Love's Fury (Viking's Fury #1) (17 page)

The only thing that had kept him alive so long in Northumbria, fighting as savagely as any Berserker, was the hope of reaching the shores of the Trondelag again. The land called to him like a songstress.

He shook the thoughts from his mind and gave Silvia what she demanded with an impatient wiggle of her hips. He hammered inside her hard and deep over and over again, consumed by her love.

“Do you feel it?” he whispered in her ear. “Do you feel what you do to me?”

With a roar, his hot seed filled her. But Konal was far from done. He slanted his mouth over hers and pumped his hips. “Come for me, little Valkyrie. And after you do, I’ll show you how I can make love to you from behind.”

“W
hat do you
mean he’s gone?” Silvia tried to remain calm. She never expected to hear this news when she returned to her room in the morning to change into a fresh dress.

As she always did, Saga was waiting for her.

“I am sorry,” she said, casting her eyes downward. “He ate a simple meal, then returned to his chamber for nearly an hour. When he emerged, he was carrying his bags.”

How had she slept through it? “Did he give you an explanation of any kind? Leave word for me? Please,” she pleaded. “Think about it.”

“Yes.” The maid walked to the table and grabbed what appeared to be a missive. “Here.”

She accepted it with reservation. “I’d prefer to be alone while I read it.”

“Of course.”

She waited until the door closed to untie the leather string that held it closed. She blinked rapidly as she stared at the near empty page. A single runic symbol caught her eye.

The meaning wasn’t lost on her; in the ancient scrolls from the Northlands she’d studied with her father, the symbol for need and unfulfilled desire had appeared often enough for her to remember it.

Dearest God.
She folded the delicate page and stared heavenward. Last night had been incredible, more than she ever expected. The joining of a man and woman’s bodies was undoubtedly a gift. No wonder the monks preached against it unless a couple was married. The powerful emotions that welled up inside her just thinking about it threatened her sanity and faith. Why couldn’t he stay here with her? Why hadn’t he offered to take her home to Norway?

She knew he loved her. After they’d coupled a third time, he pulled her into his arms and held her close, his strong heartbeat lolling her to sleep like a gentle song.

Those kinds of feelings didn’t manifest from nowhere.

The symbol represented everything she felt, too. She placed the letter aside and walked to the door and opened it. “Saga?”

“Yes?”

“Bring your brother Gunnar to me. Please.”

Moments later, he entered her room looking anxious. “You wanted to see me?”

“Aye,” she said. “What I’m about to discuss with you requires complete honesty from both of us.”

He nodded. “Is this about our betrothal?”

“The one our master never announced.”

“He departed sooner than we expected, leaving instructions with my father on how to manage the farm until his brother arrives.”

“And not a word about us.”

“No.”

“I don’t love you, Gunnar. And I’m sure you don’t love me.”

His green eyes narrowed. “I could learn to love you,” he said graciously, obviously sparing her the humiliation of a direct no.

“I will forever be indebted to you and your family for showing me such kindness and acceptance. But there is something you should know. I am no longer a maiden. Jarl Konal and I…”

“It makes no difference to me,” he said. “Tis an honor for any woman to warm the bed of our jarl.”

“I understand,” she said. “But my feelings will never change. I offered my body willingly to the man I love—the one I wish to call husband.”

“He is gone, milady. Tis better to accept it. I will give you what time you need to get used to the idea of marrying me. I swore to protect you. An oath I will never break.”

“I am not the sort of woman who accepts defeat easily. Something I learned after meeting Jarl Konal. What I ask for now will require you to fulfill the very vow you made to our master.”

He inhaled deeply, looking as if he knew what she was going to say next.

“Take me to the place where his father’s longship is anchored. Let me speak with him a last time. If he rejects me, I will return here and marry you without complaint.”

Gunnar rubbed his chin, staring intently at her. “I have your word? You won’t make my life miserable if we are married? We will live in peace and have children as all husbands and wives do?”

“I swear on my own life.” Whatever it was worth without Konal, she didn’t know.

“Come,” he said. “We have a long ride ahead of us.”

*

Konal lowered the
heavy bag filled with amber onto the boat. He’d waited over a year to stand in this very spot, to feel a longship sway upon the waves again, to feel the salt air breeze in his hair, and to hear the screech of the seagulls overhead.

But no matter how much joy it brought him, his heart was, once again, hollow. Perhaps this is what death felt like, walking about void of emotions. What man wished to take a breath if he couldn’t love? By choosing to leave his sweet Silvia behind, he condemned himself to a life of emptiness. The price he must pay to go home.

He returned to the beach and helped load several more barrels onto the ship, supplies for the journey, and his share of the gold and silver he’d earned during his year of service to Prince Ivarr. He’d buy his own steading in the Trondelag, perhaps a parcel of land on one of the barrier islands where he could walk the shoreline every morning and gaze across the North Sea, hoping to catch sight of the woman he loved—soon to be wed to another man.

The reality of it strangled him.

“Konal,” one of the guards called.

“What is it?”

“On the cliffs.”

Konal looked where the man was pointing. Three hundred feet above them, a couple people were waving their arms wildly. Why didn’t they take the footpath down to the water?

Then he heard her soft voice carried on the breeze. “K.O.N.A.L.”

Instinctively, he reacted as any man in love would, sprinting up the incline like a wild stallion. She waited with Gunnar, unashamed that she’d, once again, disobeyed him.

“Will you ever listen to me, woman?”

“Only if you send me away.”

With anguish in her eyes, she stayed silent.

“Gunnar,” he said. “Go below and help my father’s men load the ship.”

“Aye.” He walked away.

“Did you get the missive?”

She reached inside her cloak and produced the letter. “If this is how you feel…”

“It is.”

“Do you love me, Konal?”

With all his heart. More than life itself. More than the gods who ruled his brutal world. He’d wander aimlessly for an eternity, caught between the nine realms, for another night with Silvia. “Aye,” he said, bringing a fist to his heart. “I love you. I want you. I need you.”

Tears filled her eyes. “Then why did you leave without saying goodbye?”

“Because I know the pain of leaving behind a land you love. And I didn’t have the heart to make you suffer any more. At least on the farm, you’d be near your home, maybe one day able to visit the places and people you care for.”

“Is that the only reason?”

“No,” he admitted. “I didn’t have the courage to tell you. I loved before, and that woman cost me more than you’ll ever know. But you, sweet Silvia…” He closed the distance between them and caressed her cheek. “You changed me—changed everything. With you, I dare to live again. No longer half a man.”

His chest clenched as he realized how much of his soul he’d revealed. For so long, he’d relied only on himself—keeping his family at arm’s length, letting his bad temper rule his life. No longer. He’d risk it all one last time for love. “Come with me,” he said. “Leave this war ravaged island behind and start a new life with me in Norway. It won’t be easy, Silvia. My father will disapprove of our marriage at first. But in time, I hope he’ll grow to love you as I do.”

“Because I’m a thrall?”

“No,” he said. “Because you’re a Saxon.”

She gazed over his shoulder. “I’ve never sailed before,” she said timidly. “Will I…”

“You’re free, Silvia.”

She closed her eyes and raised her chin. “Free as the wind,” she cried. “Free as your ship upon the water.” Then she focused on him again. “Finally free to love you.”

Throwing herself into his arms, they both dropped to their knees, clinging to each other.

“Will you be my wife?”

“Yes, Jarl Konal.”

Not needing to hear another word, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the longship, his most precious cargo.