Vikings' Brides Box Set

by Jessica Knight

  Wait.

  I see her. I see her hand, and she is sinking every second. I don’t bother coming up for another breath. There isn’t any time. I start swimming, kicking as hard as I can. It seems the closer I get, the further she sinks. I can’t get to her fast enough. I push myself more, kick harder, pump my arms, and let the saltwater sting my eyes. It’s hard to believe she is sinking. Even underneath the abyss of all this water, she is gorgeous. Her hair is above her, locks of the red strands spreading out like a halo.

  Her eyes are shut, her face frozen, and her lips are parted. A small bubble escapes those lips.

  I should have kissed her when I had the chance.

  My arm reaches out, my fingers grazing hers, but it still isn’t enough. I kick more and stretch myself until I feel like my shoulder is about to tear from my body.

  But my fingers latch around her wrist. I waste no time pulling her limp body against mine. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I hold her tight to make sure she is secure. With her weight added to mine, we drag. It takes me longer to get to the surface. My vision is getting blurry. I need to breathe, but if I open my mouth, if I dare to open my mouth, water will fill my lungs, and I’ll die.

  She’ll die.

  I can’t allow that to happen. Not when it is my fault she is here.

  Just when I think I’m about to fall into unconsciousness, my head breaks the surface, and I inhale a rough, much-needed breath. Air rushes into me, and I feel relief, but I know it’s not over yet.

  I cough until I can taste blood in the back of my throat. My eyes are like sand, and my muscles ache, but stopping isn’t an option. Not when I see a small island up ahead. I hope I’m not hallucinating because if it isn’t there and I can’t get there within the next few minutes, we are both dead.

  The sea is still a vengeful bitch, coming at me from all angles. We are being battered. Swimming with one arm takes longer, and I pull her along with me. My muscles strain, and my injured shoulder feels like it is about to give out again, but finally, my feet land on firm sand.

  “Yes! Sylvie, we made it. We made it!”

  I swivel her around and place my hands in the middle of her back, but she is limp. Her arms are in the water, and her head is back, not responding to me.

  “Sylvie?”

  I shake her.

  “No, no, no. Sylvie?”

  My legs give out from under me, and my knees land in the sinking sand. I knee walk until we are out of the ocean and covered in sand, but I’m able to lay her flat on the ground.

  “Sylvie?” my voice breaks. Her chest isn’t moving. Why isn’t it moving? What do I do? “What do I do?” I yell, pressing my ear against her chest. I don’t hear a heartbeat. She needs air.

  “Um, right. Air. You need it. I…I don’t know what I’m doing.” I run my fingers through my hair, the wet strands knotted with salt. There’s only one way to get air in her lungs.

  “This isn’t how I wanted to feel your lips,” I whisper, touching her cheek with my fingers. I tilt her head up and open her mouth and breathe my air into her. I try again and again, breathing deeply into her. Her chest rises with every puff, but I’m about to panic because it isn’t working.

  “Goddess, come on. You can’t die like this.” I slap my hand against her chest, harder than I should. I’m about to apologize, but then water spews from between her lips, and she coughs deeply. She rolls to her side and spits out the water. It’s never ending. The amount of water in her lungs, goddess, it’s so much.

  I rub soothing circles on her back. “You’re alive. Thank goddess, you’re alive.”

  “You saved me,” she manages through labored breaths.

  “Shh, don’t talk. Don’t talk. Relax.”

  “The boat,” she rasps.

  I roll my eyes. “Do you not listen? Don’t talk. Relax.”

  “Don’t tell me what to do. Talk to me about what happened.”

  “Isn’t it obvious what happened? The storm wrecked us, and you nearly drowned.”

  “You just had to kidnap me,” she mutters, her hand wrapped around her throat, trying to rub the soreness out of it.

  “You’re welcome, by the way. For saving you. It seems you need to be reminded.”

  “I’m grateful for it. All I’m saying is that it wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t kidnap me.”

  “Goddess, you are infuriating. I don’t think I’ve met a woman more annoying than you. I should have left the water in your lungs,” I say, getting up to walk away from her before I lose my damn mind.

  “Yeah? Maybe you should have,” she shouts from behind me, her light feet padding against the sand.

  I let out an annoyed chuckle. “You’re unbelievable. Stop following me. I need to clear my head. You are so… infuriating.”

  “So are you,” her voice broken and raw from nearly being dead. If it weren’t for me, she would be, but does she notice that? Of course not. She is maddening and needing to place blame. It isn’t my fault the ship sank.

  You did kidnap her.

  “Shut up,” I tell myself.

  “Don’t talk to me like that!”

  She grabs a hold of my arm and spins me around. “You don’t get to talk to me like that. You don’t get to mouth off to me when it is your fault I am in this position. It is your fault that I’m in the middle of nowhere. You. You don’t get to be mad at me. I get to be mad at you. That is how the entire kidnapping thing works. You don’t get to try and manipulate the victim and pretend you are the victim when you’re just a rude brute who thinks he has the right to everything.”

  Goddess, give me the strength not to do something I’ll regret.

  I place my hands on my hips and look toward the sky. The rain is still coming down, but the canopy of trees blocks most of it. A few drops here and there hit me in the face, cooling my heated skin. I’ve never met anyone that gets under my skin like she does. She’s annoying and a pain in my arse. I’ll be glad when this is over.

  She’s right of course, but I could never admit that. Not now. Far too late for that.

  “And another thing, just because you saved my life doesn’t mean I forgive you for taking me from my home and using me. The feud is there for a reason. Alands and Karstens don’t get along. For the longest time, I wondered why, but now I see. You Karsten men think you can just take what you want.”

  “And you Aland women never know when to shut up,” I snarl, backing her into a tree and locking her between my arms. Her chest heaves with every heavy inhale and exhale. Her nipples tent the drenched material of the dress sticking to her body like a second skin. My hands move down to her lean waist, fitting perfectly in the crook between her hips and ribcage. Ah, goddess, she feels so fucking good in my arms.

  “I won’t shut up either. Not until I’m back home,” she says each word with a bite.

  “I hope your father comes to his senses then, but if I were him, I’d be glad to be rid of such a headache.” I push off her perfect body, lean and thick in all the right places. It drives me wild.

  Sylvie’s hands fall to my chest, and she shoves me as hard as she can, letting out a soft grunt. “I do not care if I cause you a headache. You deserve nothing less,” she snaps, crossing her arms underneath her breasts.

  “Well, since you think so little of me, I think I’ll go find shelter, away from you and make a fire to get myself warm. Do you think you can manage it out here by yourself? All alone in the big bad woods?” I step forward, mocking her the best I can.

  “You’re leaving me?” she asks, glancing around the dark tapestry of the trees. “You can’t just leave me when you are the reason that I’m here at all.”

  “Oh, do you need me then? You need a rude brute like me?” I throw her words back at her and watch her lips pinch with anger.

  She takes a step in the other direction and lifts her chin. “I shall be just fine on my own. I don’t need you, or any man for that matter. I’d rather be alone anyway.”

  “Excellent. It’s a
load off my chest,” I growl, giving her my back. I stomp my way deeper in the forest. The voice in the back of my mind screams at me to not leave her alone. I have no clue where we are, but I need a minute to get my head on straight. I’ve never met a more nerve-wracking woman. One minute she is kind, and we are talking, the next she can’t even thank me for saving her life.

  And I’d do it again. I’d never let her die. As much as I don’t want to admit it, she’s the lightning to my damn storm. She brings havoc and chaos, beauty and catastrophe, and she makes me hold on for dear life.

  I don’t want to let go, but I’m not allowed to hold onto a woman whose last name is the same as my worst enemy. With every step I take, my chest loosens, and the anger unclenches around my heart. I’ve never met a woman like her before. So fiery, so full of passion. She hits every button I have in a good way and bad, definitely bad too. She makes me angrier than a damn bull, but she also makes me feel lighter, hopeful, and…

  “I’m just an idiot,” I drawl, knowing everything good I feel doesn’t matter. Once this is over, she is going back home, far away from me. Where she should be.

  We aren’t good for each other. Hell, we would probably be miserable together in this life or a different one. We are too different. Opposites do not attract. Being in the same space as her for more than five minutes makes my teeth hurt from squeezing them together. Who could live the rest of their life like that? No sane man, that’s who.

  Deciding to once and for all get her out of my mind, I take a look around the small island we seem to be stranded on. It’s quiet. If I listen hard enough, there are twigs breaking in the distance. Some small animals, I hope. After the last few hours, a good hunt and a belly full of food is just what I need.

  First things first, I need to make a weapon and find shelter. And I am ignoring the voice in the back of my head that is telling me to go back and get Sylvie, because that is what is best for everyone. And for my sanity.

  Aye, keep telling yourself that.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sylvie

  Is it considered stalking if I have nowhere else to go, and we are the only people on this island? At least, I think—I hope we are. I hide behind a tree, keeping myself far enough away, so he doesn’t know I’m around. Being on the island scares me, and there is no way in the name of the goddess I am going to explore it on my own. I don’t even know how to make a fire. How the hell am I supposed to survive a night without him? I know the answer, I couldn’t.

  So as he walks away from me, I trail behind him, and every time he stops, I duck behind a tree. Trident is different than any man I’ve ever met. He makes me so angry, but in a way that I don’t understand. I’m angry because I feel for him. And I don’t want to feel anything for him.

  And the only way for me to cover my desire for him is acting angry.

  I tiptoe along the trees, watching his lean hips sway left and right, his firm bubble butt stretching his pants. Goddess, I want to grab it and see if it feels as good as it looks. I can’t believe I just thought that. I blush at my own words. I may not want to like him, and slightly despise him, but any woman can see he is very handsome. Even through his wet shirt, I can see the muscles flex in his back. The dip between his shoulders is defined, and when he stretches his arms above his head, his biceps flex, bulging the material.

  I imagine his arms wrapping around me as he holds me in a tight, intimate embrace, our bodies naked and sliding against each other.

  Oh. I swallow and place my hand against my cheek. My face is hot. I suddenly feel feverish, and a hot sweat breaks over my body. He turns his head to the right, his sharp chin slicing through the air. Even his profile is handsome. He doesn’t even have chin fat. How unfair is that?

  His long brown hair is tousled, probably from the urgent swim we had, and him running his fingers through it. He does that a lot. So I’ve noticed, anyway. Anyone would, with how much he does it. I don’t understand what he has over me. Since he kidnapped me, maybe I’ve developed some sort of attachment to him.

  I roll my eyes at myself. That’s a damn lie. I was attached when I saw him at the borderline injured. Something about him pulls me in. I can’t put my finger on it. He is an enigma, and I want to figure out why he makes me feel this way. At the same time, I want nothing to do with him. It’s my battle to fight.

  He plops down on the ground, grabs two rocks and starts hitting one with the other. Curious, I step closer to get a better look. The stones hit together, clanking hard. Sparks fly from the friction. I’ve never seen anything like it before. Soon, one of the rocks is a sharp point, and he picks up a long branch, rips a piece of his shirt off, and ties the sharp arrow to the makeshift pole.

  A weapon. He is brilliant.

  No, no, just resourceful. He isn’t brilliant. He is a big brute who kidnapped me. That’s what I need to keep telling myself.

  His boots crunch under the leaves when he gets up, and he starts on his journey again. I make myself sparse along the trees again, following him as close as I can. I’m not sure how long we walk, but my feet start to hurt, and it is becoming harder and harder to stay silent. I’m tripping over tree roots, and sharp twigs are poking me in the heel.

  We make our way further but are suddenly stopped by a huge stone wall. I could cry. The end of the island. There is nowhere else to go. There must be another side of the island the wall is hiding. We just need to get around it, but I couldn’t right now, not with how much my feet hurt.

  “I know you’re following me,” he comments, not even turning around to double check that it is me.

  I don’t say anything. If I stay silent long enough, he will think he is just hearing things.

  “Don’t play dumb, Sylvie. You’re noisy. Might as well come out now. It’s okay to admit you have no idea how to survive alone, being spoon-fed your entire life,” he says.

  My curiosity quickly turns to anger. Not because he is wrong, but because he is absolutely right, and I hate it. I step out from behind the tree; my teeth grind together from my jaw, sliding back and forth.

  “What? No comeback? Tired already?” he chuckles.

  “Maybe I am. Maybe I’m tired of fighting with you. I just want to sleep. My feet are killing me. I’m not used to this. You are right. I’ve lead a certain life, but I don’t need you reminding me of it. I understand you think I’m horrible and terrible at everything. I’m useless. I’m admitting I need help. Are you happy?”

  I nearly spit the words at him as I stomp forward. I’ll be damned if I ever seem meek and weak. If I’m going to cave in, it’s going to be while I’m spewing fire.

  He meets me half-way with his big boots and leans down. I don’t cower. I keep my chin up and lift my brows as his lips get closer to mine.

  “No, I’m not happy. You may be a pain in my ass, but I never want to hear you call yourself useless again, understand?”

  My mouth drops open in shock, and he bends down a little further, my lips twitching, waiting for him to kiss me. I’m disappointed when his calloused fingers slide under my chin and close my jaw. “Do you understand?” he repeats.

  “Bossy,” I mumble.

  “I asked you a question. Do you understand?”

  “I understand, Trident.”

  “Good.”

  In a quick motion, he picks me up and throws me over his shoulder. I yelp in surprise.

  “What are you doing? Put me down this instant.” Only because his hand is very close to the curve of my rear, and the heat between my legs is beginning to pool from the up close and personal view I have of his butt. It’s so… perky. I want to touch it so bad. I nearly whimper with need.

  No, we don’t like this man, remember?

  Oh, but we do.

  No!

  The battle inside my brain is exhausting.

  “You said your feet hurt. The last thing we need is for you to hurt yourself and slow us down.”

  Disappointment settles in me. I thought he was worried, but he just doesn’t wa
nt me to become dead weight. “Oh, I see.”

  “I saw a cave. We will go to it and stay there until I can build us a boat to get back to the kingdom in.”

  “You can build a boat?” I ask with amazement.

  “I can do a lot of things that you don’t know about,” he says deeply.

  I shiver from the unspoken things he is talking about. I want to ask what sort of things, but I know. I’m sure he has pleased many women in his bed. Another reason why I don’t need to feel a thing for him because that’s just another way I’ll fail in his eyes.

  “Doing things and doing them well are two different things.”

  He laughs. “You are difficult to please, aren’t you?”

  I actually have no idea if I’m difficult to please. I’ve never been pleased, in a sexual sense, so that’s a question that shall remain unanswered. “Only when it comes to you,” I grumble.

  We lapse in an awkward silence, but what isn’t awkward is staring at his butt. He doesn’t know, and what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

  “Alright, we are here.”

  I lift my neck as much as I can, but all I see are tree trunks and part of the night sky.

  “You can put me down.”

  “Stay out here,” he places me on my feet gently. “I need to make sure the cave is safe. Make sure no bears are in there.”

  “Bears!” I shout, taking a step back and peer around him into the cave. It seems never ending. The darkness goes on forever. I gulp. “Like big claws and fangs?” I whisper, my eyes rounding. I jerk my head around to look at my surroundings, but all I see are trees in the dense night. Oh my goddess. Bears could be around us right now. “What if this is their home?”

  He chuckles, and I narrow my eyes at him. He clears his throat and holds my shoulders with his hands. “That’s what I’m going to check. I’ll be back.”

  “No, you can’t leave me out here! You want me to be bear bait? I knew it. You are looking for an easy way to get rid of me.”

  “Right.” I practically hear the eyeroll. “If I wanted to get rid of you, I wouldn’t have kidnapped you. Or rescued you, or let you follow me, for that matter.”