Destiny of the Heart (Viking Destiny)

by K. Young

  She tried to push away, wrinkling her nose as the pungent odor filled her nostrils, but his meaty arms held her firmly in place as they came up and encircled her midsection. Without thinking, Kristen began struggling and kicking her captor. She heard him grunt once, but he didn't loosen his grip on her. Moving on to the next tactic, she opened her mouth to scream, but was cut off by a rough shake and then squeezed so tight she could barely breathe.

  “One sound outta ye missy and you be swimmin' wif them fishies, if ye catch me meanin'.” He leaned close to her ear as he said it and shivers of revulsion went up and down her spine.

  Kristen's mind swam as she tried to grasp reason of the situation. She didn't recognize the voice, and it was too soon for her stepfather to have found out that she was gone. There had been several attempts made on her life recently, something she was sure had to do with her mother's past, but those attempts had always been subtle and made to look like an accident. This was far too overt to be anything but coincidence, so she surmised this fellow must work for the captain of whatever ship was responsible for the smuggling that was going on.

  Once the fear had subsided, she was able to think like her mother taught her. The man was holding her too tight, and she'd never be able to get away unless she got him to loosen his grip. Once she accomplished that, she could get to her knife and cause some serious damage to his person. However, he must have sensed her thoughts because he tightened his hold on her to the point that she could barely breathe.

  Before panic took over, she focused her mind on her mother's teachings. Marie had told her that whenever someone bigger than herself held her in just such a position, she had an advantage as a woman. Kristen relaxed her shoulders and went limp in the man's beefy arms. She caught him off guard, and he loosened his grip just enough.

  “Bloody 'ell. The damn wench 'as gone and fainted. I knew me was...”

  She wasted no time listening to his complaint. Springing into action, she planted her hands on his shoulders and brought one knee up as hard as she could to his stomach. Her mother had made her practice these drills incessantly as a child, so she was well prepared, and her kicks were as powerful as most any man's. In her assailant's surprise, he'd completely released her so he could hunch over to catch his breath. He soon realized his mistake; Kristen was not a woman to be trifled with.

  “Now see 'ere, missy. Me orders are to make sure ye don't be runnin' off ter tell tales, ye understand. I mean ter follow them orders.” He eyed her warily as she backed away and pulled something from her skirts.

  "I don't give a damn what your orders are, sir. You stay back, or I'll cur you to pieces and feed them to the fish, if you catch my meaning." She replied flippantly.

  The man laughed, and it reminded Kristen of twp pigs grunting. She wrinkled her nose in disgust as the noise only served to irritate her further. Her skin crawled in anticipation of the came next. She was going to have to bloody well fight this man and the knowledge did nothing for her nerves since he was as massive as a ship.

  To her horror, he jumped at her and brought his hammer of a fist down to her jaw. The sheer force of the hit not only knocked the knife out of her hand, but also sent her body tumbling backward several feet, slamming her into the cave wall. She struggled to breathe and her eyes teared up from the pain of it all. Her head was spinning, and no matter how hard she tried to focus it, she couldn't seem to clear the blur in her vision. Apparently one hit wasn't good enough though because the man charged toward her again. She felt her muscles clench and bile rise to her throat.

  As the man got closer, a light entered the cave and Kristen was able to see more than just shadows. She looked at her attacker warily, expecting the worse, but to her utter surprise, he winced at the voice that followed the light.

  “Peevely, do reassure me that I didn't just see you manhandle a lady. Please tell me that's an urchin cabin boy who has lost his way.”

  Kristen slumped back against the cave wall in relief. She had no idea what Derrick was doing in the cave, but she was grateful for his arrival. The man still hovering over her, was not. She took his preoccupation with Derrick as an opportunity to collect herself. The knife she didn't have the chance to use lay on the floor not far from her, so she scooted over and quickly picked it up. Kristen stood and dusted her skirts, certain that, for the moment, the large man wouldn't be attempting to hit her again. But then Derrick spoke once more, and despite Kristen's best efforts to ignore it, chills ran down her spine. She couldn't help it, she was utterly mesmerized by that man.

  "I'm waiting." Derrick said impatiently as he crossed his arms over his broad chest and gave the man a most frightening glare.

  Kristen noticed with some fascination that Derrick's eyes had lit up again. She stared at them, certain that she could lose herself in those eyes and not minding in the least, which was a strange sensation for her. She wasn't entirely sure what was getting into her, but she had the strangest urge to run to him, and let him hold and protect her. Kristen's mother would roll over in her grave if she knew of the thoughts running through Kristen's mind, so she looked away from Derrick's eyes before she did anything foolish.

  “Ah, sorry sir...the wench, ye see, she's rather difficult.” The man called Peevely finally answered. His fear was palatable as the sweat beaded on his forehead.

  “Such a shame. I had hoped you would tell me that was merely a cabin boy you slammed your fist into, a fist I might add that has killed men before. But, since it was a lady -" Derrick stopped and looked at the lady in question.

  And, his heart dropped to the floor. An intense anger, the likes of which he had never felt before, filled every fiber of his being. He felt the angry flame crawl up his body and into his face as his chest constricted at the sight of Kristen standing there, her face battered and already beginning to swell. Derrick's lips tightened, and he dropped his hands from his chest and clenched them at his sides.

  Jack didn't think the situation was very funny anymore. He hadn't expected Peevely to harm the girl, though he did have to hand it to her, she was certainly taking it far better than most women of her ilk. Hell, even tavern wenches used to such treatment didn't take it as well as Kristen had. Still, the dangerous glow to Derrick's eyes did not bode well for Peevely, and despite his lack of thought in striking a lady, Peevely was a damn fine man to have on board. Jack stepped forward and put a hand on Derrick's shoulder.

  "Derrick, he didn't know. We didn't know. He was following orders." Jack whispered quietly so that only Derrick could hear.

  Derrick swallowed his anger as best he could because he knew Jack was right. If it had been anyone other than Kristen, he wouldn't lose control, so he had to get a handle on his anger before he did something he would later regret. Still, seeing her there made all of the guilt from earlier return with a vengeance, and he wanted to protect her in any way he could. He gave himself a good five count before speaking. When he returned his gaze to Peevley, the man nearly wet himself with fear.

  "Your actions will be dealt with accordingly. Jack, twenty lashes and a week in the brig should do for now. Get him out of my sight."

  “Aye, cap'n.” Jack replied, signaling another swarthy man to assist in Peevely's removal.

  Peevely bowed his head, ready to accept his punishment, but shot Kristen a look of pure hatred before leaving the cave. Very aware of her precarious situation, Kristen hadn't moved. She glanced nervously at the four men remaining in the room before returning her gaze to the man who disturbed her the most. She met his intent gaze and felt an unfurling in her belly. Heat flooded her, and she was suddenly very uncomfortable in the cave. But, she didn't turn away from the intensity in his eyes. She cleared her throat though, hoping the action would prompt him to say something. Fortunately, that seemed to remind him of where he was.

  "What the devil are you doing here?" He demanded hotly.

  Kristen was certainly surprised. That was not the greeting she had expected. "What difference does it make to you?" She asked matter
-of-factly.

  Derrick frowned. There were any number of reasons she could be in the cave that night, and not one of them did he like. As he stood there, desperately trying to rein in his passions, she chose that moment to clear her throat. The sound drew his attention to the slender column of her neck, and he imagined his tongue dancing softly over the delicate area. Derrick mentally shook himself, remembering what he was about and wondering what the devil had gotten into him, fantasizing like an untried youth.

  “You could have been seriously hurt. Are you alright?” He took a step forward, hoping she'd wish for comfort, but stopped when he realized she had gone rigid.

  “I'm quite well, thank you, but hold your ground, sir. Do not come any closer.” She warned.

  "I thought we had dispensed with the formalities, Kristen." Derrick said, amused at her gall under the circumstances.

  "Given the situation, can you blame me?"

  Derrick glanced around. His men had slowly made their way forward, with the intent of trapping her, but she had not been unaware of that, even as he stood there fantasizing about her. He was reminded of her nonchalant address of their marriage contract, and realized one of the objections he had was that she did not seem to be interested in him, but rather the notion of marriage. The fact that he stood there desperately trying not to take her on the cave floor with his men watching, while she was merely occupied with her escape plans infuriated him all the more. She was a most vexing woman!

  “Madam, do be assured that no harm shall befall you in my care; however, you are the one who has been in these caves the last fortnight, are you not?”

  For Kristen, that smile of his would be her undoing if she weren't careful. She felt her knees grow weak yet again.

  “And what of it? These caves belong to no one. I have the right to come and go as I please.” She lifted her chin a notch and straightened her spine.

  Kristen found it difficult to think rationally with him in the same room, and she was afraid she would lose all sense if he came any closer. With so many men surrounding her, she was nervous enough, and it did nothing to relieve her fear of not making it out of that cave. But, all that aside, Derrick disturbed her peace the most. Since coming into contact with him, she had encountered several emotions she couldn't explain. It hurt that he had rejected her earlier, but she had accepted it and moved on. His coming to her rescue did not help all of the emotions she'd gone through that day, and frankly, she was too tired to deal with it just now.

  "To be sure, but you've stumbled upon something you shouldn't have, Kristen. I need to know whom you've told about this cave."

  "Sir, discretion is of the utmost importance to me now. I have no wish for anyone to know where I am, therefore, I have not told anyone of this place. We have a common interest in that respect, so it seems perfectly reasonable then that you should let me pass.”

  For reasons that Derrick didn't want to think about too closely, her response angered him. Was she meeting a lover? If so, would she agree to be his mistress? And, where the devil had that thought come from, he wondered? He already had one mistress, and she was more of an annoyance than anything. Besides, he'd already told this woman he wasn't interested, and she had made her intentions rather clear. But, the thought of this woman meeting another man distressed him more than he cared to admit, which was a feeling he didn't understand at all.

  "Dammit, Kristen! Will you please stop with the formalities?" He snapped.

  Kristen lifted a questioning brow but remained silent. It made Derrick feel like an idiot for his outburst, which rubbed his already frazzled nerves the wrong way. He took a threatening step toward her, hoping to gain ground with her stepping back. It was an awful thing for any gentleman to do to a lady, but where she was concerned, he just couldn't help himself. But, to his surprise, she stood her ground, just as she'd done twice before. Very few men he knew could say the same.

  Come to think of it, few men could say they'd endured half of what she had and not crumbled, yet there she stood, battered, but certainly not broken. He was quite certain she was extraordinarily unusual. For Derrick, it was like a poker stirring the fire. He felt the need to take her then and there, willing or not, as if he were still a clumsy youth without control over his passions. In those few tense moments, Derrick wondered what marriage might be like with her. Interesting to be sure, just as Scott predicted.

  Derrick pulled his train of thoughts away from that subject. It wasn't going to happen, so there was no sense in torturing himself about it. It wasn't that he didn't want to get married, it was just that his family situation made that impossible, so he didn't bother trying. His younger brother Oliver had tried once and that didn't go so well for him. But, Derrick had never found himself in the company of a woman that caused him to wish things could be different, and it wasn't helping his already foul mood.

  Chapter 5

  Kristen sighed in exasperation. She didn't understand the change that had come over Derrick after she had answered his question, but his haughty tone was beginning to annoy her. Attractive or not, she wasn't about to let him get away with it. She has a singular way of dealing with that kind of attitude, and it usually made the other party feel like an ass. If Derrick's flushed cheeks were any indication, she had hit her mark. But, that knowledge didn't bring her the satisfaction it normally did. For whatever reason she couldn't begin to fathom, she didn't want Derrick to feel like an ass. She wanted to reassure him, to make him feel comfortable. She had no idea why since she owed him nothing, but it was a feeling that persisted all the same.

  "Look Derrick, I have no wish to argue with you. I didn't realize you were using this cave, so I'll just be on my way and let you attend to your business. As I said before, I haven't mentioned this cave to anyone as it doesn't suit me for others to know my whereabouts."

  "You must understand my apprehension, and the reason I must detain you."

  "Detain me? Absolutely not. You will let me pass, or so help me, you will regret it!" She spat angrily.

  All of her plans were suddenly crashing down around her, and she was furious. She had hoped he would be reasonable on this matter, but it was beginning to look as if she was simply hanging on to childish fantasies of chivalry and gentlemanly conduct.

  "Perhaps I will, but I must be absolutely certain that you are not a threat to me, Kristen."

  "But, I've already assured you..." Her voice trailed off as she realized Derrick's men were moving in her direction again.

  "Please understand that I need my own assurances rather than your promises." He signaled for his men to grab her.

  Her head spinning with angry adrenaline, Kristen reacted by pulling out her dagger. Derrick smiled once again at her tenacity, and watched with bated breath to see what she would do. To his surprise, she actually knew how to use the knife and it looked as though the move he saw her pull on Peevely wasn't accidental, but planned. She expertly wielded the knife toward her would-be attackers, giving herself space to advance in her own time. He watched with some admiration as she remained calm and aloof, where as the many women of his acquaintance would be crying and in hysterics by now given the same circumstances.

  The first two men moved in, circling her slowly, trying to make her nervous. She took a deep breath and countered. Spinning around, she kicked one squarely in the face and then wasted no time sinking her knife deep into the stomach of the second man before withdrawing it and slashing upward toward his throat. He pulled back, but the third man approached her with murder in his eyes. Kristen waited until he was just close enough to palm his chin, knocking his head back, then pulled it back toward her by raking her nails over the length of his face, scratching his eyes. She finished the brutal move by punching him in the throat with her knuckles.

  As he fell over trying to catch his breath, the first guy she kicked in the face bulled his way toward her. He threw a punch before she could react and hit her squarely in the stomach. She hunched over in pain, tears searing the inside of her lids as sh
e struggled to breathe. Still, she could hear the man coming for her again. Rolling out to the side, she jumped up and threw an uppercut to his face, then grabbed his head and slammed it down to her uprising knee. She heard the crunch and knew she had broken his nose. He howled in pain and ran at her full speed, blinded by his rage. Kristen merely stepped out of the way and let him run straight into the cave wall. She shook her head as he fell unconscious to the ground.

  But, with all three opponents down, it was just Derrick left in her way. She didn't want to hurt him, but she did need to leave, and that she would do whether he liked the

  consequences or not.

  “So, it is down to you and me, is it?” She asked.

  “Aye.” He nodded in agreement.

  He had never seen anything like what Kristen had just done. While it had been hard to watch his men attack her and not do anything about it, he was so stunned by her ability to fight that he was rooted where he stood. She had taken out three of his most reprehensible men, men he had hired for the damage they could inflict, and she wasn't the least bit concerned. In that moment, he knew he wanted Kristen. He may not be able to marry her, but there were other ways they could be together.

  “I must know where you learned to fight like that. It is not a common skill among women, you know.”

  “It bears no consequence on this situation, so let us stick to the facts at hand.” She replied flatly, still breathing heavy from the exercise.

  Derrick grinned. “Very well. I think perhaps a wager is in order then.”

  “I do not have time for games, Lord Shane. Do let me pass.”

  “I believe we agreed to dispense with formalities, Kristen.” He purred while imitating her haughty tone.

  Kristen's stomach filled with butterflies each time he said her name. His eyes seemed to change from the eerie glow of anger to a warm amber, reminding her of the brandy her mother used to indulge in when she would tell Kristen stories of her real father training in the yard with other guards.