Vanquished by the Viking Read Online Free PDF Page B

sides of her gown.
    “We do not want him to become too entrenched at your keep. He cannot rule without you—at least not without facing more resistance from your people.” He spoke quickly and moved even faster, tugging down the shelter they’d raised together and bundling it into the bow.
    “You will restore my father to power?” She hardly dared to believe it.
    He paused in the process of strapping on a double-sided ax.
    “You and I will rule, Eva.” His blue eyes locked on hers. “When we return, we will wed. You will be safe in your own home again.”
    Wed? Eva reeled with the brusque announcement of nuptials that affected her greatly. Had he any care to ask to wed her? Or was she simply his means to an end all along? She tried to harden her heart before he broke it completely, but she feared it was already too late. He had treated her sweetly to win what he wanted.
    Not her. Only her father’s keep. She was simply a means to force out his brother and rule the lands himself.
    “I do not recall being asked for my hand.” Her voice trembled and she took a deep breath to chase away the revealing emotions. “Have I bargained away my future by choosing to be with you?”
    He tensed.
    “I made it very clear there was no going back. I gave you a choice.” The hard line of his jaw seemed chiseled of granite and she wondered where her tender lover had disappeared.
    Had he been the vision of a wishful heart and a well-seduced body? Perhaps she had dreamed him as she indulged herself and gave away her maidenhead with both hands. Her heart ached, already missing the man she had thought she’d found.
    “I did not realize you claimed a larger prize than my virginity,” she shot back, never one to retreat. “Had I known the fate of my father’s holding rested with me, I would never have let you touch me.”
    He turned away at that moment and she thought that was the end of the discussion. He was admitting that he only cared about the holding. Then, she heard the rhythmic swish of oars in the water.
    Many oars in the water. Rowing in unison.
    That was why Reinn turned from her. He heard it too.
    “What is it?” she asked, dread growing in the pit of her stomach.
    Around the bend that sheltered the cove, the nose of a great long ship came into view. Lean and fast, it sped into sight with twenty-some oarsmen lifting their oars to slow the craft down. A huge figurehead of a dragon carved into the bow seemed like a dark omen on a day going quickly downhill.
    “Gunnar.” Reinn’s voice was that of a stranger, dark and dangerous. He rose to his feet, his massive body now armed to the teeth.
    And, seeing Reinn standing on this small vessel with no one beside him but her, next to the much larger dragon ship fortified with twenty men, Eva lost some of her frustration with him. Instead, she feared for him.
    “You cannot confront Gunnar in the face of such odds,” she hissed softly to ensure her voice would not carry over the water.
    Nearby, the other ship dropped anchor, the shields raised.
    “At the first sign of trouble, go ashore,” Reinn told her, taking his eyes from his brother-turned-enemy for only a moment. “My men are nearby. I heard their oars in the water while we lay together. They must be moored around the bend to the west. They will escort you home or—if you choose—Cledemutha.”
    The last word hung in the air between them. He would grant her freedom, if she chose?
    He turned back toward the dragon ship.
    “I don’t understand.” She clutched at his arm, confused at the way her world had turned upside down so fast.
    Could she trust Reinn?
    Her heart wished that she could. But she feared the tenderness inside her was just simple weakness. She had seen little enough kindness from warriors in her years under her father’s roof.
    “Stay safe,” he barked, his voice sharp. Impatient. “No matter what you see, keep yourself safe. It is no weakness to retreat and gather your forces for another