the sleeping alcove.
Wulf was too aroused to sleep. The memory of Reyna’s naked body beneath the water in the pool haunted his thoughts. He was hard as stone and not likely to lose his erection any time soon. But he would not take her against her will; he wouldn’t be able to live with his guilt or the accusation in her eyes if he did. Hurting her as Rannulf had done did not appeal to him.
What was he to do with Reyna?
Though Wulf should have been exhausted from the battle, his body refused to relax; most of his discomfort was due to unrequited desire for Reyna. There was no help for it. Since he wasn’t going to have Reyna beneath him this night, he stripped off his clothes and climbed into bed, pulling the wolf pelts over him. He tossed and turned restlessly, his body too sore to find a comfortable position.
Finally, he rose from his bed and walked naked into the hall. His steps led him to Reyna’s sleeping chamber. He pushed aside the curtain and stepped inside. Pale moonlight streamed into the chamber through the single window, turning Reyna’s hair to pure silver. She was sleeping soundly, her folded hands resting beneath her cheek.
Wulf had no idea why he was standing over her bed, but somehow looking at her seemed to ease him. He stretched out his hand as if to touch her and then drew it back. If he touched her, he wouldn’t be able to stop until she was stretched out beneath him with his cock buried deep inside her.
Wulf had to force himself to leave the alcove and return to his own bed. The longer he lingered, the less likely he would be to leave her untouched.
Reyna had already left the hall when Wulf awakened the following morning. Before going to break his fast at Hagar’s hall, he washed the sleep from his eyes and shaved the stubble from his chin.
The air had a definite chill to it, Wulf thought as he walked across the yard. Soon he and Hagar would put their ships up for the winter and spend their days and nights chopping wood, hunting and telling rousing Viking sagas around a blazing fire.
The hall was a beehive of activity. The wounded from yesterday’s battle were up and seated at long tables, breaking their fast. Reyna was nowhere in sight. Wulf greeted his mother and found an empty spot at the table.
“Where is Hagar?” Wulf asked Thora.
“He went to fetch your sisters and Eric. You look tired, son. Did you not sleep well?”
“Ha!” Olga snorted. “He was probably up all night plowing his thrall.”
“You are wrong, Olga,” Wulf bit out.
“Show some respect, Olga,” Thora reprimanded. “Reyna saved Olaf’s life.”
“Where is Reyna?” Wulf asked. “She left my hall before I awakened this morning.”
“She arrived shortly after dawn to check on the wounded,” Thora explained. “She is with Olaf now, changing the dressing on his wound.”
“Speak of the devil and there she is,” Olga said, gesturing toward Reyna, who had just left Olaf’s sleeping alcove and was approaching the table.
“How is my brother?”
Wulf asked as Reyna joined them.
“He is doing very well, considering the gravity of his injury. He was lucky.”
“We are the lucky ones,” Thora said, “for we have you. Your skill saved Olaf’s life. Please sit down and join us.”
“Oh, really, Mother Thora,” Olga chided, “Reyna is a thrall and unworthy of praise.”
Wulf glanced at Reyna’s bowed head and could almost feel the anger emanating from her. Had she been looking up instead of at her plate, he would wager that her heated gaze would turn Olga to cinder.
Ignoring Olga, Reyna slid into an empty seat beside Thora and helped herself from a platter of eggs. She was too hungry to argue.
Wulf came to Reyna’s defense. “Mother is right, Olga. Perhaps one day Reyna’s skill will prove useful to you.”
“I think not,” Olga denied.
An uneasy silence reigned as everyone concentrated on their food. At length Reyna pushed her empty plate aside and rose. “Please excuse me. I have checked on all the wounded. May I go now to gather herbs and roots to replenish the medicinal chest? It must be done before the ground freezes.” She sent a pointed look at Olga. “If I am lucky, I might find raspberry leaf to aid your labor when you deliver.”
“I vow you will not touch me when I give birth,” Olga swore.
Reyna ignored her. “What say you, Wulf the Ruthless? Am I allowed to journey beyond the farmstead for what I need?”
“You should address Wulf as master,” Olga scolded.
Reyna glared down her nose at Olga. “I call no man master.”
Wulf thought it a good time to intervene, before the two came to blows. What was it about Reyna that set Olga on edge? Did she fear Reyna might tempt Hagar to stray?
“If you wish to gather herbs and roots, I will accompany you,” Wulf said. “Be sure to wear a warm cloak and bring a basket to hold your harvest.”
“I have an extra cloak you can wear,” Thora offered. “And there are plenty of baskets in yonder cupboard that should suit your purpose.”
“I will fetch the basket and meet you outside,” Wulf said as he strode off.
Thora left and returned momentarily with a fur-lined cloak. “Take this,” she said, draping the cloak over Reyna’s shoulders.