Dark Warrior Unleashed

by Alexis Morgan

  He watched her close the distance between them, her too-clever eyes seeing more truth than he would have her know about him.

  “I’d ask how many friends you’ve brought here over the years, but I already know the answer. None.”

  He glowered down at her. “What makes you think that?”

  “I’m not sure, but I know it’s true.” She frowned as she tried to puzzle it out. “You don’t live perched up here on the mountain because you like it—or at least, that’s not the only reason. You live here alone because you need the quiet.”

  She cocked her head to the side and studied his face. “You could have taken me to a hotel like you did Sandor. Instead you brought me here, and now you’re having second thoughts.”

  He turned away, not liking the way those big eyes of hers saw too much. “Let’s get inside.”

  With a whisper of power he banished the protection wards on the door before Kerry reached it, not wanting to know if they’d recognize her like the others had despite being stronger. When the door swung open of its own accord, she jumped.

  “Nice one, big guy. Can you teach me that trick? It would come in handy when I’m loaded down with groceries.” She stepped across the threshold gingerly, as if wondering what would happen next.

  Rather than spook her any more, he hit the light switch, casting the interior in the glow of electric lights. Normally he depended on oil lamps, which he could light with a flicker of energy from across the room, preferring their softer glow.

  When she didn’t immediately say anything, he moved past her on the pretense of setting their bags down. When he turned to face her, he stopped at the look of utter awe on her face. She clasped her hands as if in prayer as she looked about the room, her eyes lighting in one spot for a brief time before moving on.

  “Your house is simply amazing. You built this yourself, didn’t you?”

  How did she know that? “I designed it. And I did as much of the work as I could by myself.”

  This was his tribute to a Viking hall, built as accurately as money and a long memory could make it. There were concessions to modern technology: electricity, indoor plumbing, comfortable furniture, and a stereo system that he updated every chance he got. But the rest came from the culture that had given birth to him so long ago.

  She walked over to run her fingers over the carvings and inlays he’d done on the wooden beams, then gave him a reproachful look. “Why didn’t you tell me you were an artist? When did you learn how to do this?”

  “Winters were long where I was born. Most everyone had some kind of craft they worked on. I learned mostly from watching them.”

  Kerry wandered over to the glass case where the torque and matching bracelets were displayed, along with an ancient sword and handful of beads. She gave him a puzzled look. “I know this sounds crazy, but I swear I’ve seen jewelry just like these somewhere. Maybe on the History Channel?”

  He waited in silence to see if she succeeded in teasing the memory free.

  Then her face lit up. “I remember. It was all over the news late last year. An international team of archaeologists were excavating a burial dig and uncovered what they thought was the grave of a female warrior. They found her weapons and a set of jewelry very similar to this, but it disappeared between the site and the museum. The thieves were never caught.”

  When he didn’t immediately reply, the dominoes started falling, leading her to one conclusion. “Oh my God, it was you. You stole them.”

  “They had no right to these.” He opened the case and lifted out the torque. Tracing the pattern with his fingers, he remembered how it had looked on the woman in the grave.

  “But how are we supposed to learn about the past if we don’t study the artifacts we find in a cairn?” There was sympathy mixed with simple curiosity in her voice.

  He forced his hand to relax enough to avoid crushing the torque, his memories burning his nerves raw. “Those so-called scientists learn nothing real from their studies. No matter how hard they try, how deeply they dig, they’ll never know the sound of her laughter or that her eyes were the color of the summer sky. They might know what they see, but they won’t know her. And for the sake of their stupid fairy tales, they desecrated the dead.”

  His pain washed over Kerry in waves and the truth finally hit her hard. “Oh, dear God, Ranulf! You knew her, the woman that necklace belonged to.”

  He closed his eyes against the memories. “She was my wife. The jewelry was my present to her on our wedding day. The sword was her gift to me.”

  Kerry stepped away from the case, wishing there was some way to ease the pain Ranulf had endured seeing his wife’s grave ripped open and put on display.

  “Tell me about her.” She tugged Ranulf toward the sofa. “What was her name?”

  “Berta.”

  Although he stared down at the polished silver piece in his hand, Kerry had the feeling that he wasn’t seeing it at all. He’d obviously loved the woman, and at that moment he was back in his past.

  “How did you meet her?”

  There, that was better. His mouth softened at the memory playing out in his head.

  “Berta was a chieftain’s daughter, used to every eligible warrior vying for her hand in marriage. She ran them all in circles, trying to curry her favor.”

  She could just imagine his response to seeing other men hovering around the woman he wanted. “Somehow I can’t see you putting up with that.”

  His chuckle sounded wicked. “I didn’t want to stand in line on the chance she’d finally take notice of me. Instead, I ignored her. Her father approved of my suit, so he helped make sure that I was around their home enough so she’d notice that I didn’t act like those other lovesick fools. My indifference didn’t set well with her, not at all.”

  “Obviously the ploy worked.”

  “Yeah, it did. We were married as soon as I could make the necessary arrangements.”

  “Did she ever figure out what you’d done?”

  “She was smart, my Berta, and fierce. She forgave me eventually. I think the matching bracelets helped.”

  Kerry knew better. If his Viking bride had been that strong in her own right, she would have wanted a man whose strength had been a match for her own. Mere trinkets wouldn’t have bought the chieftain’s daughter’s love. Kerry felt an unexpected kinship with the woman who had held Ranulf’s heart all those years before.

  “What happened to her?” She had to know.

  His eyes dimmed to a pale gray as he stared down at the necklace. “She died while I was on a raiding voyage with her father.”

  He looked up, the blue in his eyes flaring brightly again. “You remind me of her. She was fierce in protecting those she cared about, and didn’t tolerate fools well.” He startled her when he reached out to fasten the torque around Kerry’s neck.

  “Ranulf, I can’t wear this…”

  “Not in public, no. There’s a chance someone else would recognize it. But here, on my mountain, wear it for me.”

  Then he kissed her, burning away all thoughts of his past or their future, leaving only the now—and it was enough.

  Chapter 13

  His hunger for her was flame hot and spicy sweet. Ranulf’s arms closed tight around her as he dragged her up onto his lap. She couldn’t draw a full breath, but she’d never felt more alive, more real in her life.

  She tangled her fingers in his hair, holding him close as he seduced her with a single kiss. There were so many reasons this shouldn’t happen, but at that moment she couldn’t think past the frenzied heat washing through her. This was no gentle enticement but an all-out assault on her senses, with the battle being waged with touch and taste and scent.

  Skin, she needed her skin on his. Her efforts to rid him of his shirt met with only limited success until he broke off kissing her long enough to peel off the layers that kept them apart. When he pulled her close again, she moaned with the sweet feel of her breasts pressed against the rock-hard muscles of his
chest.

  It still wasn’t enough, and maybe never would be unless she figured out some Kyth mojo that let her sink into his very being.

  In a surprise move, he flipped her off his lap and onto her back on the sofa, following her down. The pillows cushioned her against his weight, but she wouldn’t have cared. Right then, the need for full body contact between them outweighed small concerns like breathing or a few bumps and bruises.

  He tasted desperate as he plundered her mouth. Between kisses he murmured words of desire, of wanting, some in English and some not, but their meaning was clear anyway. Finally, he pushed himself upright long enough to strip her jeans down her legs.

  “I can’t wait long enough to take you to my bed,” he told her, the flames of desire burning bright in his indigo eyes. His wolfish smile might have frightened a lesser woman, but she was feeling pretty primitive herself.

  “We’ll get there eventually,” he promised as he shoved his own pants down far enough for his erection to spring free.

  “Take me here, lover. Take me now,” she demanded, her body so very ready for his.

  He did as she demanded, burying himself deep inside her in one powerful stroke. The invasion stretched her almost to the edge of pain, but that didn’t matter, either. She didn’t know where this sense of desperation came from, but they were both feeling it. He rode her hard, bracing his arms on either side of her as he pounded his cock deep inside her again and again.

  She loved the sheer power of her warrior lover. With each stroke he drove her higher and harder until the energy flowing between them burned with crystalline clarity. Then he stroked her just the right way to shatter them both.

  Kerry screamed and thought maybe he did, too, as his climax pulsed and shuddered hot and deep inside of her. He collapsed beside her, all his tension and strength melting away as he held her close.

  * * *

  Ranulf closed his eyes and cursed himself for a fool. He’d taken Kerry with too much power and too little finesse—not that she was complaining. But he’d also come inside her without protection. They’d have to talk about the possible consequences, but for the moment, he wanted to hold off facing reality as long as possible.

  Kerry stayed tucked in the crook of his arm, her head resting over his heart as he toyed with a strand of her hair. He didn’t think she’d fallen asleep, but she was awfully quiet. Finally, he couldn’t stand the silence any longer.

  “Are you all right?”

  She lifted her head up high enough to kiss his chin. “I’m more than all right.”

  “I didn’t wear protection. There wasn’t time.” The words slipped out. But even if he was too blunt, it was the truth. They’d gone from zero to sixty in a heartbeat. All he’d been thinking about had been claiming her.

  She brushed his hair back from his face with a gentle touch. “I know, but I think we should be all right. If not, I’ll deal with it.”

  “Alone” was what she meant, as if he’d have no part of any decisions concerning the future of her child—no, their child. He closed his eyes, not wanting her to see the temper burning there. She had no reason to think he’d stick around; he’d told her that from the beginning.

  But he was feeling pretty damn possessive, and not sure he liked the sensation. What kind of father could he be, much less a husband? And if Judith was right about Kerry’s imminent role as Grand Dame of the Kyth, the idea of him as Consort was laughable. Most of their kind avoided any contact with him at all. Kerry wouldn’t be able to function as their leader if no one trusted her choice of Consort.

  Which brought him back to Sandor. He could just picture the sneaky bastard standing at Kerry’s side with a child at their feet. His child. He abruptly rolled off the sofa, tugged his jeans back up, and reached for his shirt.

  “Ranulf?”

  Kerry sounded puzzled rather than hurt by his sudden departure. When he didn’t immediately respond, she covered herself with an old quilt he kept on the back of the sofa. He hated the sudden unease in her eyes, as if she’d been embarrassed being naked while he was dressed.

  “I thought I’d fix us something to eat.” Piss-poor excuse, but it was the best he could come up with.

  “I see.” But she clearly didn’t. “I’d like to take a shower, if that’s all right.”

  Are you in a hurry to wash my scent off your skin, my seed from your body? His fingers dug into the palms of his hands to keep for reaching out to her. “The bathroom is off my bedroom.”

  “You don’t have a guest room I can use?”

  Son of a bitch, he really had offended her. “Nope. You already know I don’t like sharing my space.”

  “Then why am I here?”

  She managed to look haughty despite being wrapped up in that old quilt, her hair a mess, and with a good-sized love bite on her neck. But she was like a kitten swatting at a full-grown lion.

  “You’re here because it’s where I wanted you to be.”

  She marched toward him. “Yeah, right. And that’s why you’re being so charming right now, you big jerk.”

  Her display of temper canceled his out, making him grin. Big mistake. She went on the attack.

  “Okay, Ranulf, I don’t know what your problem is, but you brought me here, so deal with it! You kissed me, and that led to what just happened on the sofa. We were careless, and that worries you. Fine—I got that. But you need to lose the attitude.”

  When she poked her finger at him, she sent a bolt of energy shooting straight at his chest. A lesser being would have found himself flat on his ass on the floor; even he staggered back half a step before he caught himself. The amazing thing was she was totally unaware of what she was doing.

  “Judith was right.” He reached out to cradle Kerry’s hand with both of his.

  “About what?” At least she didn’t try to pull away.

  “You have the same ability she has to use your energy to control Talions.”

  She hitched the quilt up higher on her shoulders. “If I have all these secret powers, why haven’t they shown up before this? It’s not like I haven’t met other men who made me mad. You’re just better at it.”

  He couldn’t hold back a grin. “I’m glad you think I’m good at something.”

  A wicked gleam sparkled in her eyes as she gave him a slow once-over, pausing for a long time just south of his belt buckle before continuing on. “Oh, I can think of another thing or two you’re good for.”

  If that look had been any hotter, his jeans would have spontaneously combusted! Maybe eating wasn’t such a bad idea. He was going to need to keep up his strength.

  “Go on and shower while I fix us something to eat. Then we’ll have that talk you’ve been nagging about.” He gave her the barest hint of a smile so that she’d know he was teasing.

  “All right. Give me half an hour.”

  “How do you like your steaks?”

  “Rare.”

  “Good choice.”

  He couldn’t let her walk away without holding her again. She read his intent as clearly as if he’d announced his intentions out loud. And gutsy woman that she was, she met him halfway, letting the quilt fall to the floor. As soon as he touched her bare back, his hands slid south to cup her bottom. If he wasn’t careful, they were going to end up right back on the couch.

  It took all his considerable willpower to keep the kiss slow and easy; the embers were merely waiting to be fanned back into a full burn. When he broke away from her, she grinned up at him.

  “Chicken,” she teased.

  “I need to keep up my strength if you’re going to tempt me with your feminine wiles.”

  “All right, old man,” she taunted him. “If you need time to rest up for the next round, I’ll give you a break. And next time I get to be on top.”

  She flung the quilt around her shoulders like a cape, and as ridiculous as it looked, still managed to leave him standing there with his tongue hanging out.

  Passion, anger, resentment, amusement, and desir
e all spun through him. He was on a roller-coaster ride that was out of control, but he liked it.

  Time to get those steaks defrosting. Then he’d show her just what this old man was capable of.

  * * *

  “Want to go for a walk?”

  Kerry looked up from the dish she was drying. “I’d love to.”

  “As the sun starts to go down it will get chilly. Let me get you something to keep you warm.” He grabbed one of his flannel shirts, liking the idea of her wearing something of his.

  She was waiting for him out on the porch. “It really is beautiful up here.”

  And she looked so at home there that it hurt. He held out the shirt and tried not to laugh at the way the sleeves hung down to her knees.

  It didn’t seem to bother her, though. She rolled them up and then held out her hand, and they walked in peaceful silence until they reached the game trail along the creek. As always, the quiet burble of the water was a balm for the stress of the past few days.

  For the second time in five minutes, Kerry looked as if she wanted to say something but then thought better of it.

  “I can’t answer questions if you don’t ask them.”

  “I don’t want to pry.”

  He chuckled. “Sure you do. You’re just not sure how to go about it.”

  “Okay, you caught me—but you must have questions about me, too. Turnabout will be fair play.”

  “It’s a deal. Ask away.”

  She watched the water for a few seconds. “What do you do for a living?”

  He hadn’t been expecting that one. “Besides my duties for the Dame, you mean?”

  “Yes. Surely your Talion job doesn’t take up all that much of your time.”

  “The Dame pays all of her Talions enough to live on, but most of us have other sources of income. I’ll never make the World’s Richest Men list, but I’ve done all right with my investments. I also make jewelry to sell. Besides, my needs are simple.”