Celtic Rune: Viking historical romance (Heart of the Battle Series Book 2)

by Lexy Timms

  "Twice my size and you don't want to know.” She waved her hand, showing a cut that had scabbing over it. “You owe your horse a debt of gratitude."

  He could hear the humor in her voice, the sound of it swelling his heart. He had wanted a woman in his life and a large field like this to work for far too many years to let the fantasy pass him by. Could he not pretend for a night like he'd finally been awarded with it all? "I shall make sure to thank her in the morning then."

  She laughed again, stopping just outside the door to the house. She lowered her voice. "My father fell ill just after Kenton left. He's not elderly, but still strong and willful. He's sick with the fever, but should be back to himself soon than naught. If he hears you in the house..."

  Erik nodded. “Understood.”

  They moved in, Linzi helping him to the large wooden table that someone had spent many long hours carving and perfecting. The wood was smooth and oiled, the touch of human hands having brushed across it enough times to leave it perfect.

  "Stay here,” she commanded and when he caught her hand she turned back to him. “I need clothes. I’m not serving food like this. I'll grab you breeches from Kenton, but I’m not sure they’ll fit. I can wash yours in the morning, I’m not going to do it tonight."

  “No. You’re probably right, they won’t fit. I never sleep clothed, unless I’m on the battlefield. I'd rather my wounds breathe for now."

  "Suit yourself." She walked off, the towel puckered out where the curve of her rear pushed at the thin fabric. He sucked his bottom lip in his mouth, his hand pressing down on his crotch to still his thoughts and their wayward reactions. She was beyond beautiful, angelic and yet fiery. Were all Scottish women the same? If so, he had been looking at the wrong countryside for sure.

  He slid his hands onto the table, stretching and turning his torso to see if he could feel the burn of healing within his chest and stomach. The loud growl of hunger caused him to tense up, the last meal he remembered eating had to be at least a few days back.

  "How long was I in your field, do you know?" he called after Linzi, the lovely – what did the Scotts call their ladies again? Lass. The lovely lass walking back into the kitchen and hushing him with her motions. Her arms waved in the air, the bounce of her breasts catching his eye. He swallowed hard and turned back to admire the table.

  "Da’ will hear you. Keep it down."

  "I forgot.” He wasn’t used to being commanded by a woman. He rather liked it. “How long was I out there?"

  "I don't know. I brought you in the same day I found you." She moved away, the candlelight catching a glow behind her as she worked. She wore nothing beneath the long cotton dress, her level of comfort mistakenly hidden in the dress’s ability to cover her. He could see every curve and muscle as she worked to make them something to eat. He swallowed hard, pressing his fingers to his eyes as he tried to think about the last moment he remembered with his men.

  He didn't want to encounter tragedy, but anything might be better than unsated lust mixed with a hunger for food. He wasn’t sure he could tell the difference between the two anymore. The need within him left him almost dizzy, and feeling a lack of control almost pushing him toward her and the small loaf of bread she cut. He looked over at her as she glanced at him, her finger slipping into her mouth as she licked at what had to be honey from what he could tell. He groaned, his body reacting violently to the girl.

  "I'm hurrying. I'm sorry." She moved faster, grabbing two plates and set them down between them. She bowed her head and prayed quickly, Erik's eyes moving over the bread and meat, cheese, and honey.

  He waited until she offered him a small plate, reaching to take a piece of everything and working hard not to swallow it whole. "Thank you." He ate fast, a sense of doom sitting upon him as if he might perish from lack of sustenance if he didn't eat faster.

  She took small bites, the thickness of her hair framing her pixie-like features, giving off a purity he wanted to taste more than the honey on his tongue. "What are you thinking about? Your hunger?" Her innocent words taunted him more than she realized.

  "Yes," he barked out, not meaning to sound so harsh.

  "There’s a little more in the cupboard. I’ll get it once you finish. It might be a good idea to slow down. If you haven’t eaten in a few days, your stomach might disagree and it would be a shame to waste the meal.” She pushed her half eaten plate toward him. “I can go into town tomorrow after you leave, for more, so eat your fill."

  “It's not the food I hunger for, Linzi.” He stared at her lips, her kindness and innocence undoing him. “It's you.”

  Chapter 5

  Linzi

  She blinked, unsure of how to respond. One moment he was a gentleman, the next, a brutish Viking. She stared at her plate and then just brushed off his comments as if he hadn't spoken sensual words toward her. Standing, she picked up her plate, deposited the rest of the food on his and then smiled before walking toward the counter of the kitchen. The stark pain in her breast and stabbing need between her legs left her dizzy and confused.

  It took a moment to collect herself as she held her back to him. "I'm going to go prepare the bed for you. Eat as much as you like." She turned, the look on his handsome face telling her quickly that he wasn't pleased with her lack of response to his advancement. He was looking for someone to lie with for a night and leave forever. Martha might be fine with simply having sex, but her mother had spent enough time with her when she was a young girl, explaining the importance of saving herself for the man she would spend forever with. As much as her body wanted this handsome stranger, she would not give in to the lust.

  Love is a beautiful thing, and sex is all part of that, but when you give away your body, your heart goes with it, Linzi. Guard your heart along with your innocence until your prince comes, for he will be with you forever and to him, you belong entirely.

  Quite sure her mother would not approve of pretending a wounded Viking soldier was her prince for a night to experience the touch of a man. She had already marked her body with ink. If she gave the wickedly delicious man in the other room her body, what guilt would that bring upon her? She had done enough foolishness the past few days to last a lifetime.

  She pulled the last sheet from the small closet in her room and made the bed. Her night’s sleep promised to be cold as she would leave him with the sheet and blanket so he wouldn't catch his death. That would remind her of her foolishness.

  "Linzi, I will take your brother's room. You don't need to give up your bed."

  She looked over her shoulder, his towel tight around his waist, his abdomen muscles chiseled into the tanned skin of his torso. His wounds blending in with the ink covering his body.

  "There’s only one sheet left, and I'd rather you have it. You'll be staying a week if you catch the fever.” She swallowed and begged her eyes to stop roaming over his body. “Let's make sure you're well and on your way tomorrow."

  He walked in, stopping behind her as she hesitated, not quite sure of his intentions. She heard of men taking women against their will, but something deep in her gut told her he wasn't that kind of man, Saxon or not.

  "I’m not taking your bed from you. How will you keep warm?"

  "I'll find something. I'm fine. I'm healthy. You and Da' are the sickly ones."

  He reached out and touched a strand of her hair, curling it around his finger. "The blanket isn't going to offer much warmth and it's already cold in here. Let's stay together in your bed and our body heat will keep us comfortable."

  She wanted to slap him. "I'm not a tart from the city, Erik!” Her hands pressed into fists against her hips. “I’ll not offer my body to you for your pleasure just because you yearn for the touch of a woman. That’s your problem, Saxon.” Angered, she blurted out, “I’ll save my innocence for the one who deserves it."

  Erik pulled her close to him, his arms moving around her waist and drawing her against him, the nightgown too thin to matter as he pressed himself against her. H
e moved her hair and pressed his face into the side of her neck, his arms tight and chest aching in protest.

  She froze, terrified she had angered him and he would toss her onto the bed and have his way. Part of her didn’t seem to mind the thought.

  "Save your innocence for someone who deserves such a precious gift.” He moved his head to look her in the eye. “Feel the heat between us? It’s created when I press tightly against you? I'm a man, so my body might betray my intentions, but I promise you, I mean you no harm. Stay warm with me, it’s all I can offer you. I have nothing else. Tomorrow I leave, and you shall regain your bed and the covers that belong upon it."

  Linzi was shocked by her reaction to the firm press of his body against hers, melting her resolve to withhold anything. Her mind swam, her own arms wrapping around his thick neck as the room heated all around her. Passion or lust caused such a reaction. Either way, she hated herself for enjoying it. She didn’t believe after he left she would ever be able to simply sleep in this bed again.

  He moved back, looking down at her, his arms dropping to his side. "Can I ask you to treat my wounds once more with whatever you’ve been using? It seems to be working."

  She mumbled something incoherent, her cheeks burning and body hurting in ways she had never experienced before. Love created butterflies swimming in your stomach, but lust left you gasping for air, drowning under the torrential waves of desire turned to need.

  She went to the windowsill and grabbed the herbs and a glass of water. “Sit,” she commanded. He did as she asked. She worked the ointment onto his back, covering it with a piece of her cut nightgown before telling him to lie on his back. She rubbed the concoction onto his chest and stomach, trying not to marvel on the tight skin and ripped muscles underneath it. He stood and she quickly slid to the far side of the bed, leaving him room. "You try anything on me and I’ll rip open one of those wounds and then drag your arse back out in the yard for the birds to eat." Her threat was solid, her voice far too soft and sensual.

  A smile played on his lips as she huffed at him and rolled on her side, her back turned to him. He extinguished the light in the room, the small bed moving as he climbed in.

  She could tell it hurt him to move as he lay down. He lay still a moment before quietly saying, "I'm going to hold you until you tell me to move away. The cold will be trapped out of the blanket, but our body heat should stay close by."

  She didn't respond, her body stiffening as he moved close, his body molding around hers. He slid his arm under her neck, Linzi lifting slightly to give him room. The press of his chest against her back was nothing compared to his arousal pressed to her rear. She closed her eyes, biting her lips to keep from making a noise. The sound of her heart beating reached her ears, her breathing loud and off kilter.

  "Are you comfortable?" he whispered against her neck, his other hand coming up to rest on her thigh, the nightgown having ridden up slightly.

  "Yes," she whispered, hating that she had put herself in this ridiculous situation. She should have left him in the fields. Stupid Saxon.

  "You're a terrible liar. Just relax against me. I'm not going to hurt you or do anything more than what I'm doing. Feel the cold on our faces?"

  "I feel it,” she lied. All she felt was the heat from her body begging to be tampered with.

  "And the warmth at your back?" He picked his hand up from her thigh, moving his chest from her and rubbing firm circles into the muscles of her back.

  She rolled her shoulders in, her body so tense from working so hard and now from the sensual press of his body to hers. "I'm grateful for the warmth."

  "You've been working that field out there by yourself?" He continued to rub her back, his crotch still tucked tightly against her rear, his sex jerking from time to time.

  She wondered if he were doing that on his own or if his anatomy just caused it to happen. Martha always made fun of boys and their inability to not get a hard-on. The joke was that they were dense as could be and would hump a tree because their blood was in their pants and their brained suffered from lack of oxygen. She smiled in the dark, her pulse ticking in her throat and wrist hard enough that it was noticeable to her.

  "Linzi? Did you fall asleep?" He moved his hand back to her leg, his strong fingers sliding down the outside of her thigh before splaying his fingers to touch her skin. His chest pressed against her back, his lips brushing past her ear as he spoke.

  She moaned softly, unable to help herself. She pretended to cough, her pathetic means of trying to cover up her desire. "I’m not asleep.” She inhaled and let a slow breath out. “I have to work the field alone right now, but it’s okay. My mother did the same when she was alive and Kenton and I were too young to help. Father had gone to help fight in the last war and we had to keep things up here." She stiffened again, Erik's fingers moving on her thigh in soft circles. He moved around her leg, never moving up higher than she felt comfortable with.

  "Your turn," he whispered as chill bumps broke out against her skin.

  "You want me to rub your back?" She started to move and he stilled her with his arm wrapping around her, his fingers reaching out to hold her just below her breasts on her stomach. She held her breath until he answered, his words softening her a little.

  "No, you can ask me a question if you like."

  "Oh." She should be tired, but everything inside her seemed so awake at the moment. She relaxed against him. "What did you mean when you said you were injured by a friend, not an enemy?"

  "The arrows came from my side.” Erik sighed as if physically feeling the blow of betrayal. “I’ll have to go back and face who deceived me. Someone I once called friend."

  "Do you know who did it?" She turned in his arms, wanting to see his face. The heavy emotion that sat in his voice left her heart aching in her chest.

  It was a mistake to face him; the thickness of his arm muscles and sensual curve of his lips left her stomach fluttering, her resolve turning to mush. If he but whispered her name, her innocence would be damned.

  "I don't. I can only imagine one man wanting me dead. Our commander, Halfdan." He shook his head as if a foggy memory was trying to take hold. “Or Marcus.”

  “Who’s Marcus?” she whispered.

  “My cousin.”

  She stared at the outline of his handsome face. "Someone in your own family would mean to have you killed?"

  "It wasn’t Marcus. He came to help me…" He sighed softly, his strong fingers brushing her hair from her face. "None of this is your concern. Sleep now. Let's find comfort amidst the warmth of our bodies tonight."

  She nodded, reaching up to brush her finger along his face before feeling the pull of sleep finally tugging her down. "I've never seen a more beautiful monster than you, Erik." She thought she had said the words in her head.

  He laughed, the sound jolting her awake slightly. "Am I a monster?"

  Clearly she hadn’t. "You’re a Saxon. Straight from the belly of hell. I cannot imagine why your King would send his people to kill and destroy." She yawned softly, tucking her head and pressing her cheek to his chest as she snuggled in closer. He tightened his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. Linzi knew she could easily fall in love with the feeling of being trapped against him.

  Erik lie quiet a moment before sharing his thoughts out loud. "Power corrupts, I suppose. The King and, actually, his father before him have their reasons for doing what they do."

  "I hope the whole family burns in hell. They deserve it for all they've taken. May they never find peace, nor rest, nor love, even after they die." She huffed loudly.

  Erik moved his legs to wrap around hers. He chuckled quietly. "I think your desires have been heard by the gods already, beautiful girl. They suffer more than you imagine."

  "Good," she whispered, removing the last inch of space between them as she slipped into lustful dreams.

  Sometime in the middle of the night Linzi woke, her hair matted with sweat, her skin sticky and uncomfortable. She pul
led from Erik's grasp, sitting up and fanning herself. He moved to sit up beside her, pulling her hair from her back and holding it up as he blew cold air on her.

  "I think your plan to keep warm worked far too well."

  "My attraction to you knows no bounds, I think." He laughed and gingerly lay back down before reaching up to pull her on top of his chest. She lay with her hips on the bed tucked close beside him, and her breasts pressed against his chest as her hair pooled around them.

  He bit his lower lip as he stared at her. "Kiss me, Linzi. I beg you. Just one kiss. Let me taste your sweetness for a moment before we part ways tomorrow and I never see you again. You’ll be the one to haunt my dreams for the rest of my life, I promise you that."

  She was sure he would covet her dreams as well. She leaned in, his fingers tightening in her hair as he moved up like a viper, his mouth warm and wet, the soft groan from his need spilling onto her tongue. She opened her mouth, her fingers pressing into the soft flesh of his chest as he took advantage of her offering. His tongue pressed against hers, rolling softly against her own as his other hand slid down her back, running over her nightgown and grasping her backside.

  A tremble rolled down her spine, her own moan rumbling into his mouth. Untasted desire had her moving from the bed to climb onto his body to open herself fully up to his needs.

  The sound of her father calling her name threw cold water on the moment, the kiss broken and her bolting from the bed to attend to him.

  She heard Erik sigh in disappointment as her heart pounded and breasts ached. She lifted a small prayer of thanks to the heavens as she raced to her father.

  Erik had to leave in the morning or she would be lost to him. Plain and simple.

  Chapter 6

  Erik

  The heat in the room is what finally woke him, his body sticking to the sheets, his lips parched. Erik sat up slowly, pulling the softened cotton covering from his chest and looking down the length of his body to assess his wounds. He touched the soft sore, the small cotton dressing Linzi had affixed to him seemed to be holding up well considering the heat. That girl was fire and water.