Page 33 of Viktor at Sea

“I’m not interested in your services, Chara.” Not now. Not ever.

“Let me patch you up.”

“I don’t need patching up,” I growled and moved to walk past her, but she reached out and circled her fingers around my wrist, stopping me once again. “Get away from me, you insufferable woman!” I screamed at her without an ounce of remorse, roughly shucking her hand off me.

I could feel her eyes staring holes into the back of my head as I walked away, but I didn’t feel the slightest bit bad about the interaction. Not when my mind was in shambles, my heart ached in a way that I didn’t even know was possible, my knuckles ached from throwing punches, and I could barely think straight.

I needed to get to the sea. I needed to get in the water and take a swim to clear my mind and calm my nerves, but someone else inserted themselves in my path.

Luckily for him, he was one of the few people I could stand to tolerate right now.

“I’m sorry, Roscoe, but I can’t talk right now. I’m beyond angry and need to clear my head.”

“I’m not here to talk to you, Viktor,” Roscoe told me, a sad expression on his face. “The Chief has requested me to inform you that he requires your presence at his hut.”

“Right now?”

Roscoe nodded.

“What goes Barden want now?” I groaned but wasn’t all that surprised.

Word travelled fast around Jorvik.

“He didn’t tell me. He just said he needed to speak to you right away and told me to find you.”

“Very well,” I sighed, exhaling deeply. “Thank you for telling me, Roscoe. I’ll head over there right now.”

I knew Barden would have no kind words to say to me. On the contrary, I expected him to scream my ear off regarding my behaviour these past few days, but most recently, the fight with Crosby, but at this moment, wounding a bruised face and a broken heart, I couldn’t bring myself to care.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“You look like you haven’t eaten in days,” Barden chuckled as I walked into his dining room, finding him sitting at his usual seat at the head of the table.

“That’s because I haven’t,” I told him and moved to occupy the seat on his right. “Well, nothing but stale bread and some water.”

“Why are you eating stale bread when there’s freshly baked bread every day at the square?” He frowned, his eyes worried as he stared at me. “Starving yourself is not going to help anything, Viktor.”

I refused to meet his eyes. “Who said I was starving myself?”

“No one needs to say anything to me,” Barden snorted.

A knock sounded on the door before a maid walked into the room. She carried a plate of hot, freshly baked bread which made my mouth water. Another maid followed her with a plate full of chicken, and my mouth watered even more. More maids came into the room, carrying different types of meat.

I was starving, but I couldn’t eat.

Not when I was physically lovesick.

“I can tell just by looking at you that you haven’t been looking after yourself. Your cheeks have sunk in, your face is nearlyas pale as mine, and I’ve heard you haven’t been swimming, either.”

“I was just about to head to the sea when Roscoe found me,” I said.

“Well, I’m glad to hear that,” he smiled, and we paused when the maids returned with some beautiful, boiled potatoes to go with the meat, some butter for the bread and a red ale to wash it all down with.

My stomach rumbled at all the delicious food, the irresistible aroma making me ravenous. The maids laughed at the loud sound, but I was too hungry to be embarrassed.

“I hope you don’t mind,” I told Barden as I reached for a slice of rabbit, biting off more than half of it in one bit. “But I’m starving. I haven’t eaten in days.”

“I don’t mind at all,” he chuckled, and we were interrupted again by the door opening.

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