VIKING WARRIOR, UNWILLING WIFE by suzana

Author:suzana [suzana]
Format: epub
Published: 2010-12-22T03:15:49.947000+00:00

Chapter Nine

S ela strode away from the hut with fast, furious steps. She had come so near to surrendering

to his touch, to forgetting who he was and why he was with her. To forgetting her

responsibilities. He with that smug smile, easy manner and oh-so-soft lips. She wanted to put

as much distance between her and that kiss as possible.

He had attacked her home and forced her father and son to flee. He was her enemy and had

been for a long time. The reawakening of this attraction towards him was nothing but an

aberration brought on by lack of sleep and close proximity.

Not really, a little voice in the back of her mind whispered. It was an explanation of why she

had not found other men attractive. And why she had actively sought to avoid other

relationships. Somehow, Vikar was in her blood. But there was no future for them together.

She drew a deep breath of pine-scented morning air, and felt the promise of heat in the air.

Her footsteps quickened and the trees cast barred shadows over her arms. She had thought the

woods would be welcoming today, but they weren’t.

She pushed a branch away from her face and stepped over a fallen log, swore softly as her toe

hit a rock and the pain reverberated up her foot. But she didn’t pause, she kept going forward.

The sound of the river cascading over rocks became clearer with each step she took.

‘Are you trying to race me to this farm? Or is there something more?’ Vikar caught up with

her, matched her stride for stride. ‘Why did you bolt out of that hut?’

‘It is a long journey, and I had wasted enough time.’

‘My time was far from being wasted.’ Vikar put his hand on her arm. ‘I want you to know

that, Sela.’

‘Good. The news improves my outlook no end.’ Sela began to walk even more quickly until

she was nearly running. It had ceased to be a race towards Kjartan, and had become a race

away from the hut and her growing feelings for Vikar. She had considered the naïve bride

dead and unmourned, but she appeared to have been merely slumbering, awaiting her chance

to reassert her rosy view of life.

They trudged along in silence for a long while. The river, which had seemed so close, kept

retreating. Sweat prickled Sela’s neck, but she refused to stop.

‘Pay attention to where you are going, Sela.’ Vikar stopped and lifted his head. ‘There is a

heaviness in the air that I don’t like. Is there another way?’

‘I can hear the river. We shall be there soon and then it is not far. A waterfall is easy to spot.’

‘Are you sure you are following the correct path?’ Vikar gestured towards a faint track. ‘I

believe we are going in circles.’

‘There are no paths out here, Vikar. Only landmarks to navigate by,’ Sela said impatiently.

Didn’t he understand? Once she was beyond the waterfall, her world would return to normal

and the landscape would become a familiar one. She would stop being tempted by him and his

lips.

She crashed through the undergrowth and heard a flock of wood pigeons rise in the air.

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