Page 17 of Highlander’s Viking Sin

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Isla was miserable as night fell. Even though she thought she had done what was best for Emmel, she couldn’t help but feel as though it was a mistake. How she wished that she had listened to Emmel in the first place. If she had just stayed on the island, she never would have been abducted by Rune Dolph and be in this situation. She doubted that Rune Dolph would have come all the way to the island for her and Andrew, so she would have been able to live in peace. But the decision had been made, and the tapestry of fate was unraveling swiftly. She feared what would happen next. It was going to be a challenge to ensure Andrew’s safety when Rune Dolph seemed determined to transform him into a warrior. It was as though all the work she had put in over the past ten years meant nothing.

She left the house in the hope of finding some peace of mind. The words she and Emmel shared had weighed heavily upon her. Should she listen to him now when she hadn’t listened to him before? It was all so difficult to understand, but even if she did listen to him, she wasn’t sure how they were going to escape. It wasn’t as though they could simply ride away. Rune Dolph had eyes everywhere, and if they fled, they would surely be pursued, perhaps even to the island. And if that happened, Andrew would be in danger of dying. Rune Dolph wouldn’t want to put his son in danger, but it would only take a stray arrow or some accident to cost the boy his life, and as much as she dreaded the future living here, she wasn’t about to risk Andrew’s life.

As she wandered away from the house, she was so lost in her thoughts that she did not notice a figure emerge from the shadows. Dressed in a dark, hooded cloak, a hand was clamped around her mouth and she was gripped by strong arms.

“If you scream or try to run, I’ll kill you,” the man said in a Norwegian accent. He dragged her away to a horse and set her upon it before jumping onto the horse himself. He rested on the horse behind her to prevent her from slipping off, and as he did so, she caught a glimpse of his chin and thought she saw a shade of red. The horse was away, galloping at a fast pace. Isla was too scared to do anything but sit there and hope that she wasn’t being taken to some horrid place. She had no idea who this man was; some rival of Rune Dolph’s perhaps, or this might have been all Rune Dolph’s doing, some kind of twisted punishment to get back at her for her impudence.

They rode for what seemed like miles, and all the while, the sense of dread filled Isla’s heart. Eventually, they stopped by a stream, and the man alighted from the horse. Isla trembled. She was thirsty, but she wasn’t sure if she should get off.

“Is this it?” she asked aloud. “Is this where ye are gaeing tae kill me?” She held herself rigidly upon the horse’s back, intending to regain her dignity for as long as possible.

“I’m nae gaeing tae kill ye,” the man said in a voice that was wholly different to the one she heard before. She turned around in shock as the man pulled back the hood and revealed himself to be Emmel. The red she had seen was a stain of blood on his chin. She was relieved and angry all at once. A violent mixture of emotions careened within her and erupted as she leaped off the horse and glared at him.

“What in the name of the gods dae ye think ye are daeing?!” she cried so sharply that birds took flight from their branches, the leaves fluttering in their absence.

“I’m rescuing ye,” Emmel said, tilting his head as though that should have been obvious.

Isla could have torn her hair out. She immediately turned her back and looked in the direction from which they had come, worried that they were being followed. “I told ye tae leave! I told ye tae gae back tae the island and forget about me—” She stopped mid-sentence and looked around. “Where’s Andrew?” she asked, her voice low but the panic levels high.

“Andrew is fine. He’s somewhere safe, somewhere we’re gaeing tae be soon as well,” Emmel said. He held out his palms in an effort to calm her, but it was not an easy thing to do. Isla paced around, trying to rid herself of the fear that had been swelling inside her heart.

“Are ye mad, Emmel? Why would ye dae such a thing? I thought ye were…” She trailed off, unwilling to think of what might have happened had he been any other man.

“It was the only plan I could think of. We dinnae hae much time. I hae tae get ye out of there,” he said, and then explained to her what had happened in the stables. When he told her of Varrik’s threat, she folded her arms across her body and felt a shudder pass through her. Even though the likelihood was that it was an empty threat since she couldn’t see any of Rune Dolph’s men betraying him like that, she couldn’t be sure.

“Rune is a bad man, Isla. Ye should nae feel compelled tae stay with him just because he is the father of yer son. Surely ye cannae actually think ye hae a future with him? I know ye loved him once before, but please tell me that ye hae more sense than tae believe he’s the same man as ye once knew.”

Isla looked at him with flushed cheeks. If she hadn’t been angry already, this would have been enough to set her off. “Of course I know that,” she said, the words rushing out of her in a hot torrent. “I’m nae in love with the man, but he’s threatened me and Andrew. I dinnae want tae dae anything tae risk his wrath.”

“I’ll take ye back home, tae yer da. Ye will nae hae tae worry about Rune Dolph again, I promise ye this.”

Isla looked at him and wished that she could believe his promise. It wasn’t as though he was the first man to promise her anything. Rune had promised her so much as well and had broken the promise almost as swiftly as he had made it. It wasn’t as though Emmel was even her husband. She had no reason to trust him…aside from the fact that he had put himself in danger to protect her and her son. What else was love, if not the willingness to endure pain for the sake of those that meant a lot to them?

He had risked a lot already, but would he truly risk it all if his life was on the line, for a woman who wasn’t his wife and a boy who wasn’t his child? Isla supposed that she would have to go with him for now, considering they were already away from the Viking settlement. She wasn’t about to march back into Rune Dolph’s clutches.

“I want tae see Andrew,” Isla muttered.

Emmel nodded and set her on the horse again. They rode for a while before they reached an inn. Emmel told her that he had already paid for the room and had given extra coin to ensure Andrew’s safety. He had already told Andrew the truth, and Andrew had been delighted that his instincts had been right.

They walked in, and Andrew was sitting at a table with a plate of food beside him. The innkeeper told Emmel that the boy had behaved himself and had even helped with some chores. As soon as Isla saw Andrew, she rushed toward him and gathered him in her arms. They went up to the room Emmel had paid for them. Isla and Andrew shared a bed while Emmel settled into a chair in the corner of the room. Isla went to sleep, wondering what she had done for Emmel to go to these lengths for her. But there was still a part of her that wondered if he would still be there in the morning. The last time she had trusted a man, he had left, and even though she knew it wasn’t in Emmel’s character to be so flighty, her heart had been scarred by experience.

It had been a long day, and still, Emmel could not rest. It had been a risk to steal Andrew and Isla away from the settlement, but it seemed as though Rune Dolph’s boasts that he had eyes everywhere had been exaggerated. Andrew had not posed any trouble at all, but Emmel had known Isla would never have agreed to come with him of her own volition, so he had to resort to these drastic measures. He understood her anger, just as he understood her fear, but he wasn’t about to let her sacrifice her freedom because this man was blackmailing her.

He stayed awake and looked out of the window just in case Rune Dolph should send anyone. Emmel allowed himself a sly smile as he thought about how he had paid for the inn with the coin that had been tossed at him when he had danced for Varrik and the others. It would probably only be a matter of time before Rune discovered the ruse, and then a target would be on Emmel’s back, but he hoped he would be able to make it back to the island in time. At least then he would be surrounded by allies, and Rune Dolph would have to think twice before attacking.

He turned away from the window as a soft snore drifted toward him from the bed. Andrew looked so peaceful tucked into his mother’s arms, while Isla looked untroubled and relaxed. A candle burned in the corner of the room, and the amber glow danced upon her face. There were moments when emotion seemed to ripple across her face. He felt a little guilty for looking at her like this, but he was struck by her beauty and wished that he could find the courage to say the things that were in his heart. Now that he knew more of her history, he understood why she often held herself back from romance. He hated Rune Dolph, both for hurting Isla all those years ago and because the Viking had been able to woo her when she had been young.

But that was a long time ago now. She was no longer a girl but a woman. But would she see him as anything other than a friend? All he knew was that he would do anything to protect her and Andrew. The feeling in his heart was fierce, and it didn’t feel as though it was going to abate at all soon.