The Pagan's Prize (32 page)

Those were the worst times. Lying alone in that huge
bed, her fears seemed to run away with her, the same awful questions tumbling
over and over in her mind.

What was the future going to bring? Would her father
win, or Yaroslav? She felt herself a traitor for even thinking that her father
might lose, but what if he didn't? What if Rurik was captured and taken
prisoner, or, even worse, killed during the battle?

"No, no, no!" Zora spun from the window, her
heart slamming like a battering ram against her breast. Suddenly she was
breathing so hard, she thought she might faint.

Groping for a nearby chair, she sat down and dropped
her head to her hands, waiting dazedly for the sensation to pass. She thought
she heard a door open but she couldn't be sure, and she felt too dizzy to raise
her head.

"Nellwyn?"

Now she heard footsteps rushing toward her, but they
weren't those of a woman. She did not have to look up to know it was Rurik who
sank to his haunches beside her.

"Zora, what's wrong?"

"Nothing . . . I'm fine," she murmured,
daring to lift her head and meet his eyes that were filled with as much concern
as his voice. To her relief, the sensation of dizziness was rapidly fading. "I
felt a little light-headed . . . but it's almost gone."

"By Thor, woman, you've been working yourself too
hard!" said Rurik with more vehemence than he had intended, but unable to
help himself for how pale she was. His reaction to this alone only reinforced
the depth of his love for her. To see her so was like a sword thrust to his
heart. "I was thinking only this morn that you've taken on too many
duties, too fast. Usually you wake when I leave the bed but today you slept on
as if one dead."

"Perhaps that was due more to how late you kept me
awake with your demands, husband," she said softly, sitting up straight in
the chair as if to show him that she was feeling better. "I would swear
you possess the appetite of ten men, or at least five very greedy ones."

Reassured as much by the sparkle returning to her eyes
as her teasing tone, Rurik felt a swell of emotion in his chest that was very
difficult to contain. It was all he could do to tell himself that he had only
to wait one more day, just one more day, before he could allow himself to
believe that she harbored no desire to escape.

"I heard no complaints last night, Princess,"
he countered huskily, thinking that if not for his wretched past, he might have
already surrendered to the heated emotion he had glimpsed time and again in
those stunning blue depths. Yet some small part of himself still had to be
convinced. He had refused for so long to put faith in any woman that his fear
of betrayal was almost as strong as the love he carried in his heart.

"In fact if memory serves," he added,
reassured further by the saucy tilt of her chin, "I think it was you who
coerced me into another—"

"Coerced?" Zora broke in, grateful to be
feeling more like herself with each passing moment. Nor was it hard to push all
troubling thoughts to the furthest recesses of her mind with Rurik now smiling
at her so roguishly. "I only kissed you where you told me you liked to be
kissed . . . oh!"

Rurik had risen to his feet and pulled her into his
arms so suddenly that her head spun all over again. Yet this time it was
wonderfully different.

"If our conversation continues on its present
course, lady, I may forget why I came here and seek some other diversion than
the one I had intended."

"Why did you come here?" asked Zora,
delighting in the sheer strength of his arms as he held her close and the
masculine smell of him. "You're usually with your men at this hour."

"I decided to leave Nils in charge for the rest of
the afternoon. It's a beautiful day, the warmest one yet, and I thought you
might enjoy a swim. I know I'd like one."

"A swim?" Zora pulled back a bit to eye him
suspiciously. "If you're planning to get me into that tub of yours again—"

His resonant laughter silenced her and she stared at
him in confusion, wondering what he might be plotting.

"Not the tub, Princess. I've a favorite place I'd
like to show you outside the compound, especially now after finding you as I
did. Fresh air and a break from your labors will do you good."

"But I don't know how to swim," she said, a
niggling of fear pressing in upon her. "The one time I tried, Hermione held
me under by the hair . . ." She shuddered. "If I hadn't scratched her
legs, I wouldn't be here today."

"By Odin, if I ever meet that woman," swore
Rurik, having heard enough tales of Hermione's jealous abuses in the last two
weeks to turn his stomach at the slightest mention of her name. Sensing Zora's
apprehension, he hugged her more tightly.

"You may not agree with me, but I think that's all
the more reason you should learn. I'm an excellent swimmer, Zora, so you have
nothing to fear. I'd be with you every moment." Feeling her stiffen
despite his assurances, he gently stroked her cheek. "It's a lovely spot,
Princess. I know you would like it. Let me show it to you."

"But Nellwyn is bringing me some dinner, and then
I promised Yakov that we'd go over our lists again—"

"Yakov can check the lists without you,"
Rurik said firmly, although he was encouraged by Zora's concern for the details
of her trip to Novgorod . . . a promising sign that sent his pulse racing. "I
already spoke to Nellwyn on my way over here from the cooking house, where I
picked up some food to eat after our swim. Now what do you say?"

Staring into Rurik's eyes, Zora felt her reservations
fading in the sudden wave of hope that swept over her.

He was being so insistent. Surely it must be for some
special reason, for he had never before left the training field early to spend
time with her. Dear God, please may it be so! If she at least had some words of
love to reassure her before he left, maybe his absence wouldn't seem so bad . .
.

"Very well," she murmured, suddenly both
excited and nervous. "But if I decide when we get there that I don't want
to swim—"

"I would never force you, Zora." He kissed
her then so tenderly that it took her breath away, her hope flaring all the
brighter.

***

The winding stream they had followed was beautiful, Zora
couldn't deny it, but no more so than the spot where Rurik finally halted their
mount. At its narrowest point, much of the tumbling water had been dammed by
huge craggy boulders that looked as if they had been strewn there by some giant's
hand, forming a glistening pool that was framed by deep green firs of majestic
beauty.

"I call this place Thor's Grove. Do you like it?"

"It's lovely," she said as Rurik slid from
the saddle and lifted her to the ground.

"I haven't been here since early April, right before
I left on my mission." Still clasping her waist, Rurik looked around him. "The
snow was thick then . . . almost as high as that small pine."

Following his gaze, Zora couldn't help asking, "Who
came out here with you that time?"

He met her eyes, a curious smile upon his lips. "No
one, Princess. I've never brought anyone here before."

Her breath suddenly jammed in her throat, Zora had no
idea how she should respond but Rurik solved her dilemma by taking her hand and
leading her to the mossy bank. Bending on one knee, he glided his hand across
the sparkling, sunlit surface.

"Hmmm, it may not be warm enough for you. Why don't
you try it and tell me what you think?"

Zora kicked off her slipper and stuck her toe
tentatively in the water. "It's not that cold," she pronounced. Then
startled to see some small, silvery blue fish dart by, she grew doubtful. "It
looks deep."

"No more than a few inches above my head near the
middle—"

"Then a good foot and a half above mine."
Zora backed away. "I don't know, Rurik . . ."

"If it will make you feel better," he said,
grabbing her hands to stay her retreat, "I'll make sure your head stays
above water. You must trust me, Zora. I would never let anything happen to you."

Here he was telling her to trust him! Zora wished that
she had the courage to demand of him the same thing. Yet his promise had done
much to sway her reluctance. Her nod was greeted by a broad grin, and he
released her to begin stripping off his clothes.

"Are you sure no one will see us?" she asked
uncertainly, glancing behind her. To reach the stream, they had ridden past
tilled fields being tended by slaves and, farther out, cleared pasture where
cattle and sheep were grazing under the watchful eyes of armed shepherds ever
alert for thieves. She still remembered her surprise when she had found out
from Yakov during her tour of the domestic buildings that the compound wasn't
wholly surrounded by forest.

"We're out too far," said Rurik as he pulled
off his boots. "I told you before I would never risk another man glimpsing
your beauty, Zora." In moments, he had yanked off his trousers to stand
naked before her but for his gold earring, his battle-hardened body a burnished
golden brown in the bright sunlight.

Her heart suddenly beating faster, Zora found she could
not stop staring at him, and still she hadn't made a move to take off her own
clothing.

"This happens so often, Princess, my undressing
before you do, that I'm beginning to think you like for me to help you.

"Perhaps I do," she said playfully, breaking
her gaze from his formidable physique to look into his eyes. "You've quite
a knack with women's clothing, husband."

With a low growl he drew her roughly toward him, his
hands expert as he divested her of every stitch. Then he enfolded her in his
arms, not to hug her as she had thought but to sweep her from her feet.

"It will be easier this way," he said as he
began to walk into the pool, the water quickly rising from his knees to his
hips. Zora gasped, feeling the cold upon her bare bottom, but she shrieked when
he suddenly seemed to step off a ledge, the water now covering her to her chin.

"I—it's freezing!" she cried, her teeth
chattering.

"But not as ice-cold as the tub."

"N-no," she agreed, wondering how far into
the pool Rurik planned to go. He seemed to be drawing ominously close to the
middle. "S-should you w-walk out any m-more? It—it might g-get too deep."

"I doubt it. The water seems shallower this year—"

Suddenly Rurik slipped as if the bottom had plummeted
from beneath his feet. Zora flung her arms around his neck, terrified.

"Easy, Princess," he soothed her, swimming
effortlessly with her back the way they had come. "It's not as shallow as
I had thought, but at least I know where the drop-off is." Finding his
footing, he stood again, his broad shoulders above the water, his tanned skin
beaded with moisture. "Now I want you to hold my hands like this"—tugging
her arms gently from his neck, he interlaced his fingers with hers— "and I'm
going to push you out just a little—"

"Rurik . . ."

"Trust me, Zora, I'm right here with you. Now kick
your legs."

In her panic, she kicked so vigorously that water flew
high into the air and all around them. Rurik began to laugh.

"Easy, Princess, or we won't have enough water in
this pool to swim back to shore."

Gradually Zora was able to relax and encouraged by
Rurik's patient coaching, teasing, and coaxing, she grew braver and even let go
of his hands a few times to attempt swimming on her own. It was a bit
embarrassing, for she must hardly appear graceful flailing her arms and legs
about. But if Rurik thought her ungainly he said not a word.

He didn't let her rest until she had tried swimming not
only on her stomach but her back, then as if sensing her limbs were growing
tired, which they were, he drew her back to shallower water that came only as
high as her breasts. Staring at her lingeringly, he nonetheless released her
and moved backward a few steps.

"My turn," he said with a smile. Before she
could answer, he dived away from her so cleanly that he left scarcely a ripple
behind him.

"Rurik?"

She rolled her eyes at herself. Of course he couldn't
hear her, yet when was he going to come up for air? It felt so strange to be
standing there with no other sounds around her than the breeze whooshing
through the trees and the water rumbling between the gap in the boulders . . .

He must have read her anxious thoughts for he burst
above the mirrorlike surface at that moment and began to swim with long,
powerful strokes from one end of the pool to the other. Wondering how many of Rurik's
lessons it would take before she might be able to swim so expertly, Zora felt a
pall drift over her enjoyment. Would there be many more lessons before he left
with his men? Would she ever come here with him again?

Heartsick, Zora watched as Rurik dived once more, but
this time the sun was so bright upon the water she couldn't see where he had
gone. Standing in place, she began to circle slowly, looking for him and
feeling so terribly alone

"Oh . . . !"

Zora couldn't have been more surprised when he suddenly
broke through the surface right in front of her, and grabbing her around the
waist, he lifted her high from the water, his laughter resounding all around
them.

"By Odin, a river nymph!" Rurik exulted,
lowering Zora back down to face him. Expecting to find her smiling, he couldn't
have been more startled to find that she had burst into tears.

Chapter 24

"Zora? By God, little one, I didn't mean to
frighten you . . ."

Hugging her close, Rurik was totally at a loss. Her
slender body was shaking with sobs, and feeling her beginning to shiver, he
lifted her in his arms and made his way to the bank, where he set her down upon
the soft moss. He left her for only an instant to grab the leather bag hanging
from the saddle and then he was back at her side, gathering her close again as
he pulled out a blanket and whipped it around her quaking shoulders.