Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 59320 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59320 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
“Where is he going?” I asked, bewildered at his departure.
“To find Rolf, to let him know I’m alive and being taken care of.”
“By me?”
“By you,” he answered softly. He closed his eyes and leaned back. “Though I suppose that depends. Do you know how to stitch a wound?”
I nervously wrung my hands together. “I know how to sew. I made dresses for my whole family, though none as fine as the ones Knut found for me.”
“That’s good enough,” he said with a wince. “If you find some thread and a needle, that’s all you’ll need.”
I glanced around the store, wishing it wasn’t so dim. “What about some sort of medicine to keep the pain away?”
“Would you know it if you saw it?”
I pulled a spool of thread and a needle out a drawer. “No…”
“Then I’ll be fine. Stitch me up good, and we can be on our way.”
My chest seized. “To another battle?”
He tilted his head to the side and stared at me curiously. “No. No more battles. We’ll be staying in Saint Martin for quite some time.”
“Because I don’t think I could handle another battle,” I added, coming to his side. I gently placed my hand on his shoulder, feeling the pulse of his warm skin underneath.
“Someone like you should never see so much bloodshed.”
“Someone like me shouldn’t have to fear she’ll be alone again.” I swallowed and started stroking fingers down his arm, feeling the fine, dark blond hair underneath. “If you leave me, I really will have nothing.”
“I’m not going to leave you.” His voice was hard with sincerity, and butterflies took flight in my stomach.
“Do you promise me?”
“I thought you couldn’t wait to get away,” he said.
I looked down at his hand and wrapped mine around it, relishing the feel of his fingers as they clutched mine. “I want to get away from these people. I want to get away from this war, from all this senseless death, but I don’t want to get away from you.”
“Even such a barbaric, cruel Viking as myself?”
He raised my hand to his lips and kissed it, keeping his eyes locked on mine. “You are none of those things,” I told him. “A barbaric, cruel Viking wouldn’t do any of the things you have done for me.”
“And what have I done for you?”
“You’ve kept me alive. And by keeping me, you’ve made me…free.”
His eyes blinked rapidly and he chewed on his lip before saying, “You better hurry up and stitch me shut, because I’m not sure how much longer I can be this man you think I am.”
I picked up on the lustful tone and quickly got to work, doing the best I could with what I could. It took about 20 minutes of him in pure agony before I knotted the ends tight, making sure the stitch would stay shut.
“Well done,” he gasped, his body relaxing from relief.
“Thank you,” I said. “And I only got sick once.”
Suddenly, the door burst open, and the tiny shop was overpowered by Rolf’s commanding presence.
“Knut told me what happened,” Rolf said, eyeing the two of us suspiciously. “Erik, I had no idea she could double as a nurse too.”
I flinched. Doubling? What else was I supposed to be?
Erik slowly sat up, trying to hide his discomfort. It looked like he needed to impress Rolf, even when he was wounded.
“She’s good at a lot of things,” Erik said, motioning for his tunic. I passed it to him, unable to take my eyes off Rolf. He was eyeing me like I was dinner.
“I bet she is,” he growled, and I felt a strange heat pooling between my legs. Despite his brusqueness, Rolf was having some sort of effect on me, and it was one I didn’t want.
Then, Rolf smiled, and it was like the room was lit by the brightest torch. “Well, I am glad to see you’re all right, old friend. It was a tough battle, but you and so many others came out alive, so I’d consider it a victory. Well, we also took hold of the manor. The baron is being held in his own dungeon, and we didn’t do a thing to him except chop off his thumb when he was being unreasonable. I thought your civilized side would be proud.”
I didn’t really like Rolf’s patronizing tone and wondered if there was some bad blood between the two.
Rolf continued, “I gave you the second nicest room in the manor. It could even be called a palace, if you prefer that kind of word. Much preferable to Criolium, and there’s even a bit of gold lying around. I left your share on your bed.”
“And where does Cherine stay?” Erik asked carefully as he slipped on his shirt.
Rolf’s smile softened before his gaze turned predatory again. “She can stay with me if she wishes.”