The Viking's Witch (7 page)

Rothgar kissed her. She tried to wriggle free, but he held her fast. Her heart thundered as his kisses became more forceful. As she fought him, he leaned more of his weight on her, pinning her to the door. He was so much stronger, taller, and wider than she was that she didn’t stand a chance of overpowering him.
A wave of panic seized her as Rothgar rubbed his pelvis against hers. She stopped struggling and went rigid. If she didn’t put up a fight, perhaps Rothgar would settle down and release her. Resisting would only anger him further.

A moment later, Rothgar parted her lips and rammed his tongue deep into her mouth. She tried to turn her head away, but it was useless. Rothgar had her at his mercy. His thick, hot tongue entwined with hers, nearly choking her. He moaned and draped her hands around his neck as he rocked his hips against hers.

She slid her hands up the back of Rothgar’s neck. Without hesitation, she grasped a double handful of his long hair and yanked as hard as she could.

Rothgar yelped and broke the kiss. As he jerked away from her, she darted to the right, hoping to escape downstairs. Rothgar grabbed the front of her chemise. The delicate linen tore down the front, exposing her entire body. She cried out as Rothgar shoved her against the door.

Odaria closed her eyes. The Norsemen were laughing and cheering on the other side of the door. They were enjoying what they heard. They thought Rothgar was ravishing her as punishment for shaming him.

Rothgar let out a deep groan, and she opened her eyes. To her dismay, he was staring down the length of her naked body. She tried to cover herself, but he grabbed her wrists and pinned her arms over her head again.

“Any other man would open that door and throw you to the wolves.”

“Pray don’t. I’m sorry,” she whispered as she broke down in tears.

“Sorry? I spare you, and you repay me by humiliating me? Do you wish to test me again, woman? I shall set the men upon you …”
“I didna mean it,” she said between sobs. “Pray don’t let them take me. I’ll do anything you ask. I swear it by all the stars in the sky.”

His ice-blue eyes bore into hers. “No more tricks. I will not fall prey to false tears again.” He took a step back and trailed his hand down her nude body. “Lovely.” He chuckled as he cupped her breast. “You shall fetch me a good sum at auction.”

She gasped. Auction? Rothgar meant to sell her? If he did, there was no telling what would happen to her. Being sold at a public auction would be a fate worse than death. Perhaps if she acted sweet, she could make Rothgar change his mind.

“Pray do not sell me. I’ll be good to you,” she said, raising herself on her toes to kiss his cheek. “I promise to share me favors with you soon, but have patience. I need time to grow comfortable with you, being such a big, strapping man and all.”

Rothgar pushed her away. “You think I shall trust you, wench? You put my own dagger to my ribs. I’m wise to your trickery.” He shoved her to the floor and yanked the door open.

“Remain here if you know what’s good for you.”

Rothgar kicked three chairs aside as he stormed through the main room of the gathering hall. Sig and Jurgen stared at him with their mouths hanging open.

He ran his hands through his hair and let out a long breath. “I taught her a lesson.” He glanced over his shoulder.

Odaria lay on the floor sobbing and clutching her ripped chemise.

That wicked Pict didn’t know how lucky she was that he’d contained his anger. In the past, he had killed men for far less than what she had done to him. Humiliating him in front of Karnik’s men had nearly driven him over the edge of reason. His heart pounded in his chest like a drum, and he balled his wide hands into fists.

“Might we have our turns now?” Jurgen asked.

He spun around and knocked Jurgen to the floor with one punch. “There’s your answer.” He glared at the other men in the room. “Anyone else wish to make a claim on her?”

Odaria’s sobs grew louder, and he glanced into the cookroom. The strong and forceful woman he’d encountered last night was gone. Odaria made a pathetic sight, huddled over and crying into her hands. A pang of remorse sliced through him like a sword. By Odin’s mercy, what had he done? He wasn’t an animal like Karnik’s men. He didn’t use violence on women.

He marched to the main door. He had to leave, now. If he stayed here another moment, he’d go to Odaria’s side and try to soothe her—or beat out his frustration on Jurgen’s head. Either way, he felt trapped.

“I’m going to talk with Karnik about finding Orvind. If anyone touches that girl while I’m gone—”

“We won’t,” Sig said, stepping away from him. “She’s all yours.”

“And she stays mine.”

He stormed out of the gathering hall and marched to the center of the tiny village. The cool morning air cleared his head, and he started to think rationally.

What was happening to him? He had no intention of harming Odaria. All he meant to do was frighten her into obeying him. He’d only kissed her to give himself a thrill, but the situation had gotten out of control.

As he walked over a hill, he spotted Karnik talking to a group of six men. He squared his shoulders and forced himself to focus on the problem at hand. Orvind was missing, and he had to find him. His troubles with Odaria would have to wait.

Karnik broke away from the group and approached him. “How was the girl?” he asked, grinning.

He rolled his eyes. Why was everyone so concerned about him bedding Odaria? Did they all wish for a turn? Or did they secretly know he was previously incapable of lovemaking and wish to torment him?

“She says the man in charge here is called Brennan. He will know of Orvind. Find Brennan, and bring him to me for questioning.”

“As you wish. What of the others in the nets? Shall we bring them down as well?”

“Only for food and water. Keep them swinging until I’ve talked to Brennan. I will reason with him. The sooner he gives us Orvind, the sooner his people will be set free.” He scratched his beard and looked at Karnik. For a man who loved nothing better than a bloody battle, he seemed very interested in the welfare of the villagers. Karnik’s sudden concern for the Picts aroused his suspicions.

“Has something happened to them?”

Karnik’s brown eyes widened a little, and he shrugged. “No. They are fine. We hung them from their precious church.”

He didn’t believe him, but right now he didn’t wish to waste time arguing. Odaria was on her own in the gathering hall. “Fine. Then see that nothing does happen to them.”

He headed back over the hill. There would be time enough to talk with Karnik later. Right now, he didn’t dare leave Odaria’s side for too long. There was no telling what sort of trouble she’d get herself into.

As he entered the main room of the gathering hall, he immediately sensed that something was wrong. The room was silent—
too
silent. Sig stood near the open cookroom door with his head bowed.

“Rothgar, she—”

He grabbed Sig by the front of his blue tunic and yanked him forward. “What in the name of Thor happened to her?”

“Nothing. She ran off,” Sig answered, then swallowed hard. “After you left, she went upstairs. A moment later, she ran past us out the main door. We didn’t know if we should stop her.”

Upstairs? What would Odaria have done up there? He released Sig and dashed up the stairs two at a time. The door to the bedchamber stood open. “Odaria?” He entered the room and looked around.

Everything in the room seemed to be the same as when he’d left it. Then he noticed the torn chemise lying on the floor. Odaria had taken it off. Did that mean she was running around the village nude?

He ran downstairs and grabbed Sig again. “Where did she go?”

“I don’t know. She—”

“Dammit to hell.” He bolted out the front door and went right, toward the far end of the village. Odaria couldn’t have gone up the hill. He’d just come from that direction, and he would have seen her. Karnik’s men had made their camp near the stone church. Would Odaria go there to seek shelter? He had to find her. If any of Karnik’s men came across her stark naked, they would not hesitate to have their way with her.

He ran through the village, calling her name. Odaria had lived here her entire life. She would know hundreds of places to hide. She could be anywhere. How would he ever find her? It was his fault that she’d panicked and run off. He’d acted like a beast.

A thousand terrible thoughts swirled through his mind as he ran. What if Karnik’s men had already captured her? What if, Odin forbid, she’d stumbled into the camp of the
berserkrs
? He pushed that horrifying image aside and kept running. If anything happened to Odaria, he’d never forgive himself. Why had he acted so cruelly to her? He had no intention of selling her.

A shrill scream tore him from his thoughts. Odaria! Within seconds, he’d reached the edge of the village. Fifty of Karnik’s men were standing around the church, watching Odaria.

She stood near the stone church, clutching his green cloak around her trembling body. Her mouth hung open, and she was staring at something in front of her.

He looked up. The entire population of the village was strung up in fishing nets and dangling off the sides of the church. The frightened villagers screamed and pleaded for help. He shook his head. It wasn’t a pleasant sight, but netting the villagers had kept them from true harm. Karnik’s bloodthirsty men would be less likely to slaughter them, and he needed them alive for questioning.

“Odaria, come here.”

She clutched the cloak tighter around her body. Something silver sparkled in the sunlight, and he saw that she had used his brooch to fasten the cloak closed over her breasts.

He approached her slowly. Odaria was upset, and he didn’t want to frighten her into running. But why would the sight of the villagers in nets terrify her so?

As he moved closer, he followed Odaria’s wide-eyed gaze. After a second, he realized that she wasn’t staring up at the church as he’d first thought—she was looking beyond it. He stepped to her side and saw her shoulders shaking beneath his cloak.

“What is that?” she whispered.

He looked in the direction she was staring, then spotted the thing hanging upside down from a wooden post.

What was left of the man twitched and twisted in the breeze. One glance told him all he needed to know. Someone had made the villager into a blood eagle. His back had been cracked open, his ribs broken, and his lungs pulled out and spread across his back like wings. Blood dripped down his chest, covering his face in a crimson mask.

“Come with me. You shouldn’t see this.” He reached out to touch Odaria’s shoulder, and she flinched away.

“Don’t touch me.” She looked at him, her green eyes filled with terror. “What sort of demons are you? What is that?”

He rested his hand on her shoulder and glanced at the men watching them. Now he understood why Karnik had feigned such concern over the welfare of the villagers. His men had disobeyed a direct order to not harm anyone.
The blood eagle was barbaric, even by their standards. Why had they done it? For sport? How had the villager gotten free of the net?

If he were alone, he would chastise Karnik’s men for what they’d done, but he had to think about Odaria’s safety. He had to get her back to the gathering hall, then reprimand the men.

Odaria shrieked and clutched his hand. He looked over and saw the man hanging from the post wave his arms. He was still alive—but not for long.

Without hesitation, he scooped Odaria into his arms. He spun her away from the church and kissed her forehead. “You are safe with me. I’ll let no harm come to you.” Grown men had been driven mad at the sight of the blood eagle, and Odaria was a sensitive woman. Could her mind withstand such horror?

“I canna take no more,” she whispered before she went limp in his arms.

Rothgar leapt from the chair and rushed to the side of the small bed. He watched, helpless, as Odaria twitched and whimpered in her sleep. Her brows furrowed, and she kicked beneath the sheepskin quilt.

Three hours had passed since he’d carried her away from the sight of the blood eagle, yet she hadn’t woken. Should he rouse her? It was dangerous to disturb a sleeping person, but if her dream was terrifying her, he couldn’t let her suffer.