Destiny of the Heart (Viking Destiny)

by K. Young

  Her opponent lunged, bringing his arm down as though he were swinging an axe. She dodged out of the way and quickly dropped to sweep his legs out from under him. With him on his back, she kicked with everything she had to his temple, but he was quicker than she thought and blocked the kick by grabbing her leg and swinging her around like a rag doll. He tossed her across the cage and she slammed into the fence, then fell to the ground. She got up quickly because he bulled his way right toward her, and she spun out of his path, but not before he got a solid punch to her shoulder.

  Kristen was pretty sure something snapped with as hard as he hit her, but she gritted her teeth and backed away. She needed a new approach with this guy. If Kristen had to guess, he'd been to every one of her previous fights and knew which side, and which moves, she favored. He was also quicker than she gave him credit for off the cuff. So, she planted her feet and waited for him to come to her. When he did, he got a solid kick to the groin for his efforts. Before his knees even hit the ground, Kristen whaled on him with several blows to the head.

  But, she didn't retain the advantage for long. Before she knew it, he had her flipped on her back and was straddling her. He licked his lips in anticipation for the death blow she knew was coming. She just didn't have the strength to continue. He must have sensed her acquiesce because he frowned at her. She closed her eyes, expecting the blow to be quick. The man growled, and she felt his body shift slightly as his arm began its decent.

  Suddenly, a shot rang out through the room and several things happened at once. The man on top of her staggered back, yelling, and the room exploded into panic, with several sets of footsteps coming toward her. She opened her eyes and peered at the room upside down, blinking rapidly to clear her vision, and then flipped over to be sure it wasn't simply her imagination. But, as far as she could tell, she was still sane. That was Derrick Shane who had just stormed in to rescue her.

  Kristen quickly scrambled to her feet and rushed to the locked door of the cage to await Derrick's arrival. The footsteps she heard pounding toward her were presumably Derrick's men. She recognized the one he had called Jack, and Peevely, but she wasn't sure about the others. They handled the spectators and the guards while Derrick made his way to her. Just as he reached the door and blew the lock off, the man in the cage grabbed Kristen around the throat and used her to shield his body. Kristen gasped as his slimy, wet hand clamped down hard. Derrick trained the pistol on him, and his eyes flashed a dangerous color.

  "Let her go. Now."

  "I don't think so. Me orders were to kill her. That's what

  I plan to do."

  "I warn you, I'm an excellent shot. I can hit you between

  the eyes just as easy as not."

  The man laughed. "Not with her in front of me, ye won't.

  Ye might be a good shot, but odds are I can duck faster than

  that pistol shoots. You might hit yer lady friend, here." Derrick gave nothing away, but Kristen could tell the

  man was right. Derrick might hit her and he wouldn't do that.

  The man in the cage backed up away from the door a couple

  of steps.

  "Tha's right, nabob. Just stay where ye are." He took another step back, and Kristen felt his breath

  suddenly exhale in a whoosh, and his hand involuntarily

  released from her neck. She dashed back across the ring to

  Derrick. He checked behind him, then pulled her to his back.

  Kristen peeked around to see what had happened, and the

  man in the ring had backed up far enough to the other side

  that Jack was able to get a sword through and stab him. He

  fell to the ground as Jack pulled his sword and saluted

  Derrick.

  Peevely and another man came around the corner

  carrying the hired muscle. He was struggling and not ready to

  admit defeat. Kristen growled low and darted forward,

  grabbing Peeveley's knife before anyone knew what was

  happening. She didn't think twice, just shoved the knife into

  the shoulder of his arm.

  "That's for touching me, you loathsome, vile creature!

  You're lucky I don't slit your goddamn throat!" She spit in his

  face for good measure.

  He lunged for her, but being the fearless woman she

  was, she didn't move. Derrick moved in front of her and

  instructed his men.

  "Take him to Scotland Yard. They will be very

  interested in knowing who was responsible for kidnapping the

  lady." His men bowed and Peeveley slammed his fist into the

  hired muscle's temple, knocking him unconscious. As they left, Derrick turned to look at her. Her face was

  bruised and dirty with dried blood and black smudges, her hair

  was matted, and her clothes ripped. All in all, she looked like

  she was in pretty poor shape, but not surprisingly to him, she

  stood there calm and aloof as ever. He took her face between

  his hands and brushed her hair from her face as tenderly as

  he could.

  "Are you alright?" He asked gently.

  No, she bloody well wasn't alright. Someone wanted

  her dead, and she had no idea why. She had spent the last

  week fending for her life in death-match tournaments, and she

  had almost lost that day. But, none of that was Derrick's fault,

  and hysterics would accomplish nothing. She bit back her

  smart reply and simply nodded instead. Derrick seemed to

  sense her reluctance to speak on the matter, though, so he

  nodded and rubbed her arms.

  "Let's get you out of here, shall we?"

  Kristen nodded again. Derrick removed his coat and

  wrapped it around her. She couldn't help thinking she had

  never felt anything so lovely. It was warm and smelled of

  sandalwood and a hint of vanilla, two scents she was growing

  to love because they reminded her of Derrick. She curled up

  inside his jacket and gave him a small smile.

  "Thank you."

  Derrick didn't know if he should offer to carry her or not,

  but he thought that might offend her. By the looks of her, she

  was just lucky to be alive. He had no idea what kind of hell

  she'd gone through the last few days, but he was certain it

  wasn't good. Anger twisted his insides, and he made a silent

  vow that he would track down the monster responsible for this

  and make them pay. He knew the man his crew had

  apprehended was just a pawn. But, Derrick would find the

  bigger fish, and when he did, that person would be

  exceedingly sorry. With his thoughts still worrying over Kristen,

  he led her through the back door and away from that place. Alice watched from her vantage point far above the

  crowd, and was seething in anger herself. He had assured her

  there was nothing to the marriage contract, yet there he was,

  showing up to be her knight in shining armor. The very idea

  that he was the one to thwart her plans on this was enough to send her after him in a rage. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she still had a little time. Until Sander sent a messenger, she could wait.

  Chapter 21

  It wasn't long before the warehouse that Kristen was held prisoner in was crawling with inspectors from Scotland Yard. Derrick had escorted Kristen home, where Mel immediately took her in and put her straight to bed, then he returned to meet the inspector who had interrogated him.

  "Lord Shane." The inspector greeted.

  "Sir."

  "We've found nothing to indicate whom the other party

  in the kidnapping was, but this might be of interest to you." He handed Derrick some papers.

  Derric
k quickly read through them, and the frown that he started with turned into a dark scowl. It seemed that Lord Bentley, or Ashton as Derrick's sources had uncovered, wasn't a lord at all. His real name was Jason Monroe, and he was wanted in connection with several scams involving wealthy women. That he went to the lengths he did to create a second identity as a deserter meant that he was smart, and he knew how to play to a woman's sympathy.

  "So, he was using her for her money." Derrick stated flatly.

  "It certainly seems that way. I became curious about his reaction to her disappearance when he had only just met her, and the fact that he was so freely willing to disparage you. I've worked with the nobility long enough to know how it works. His mannerisms didn't fit."

  "Thank you."

  "Just doing my job. In the meantime, you should go home and rest. You look like hell." The man smiled kindly.

  Derrick laughed and clapped the inspector on the shoulder. The man was a decent sort of fellow, and Derrick was beginning to like him. So, it was with easy feelings he left the inspectors to do their work and he went to visit Kristen. He felt she had a right to know about the man she was considering as a possibility for marriage. It certainly wasn't because he was jealous or anything, that would be absurd. But, he couldn't help the quickening of his steps all the same.

  When Kristen arrived at Mel's home a few days before, she was a battered mess. She was starving, in desperate need of a bath, and beat to within an inch of her life. Mel stayed by her side the whole time to attend to her wounds. Kristen always thought she was a rather gifted healer, but Mel said it was nothing, just something her mother had taught her long ago. Either way, with Mel's help, Kristen was beginning to feel a little more like herself. On the third day, Mel asked what happened.

  "Ashby is the one who came for me. He said I was worth more dead than alive, so he didn't want to marry me anymore."

  "Well, that is somewhat good news in that you don't have to rush to get married now."

  "True. But, someone is very obviously trying to kill me. They killed him, and I was locked in a dog cage, Mel. Only brought out to fight. Whoever this is wants it to look like an accident, or rather, something I caused myself."

  "And you still think my theory is incorrect?" Mel asked, more convinced now than ever that the Vikings responsible for Kristen's family leaving Norway are the same Vikings responsible for the mysterious deaths.

  "I think there could be something to it."

  "Then what good will it do to get married? Your mother was married."

  "Yes, but she was unhappily married for my sake. If I were happy - "

  "I don't think it would matter." Mel said gently.

  Kristen sighed. She was sitting on her bed while Mel brushed out her hair. The cuts and bruises on her face were fading a little, though she still had a swollen eye. With Ashby dead, she had no real reason to marry and could disappear if she wished.

  "Do you think I should just disappear? Leave and never come back?"

  Mel's hand stopped in the middle of the stroke. It was on the tip of her tongue to say no, but in truth, it might be the only way to keep her safe.

  "Perhaps. Though I wish it weren't so."

  "Well, then I guess that is the new plan. When I am well enough, I'll make arrangements. For your own safety, I think it best that you know nothing of where I'm going."

  Tears slid down Mel's cheeks, and her hands fell to her lap. Kristen turned and saw her friend's anguished look and her own heart broke all the more. Kristen twisted all the way around so she was facing Mel, and leaned over to hug her.

  "I'm sorry Mel. I wish my life wasn't so complicated."

  Mel nodded, but didn't trust herself to speak. Kristen had always been her rock and life would not be the same without her. Mel didn't want to think of not being able to share a silly story with her, or not be able to talk to her about her fears or concerns, or the fact that Kristen wouldn't be present for her child's birth.

  As the girls hugged, there was a knock on the door and Chester opened it, bowing formally as he always did, despite Kristen repeatedly requesting they dispense with the formality altogether.

  "My apologies for disturbing you ladies, but Lord Derrick Shane has arrived and is rather insistent he be admitted." Chester said dryly, and with a touch of annoyance.

  "You let me up these stairs to see her Meloney, or so help me God, I will bug you every day all day when Guy arrives home!" Derrick shouted from the entryway.

  Kristen looked at Mel for an explanation. Mel chuckled.

  "I wasn't allowing you any visitors. You needed to rest."

  Kristen nodded and kissed Mel on the forehead. "Thank you. You are a dear, sweet friend. Chester, please let him in."

  "As you wish, m'lady." He bowed again and left the door open.

  Mel stayed where she was, and moments later Derrick was bounding up the stairs. When he got to the room, he stopped in the doorway. Suddenly he was terribly nervous. Mel chuckled and stood up.

  "I'll give you two a few moments to catch up. Call if you need anything, love." She left Kristen's side and went to the door, then patted Derrick's arm as she passed by him.

  Derrick looked at Kristen.

  "Well, do come in Derrick." She prompted.

  He walked in and stood at the foot of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

  "Better." She admitted. "I didn't get a chance to thank you for helping me, so thank you." Kristen smiled.

  "I'm glad I found you in time. I was beginning to worry -"

  "But, you did find me."

  "Yes." Derrick twisted his gloves in his hands, unsure of what to say.

  He knew what he wanted to say, but it was definitely harder than he thought to get the words out. With Kristen missing, he realized that he wanted her in a more permanent way, and the thought of her marrying anyone else was intolerable.

  "Is something the matter, Derrick?"

  "What? No. I mean, I wanted you to know about this. I'm sorry." He handed Kristen the documents the inspector had given him.

  Kristen read through them. It seemed that Lord Bentley, or Jason Monroe to be more accurate, was quite the bounder, having been involved in no less than three other scams to steal from wealthy women. She supposed the way she was throwing her money around was going to attract unwanted attention eventually, and she had already guessed there was something decidedly off about the man. He talked too much of himself, but it always sounded rehearsed. Of course, at the time she had just written it off as the fellow not quite measuring up to Derrick.

  "Where did you get this information?" Kristen asked curiously.

  "The inspector from Scotland Yard gave it to me."

  "Well, that is rather interesting."

  "What is?"

  "That he gave the information to you. I should think he would just arrest the man."

  "It seems he has disappeared."

  "I see. Nevertheless, I thank you for the information."

  "You don't seem terribly upset. I thought you would be yelling at me by now."

  "Whatever for?"

  "For ruining your chances with the fellow, of course."

  "I knew long before this conversation that he was not the one for me. In this case, you did not ruin anything."

  Derrick came around the bed and sat down. He took her hands into his and sucked in a deep, steadying breath. "Kristen, I don't know what is going on with you, but I don't want you to marry someone else."

  Kristen smiled. "Well, to be honest, with Ashby dead, there's no rush for me to get married anymore."

  "Really?" Derrick cleared his throat and tried to sound less excited by the news.

  "Well, I don't have any family, so it will have to happen at some point, but there's no longer a rush on the matter. I think I might travel a bit first."

  "What?"

  "I've always wanted to see France this time of year. Or perhaps the Americas. I think that would be lovely."

  "But...but, you're just going to go in the middle of
your season?" The knot in his chest was returning, stronger than ever.

  "Well, I don't see why I should stay. I believe I've had enough excitement for one season, don't you? Besides, my face is rather bruised and by the time it heals properly, the season will be almost complete."

  Kristen repeated the lie easily enough, having become rather adept at telling them. Her face would heal in plenty of time to finish out the season, but Kristen wasn't planning on sticking around that long. Of course, she hadn't expected her goodbyes to Derrick to be so emotional. She had the devil's own time keeping the lump in her throat from choking her up, and when he looked at her with those amber eyes softly glowing, she wanted to rethink her strategy and throw herself in his arms. But, her presence was putting Mel in danger, and if Derrick stayed around her, he was liable to get hurt, as well. She wouldn't have it.

  "I see." Derrick stood up and pulled his gloves on with vigor.

  "Is something the matter?" Kristen noticed the change in his behavior, though she had no idea what had caused it.

  "Nothing at all." He barked.

  She leaned back in surprise at the angry tone in his voice. He couldn't possibly be upset that she was leaving, could he?

  "Why are you upset?" She asked cautiously.

  "Listen, enjoy your travels. As it happens, I'm leaving town as well. I only meant to stop by and see how you were feeling. I'll take my leave and wish you well." He bowed stiffly and left the room.

  Kristen could do nothing but stare after him, and even then, her mouth fell open in surprise. One minute they were friendly and discussing her travel plans rationally, the next he was barging out. She had a sinking feeling it was the last time she was going to see him, and the thought simply broke her heart.

  Mel wasn't long after Derrick. "What's the matter with him? Did you two argue again?"

  "It seems that is all we ever do." Kristen replied quietly.

  Not that she would change a single minute of it as she was rather fond of their verbal skirmishes. But, she didn't like to leave things unsettled either. She was leaving, and she would damn well like to leave on good terms. Though, why that should be relevant to her to begin with, she wasn't sure.

  "Well, perhaps it's best with you leaving and all."

  Kristen looked at Mel sourly. "That doesn't mean I'd like to leave things between us in a bad state."