Page 14 of A Viking's Captive

His playfulness had gotten the reaction he desired. She paid attention to him and was at his mercy. He stopped laughing and became tender, smoothing the loose tendrils of hair from her face. Then, lowering his face, Rathnon pressed a featherlight kiss to her lips in apology. It was not enough. He held her tightly to him, feeling the soft imprint of her breasts pressed into his chest. He ran his hands over her skin, legs, and buttocks. Then, as if he wanted to devour her whole, Ilona felt the ardent press of his hottongue to the seam of her lips. She gasped as he thrust his tongue inside her mouth and deepened their searing kiss.

This kiss was unlike any other Rathnon had given her. She didn’t ken men kissed women like this. His kisses and caresses awakened heat, and the flames of desire coursed through her body. She kissed him back, and their tongues tangled in an intimate dance.

To her surprise, Ilona felt something hard pressed against her abdomen, and her eyes widened. She realized Rathnon was nae wearing any clothes while swimming. She stroked his back, feeling the defined ridges of his muscles as he tensed and flexed. Her hand drifted lower toward his buttocks, and as her hands stroked over his hips, she felt his hot bare skin. She confirmed he was indeed naked.What does that mean? Will he undress me here in the woods before we wed?She now realized how dangerous kissing could be, especially with a man as handsome, skilled, and charming as Rathnon.

Ilona broke their kiss and pulled back. “I need to go to the shore to dry my dress.”

Rathnon reluctantly let her go but had felt her trembling in his arms, confirming either her fear of him or that she was a maiden yet—or both. He did not want her to fear him. He wanted only to give her pleasure, and he could barely restrain himself from doing so.How can I continue to resist her enticing charms?

Rathnon watched her as she emerged from the loch and dried herself and her hair while sitting on a rock. He resumed vigorous swimming back and forth in laps across the loch, for now he had even more images and experiences to banish. Would he tire himself sufficiently that he could sleep beside her again? He hadmissed her and her heavenly heather scent as he held her in sleep. He had become protective of her when he had first seen her, and his heart claimed her, belonging only to him. Ilona was his to protect and cherish.

He finished racing and called to Ilona. “I’m coming out of the loch to join you.”

Her eyes widened as it became clear he had finished swimming and was emerging from the water. Even though curious about his body, she hung her head. Ilona gazed intently at the earth at her feet, nae wanting to gaze at him brazenly,

Rathnon smiled at her maidenly modesty. He looked forward to the time when she would look at him with hunger in her eyes and desire for him in her blood. For now, he would let her desire smolder. For he kent underneath she was a passionate woman. Her ire with him had showed him that easily enough. At first glance, something in him cracked wide open. He felt powerless against the intensity of his desire for Ilona.

Never had he longed for a woman more. He yearned to awaken the slumbering dragon of desire inside of her and let her unleash her passions upon him. It was not enough to possess her. He wanted to claim her—heart, body, and soul. He dried himself and put on his pants, then sat on the rock beside her to put on his socks and shoes.

And Ilona gently let go of the breath she had been holding.

Rathnon stood and pulled her to him and held her in his arms for a long moment before kissing her softly. Before Ilona could gather her damp clothes, Rathnon picked them up and slung them over his shoulder.

He placed a dry cloth over her shoulders, covering her damp shift, and picked up the baskets of berries. Rathnon held Ilona’s hand and pulled it to his lips to kiss, taking her by surprise. His tender kiss undid her, and it felt like part of her heart melted as it filled with warmth.

Back at the longhouse, Ilona hung up her clothes to dry and took Rathnon’s clothes with her into the house. He remained outside with the men, while the women readied for bed and put their bairns to sleep. Ilona hung his tunic on the wall and folded his pants and set them on a bench with his socks.

Ilona settled on the floor to sleep and hoped Rathnon would join her tonight. She missed his presence next to her and being held securely in his arms. But Ilona had also discovered how traitorous her body could be with Rathnon.

Chapter 5

Wedding Preparations

Ilona still contemplated how she might escape, yet when Rathnon held her in his arms and kissed her, she forgot everything else entirely. Tomorrow, when they searched for berries and herbs, she would hike up the mountain to search for routes to get away. She would find which way the men took to get to the sea. In the mornings, a low mist hung over the hills and valleys since they were close to the ocean.

The next morning, she rose early, just missing Rathnon, who had held her during the night. She walked among the buildings, trying to determine where best to hang the herbs she’d collected the day before. Looking up into the rafters, Ilona found a warm and dry corner in the barn to hang the herbs. Pointing to a string, she asked a man if she could have some. The man motioned for her to follow him and pulled out a roll of twine and cut a length for her, to which she replied, “Takk.” The man smiled in response and nodded. Outside, Ilona spied the area where a couple of men had slipped away to the shore.

To be successful in her efforts to escape, she needed to prepare by taking water, dried meat, and a cloak to protect her from the elements. She would start preparing today. Ilona feared that if she waited until after being wed to Rathnon, her traitorous heart would thwart her attempts to flee.

Later, she joined the women, and Sigrid gave her a water bag as well as bread and dried meat in a piece of fabric, which Ilona placed in her pocket. She followed the women, carrying a bucketof water and a basket for the herbs and berries. Ilona had already cut the twine into the right lengths in her pocket.

She checked her garden and sprinkled water from the bucket over the rows of plantings, looking forward to seeing the crops grow and their harvest. But she wouldn’t be here to see it if she was successful, she reminded herself, since she’d try to escape again as soon as possible.

Ilona followed the women and found berries to pick, filling her basket. A woman took her full basket and gave Ilona another one to fill, sending one lass back to the longhouse with full baskets of berries.

Filled with excitement at discovering several types of healing herbs, she cut bundles of them and laid them in her basket. She searched and found a few more. Ilona picked yarrow, used for blood clotting, with anti-inflammatory properties. Then she found copious amounts of stinging nettle, used for its detoxifying effects, and garlic mustard, helpful for colds and digestive issues. She dug up a plant of roseroot, a potent herb with many medicinal uses. With chickweed, she would make poultices and tea. Searching for more as she climbed up the mountainside, she found aromatic white elderflowers and dug up several plants that she placed in her basket.

Ilona planned to make teas and syrups with the flowers. There was only a brief window to harvest them. The syrup would taste wonderful with fish one night. Jam made from the flowers would taste delicious. Ilona picked only the flowers ready to be harvested.

Next, she found gooseberries, which complemented the elderflowers. Ilona thought the elderberry flowers would be pretty to embroider on her wedding gown and onto a fine linenshift—her mind filled with designs. Under a tree, she sat down to rest and eat her meal. She drank water and ate her food to give her energy for the rest of the day. Now rather high on the mountain, smoke curled through the trees above the longhouse. Ilona spied the ocean and the beach along the coast. From this height, it did nae appear there were large boulders or rocks, making it more difficult to put out to sea.

Ilona returned to her garden and planted the plants she had found. She took the basket of cut herbs, gooseberries, and elderflowers into the longhouse. She gave the gooseberries to a woman who graciously accepted them and called them by their Norwegian name, which Ilona repeated. Ilona motioned with her hand for tools like a mortar and pestle. The woman handed her a grinding stone and led her outside to a well-used stone where she could grind the flowers or herbs.

Ilona said, “Takk,” and sat on the stool beside the rock. First, she wiped the stone free from dirt and any debris, then laid the chickweed on the stone. She began to pound and grind the herbs. After she’d finished and collected it into a basket, she took all the herbs inside the longhouse, setting the basket on her sleeping bench. Later, she hung her bundles of herbs upside down from the rafters in the barn and showed the man in the barn what she had done. He nodded and smiled at her in approval.

Then she boiled water and poured it into an empty ceramic jug to clean it. Ilona poured it out and let it dry on the table. In a smaller pot, she added the elderflowers to boiling water. After it boiled and cooled, Ilona took a piece of cloth and used it as a filter. She poured the fluid into another pot, filled with hot water.

Ilona judiciously added honey to the pot and stirred, making a syrup. She located a ceramic plug for the jug and first poured boiling water over it. Then she poured the syrup into the jug, corked it, and set it aside on the counter. The women had followed her every move, approving and appreciating her contributions and her skill.