The Heart's Warrior (10 page)

Kerstin’s eyes narrowed on Jonas. How could he

want an unwilling bride? His determination could be nothing more than the desire for vengeance.

Elezer nodded. “It goes against my will to agree, but I will do as the king decrees.”

A low chuckle shook Jonas’s chest. “Be grateful I arrived when I did. If you had proceeded further and taken her, I would have killed you. And your death would have been on her conscience.”

Jonas stepped back, but didn’t sheath his sword. His gaze never left Elezer, who rose to his feet and dusted his clothing. He had dirt and leaves in his hair and looked like a bumbling fool. His shoulders slumped with defeat as he backed away.

“You poor, pitiful ass.” Jonas sneered at him. “To be taken in by a woman’s treachery. Rest assured I won’t allow her to ensnare me with her charm.”

“You won’t harm her, will you?” Elezer asked in a gruff voice.

Kerstin’s heart soared. Though he was no warrior, Elezer cared for her. When others called her a witch and accused her of murdering Bjorn, he had defended her and claimed her innocence.

“That’s no concern of yours,” Jonas replied.

Elezer glared at Jonas. “If you harm even one hair on her beautiful head, I swear by Odin I will kill you.”

Kerstin wanted to sob with anguish. His declaration 62

The Heart’s Warrior

63

touched her deeply.

Jonas sheathed his sword and clapped his hands in applause. “Such compelling words, Elezer. I’m sure you have impressed my new bride with your concern. But ‘tis interesting that you show such regard for her well-being after the many women you have abused.”

Elezer’s mouth lifted in a sneer. His face darkened and he looked like he might charge Jonas again.

Jonas cupped the hilt of his sword. “I wish you would try it.”

Elezer stood still as a statue.

Jonas snorted. “‘Tis well known amongst my men

that you’re a coward, Elezer. A whiner, a cheat and a lecher. How many bastard children have you created over the years, hmm? Kerstin doesn’t know how lucky she is to be rid of you.”

Kerstin glanced back and forth between the two men.

“What does he mean, Elezer? Is this true?”

Elezer lifted a hand. “Of course not. Don’t listen to him, Kerstin. He seeks to discredit me.”

Jonas shook his head with disgust. “Don’t worry,

she’ll be safe in my care. Puny as it is, the king has need of your army to fight the Eirikssons. Your men are to join my father’s army. Upon the morrow, you are to depart for York.”

Elezer’s brow crinkled in a frown and he glanced at Kerstin.

Jonas laughed, the sound cold and hollow. “Come

now, Elezer, don’t be frightened. No doubt you can run and hide in the heat of battle, just like you always do. I pity the warrior assigned to watch your back. It seems he’s always cut down when you desert the field and leave
his
back defenseless.”

Anger darkened Elezer’s face, his eyes blazing with fury. “Elezer, tell him it’s not true.” Kerstin stepped toward him.

“Of course it’s not true!”

Kerstin reached out and took Elezer’s hand,

squeezing it.

“Don’t you fear for yourself, little witch?” Jonas’s voice sliced through the gesture like a blade of Damascene 63

Leigh Bale

steel.

Elezer jerked free of her grasp.

“You won’t kill me. The king won’t allow it.” She jutted her chin, almost daring him to try it.

Jonas’s hand trembled on the hilt of his sword and he lifted it. Had she pushed him too far this time? He seemed to grapple with himself and, gaining control, he lowered the sword again. Kerstin breathed with relief.

He tipped his head and raised an eyebrow. “There

are other ways to punish a woman for disobedience.”

Kerstin’s eyes widened. “Punish me?”

“Aye, a most pleasurable torture.”

Kerstin swallowed, wondering what he meant. Doubt clouded her mind and her pulse skittered. She bristled, hating the idea of being in his power once more. Never had anyone lifted a hand to her in anger, unless she fought in battle. The thought of being whipped rendered her speechless.

64

The Heart’s Warrior

65

Kerstin jutted her chin, praying he didn’t challenge her now. Her knees wobbled and she could barely stand.

Glancing about the forest, she sought a place of refuge. If she could make it to the hills, she knew of a stream that led to a hidden cave she had explored as a child. There was a shallow pond where she could obtain fresh water and fish to eat. She could stay hidden for days, until Jonas and the king gave up this insane plan and left her alone.

Jonas’s eyes smoldered as he stepped closer. An aura of danger surrounded him. Shafts of sunlight filtered through the trees and glistened off his golden hair. Huge and ominous, his chiseled face looked harsh, unrelenting.

As he advanced, he appeared to be a god, potent and dangerous. “Don’t even consider it, Kerstin,” he warned in a low tone. “I would find you.”

She trembled as if he had read her mind.

Elezer turned to leave but Jonas stopped him.

“Elezer, don’t forget the price of adultery. Though the witch is beautiful and could tempt any man beyond his endurance, remember she is mine. I won’t be lenient if I catch you with her again.”

“I’m aware of the law.” Elezer spoke with

resentment. “Though I must give her to you, I do so against my will.”

Jonas took another step, bringing his face into the shadows. Was Elezer a fool to tempt him? Kerstin would never be able to live with herself, knowing she had caused the death of the man she loved.

Jonas gave a chilling laugh, his eyes savage. “I’ll remember to watch my back. When I take Kerstin to my bed, I’ll guard my door, that you don’t try to murder me in my sleep.”

A cruel taunt, the insult made Kerstin furious.

Elezer closed his mouth and remained silent.

65

Leigh Bale

Her hands clenched into fists and she flung her head back to sweep the hair out of her face. “I will
not
wed without benefit of a Christian monk.” She had him now! It could take weeks to find a monk. Jonas would have to travel to York to obtain one. While he was gone, she could escape to Ireland, to her mother’s people in Ulster.

He didn’t respond and his silence filled her with foreboding. When she glanced at Elezer, she caught sight of numerous warriors standing in the pasture not far away. Dressed in full battle gear, they tromped the sweet grass as they waited for Jonas to complete his business.

Without so much as a nod in Kerstin’s direction,

Elezer walked away, leaving her alone with Jonas.

Kerstin stared after her beloved, her heart breaking.

The next instant, she felt Jonas’s hands on her. He picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder like a skein of straw.

Startled by his speed, she screamed and pummeled

his back with her fists. She had ignored the first lesson her father taught her.
Never, ever, take your eyes off the
enemy.

He ignored her actions, walking toward his waiting men. “Put me down.” Strands of hair fell into her eyes, blinding her.

Jonas laughed and cupped her left buttocks. The heat of mortification burned her cheeks.

“Be grateful I didn’t deal your lover a deathblow or cut off your nose and mar your lovely face for adultery.”

“Oh!” She gasped and kicked her legs. “Try it and I’ll cut off your man parts and feed them to the vultures.” She hit him between his shoulder blades, clubbing his injured shoulder by accident.

He grunted and shifted her weight, jarring her hard against his brawny shoulder until her breath left her in a whoosh. Her temples throbbed from trying to keep her head upright.

Jonas walked straight past Elezer’s hall and she saw the questioning looks of his people. He carried her across the steep grade bordering the steading and his men followed as he moved with long strides down the winding trail leading to the quay. When Kerstin saw the clear 66

The Heart’s Warrior

67

waters of the River Tyne right below her, she feared he might throw her in. He had no idea she couldn’t swim.

She screamed, hit, and punched. He didn’t budge, nor utter one word. He was a wall of marble. Jonas the Undefeated.

“I won’t let you kill me without a fight,” she cried.

He had the audacity to laugh and she doubled up her fist and struck his wounded shoulder again, this time on purpose. Cursing, he rewarded her by fondling her buttocks, cupping, squeezing.

Outraged, she tried to bite his neck as his men

laughed.

“Cease, witch!”

Jonas swerved, walking as if her weight were no

hindrance at all. As he moved away from the river, relief swept her. Oh, if only she had her bow and arrows, she would teach them all a harsh lesson.

The dragon prows of three longships filled her view, tall and majestic in their savage beauty.

“Ohh,” Kerstin groaned. No wonder Jonas had

followed her so swiftly to Lade. He traveled by water while she had traversed the hills on foot.

Of course they were Jonas’s ships. They looked like their owner, graceful, sleek, and brutal. His warriors boarded and raised the red-and-green-striped square sails in preparation to leave. The men draped their scarred battle shields over each gunwale, beside each oar hole, to hold them while they rowed.

“Don’t take me on board. You’ll regret it.”

He ignored her, his heels thumping upon the solid oak as he crossed the dock and lifted her over one dragon prow. She hung suspended from his shoulder. Spreading thick tendrils of hair with her fingers, she saw the fierce, scowling faces of his men. They glared at her, their cloaks billowing in the sharp wind, their ocean-eyes glittering from behind their helmets.

Not one familiar face greeted her. Kerstin longed to see her father to appeal to his sense of justice, but the enemy surrounded her. Defenseless without her dagger or arrows, she could do nothing. Indignation burned her cheeks. If he would put her on her feet, she might be able to outrun him. “I’m going to throw up.”

67

Leigh Bale

Jonas laid her on her back on the deck. She sprawled there, dazed and confused for a moment. Then, she scrambled out of his way as he strode past her and went to the elevated platform in the stern. Crouched in a corner, she stared over the side, into the slapping water.

If only she could swim.

“Kerstin, don’t try it,” Jonas said. “I’m an excellent swimmer and I’ll come after you. You won’t escape me again.”

Her head snapped up and she stared at his wide

back. He hadn’t even looked at her when he voiced the words. She wasn’t about to tell him it would be suicide for her to jump into the water. It might give him an idea for torture.

Sitting back, she braced herself against the prow, admitting defeat for now. She would return to Moere and find another way out of this marriage.

There were twenty men aboard, with a like number

in each of the other two ships. Tall, bearded men, their eyes were cruel and ruthless. Their bodies gleamed with metal, armed with knives, war axes, swords and chain mail. Jonas had come prepared to take her by force. Each man lifted an oar as Jonas gripped the tiller.

“Row, men. Take us back to Moere,” he called and the men stroked the oars.

With a blast of energy, their ship surged out into the river and pulled ahead of the others. Kerstin’s stomach lurched with impotent rage and also from the rocking motion.

She swallowed hard, wishing to travel by land

instead of by ship. For some reason it made her ill to sail, much to her father’s and brothers’ consternation. Her people lived by the sea and it seemed an insult to sicken when she rode the waves. She prayed silently to both her father’s and mother’s gods.

Please, don’t let me embarrass myself by throwing up
in front of my enemy.

Her stomach lurched, her throat burned and her

temples throbbed. An unnatural heat suffused her body and she felt clammy. Knowing her prayer would not be heeded, she placed a hand to her mouth and squeezed her legs tight against her chest.

68

The Heart’s Warrior

69

Closing her eyes, she laid her head against her knees to sleep, but it didn’t help. The ship skimmed through the water like an elegant fish. The wind whipped the sails, filled them and sent them speeding onward as the men continued to row.

Saltwater misted Kerstin’s face and she licked her cracked lips. Looking up, she saw scattered clouds in the blue, vibrant sky. Jonas stood tall, his powerful legs spread, one hand guiding the tiller, the other hand riding low on his hip. His face was stony as he stared into the wind, his keen eyes narrowed against the glare of the sun.

It figured he would be at home on a ship. He was a beautiful man to behold. Strong, vibrant, and desirable.

And Kerstin hated him.

The rocking increased. With a muted groan, she

hauled to her feet and rushed for the side.

Several men lunged for her, thinking she meant to jump over. She evaded them, desperate to reach the railing. With whitened knuckles, she clutched the ship and hung her head over, heaving into the lapping waves until her body shook with chills.

Shuddering several times, Kerstin tried to calm her queasy stomach. She lifted her head slowly. Jonas stood beside her, dangling a damp cloth in front of her nose.

Perhaps he wasn’t a complete beast. She took his offering, then held it to her cheeks, cherishing the cool vibrancy that eased her misery.

“For your sake, your illness had better be caused by the river and for no other reason,” Jonas said in a low tone. She groaned and rubbed her grumbling stomach.

“What other reason could there be?”

“I found you in the arms of another man. Do you

carry Elezer’s babe?”

She jerked her head to stare at him, her mouth open in astonishment. “How dare you accuse me of carrying a bastard?”