Page 44 of Shared By the Vikings

Once more that hateful enemy guilt rushed into her blood. It was like being punched in the guts and it stole her breath. She’d been so caught up in Gunnvar, she’d forgotten about Raud. Forgotten that it was his embrace she longed for.

How could I?

“Woman!”

She looked up.

Erik and Tali were walking up the beach.

Tali was carrying several dark planks that looked to be from a longboat.

Erik had a large fish hanging from his fingers.

“Anything?” she asked, not stopping what she was doing and blinking back a rogue tear.

“No.” Erik shook his head. “We walked as far as we could but another headland stopped us.” He sat on the rock next to her and draped the gutted fish on the fire.

“This is from one of our longboats.” Tali dumped the planks on the sand. A puff of dust whooshed upward. “We may use it.”

She pulled in a deep breath and got a handle on her emotions. “Any men?”

“Not even a footprint.” Erik folded his arms over his wide chest and sighed. “Morrow we’ll go the other way, southward.”

“I’ll come with you,” she said. Maybe she’d find footprints—Raud’s footprints.

He frowned. “No.”

“Why can’t I come? I want to. Raud might have been washed up southward.”

He narrowed his eyes. “We will see.” He glanced around. “Where’s Gunnvar?”

She smiled at his name. “He went to check a trap.”

Erik flicked his attention back to her. “What happened while we were gone?”

“Naught.” She was aware of her cheeks tingling, heat going to them, and she squirmed on the rock, her sore ass smarting.

“Don’t lie to me,” Erik said.

“We went into the woods.”

“And?” Tali placed his hands on his hips and stared down at her.

“And... I found this to make a bow and arrow.”

Both men were silent.

“And some cattails to cook.” She nodded at the rushes on the floor.

“And what else happened?” Erik indicated her nose. “Why the symbolic marking?”

She clamped her lips together and returned to her task.

Erik chuckled suddenly. “You think Gunnvar won’t tellme, his Jarl.”

She shrugged.

“You should know,” Erik went on. “Where you are concerned, Ingrid, we three men will have no secrets.”

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