Page 14 of Unspoken
Did she mean anything to him now?
A torturous agony coursed through her with astrength she’d never before encountered. This must be the crippling horrorevery woman experienced when she sent her warrior off to battle.
Her heart in her throat, she watched, paralyzed,as he bowed to her, his right hand grasped over his heart. Still, she keptquiet as he turned on his boot and quit the room. The door closed with a clickthat reverberated through her bones.
Trembling with the forceof it, she allowed the tears she’d been holding with an iron will to flow freelydown her cheeks.
What had she done?
ChapterTen
Roderick adjusted the grip on his weapon as hewaited in the shadows of the forest.
The lovely lass had been right.
The Stewart army boasted more mounted knights, butthe sheer number advantage belonged to the enemy. And here, three acres offorest away from the battlefield, maybe two hundred and fifty horsemen awaitedtheir signal to attack in the unlikely case that the battle turned against the Donald.Their colors and language branded them Northern mercenaries, paid per battle tofight for the highest bidder.
He bared his teeth in half a wicked smile, halfderisive sneer. They wouldn’t get the chance. Not today.
Watching them mill about their crude camp,preparing their horses as stealthily as possible, he knew it would be easier tostart taking them out before they mounted and stood at the ready.
Her name floated to him on the breeze that noisilydisturbed the heavy leaves of the oak in which he perched. Looking toward thecity of Aberdeen he breathed deeply as if he could find her scent on the windand take it inside of him.
Evelyn… The most beautiful woman he’d everencountered with her thick, honeyed hair and shy, whiskey colored eyes.
And that arse.
He’d meant to possess her for a night, toshelter her from the cruel MacKay and give and take pleasure from her body. Itdid him good to spend his seed before a battle. For then the rage did not takehim as entirely. He was less likely to slaughter his allies.
But she’d been a virgin. A bloodyvirgin!
He should have known. He should have read thesigns; her trembling, her shyness, her unpracticed guileless passion. Itwasn’t unusual for him to encounter difficulty with a woman who wasunaccustomed to a man of his size and girth. He’d thought her tense andnervous, maybe in need of coaxing.
Kiss me… Please.Closing his eyes, herelished the sweet memory of his own surrender. Och, but she’d been tighter,sweeterthan any woman before and now that she’d tamed his beast, there couldneverbe another woman after. ‘Twas the way of his Berserker bloodline. Once swornand mated to a lass, the bond was eternal.
Roderick cringed at the danger he’d inadvertentlyput her in. What if his berserker had rejected her as his mate? She wouldhave been killed! But, nay, magic lay behind the lass’ warm eyes and an innateknowledge and acceptance of the truth of things. Any man or beast would haveto be insane not to want her, to do anything to possess her, to protect her.
Toloveher.
He would return to Aberdeen and claim her. Takeher to his family home in the highlands. Just as soon as he dispensed with hiscontracted charge.
Taking in another deep breath of briny ocean airtinged with heather, he silently drew his blade from the scabbard, taking carenot to let the sun glint off the weapon and alert his prey.
Slicing the blade across his left palm he embracedthe familiar white-hot rage that surged at the sight of blood.
Yes…
This caused the Beast to rise within him, fillinghim with the power of Freya, passed down to some clans through a Northernancestor.
His vision honed to shades of grey, but sharp asthat of a predatory bird. Colors would not distract him, only movement. And thebeast, once unleashed, indiscriminately destroyedanythingthat moved.
* * *
Painful breaths exploded from her chest as Evelynraced through the forest, hands fisted in skirts to hold them above her knees.
The blue berserker. He would killRoderick. He lurked, waiting to strike, to kill.
Could she warn Roderick in time? She’d been inhisthoughts the night before! Why hadn’t she known who his quarry had been then?Clenching her teeth and calling herself nine kinds of idiot, she crashedthrough the brush, ignoring the burning in her lungs.
