Pleasured by the Viking Read Online Free PDF Page B

to hear the tales, to drown out her fears of tomorrow.
    Trahern spoke of a young woman named Sinead who was taken by the faeries when she neglected to give them an offering on the night of Bealtaine . “Her lover Kel went in search of her for a hundred nights,” he continued, his voice weaving its spell. “No matter how long it took or how many miles he had to go, he swore to find her. For she belonged to him in this world and the next.”
    A strange prickle formed upon her neck while Auder listened to the story. Across the cashel , she saw Gunnar standing with Clár. The widow was speaking to him, and seeing them together broke something inside Auder. Though it shouldn’t have made any difference, she couldn’t stop the suffocating disappointment. It seemed that the kiss Gunnar had given her meant nothing, despite the feelings it had aroused.
    She meant nothing to him.
    Auder retreated from the crowd, needing to be alone with her bruised feelings. In the distance, she saw Gunnar watching her, an unreadable expression on his face. Nothing about her feelings was rational or reasonable. Her mind was in disarray, and her anger with Gunnar kept growing higher.
    She wished he’d never kissed her a second time. Torches flared in the darkness, and for a long time, she stared at the rippling flames, trying to calm her wayward heart. Within the shadows, she found her refuge, turning her face away from everyone.
    She returned to the gates, watching the darkness that lay beyond the torches. Were the soldiers still there? Or had they gone back to Maraloch?
    She started walking over to the sentries, when a low voice resonated from behind her. “Don’t move another step.”
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    Gunnar had never felt so blindingly angry as right now. “Where are you going, Auder?”
    â€œI don’t even know anymore.” There was a wrenching pain in her eyes, as though she were about to shatter. “It’s hard for me to watch the men and women going off alone together. My fate isn’t the same as theirs.”
    â€œThen tell Trahern you won’t marry Maraloch. You have that choice.”
    A single tear rolled down her cheek. Then another. “I’m not trying to martyr myself, Gunnar…But I don’t believe I can say no. Not after what happened earlier.” She tried to venture a smile and took his hand.
    â€œYou can’t trust them, Auder.” He needed her to understand it, to refuse the alliance. This was no longer about his friend endangering herself—it was his own unexpected jealousy. He didn’t want any man touching Auder. Not anymore.
    He ignored the warnings that resounded through his brain, and claimed her mouth once again. Within her innocence, he tasted something else. A yearning, as though she needed him tonight. He kissed her back, letting the thunderous desire claim him, and she responded in a way that tore his control apart.
    The pale silver moonlight illuminated the cashel and the surrounding land. Upon the hillside, the bonfires blazed, while in the distance lay the threat of the Normans. Gunnar didn’t care about them or anyone else. Right now, he needed to convince Auder that she could never consider giving herself up. He wanted her in a way he hardly understood. It went beyond the casual friendship they’d shared or his desire to keep her safe.
    Breaking free of the kiss, he held her closely. She trembled within his embrace. “Gunnar,” she whispered. “This isn’t right.”
    He drew her to face him, locking his hands around her face. Her blue-green eyes were fringed with tears, her lips swollen from where he’d kissed her.
    â€œI’m not letting you go.” He spoke the command while keeping her imprisoned in his arms. “You’re staying with me.”
    â€œWhat about Clár?” she asked. Within her question, he sensed her unrest and belief that he didn’t truly want her.
    â€œI told