Destiny of the Heart (Viking Destiny)

by K. Young

  Adrian pounded into her, faster and harder than he had before. A need to possess her came over him and he wanted nothing more than to make her happy. When Adrian couldn't contain himself any longer, Alice screamed in release and grabbed onto his arms. Her eyes flew open in surprise and Adrian rode the wave with her, his seed spilling into her body for a second time. He panted as he leaned his forehead against hers, and he savored the feeling of her hands on him.

  Alice had never felt so satisfied in her life, and she didn't want that feeling to end. She didn't want this Adrian to leave her, or reality to creep in. Instead, she wrapped her legs around his waist and held him to her. He didn't seem inclined to move anyway, and the two stayed that way, unmoving and quiet for a long time.

  Chapter 38

  It took Guy's ship another month to reach the ports of Oslo. They sailed in under the guise of travelers seeing the world, and were welcomed with open arms by the locals. Derrick had never seen men so large before, but didn't think it would matter when it came to Kristen's life. He had to find a way to get to the palace.

  Their first night there, everyone split up and went to gather as much information as they could, agreeing to meet at the local inn later that night to discuss what they found. Derrick went to the docks and found a boxing club, which he knew he would, and decided to try his luck there. Perhaps some of the palace guards did a little exercising in the club. But, when he walked inside, he was a little surprised by what he saw.

  Boxing in England was certainly different than it was in Norway. He stood on the side lines and watched as the giant men in the ring wailed on one another with everything from punches to spinning kicks. It certainly put Kristen's training into perspective.

  "Clearly you're not from around here." A gruff voice said next to Derrick.

  Derrick turned and gave him a smile. "What gave me away?"

  "The dark hair."

  Derrick chuckled. The guy pointed to the fighters in the ring.

  "Ever fight like that, Englishman?"

  "No. But, I haven't done a lot of traveling before this trip." It was an easy lie, one designed to make the man feel more comfortable.

  "Do all Englishman lie, or is it just you?" The guy cocked a brow knowingly.

  Derrick was taken aback. How the devil had he known Derrick was lying?

  "I beg your pardon?"

  The man grabbed Derrick's hand and lifted it to show Derrick the fine scars from the many scrapes he'd been in.

  "A man with hands like yours has traveled plenty."

  Derrick conceded with a smile. "Very well, I've traveled a little."

  The man looked at Derrick as though he could see right through him. It was a bit unnerving, and now that Derrick looked at the guy, he had to be at least seven feet tall. And the man was as wide as he was tall, so none of that made Derrick too excited to continue the conversation. But, for whatever reason, the Viking giant continued talking to him.

  "You're here about the girl, aren't you?"

  Derrick's head snapped up, and though he tried not to show it, there was eagerness in his voice.

  "What girl?"

  "I definitely think Englishmen are the worst liars. Name's Finn." He offered his hand to Derrick, who took it reluctantly.

  "Derrick."

  "Derrick Shane?"

  Derrick narrowed his eyes. "Yes."

  Finn laughed. "Don't look so suspicious. She talks about you in her sleep."

  "Do you know where Kristen is?" He asked quietly.

  Finn tilted his head to the side. "Do your eyes always glow like the fires of hell?"

  Derrick ground his teeth. Clearly this man had knowledge of where Kristen was, but for whatever reason he was dancing around the subject. Finn noticed his frustration and clapped his shoulder, rather hard Derrick noted, though he didn't think Finn had meant it to be.

  "She's safe. It's just not a good place to discuss it."

  "Where then?"

  "Patience."

  Finn sauntered over to the ring and climbed in as another Viking entered from the other side. Whoever that other Viking was, he did not look happy to be paired with Finn. Not that Derrick could blame him, Finn was a veritable mass of solid muscle and the smaller Viking was more likely to break his fist punching Finn. When the fight began, Derrick's suspicions that it was best to err on the side of caution where Finn was concerned were proved correct.

  Finn beat the Viking to a bloody pulp without even breaking a sweat. The bell sounded, signaling the fight to begin, and the smaller Viking quickly advanced hoping to catch Finn off-guard. Finn slammed his fist into the man's face and then quickly elbowed him in the temple. He leaned down and picked the smaller Viking up by the front of his shirt and slammed his other fist into the smaller Viking's mouth. Blood sprayed the front of Finn's shirt, but he didn't seem to notice. He bared his teeth and roundhouse kicked the smaller Viking, sending him stumbling across the ring in a dizzy whirl. The smaller Viking tried to get his bearings, but Finn had a vendetta that would not be quenched without blood. He charged the smaller Viking and kneed him in the stomach, then followed through with an uppercut to the chin that toppled the smaller Viking and knocked him unconscious.

  A raucous cheer went up around the watching crowd. Derrick looked around and clapped with the others before returning his gaze to Finn, who was already climbing out of the ring. He strode over to Derrick and gave him a sneaky grin. It was rather infectious, and despite the unnecessary violence of their style, Derrick returned the grin with a sense of admiration for Finn's skills. A new challenger climbed into the ring and danced around, getting the crowd excited. Finn grunted in disgust, but kept whatever comments he had about the man to himself. Derrick sensed that Finn was honorable and would not speak ill of his fellow Viking to an outsider.

  "Let's have a little fun, shall we boys? There's a fancy nabob of an Englishmon here tonight. Shall we invite him in and see what he's made of?" The ox in the ring looked directly at Derrick.

  Finn groaned, but again didn't say anything. Derrick instinctively knew that if Finn stepped in for him in any way, it would be a mark of dishonor and Derrick would no longer be welcome. So, Derrick shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it on an empty chair behind him. He was fairly certain he was going to get blood on his shirt, but that couldn't be helped. He walked to the ring with an easy, unconcerned gait, which of course had the crowd laughing and booing him. They had been excited at the prospect of seeing an Englishman beaten to a pulp. Derrick didn't feel like obliging them their fun.

  He climbed in the ring and faced his opponent, rolling his shoulders. The Viking jumped around and grinned like a hungry wolf. Derrick wasn't sure of the rules, but he had to guess there were none. No officiator seemed to call out the matches, they just started when the bell rang, and stopped when one of them fell down. The Viking advanced on Derrick quickly. He came in for a jab to the mouth, but Derrick's smaller frame was quicker and he bounced out of the way, jabbing the Viking in the ribs instead.

  The Viking growled and spun around, coming in for an attack. Derrick ducked and came up with an uppercut, but the Viking expected that, so he kicked Derrick across the ring. Derrick felt as if he had been hit by a brick wall. The force and power behind that kick was stronger than anything he had ever felt before. He picked himself up, but was still struggling to take a breath when the Viking was there, shoving a fist into his face. The crowd erupted in applause and shouting.

  Derrick rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding a stomp from the Viking, and bounced up. He realized he needed to stop thinking like himself, and start thinking more like Kristen. She was rather adept at fighting men much larger than herself, so what would she do in this situation? Derrick grimaced. He hated to do it, but when the Viking advanced, Derrick kicked him solidly in the groin. When the Viking doubled over in pain, Derrick took the opportunity to knee him in the face and then swung a left hook across his temple. The kick to the face busted the Viking's nose, and the punch to the head knoc
ked him unconscious.

  It took several moments for the crowd to realize what had just happened; a tiny, although Derrick hardly agreed with that estimation of himself, Englishman had just knocked out one of their own. There was laughter and jeers all around, several of them offered to buy him drinks, but to Derrick's surprise, no one jumped in and offered to defend the fallen Viking's honor. Finn made his way through the crowd and separated the ropes so Derrick could climb out.

  "Alright, that's enough out of the lot of you. Someone take Evans to get cleaned up, will ya?" His voice was commanding, and no one questioned his authority.

  Derrick climbed through the ropes and grabbed his jacket to follow Finn out of the club. The night air was cool after the exercise, and Derrick wasn't nearly as bad off as he thought he'd be though his lip was busted again and his broken rib ached where he'd been kicked.

  "That was a brave thing you did, Englishman. Going up against a Viking twice your size."

  Derrick shrugged. "You were testing me. Now, where is she?"

  Finn smiled. "If you care for her so much, why did you lose her in the first place?"

  "I didn't lose her. We were attacked, and she was taken."

  "You seem fine."

  "Hence the reason I'm here." Derrick's tone reflected his annoyance with the line of questioning.

  He already felt guilty enough on his own, he didn't need this giant's opinion. But, Finn did seem to know Kristen's whereabouts, so Derrick was trying not to lose his patience.

  Finn grunted. "What is she to you?"

  "She's my wife."

  Finn's head snapped around, and he looked at Derrick in surprise. His brows knitted together, and he turned his attention to the path ahead of them. Derrick frowned.

  "Something wrong with that?"

  "Yes and no. Do you know who she actually is?"

  "Yes."

  Again, Finn was surprised. "Then, you can understand my concern. If she reclaims the throne, not many Vikings would be pleased to have a king that is half their size."

  Derrick laughed. "I don't mean to belittle your concerns, Finn, but from everything I know about Kristen, she is not keen on the idea of reclaiming the throne."

  "But, she must. It is her destiny."

  "Good luck telling her that. She's as stubborn as they come, my friend."

  Finn seemed truly concerned about all of this and Derrick had to wonder what was going on. And where they were going. Finn was leading him out of town.

  "Where are we going?"

  "You will see."

  "Not thinking of killing me to try and keep her for yourself, are you?" Derrick said defensively.

  Finn stopped abruptly and rounded on Derrick, anger sparking in his blue eyes. "Her safety has always been, and will always be, my chief concern. Now, I suggest you keep quiet and follow me if you wish to see her. Otherwise, return to your ship and go home."

  Derrick lifted a brow. Finn was an intimidating man for his size, but when it came to Kristen, Derrick would not be intimidated or told to leave. He took a step closer to Finn and narrowed his eyes.

  "Don't think that just because you are taller in frame that I'm scared of you, Viking. Save your idle threats for someone who gives a damn."

  The two stood there and stared each other down, neither willing to step away first. Finally, Finn took a step back and smiled.

  "She has chosen well for herself. That is good. Come."

  With that, Finn turned down a narrow path. Derrick frowned but followed. He wasn't sure what he thought of the Viking who had twice now tested him and his loyalty to Kristen. But, the path Finn lead him on was twisted and full of sharp rocks. It certainly wasn't the kind of terrain his Hessian boots appreciated. However, he wouldn't say anything to the Viking even if it killed him. He followed Finn through a densely wooded area and again wondered if Finn's intention was to kill him.

  Finally a clearing broke in the wooded area, and there was a path along the stream that Finn stuck to. Derrick looked around and noticed the palace wasn't far from where they were, but they weren't headed to the front door. Derrick frowned.

  "Is Kristen in some kind of trouble here?"

  "Did you think she would not be after her family was run from these lands almost twenty years ago?"

  "But, you said she was safe."

  "She is, for the time being. Perhaps you can talk some sense into her."

  "What do you mean?" A sense of dread settled in Derrick's stomach.

  "You will see."

  Derrick was not much of a talker on his best days, but Finn was certainly a man of few words. Yet even with those few words, Finn managed to speak in riddles and Derrick was already worried. He sighed through his nose and continued after Finn in silence. They finally came to the side of the palace where the water ended, and up the hill was a locked door. Finn took out the key, looked around carefully, and then unlocked the door. He ushered Derrick inside and closed and locked it behind him.

  "From this point on, it would be best if you were silent."

  Derrick nodded his understanding and Finn led him through a maze of hallways and stairwells. Finally, they came to a stairwell that led them down to the dungeons. Derrick stiffened at the realization that Kristen was being held prisoner, but he remained silent. At the bottom of the stairs, Finn took a left and followed a long corridor to the back, then took a right down another long corridor. Derrick noticed the number of cells had rapidly decreased in this section of the dungeon and guessed they were keeping her secluded from the other prisoners.

  At the end of the hall, Derrick noticed a man standing in front of a cell. Finn tensed, so Derrick stopped moving and stayed hidden behind Finn's body.

  "Your highness, forgive my intrusion." Finn bowed, and Derrick ducked with him.

  Nikolas started. "Ah, Finn. I didn't realize you would be coming down here this evening."

  "I will leave, your majesty."

  "No, no. It's quite alright. I was done here anyway."

  Derrick didn't like the sound of that and tensed himself. He was ready to spring and attack whoever this was, but Finn snaked a hand around and grabbed Derrick's wrist in an iron grip. Derrick didn't move, but he was seething inside.

  Nikolas swept past Finn but did not notice Derrick behind him. He strode from the hallway and left the same way Finn and Derrick had come in.

  Finn kept his grip on Derrick's wrist until he heard the door to the stairwell leading up slam shut behind the prince.

  "That was incredibly foolish. The crowned prince is an ally."

  "I didn't like the way he said he was finished here." Derrick said sullenly and snatched his wrist back.

  "Derrick?" Kristen's voice was hopeful.

  "Kristen." Derrick rushed around Finn and ran the length of the hall.

  Kristen was at the cell door, reaching her arms out, a bright smile on her face. Derrick grabbed her hands but looked back at Finn.

  "Can you open this door? I want her out of here."

  Finn stepped forward and opened the door. Kristen squeezed Finn's hand affectionately and then rushed into Derrick's arms.

  "Derrick, I thought you were dead. They told me they killed you. Please tell me I'm not dreaming."

  "You're not dreaming. I'm never letting you out of my sight, do you hear?" He said, emotion choking him.

  He rubbed his hands over her hair, smoothing it back from her face. Satisfied, he kissed her softly on the lips. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held on for dear life. Finn cleared his throat.

  "You must go. Quickly."

  "Come with us, Finn." Kristen pleaded.

  Finn wanted to. He wanted to know his daughter, but if he left a lot of other people would be punished.

  "I cannot."

  "Yes you can. We can come back for the others."

  "There are things you do not understand, Kristen."

  "Explain them to me."

  Finn was torn. He still thought it best if she didn't know who he was. But, if he told
her, perhaps she would come back to help. It was a hard decision, but he still wanted to protect her in any way he could.

  "I cannot."

  Kristen narrowed her eyes and her lips thinned into a straight line.

  "Then I'm not leaving." She crossed her arms defiantly over her chest.

  "What? Yes, you are." said Derrick.

  "You must leave, it is the only way." Finn added.

  Kristen stepped away from both men. She wasn't an idiot, she had figured out who Finn was, though she didn't understand why her mother had lied to her about it. She wasn't about to leave her father behind and possibly in trouble with her disappearance. Nikolas had seen him, and though she believed he was trying to help, a part of her still didn't trust him. Caution was a necessary evil in this case.

  "I'll not be told what I can and can't do by the likes of either of you. Now, either you come with us, or I don't leave. I won't have you in trouble for my disappearance, and we can come back in a stronger position to save the others. The king and I have unfinished business anyway."

  Kristen was still seething about him punching her. She had been down in the dungeon for a month with nothing but bread and water to sustain her, though from time to time, Nikolas would sneak her some meat and cheese. He told her that the king intended to keep her down there until her willfulness broke. He estimated two weeks of nothing but bread and water would be enough, but when he sent for her and she had given the guards some rude gestures, the king decided she needed a couple more weeks. Nikolas told her the king intended to visit her personally in the morning to see how she was doing.

  "Kristen, we do not have time for this." Finn hissed.

  "I'm well aware of that. Nevertheless, either you're coming with us, or I go back in there until you agree to come."

  "Why are you pushing this?" Finn didn't understand.

  He knew why he was attached to her, but she didn't know him. He had given her no reason to be attached. But, he couldn't bear the thought of her being here any longer, not with what the king had planned for her tomorrow. When Finn heard about the Englishman in town, he hoped it was the one Kristen spoke of in her sleep. He turned to Derrick now and implored him.