Page 3 of A Viking's Captive

Ilona wanted to be married and raise a family, but she’d envisioned living on Orkney, the Isle of Skye, or at least inScotland. She wondered whether her parents had returned from their fishing trip. Ilona couldn’t imagine their shock and dismay when they discovered her missing.

Every day she tried to be a dutiful daughter and make her parents’ life easier. An only child and a daughter, she constantly sought her father’s approval. Ilona didn’t want to disappoint him. Sorrow filled her after she had asked the questions of the Gaelic translator, for now she had even more questions than answers.

How will the marriages be arranged? Will the men choose their wives or will someone else choose for them?Ilona was nae naïve enough to think the women would have any choice at all. She wished they would sail at night, for it would be easier for her to determine their location by the stars and somehow find her way home. At any moment, she must be prepared to seize the opportunity to run away tonight.

If away from him at camp, she knew she could escape the other men.

The one consistent thing she’d heard when men spoke to her captor was the name Rathnon, so at least she now knew what he was called. And when Rathnon stood up to confer with a man, she saw him better than early this morning in the dark. He had removed his tunic, drenched in sweat from the exertion of rowing, and his shoulders were massive, his chest sculpted iron muscle down to his abdomen. The thick leather belt around his waist held a dirk.

Long blond hair framed his face and fell over his shoulders, and thick hair curled across his chest, glistening with sweat. His handsome face made her eyes stay on him longer thanshe usually would allow. Rathnon had a patrician nose and a chiseled jaw with a beard.

Ilona peeked from under her long lashes, and when she glanced up, his eyes were studying her.Why take me?She recognized his keen intellect in his assessing glance. A thick silver chain with a medallion hung around his neck, indicating his status. Rathnon wore wide leather cuffs on his wrists with matching small circles of silver.

From his actions and the way the men deferred to him; he was well respected and commanded all of them. Ilona did nae ken what that meant for her future. She hoped the women would sleep together around the campfire; it would protect them and make it easier for her to escape.

Once safely away, she would search for a way to get a letter to her parents alerting them to what had happened. She could be rescued then. Ilona ran through several scenarios in her mind, thinking of various means of escape. It would be difficult to get away at night through rough terrain or across mountains in an unfamiliar place, but it would also make it more difficult for someone to track her path.

The vast ocean stretched interminably before her gaze. She wondered what awaited the women at the end of their journey.Will we all wed immediately? Or will we have time to get to know our potential partner? We will face new customs and a new language, and there will be much to learn.

The Vikings rowed on and did not appear to be visibly tired from their labors. The men must have rowed great distances often in the past. Most were young, but there were a few older men on their ship. Too terrified to look, she did nae get a good look at the men aboard the other ships. The briny sea breezesblew across the bow, and the sails billowed in the wind, granting them speed toward their destination.

Soon one man called out in their language, gesturing toward the land they sighted—it would seem the ship was right on course. The men on the ship most likely had stayed on this land previously. Judging by how far the men rowed and how long it had taken them, Ilona imagined this was another island. A short time later, they crested the waves and coasted onto the beach.

The men hurriedly jumped out and secured the sailing vessels. Afterward, they helped the women disembark the ship. A portion of the men scouted ahead and returned a short time later to lead their group into the forest. A few men collected firewood and built a blaze while another group left with bows to hunt. Not long afterward, warriors from the other ships joined them. Unfortunately, the women were still guarded. The fierce men who guarded them watched them keenly.

The women were uncomfortable under the scrutiny of several fierce-looking warriors.Will any of these men claim us tonight?Ilona shuddered at the thought. Later, the men returned with deer, pheasants, and buckets of fresh water. They dressed the game and placed it on a spit they fashioned over the fire. Although occasionally glaring at the captured women, the Vikings seemed in good spirits. Ilona observed their behavior as they smiled and shouted to each other.

When the interpreter returned to the camp, the women asked him if they were able to leave as a group to relieve themselves. The man barked directions to the warriors, and their translator said, “Follow these men, who will lead ye a suitable distance away. Do nae tarry but be quick about yer business. Do nae wander off. Ye will nae like the consequences.”

The ladies dutifully followed the men, who pointed to an area of low, dense bushes. Ilona ventured to the farthest area, only to see another warrior on the other side. The Vikings surrounded them. The bushes would afford them privacy, but she would nae be able to escape. After dinner, when they had drunk enough ale, she would slip away.

The women rejoined the warriors by the fire. Sitting close together, the women talked among themselves and learned more about each other. Ilona asked, “How did they capture ye?” Each woman took a turn telling her story. All were single. Whether by design or chance, Ilona didn’t ken.If by design, it means the men watched each of the women carefully before they kidnapped her.It made her even more uncomfortable.Did the warrior watch me as I bathed in the river?She blushed in mortification thinking about it.

She figured Rathnon had watched her the night before he took her, when she felt eyes watching her from the forest.If my parents hadn’t left to go fishing, would I be here now?Eager for dinner, Ilona planned her escape. She would tuck food into an oilskin pouch in the pocket of her dress. When able to break away, she would have food to sustain her.

The men removed the meat from the fire and cut it up onto wooden trenchers, which the women shared, while the men ate right off the bones. Ilona recognized that the men gave the women the trenchers they usually used. Taking the meat in her hand, she hid it in her oilskin. Ilona and the other women became more nervous when the sky darkened. The women lay next to each other to sleep after they had taken another trip into the woods and back. They were closely guarded then too.

When Ilona returned to the campfire, Rathnon captured her hand and drew her away from the women. She tried to pull awayto nae avail. He was immovable. He took her to a secluded spot where he tied her to him with a length of leather rope. Ilona struggled to move away and attempted to push him from her, but he only smiled and did nae budge. Rathnon pulled her to him and spread a fur on the ground for them to lie on. Ilona’s heart galloped at a treacherous pace.

Ilona did nae want to be taken by this man. She sat, refusing to lie down, but he spoke to her in his foreign tongue and gently pushed her down to lie next to him. He covered her with a fur to keep her warm and turned his back on her. Rathnon showed his disinterest in her at the moment. But why did his touch make her skin burn and hunger for more? Ilona relaxed slightly but bided her time until she could next go to the forest under the pretext of needing to relieve herself.

When Rathnon seemed to have fallen asleep, she tried to undo the knot in the leather strap that bound her to him. She pulled on it, tugged, and attempted to unravel it.

She was nae able to undo it, nae matter how she tried. Ilona tapped him on his shoulder to awaken him, and he grabbed her wrist. She tried to communicate to him that she needed to go into the woods, pointing and hoping he would understand what she wanted.

He stood and pulled her to stand, held her hand, and led her into the woods. He stopped and pointed. Still tethered to her, he walked a few paces away. Ilona quickly relieved herself and, taking her dirk, severed the leather. Keeping it loose, she tied it on a branch. Then she sheathed her dirk and carefully crept in the opposite direction, making as little sound as possible. Although no moon hung in the sky, her eyes adjusted to the darkness.

Silently, she walked for about ten minutes, her initial nerves fading the farther she made it from her captor.

An arm clamped around her waist, and she was pulled into the rock-hard chest of Rathnon. Ilona kent him from his scent of spruce, spice, and the sea, even though she couldn’t see him clearly. She had been getting ready to congratulate herself on escaping when he grabbed her. Rathnon’s arms circled her waist tightly, leaving nae doubt she would nae elude him.

In the dim light, she could see him smiling at her, as if he’d expected her to do this. Exasperating man! But now she had given away that she kept a weapon. He grabbed the leather tether and tied her to him again. But a shorter distance separated them. Capturing both of Ilona’s hands in his massive one, he held them and ran his hand over her body, searching for her weapon. Rathnon found it tied to her leg. Strangely, he did nae relieve her of her dirk but let her keep it, and she did nae understand why he had nae taken it away from her. Perhaps to show that, even armed with a weapon, he could easily overpower her; fighting him was to nae avail, and she could nae escape him.

Instead, he used his hands and tether to show her what he would do if she walked away again. Rathnon went through the motions with his fingers: He would find her and tie her up again, with the tether shorter and shorter each time. He pulled her inch by inch closer until finally, he pulled her and held her flush against his body. Ilona felt a hard bulge against her abdomen as he held her pressed against him. He had communicated his intentions to her without words.

Terror, like she had never known, radiated through her and made her heart beat so loud, she feared the man would hear it. This man had the power and strength to do anything he wantedto her. She was powerless for the first time in her life. Clenching her jaw, it made her more determined to escape.

Ilona feared pushing him too far, since she did nae wish to discover the full extent of what would happen to her if she did.What does it mean that he has bound me to him, when the rest of the women are sleeping in a group? Does he intend to have me for himself, or does he guard me for someone else?