Hearts Aflame Read Online Free PDF

Selig. There was one other reason. There was someone—and I will not give a name, so do not ask—but someone who meant to force me to wed him by—by taking me.”
    “Dirk!” he exploded.
    “I said no names, Selig. But I could not tell anyone about this man, or I would never have been able to go anywhere or do anything by myself. Father would have dealt with him, but would not have killed him with no harm done yet. And a talking to or a beating—well, I do not think that would have dissuaded this particular man. I would have lost my freedom, so I felt the best thing to do was take myself away for a while, and if I might find myself a husband at the same time, then all the better.”
    “Odin help me!” he swore. “I should have expected no better reasoning from a woman.”

    “Unfair, Selig! I told you it was all those reasons combined that decided me,” she said defensively.
    “More like it was only the excitement of adventure that decided you, for there are ways to deal with a man such as you describe and you know it!”
    “Father would not have killed him for simply making threats against me.”
    “But I would have.”
    She looked narrowly at him. “You would have killed him just for wanting me? Would you kill every man who wants me?”
    “Every one who thinks to have you whether you say yea or nay.”
    She grinned at him now, knowing it was just the brother in him talking. “Then there is no problem. You will be all the protection I will need in the market towns.”
    “If you were going, which you are not,” he retorted. “You are going home.”
    “Oh, nay, Selig! The men would never forgive me if so much time was wasted.”
    “They will every one of them agree to take you home!”
    “But why? Where is the harm if I go along? You are only going trading.” At his furious look, her eyes widened with a particular thought and lit up with excitement. “You are going Viking!”
    At that moment their cousin Hakon appeared at the hatch opening. “You told her, Selig? Thor! That was a fool thing to do,” the blond giant grumbled.
    “Idiot!” Selig stood up to glare at the younger man. “ You just told her! She had only guessed before.”
    Hakon dropped down into the well to stare eye to eye with Selig. “So now what will you do? Take her home so she can tell your father?”

    Selig rolled his eyes heavenward. “I swear, Hakon, you are a veritable font of information. How our enemies would love to get their hands on you.”
    “What did I say?”
    Selig did not deign to answer that, but looked down at Kristen, who was smiling widely now. “You would not tell Father, would you?” he asked in the most hopeful tone she had ever heard from him.
    “What do you think?”
    He groaned at her for such an answer, but he took his anger out on Hakon, pulling his fist back and sending the younger man falling into the pile of furs. He followed the blow by diving on top of Hakon, who retaliated in true Viking fashion.
    Kristen let the fight go on for several minutes before she interrupted in a tone just loud enough so they would hear her above their grunts of pain. “If you think to make me feel guilty by having to look at two bruised faces on the morrow, I must disappoint you, for I will not take credit for your sport.”
    Selig rolled over and sat up to growl at her. “I should throw you into the sea, Kristen. Then I would only have to tell our parents you drowned, instead of having to confess I took you Viking. I think they would rather hear that you drowned.”
    She crawled over to him on her hands and knees and gave him a kiss on the cheek that was already starting to swell, then sat back on her haunches to grin at him. “Give in gracefully, Brother, and tell me where we are going.”
    “ That is something you do not need to know, so do not ask again. You will stay on the ship and out of sight.”
    “Selig!” But he ignored her plea and pulled himselfout of the well. She turned on Hakon, who was just