Page 45 of Shared By the Vikings

“And why is that?”

“Because if we do, we may quarrel, and I have no intention of quarreling with men I consider brothers.”

She kept her head ducked, pretending to work on a particularly stubborn piece of young bark.

“So will you tell me?” he asked.

She pulled in a deep breath, her cheeks flaming. “I disobeyed him?”

“Speak up.”

Still she kept her eyes cast downward. “I disobeyed him.”

“What did you do?” Tali asked, his voice a fraction softer than Erik’s.

“I went into the woods when he told me to stay here, and...”

“And.” Erik’s boots came into view as he towered over her.

She gulped. “And there was a moment, with some wolves.” She looked up at him.

He pressed his lips together and the muscles in his neck and chest tightened.

“I chased them away with thrown stones and I had this.” She lifted her dagger. “I was ready to fight, I’m not scared of wolves.” She banged her chest.

“But you shouldn’t have been in such a position. He’d ordered you to stay here.”

“Ja.”

“So you deserved a punishment; imagine if the wolves had taken you away.”

“They wouldn’t have, I—”

“We do not know that,” Erik roared. “This is a strange land with strange beasts. For all we know they may only eat females.”

“But—”

“It sounds to me like you deserved a good spanking. I hope you learned your lesson.”

It was ridiculous but another well of tears brewed on her lower lids. Quickly she dipped her head. “Why do you think I’m sitting here, waiting for him?”

“Good.” He set his hand over the crown of her head. “We do not wish to give you pain or punish you, but you must understand that our duty as men is to protect you while we are in this place. You only have yourself to blame for being here, you sneaked aboard my vessel under false pretenses.”

She bit on her bottom lip. She wanted to ask why her safety was so much of their business. Why they thought it was okay to spank a woman of her standing in society. But she had a feeling arguing with Erik, who was clearly already hot, frustrated, and hungry, wouldn’t go her way.

“I’ll get drinking water,” Tali said.

“I will come also, I need to bathe. Ingrid, watch the fish doesn’t burn.”

“I’ll keep watch.”

She sneaked a glance at the two men as they walked into the tree line. Erik so big and wide and dark. Tali younger, a fraction smaller but still a Viking with impressive muscles and strength.

The gods were in a strange mood to plan my time here.

* * *

They ate fish and arabbit, drank fresh water, and watched the sea turn orange and red and finally inky black. A half-moon rose in the sky and was occasionally sliced in half by skinny clouds.

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