Destiny of the Heart (Viking Destiny) (32 page)

Derrick stopped, but he was none too pleased about it.
They were delaying him and he needed to find Kristen. If they
stood in his way much longer, he was likely to kill them.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Ben laughed. "I'm
staging a coup. Now, this island and all the people on it are
mine."
Tristan flicked a glance at Derrick. "Listen, Ben. Much
as I'd like to kill you right now, there are bigger things going
on. Step aside."
"I'm well aware of the bigger things. I helped with the
bombs, you know. The Viking's are brutes, but they're not
really bright, know what I mean?" He sneered.
Derrick was livid. He felt the angry heat rise from his
feet to the top of his head and he was certain his eyes were
blazing by now. He would rip them limb from limb and dance
on their graves.
"I'd watch what you say from here on out, Ben. Seems
you've woken the devil." Tristan glanced nervously at his
brother and his jaw dropped open.
Ben and Aron glanced at Derrick, and their jaws
dropped open. Aron dropped his gun and ran. Derrick took a
threatening step toward Ben.
"Stay back! What are you?" Ben's voice cracked in fear.
Tristan watched his brother in fear, and he couldn't
remember the last time he felt genuine fear. Derrick's eyes
had always been a way for people to tell his moods, and
Tristan thought him unlucky in that regard. But, this. This
wasn't natural. Not only were Derrick's eyes glowing, but the
blacks of his eyes had completely disappeared, and his skin
was burning with the same color of the blaze in his eyes. He
was glowing from the inside out, and waves of dangerous rage
were rolling off of him. The fact that he was so quiet, so calm
underneath it, made it all the more frightening. Tristan had
never seen the like.
Derrick took another threatening step. He recognized
the man's fear, but did not register sympathy. This man was
responsible for the explosion that could have killed Kristen. He
had helped the Viking's. He would pay. A very animalistic
instinct took over somewhere in Derrick's mind, and Derrick
lunged for Ben with all the grace of a wild cat. Ben screamed
and raised the gun to Derrick's head, but Derrick swatted it out
of the way. He grabbed Ben around the neck, hopped around
gracefully until he was behind him while still keeping him in
place with an arm at his throat.
Ben screamed bloody murder, and Tristan noted the
man had wet himself. Not that he could blame him. Derrick
was always the dangerous one of the family. In that moment,
Tristan understood Scott's decision to send him away. If he
had stayed, Tristan would have escalated things until Derrick
had reached this point. Somehow, Scott knew what Derrick
was capable of. Tristan watched in horror as his brother
snapped Ben's neck like he was breaking a twig. Ben's lifeless
body slid to the ground and thumped softly as it hit the sand.
The rage consuming Derrick was still there, unquenched, and
Derrick looked at Tristan.
Tristan lifted is hands in surrender. "Derrick, it's me.
You need to calm down so we can find Kristen." His voice was
soft and even.
For a moment, Tristan was scared Derrick was too far
gone, but slowly, the glowing in his skin began to fade. His
eyes still maintained an eerie glow, but the black parts of his
eyes had returned. He seemed to be himself
"Are you back?" Tristan asked hesitantly.
"I would not have hurt you." Derrick said quietly.
Tristan lowered his hands and lifted a brow. "Let's just
say I wasn't willing to put that to the test."
"That's a first." Derrick remarked sarcastically.
"If you had seen yourself, you would understand. "
Derrick remained silent, but motioned for Tristan to lead
the way. They needed to find Kristen. Tristan took the
invitation and they followed the sand until they passed a wide
cliff. At the bottom of the cliff was an opening that fed right into
the ocean, but as they got closer, Tristan stopped abruptly.
"No." He whispered in horror.
Flames licked the side of the cave entrance. Derrick
followed Tristan's gaze and his heart sank. They took off at a
run, a feat that caused Derrick an excruciating amount of pain,
but both men prayed the ship was still intact. When they
reached the entrance, the flames were still burning and black
smoke billowed out. Tristan tried to enter the cave, but Derrick
pulled him back.
"It's gone, Tristan."
"Maybe we can - "
"Leave it, it's gone." Derrick said firmly.
He walked away from the cave entrance and sank
down into the sand, dejected, battered, and miserable. Tristan
joined him and sighed heavily.
"I'm sorry, Derrick."
"It's not your fault." Derrick said, emotion choking him.
"It's not yours either, you know."
Derrick turned to look at his brother. "She is my wife.
My responsibility. You don't know what that's like."
Tristan nodded and Derrick turned his attention back to
the sea. Tristan didn't know what Derrick was going through,
but he had a notion that if someone had absconded with
Chelsea, he would move heaven and Earth to find her. He
knew Derrick would do the same. As they stared out at the
ocean, Tristan swallowed nervously. He hated to bring it up
now, but Derrick needed to know.
"Derrick, when I got to the docks, everything was a
mess." Tristan cleared his throat. "Jesus. They're all dead,
Derrick. There was nothing I could do. Jack, he...he wanted to
help find Kristen. They must have been too close to the ship. I
- "
Tristan stopped when he got a look at Derrick's face,
blank of emotion but eyes glowing dangerously. Tristan
couldn't imagine what his brother must feel like, but he had no
wish to see the monster he had become with Ben and Aron.
"I'm sorry, Derrick."
Derrick remained silent; a million miles away in his
head. He turned back to the ocean and watched as the waves
crashed against the beach. Their only hope now was that
someone would see the smoke all over the island and come to
help.
Chapter 35

It had been more than a month since the explosion at
Tristan's island home had separated her from Derrick. Adrian
had thrown her in a cell below deck, and Alice was chained to
the wall across the room. The two women didn't say much to
one another, each lost in her own thoughts. Most days, it was
all Kristen could do to pick her head up off the ground. With
Derrick dead, there was a deep void in her heart. He had died
without ever knowing how she truly felt about him and that
broke her heart.

But, even if she weren't heartbroken, plans of escape
were damn near impossible. She had never grown up around
other Vikings, but she could see where her strength came
from. The men aboard the ship were more vicious than any
she had ever seen. On their first day aboard the ship, as
Adrian and his goons escorted her to her cell, she watched as
one Viking gutted another because he refused to do his share
of the chores. And they were all as large as trees, and just as
strong from the looks of them. She didn't think she'd be able to
go up against these men like the ones in England.

As she laid on the floor of her cell thinking, the door
opened and a guard walked in with a tray. He gave her a full
loaf of bread with cheese and a goblet of water. Her mouth
watered gratefully, and as the guard slid it through the door,
Kristen snatched it and backed away from his grasp. She
shrank into the far corner of the cell and hunched down
protectively over her meager meal. She didn't know why she
had been given more food this meal, but she wasn't going to
look a gift horse in the mouth, either. What they had been
feeding her would barely keep a rat alive, let alone a human
being. She scarfed down the food and drank greedily from the
water.

The guard watched her, his face expressionless, but
Kristen got the feeling he didn't like the way she was being
treated. She briefly wondered if he might have gotten her the
extra food, and if someone found out, if he might be in trouble
for his efforts. But, she pushed that to the back of her mind.
Whatever his reasons, she was grateful, but she was still a
prisoner by her own people.

He hadn't brought Alice a tray of food, and when
Kristen realized that, she felt guilty for devouring what she'd
been given. But, he walked over to her chains and took them
off the hook that held them above her head.

"Come along. You'll be dining with Adrian tonight." He
said quietly.
Alice moaned helplessly. As she passed Kristen's cell,
Kristen reached out to her. The guard stopped, and Alice
looked at Kristen questioningly.
"I don't think he means you real harm."
Alice laughed in disbelief. "The man is a misogynist.
You've seen him."
"Sometimes we act in ways we don't want to in order to
protect the ones we love." Kristen tried again.
Alice snorted and shook her head. "You are mistaken.
He very much enjoys causing me pain."
Alice looked at the guard as he lead her out of the
room. Kristen sighed as she finished what was left of her
bread and cheese. She didn't think Adrian enjoyed hurting
Alice at all; quite the opposite. But, there was nothing she
could say to make Alice believe that. Only Adrian could prove
it to her, which given the right circumstances, Kristen believed
he would.
The guard didn't return that day, nor for several days
after that. It was perhaps a week before he appeared again,
coming after meals had been served and Alice had nodded
off. He stopped just short of her cell, still shrouded in darkness
so it was hard to see him.
"Are you truly Marie's daughter?" The guard whispered.
Kristen looked at him, trying to discern his expression,
but unable to read anything from him, she nodded by way of
answering his question. With that, the guard disappeared.
Kristen frowned. What in the world had that been about? If he
knew her mother, perhaps he was a friend of the family, but
her mother had never told her there was anyone they could
depend upon back in Norway. But, perhaps it was too great a
risk to speak to her further aboard the ship.
The rest of the voyage went without incident. The guard
who had brought her food never came back, and she hadn't
received as much food from any of the other guards, either.
Each night, guards came and took Alice to dine with Adrian,
and each night she returned with a bloody nose or a split lip.
Kristen shook her head sadly, knowing it was killing Adrian to
have to punish her, but at the same time, wishing he would be
a man and step up to defend the woman he loved.
At the end of the journey, when a contingent of guards
came for Kristen, she was weak and dejected. Her skin was a
pale gray from being locked away so long, and she felt
feverish and cold at the same time. When one of the guards
unlocked her cell, another came in and immediately grabbed
her arms and shoved them behind her back. He tied her
wrists tightly with rope, and she could feel the material digging
into her skin. She didn't care. She'd lost everything anyway, so
why bother? She let them lead her through the cell door and
above deck where they had docked.
The bright sunlight stung her eyes, and she hissed
softly as she closed her eyes and turned her head away. The
guard behind her shoved her roughly and she stumbled, falling
to the deck. With her hands behind her back, she had no way
of catching her fall, so her chin slammed into the wood and
slid several inches, rubbing it raw. The guard lifted her by her
arm and set her on her feet, but didn't care that she was
injured. He nudged her, firmly but not quite as hard this time.
She walked forward, her chin stinging.
When they reached the side of the ship where they
would dismount, another guard helped her up and got a rough
shove from the guard behind her. She watched them stare
each other down, and for a moment, thought they might fight.
But, the guard who had brought her food stepped forward and
the two men separated. He looked at Kristen and frowned at
the blood on her chin.
"What happened?" He asked sharply.
The one who helped her over the side of the ship spoke
up. "Evans pushed her."
The one called Evans gave him a scathing look that
promised a bloody nose, but it was quickly quelled by the look
he was getting from the one who asked the question.
"Evans, what part of your orders were unclear? The girl
is to be unharmed."
Evans swallowed visibly, but put as much bravado into
his speech as he could muster.
"What's the big deal? She's rebel scum." He spat at her
feet.
Kristen looked at him with loathing in her eyes. The
head guard backhanded Evans and knocked him to the
ground.
"The king wants her alive and unharmed. It is not our
place to question his reasons. Do you understand?"
The guard was huge. Kristen hadn't actually noticed it
before because it was dark and he didn't seem to be
threatening her. But, in the light, she got a good look at him.
He was at least seven feet tall, with broad shoulders and finely
honed, muscular arms. He looked like he lifted trees to keep in
shape. But, he was handsome with fair blond hair that fell to
his shoulders and bright blue eyes. In fact, most of the men on
the ship had blonde or red hair with blue or green eyes. She
guessed it was a trademark of her heritage. And while the
guard was certainly imposing, she didn't feel threatened by
him. That was strange. What the devil was going on?
Evans remained where he was on the ground and
bowed his head in deference. From what she could gather,
their ranks were determined by who was the most capable in
battle. All of them looked to be giants to her, but she could
certainly tell that the others were afraid of the one who had
brought her food. He stepped closer to her.
"My name is Finn." He said gruffly.
He walked her down the plank and they were several
paces in front of the rest of the men before Kristen spoke.
"Thank you." She said so quietly only Finn could hear.
"You should not be here." He whispered back.
She looked at him from the corner of her eyes. He was
tense, watchful.
"I didn't ask to be here. I had a life, but it was
destroyed." Her words were laced with pain and Finn looked at
her with pity for a brief moment, then schooled his features
into a mask.
"Listen to me. If you want to live, you must do what the
king tells you. Otherwise, he will order you killed. Your family
was driven from these lands, from their rightful place as rulers
of the Vikings. But, the man who leads us now is not
forgiving."
"Why are you telling me this?" Kristen asked.
"Not all of us follow him blindly."
"Then you should stand up for yourselves."
"It is not that simple, princess."
"I'm not a princess. That life was before I was born."
Kristen replied heatedly.
Finn looked at her briefly, then returned his gaze to the
walk ahead. He remained silent the rest of the way to the
carriage that awaited them. Finn, herself and another guard
sat in the carriage while the rest of the guards followed on
horseback. Orders were given to the driver to head to the
palace. Many of the guards gave her curious stares, or
downright hateful glares. She was either revered or hated. Not
sure what to make of it all, she kept quiet and looked out the
window as she had seen nothing of her homeland, though her
mother had tried to describe it.
Kristen found her mother's meager descriptions simply
did not do the countryside justice. The trees were a vibrant
green, the ocean a deep blue. And, there was sun. Not that
there wasn't sun in London on occasion, but for the most part
it was drab and dreary. One got used to it, but Kristen couldn't
help but be drawn to the beauty of Norway. There were rolling
hillsides with farms that looked prosperous. They must have
rebuilt after the war that had driven her family away. But, she
wasn't naive enough to believe that this prosperity came
without a price.
Kristen was struck by the fact that there were so many
bright colors there, not like London where the only colors one
got to see where all of the different dresses in a ballroom. It
wasn't the same. Norway's countryside was beautiful and
beckoning. She briefly wondered what was in store for her,
and if it would require her to stay.
Finn watched Kristen as she stared out of the window.
He could tell she was falling in love with the countryside. That
was good. The people of Norway had been waiting for her to
return and save them from the awful oppression they faced
under the new rule. Once Norway had been a prominent
country and the Vikings prospered. Now, all that remained
was the misery of wishing for the days of old. Finn had been
Marie's best friend growing up. His father was Master of the
Guard, so Finn studied and played with Marie as children. As
they grew up, they found themselves in love and, despite
being initially promised to another, her father had granted him
the status of crowned prince so that they could marry.
Marie never told him he had a daughter. She must have
been pregnant when she left, and she didn't tell him because
she knew he would have followed her. He was needed there
in Norway to protect their people until they returned, but his
heart had always felt he'd made the wrong decision. He
should have gone with Marie. And now, here sat his daughter.
Just as beautiful as her mother, and quite possibly as fierce as
her father.
There was great pain in Kristen's eyes though, and Finn
wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his arms and
promise that everything would be alright. But, he couldn't. He
was watched constantly. The tyrant who attacked the royal
family and drove them from their home knew exactly who he
was. It was best if Finn kept his distance and didn't let Kristen
know that he was her father. It was safer for her.