Viking Warrior

by Connie Mason

  “I am glad you are here, Wulf,” Olaf said when the conversation waned. “I wanted to speak with you in private.”

  Reyna looked up. “Shall I leave? I am almost finished here.”

  “Stay,” Olaf said. “This concerns you as well as Wulf.”

  Wulf eyed Olaf warily. “You wish to discuss my thrall with me?”

  “Aye, Wulf. Reyna saved your life, did she not?” Wulf nodded. “She also saved mine and treated the wounded warriors. I cannot imagine why you have not freed her.”

  “Reyna is none of your concern, brother. Her fate is mine to decide. Fear not, she will not be ill treated.”

  Olaf cleared his throat. “Will you allow me to wed her?”

  “What!” Reyna gasped, startled by Olaf’s unusual request.

  “Are you feverish, brother? You are too young to wed. Besides, Reyna is unavailable.”

  “I appreciate your offer, Olaf,” Reyna injected, “but I am too old for you. One day you will find a woman worthy of being your wife.”

  “I am twenty,” Olaf replied, “old enough to know what I want.”

  Wulf’s fists clenched at his sides. The thought of Reyna in Olaf’s bed did not sit well with him. “Believe me, Olaf, you do not want Reyna. You are not man enough to handle her.” He sent a guarded look at Reyna. “When I tire of her or she becomes troublesome, you can have her with my good wishes. However, I doubt that day will arrive any time soon, if ever,” he added.

  Reyna didn’t appreciate being talked around, as if she were not there. As she tidied up, her anger grew by leaps and bounds. Having heard enough, she turned on the two men.

  “You may argue about me all you like, but I will have neither of you. One day I will return to my homeland and my family.”

  Turning on her heel, she stormed off.

  “What in Odin’s name is wrong with you, brother?” Wulf scolded. “Why did you offer to wed Reyna?”

  “She saved your life and mine. How can you ignore her courage? I appreciate her skills enough to wed her and make her a free woman. If you refuse to let me have her, wed her yourself.”

  Wulf shook his head. “There is a great deal about our relationship you do not understand, Olaf. It goes back to the time I raided her farmstead. Suffice it to say, Reyna belongs to me, and I keep what is mine. Concentrate on getting well, not on my thrall.”

  Wulf left his brother’s room in a thoughtful mood. Why was everyone concerned about Reyna? Did they think he beat her? Of all his family, Olga was the only one who didn’t like her. And Wulf put Olga’s emotional state down to her pregnancy.

  As if his thought had conjured her up, Olga appeared before him. “Might I have a word with you, Wulf?” his sister-in-law asked.

  “Of course, Olga. What is it you want?”

  “Would you please keep your thrall away from Hagar? I do not like the way he looks at her.”

  “There is naught going on between Reyna and Hagar,” Wulf assured her. “ ’tis your condition speaking.”

  Olga didn’t look convinced. “I would feel more at ease if Reyna did not share meals with us. None of the other thralls are treated like family.”

  “You should discuss your fears with Hagar. He will be the first to tell you he has no interest in Reyna.”

  “I know my husband, Wulf. Believe me when I say he wants to bed your thrall.” Tossing her head, she flounced off.

  After Olga’s unfounded claim, Wulf left the hall in search of Reyna. He found her in the stillroom, working with her herbs and roots. Helga was with her, their heads together in private conversation.

  “What are you two whispering about?”

  Reyna turned slowly, frowning when she saw Wulf. “I am teaching Helga about herbal remedies. She is interested in learning healing skills. Is there something you want?”

  “No, I just wondered where you had disappeared to.”

  “Why? Have you decided to give me to your brother after all?”

  “What?” Helga exclaimed. “Which brother would that be?”

  “Olaf,” Reyna said. “If you wish to know more, ask Wulf.”

  Refusing to elaborate, she turned back to her work.

  Helga shooed him away. “Go away, Wulf, we are busy.”

  “What I see is a thrall I have no control over despite the fact that I own her. Very well, continue your work. Just remember, in the end I have final say over Reyna’s fate, no matter what you and the family seem to think.”

  “What was that all about?” Helga asked after Wulf left.

  “As a reward for saving his life, Olaf wants to wed me. Wulf denied Olaf’s request.”

  Helga’s eyes grew wide. “Do you want to marry Olaf?”

  Reyna forced a laugh. “No, I do not. He is young and mistakes gratitude for something more. ’tis growing late, we should retire for the night.”

  By the time Reyna arrived in the hall, Uma, Lorne and Wulf were all abed. Breathing a sigh of relief, she crawled into her own bed and fell instantly asleep.

  The next day Wulf and Hagar left for the trading port of Kaupang, where they intended to sell or trade some of the goods Hagar had obtained in Byzantium this past summer. They took with them a list of commodities that Thora and Olga had requested, including iron pots, pottery, needles and various ribbons and threads. They planned to return within a fortnight.

  Reyna spent most of the following two weeks in the stillroom. Sometimes Helga joined her and once in a while Inga tagged along. Reyna was becoming fond of both girls. Olaf was healing well and now took his meals with the family. When Reyna saw him exercising in the yard, she knew he was well on his way to regaining his former strength.

  Regrettably, Uma remained hostile to her, even more so now that Reyna had been given a sleeping alcove of her own. As far as Reyna was concerned, she had earned the right to a bed.

  After watching Wulf’s interaction with Uma and Lorne, Reyna realized that Wulf wasn’t a cruel taskmaster, so she couldn’t feel too sorry for his thralls.

  Reyna had to admit that life was calmer without Wulf around to remind her of the past. Or taunt her with his handsome face and hard body. The last thing Reyna wanted to think about was Wulf’s warrior’s body.

  Reyna was working in the stillroom late one afternoon when Uma came to fetch her. “The master wants you to attend him.”

  “Wulf has returned?” Why did Wulf’s return make her feel giddy?

  Uma’s voice was sharp with jealousy. “Aye, he asked for you the moment he entered the hall.”

  “Tell him I will attend him after I finish what I am doing.”

  “You are a bold one,” Uma huffed. “I would be punished if I disobeyed an order.”

  “Name one instance in which Wulf punished you.”

  Uma stared mutely at her.

  “I thought not. Give Wulf my message and tell him if he cannot wait, he can come here.”

  Reyna never expected Wulf to take her words literally. She was putting the finishing touches on an elixir to cure coughs and colds when Wulf stormed into the still-room, slamming the door behind him with enough force to shake the building.

  “How dare you disobey me!” Wulf roared. “You may have forgotten that you are my thrall, but I have not. I could beat you and no one would interfere.”

  Hands on hips, Reyna faced him squarely. “I am not afraid of you, Wulf the Ruthless. I am no weakling. I survived the worst that can happen to a woman.”

  Wulf’s voice was less harsh when he asked, “Why did you not come when I sent for you?”

  “If I stopped what I was doing, the entire batch of elixir I was preparing would spoil. The remedy will come in handy this winter. I told Uma I would come when I finished here.”

  Wulf scowled. “That is not what Uma told me.”

  Reyna should have realized Uma would turn her words around to suit her purposes. “What did Uma say?”

  “She said you told her you are not my slave, that you are not answerable to me and will not obey me. Is that not what y
ou said?”

  Reyna sighed. “I said I would attend you as soon as I finished mixing the elixir.”

  Wulf stalked closer, until he was standing within arm’s reach. Reyna tried to retreat but the worktable was at her back. The way Wulf looked at her sent shivers down her spine. He had the look of a wolf eager to mate. His silver eyes had darkened to smoke and his face had a watchfulness about it that made Reyna’s heart skip a beat.

  He sidled closer. “Did you miss me?”

  He was so close Reyna could feel his hot breath fan her cheek. “Why would I miss a man who stole my innocence and sold me into slavery?”

  “I sold you because I was bereft over the death of my wife, but that is all I did. Believe it or not, I missed you, Reyna. All I could think about was your sweet body and how badly I want you in my bed.”

  “That will never happen,” Reyna scoffed.

  “It will happen sooner than you think.”

  “Could you find no woman in Kaupang to satisfy your lust?”

  “I found plenty of willing women but they were not you.”

  He reached out and dragged her against him, his big hands circling her waist. And then he kissed her, his teasing mouth making her forget who he was and what he had done to her. When his tongue dipped into her mouth, she made a little mew of protest. To her dismay she felt her body softening, her will eroding. Without volition her eyes closed, and her hands slid around his thick neck. The kiss went on and on; his mouth was literally devouring her. Her mind spun in denial. She should hate Wulf’s kisses. She should be struggling in his arms instead of melting into his hard body. She felt his muscles rippling down his firm abdomen and pressed herself closer, suddenly aware that his rigid sex was throbbing against her stomach.

  Wulf broke off the kiss and grinned down at her. “Your body tells me you are not as opposed to me as you pretend.”

  “I hate you, Wulf the Ruthless,” Reyna hissed.

  “Do you?” He kissed her again, this time moving his hands from her waist to her breasts, cupping them and then tweaking her nipples until they became pebble hard. His touch was surprisingly gentle as his lips coaxed an unwilling response from her.

  How could this man be the same brute who had ripped her innocence from her? Reyna wondered. This man was as different from that abuser of innocents as night was from day. Wulf made her body feel things she feared. She shouldn’t want to experience desire with Wulf, or with any man. And yet…

  Reyna’s cheeks burned. She broke the kiss and turned her face away. “This…cannot be happening. You are…You did…”

  “I did naught, but I certainly intend to, and very soon.”

  Wulf was shocked by his unaccustomed lack of control. He had lusted after Reyna since she’d first come to the farmstead. Hagar had urged him to find a woman to bed in Kaupang but he hadn’t wanted just any woman; he wanted Reyna. Her response to his kisses and the way she had melted into his body surprised him. He had expected much less but wanted much more.

  Grasping Reyna about the waist, he flung her over his shoulder and strode toward the door.

  “Stop! What are you doing?”

  “My patience is gone. I have waited long enough for you to come to me.”

  The door opened before he reached it. Thora stepped inside and stopped abruptly, her face clouded with concern.

  “What is going on here? Has my son hurt you, Reyna?”

  “Mother,” Wulf said with waning patience, “I have not hurt Reyna and do not intend to. Has everyone forgotten that Reyna belongs to me? Why are you here?”

  “I came to fetch Reyna. I have not seen her since she broke her fast this morning and we are waiting for her to join us for the evening meal. I sent Helga to your hall to fetch you but here you are, Wulf.”

  “I am not hungry for food,” Wulf said as he attempted to brush past Thora.

  Reyna lifted her head and sent Thora a look of mute appeal. “I am starving, Lady Thora.”

  “If you are not hungry, Wulf, put Reyna down so she can eat with us,” Thora ordered. “Before you protest, we have a guest, son, one you will wish to greet. He arrived a short time ago.”

  “A guest? Were we expecting company?”

  “Rannulf needs no invitation. He decided to visit his sister before winter snow makes travel difficult. I invited him to spend a few days with us before he returns to his farmstead. I…I think he is interested in wedding Helga.”

  Wulf set Reyna carefully on her feet. Would Rannulf recognize Reyna, or she him? How would she react when she came face-to-face with the man who had ravished her? As much as Wulf wanted to shield Reyna from Rannulf’s hurtful presence, he knew that bringing them together would force Reyna to recognize that she had accused him, Wulf, falsely.

  “Very well, Mother, Reyna and I shall greet Rannulf. I do not want to keep Hagar’s brother-in-law waiting.”

  Grasping Reyna’s elbow, Wulf ushered her out the door. Thora fell in step behind them.

  Chapter Six

  Wulf and Reyna entered Hagar’s hall together. The family was gathered around their guest, talking animatedly. Wulf watched Reyna closely, waiting for her to recognize Rannulf as the man who had ravished her. Rannulf saw them first and called out a greeting, a huge smile stretching his lips. They grasped arms and patted each other on the back.

  Wulf glanced at Reyna. Her brow was furrowed and her cheeks were unnaturally pale. He waited for her to say something, anything, but her expression remained thoughtful as she slowly edged away from him and Rannulf.

  As for Rannulf, he did not appear to recognize the woman he had abused two summers ago.

  “I thought I would pay my sister a visit before winter closes in,” Rannulf explained. “The farmstead is a lonely place without a woman’s gentle touch.”

  He winked at Wulf and said for his ears only. “After both my sisters married and moved away, I find myself in need of a wife. Helga came to mind immediately. She is of an age to wed, is she not?”

  Wulf frowned at Olga’s brother. In his mind’s eye he saw Rannulf climbing off of Reyna. Did he want a man like that for his sister? Then again, he had been no saint in his wild youth. Would Rannulf change his ways as Wulf did after he’d wed Astrid? From the way Helga was staring shyly at Rannulf, Wulf assumed she wasn’t adverse to a match between them.

  Hagar, who had been at the other side of the hall, approached Rannulf, eyeing him with speculation. “What is the reason for your visit, Rannulf? Though you are always welcome in my hall, and your sister appreciates your visit, have you a specific purpose in mind?”

  “I thought to wait and discuss this with you and your mother later but this is as good a time as any. With your permission, I would like to wed Helga.”

  “What, no courtship?” Wulf challenged, hoping to observe Rannulf’s behavior toward his sister before agreeing to the match.

  “Wulf has a point,” Hagar observed. “Perhaps you should spend the winter with us. I am sure Olga would enjoy your company. A long visit will give Helga time to get to know you. If she wishes to wed you, you can join with her in the spring. We will discuss this with Mother later.”

  After Hagar departed, Rannulf spotted Reyna talking to Helga and sent Wulf a questioning look. “Who is the woman, Wulf? Have you taken a wife? She is a beauty.”

  Wulf shifted uncomfortably. How could Rannulf not remember Reyna? “Reyna is my thrall. Hagar bought her for me at the slave market in Constantinople this past summer. He thought I needed a little excitement in my life.”

  Rannulf slapped Wulf on the back. “I agree with Hagar. I would not mind a bed slave who looked like that. She has the look of a Norsewoman about her.”

  “Reyna is a Dane. Does she not look familiar to you?”

  Rannulf’s gaze lingered on Reyna. “Am I supposed to know her?”

  Wulf wanted to bloody Rannulf’s nose and then knock him flat on his arse. Instead, he gritted his teeth and said, “Think on it. It may come to you.”

  “You seem protect
ive of her, Wulf. She must please you in bed.”

  Wulf had his mouth open to spit out a reply when Thora approached them. “Come join us at the table, you two. You can catch up after we sup.” She gazed at Rannulf, a twinkle in her eyes. “Hagar says you wish to court our Helga.”

  Wulf kept his reservations to himself as he took his place at the table beside Rannulf. Wulf regarded Reyna with concern when Rannulf sat across from her. The frown had not left her face since she’d first set eyes on Rannulf.

  Reyna felt a strange buzzing in her head whenever she looked at Rannulf. Like Wulf, he was a handsome, clean-shaven man, tall and muscular but a bit shorter. His blond hair was tied at his nape with a piece of leather and his clothing was the same as that worn by most Norsemen.

  There was something vaguely threatening about the man, Reyna decided. Though the family seemed to accept him into their inner circle, he made Reyna feel uncomfortable. Was there a reason she should not like this man? Rather than look directly at him, she lowered her eyes to her plate and tried to eat. All she succeeded in doing was pushing her food around on her plate.

  “Is something wrong?” Wulf asked. “Is the food not agreeable to you?”

  “The food is fine,” Reyna answered. “I seem to have lost my appetite.”

  She glanced at Rannulf; he was listening to Olaf explain about the recent raid on the farmstead. As if aware of her gaze, the Norseman turned to her, looking directly into her eyes.

  “I find it strange that a thrall eats at the table with her master,” Rannulf said to no one in particular.

  “Reyna has earned her place at the table,” Thora was quick to explain. “She saved the lives of both Olaf and Wulf and treated the wounded after the Finns’ surprise raid.”

  “Olaf has been telling me about the raid,” Rannulf said. “I had not heard about it until now. Obviously you sent them fleeing.”

  “Aye.” Hagar grinned. “They will not bother us again any time soon.”