She laughed a little, and Vigholf asked, “What?”
“Nothing.” Rhona rested her arms on Vigholf’s knees, but his legs were so long that when he bent them her arms were too high, so she stretched them out wide and placed them on either side of his hips. It felt kind of decadent, lounging around like this while in the lap of her once sworn enemy.
She liked it. She liked being a bit decadent.
Rhona patiently waited for the Northlander to finish with her hair, noticing how what he was doing felt more intimate than what he’d done to and with her body.
“Do you ever let your hair grow past your shoulders?” he asked.
“Not real y. When it’s too long, it’s too easy to turn my own hair against me during a close-in fight. But I can’t keep it as short as my Aunt Ghleanna’s, though. She has the face for that, I don’t.” She patted her cheeks. “No sharp cheekbones like her.”
“But you have dimples.”
“Quiet.”
“You do.”
“I know, but be quiet anyway.”
He chuckled, his fingers brushing against her throat as he picked up each braid. When he was done, he ran his hands through her hair and Rhona let out a deep sigh.
“You al right?” he asked while gently massaging her head. Something no one had ever done for her before.
“I’m what one might cal . . . perfect. At the moment.”
He kissed her throat. “Good.”
Rhona closed her eyes, already planning their day tomorrow. So much travel, in dangerous enemy territory, in search of a mad queen. Not exactly what she’d consider a fun time for anyone. And yet . . .
“I’m glad you came with me.” She looked at Vigholf over her shoulder. “It’s nice someone’s watching my back for a change.”
“I do have your back. You don’t have to worry about that.”
She reached up, slid her hand into his hair, and gripped the strands tight. She pul ed him closer and said, “Good. But don’t get in my way.”
“With you constantly trying to impale me with that bloody spear? Not a chance.” She grinned and kissed him hard.
Aye. She was very glad he’d come with her.
Rhona’s kiss was hard and lusty, surprising him because Vigholf had always wondered if she’d be as military-like in bed as she was in battle.
She wasn’t. Not even a little. She took, she gave, and she didn’t hold back. At least not with him. Not when she was busy pushing him to the ground and taking his c*ck inside her.
She smiled down at him, her brown hair loose around her face, those damn dimples making her look unbelievably adorable.
Vigholf grabbed her hips, the feel of her p**sy squeezing and releasing him nearly driving him insane. She rode him with her back arching, her hands gripping his thighs and digging into the flesh. Although she took him hard, she didn’t rush anything. She wanted to enjoy this and he was enjoying her.
He reached up and gripped her br**sts, teasing the n**ples with the tips of his fingers. Eventual y he needed more, and he pushed himself up, slid his arms around her waist and his mouth around her breast. He lashed his tongue across and around the nipple, then tugged with his lips.
Rhona made that little squeal sound again as she wrapped herself around him, holding him tight against her chest.
He continued to suck and tease and nip while she squeezed his cock, tormenting him almost, because it felt so damn good.
Rhona dug her hands into his hair, pinning him to her breast. He gripped the other breast with his hand, the pair of them groaning and sweating even though there was snow under the bedrol they sat upon. If it was cold, they neither felt it nor cared.
Vigholf heard a sob catch in Rhona’s throat, and he rol ed her over onto her back, placing his palms flat on either side of her. He plunged into her as her body shook beneath his, the cries of her release echoing out, making the horses restless while they tried to sleep.
He came right after her, the power of it racing from his head to his toes. He roared in pleasure, his body draining into hers, until he could do nothing but drop on top of her, exhausted and sated as he never had been before.
With one good push, Rhona shoved him off, Vigholf groaning when his c*ck left her.
“You’re not as light as a feather, Northlander.”
“Neither are you,” he said, which not surprisingly got him a punch to the ribs. A deserved one.
Laughing, he pul ed Rhona into his arms and held her against him.
After a while, she stated, “We can’t keep doing this, you know.”
He decided not to overreact to that statement and instead asked, “We can’t? Why not?”
“We’ve got to finish al this and get back to the Val ey.”
“We wil . You act like we’ve deserted everyone.”
“Maybe we have.”
He pul ed her in tighter and kissed the top of her head. “There’s no reason to worry. I’m sure they’re al sitting around, immensely bored, waiting for that damn tunnel to be finished, so we can finish the Irons. We’l be back in time.”
“But—”
“The war’s been at a standstil for five years, Rhona,” Vigholf reminded her. “I doubt they’l even miss us.” Ragnar was going over the state of their supplies when Fearghus the Destroyer and Briec the Mighty walked in. Their royal armor no longer glinted shiny and bright as it first did when they’d headed out from Dark Plains that early morning five years ago. Now there were dents on the steel plate, blood in the crevices they no longer bothered to wash away. Briec sported a spear wound to the throat he’d barely survived. Fearghus had a limp that worsened during the winter months due to the spear tip stil buried past scale, flesh, and muscle and deep into bone.
“Where’s our sister?” Briec demanded. Ragnar had become used to Briec’s arrogant and rude nature, but that didn’t mean he liked it.
“She’s returned to Dark Plains,” he admitted.
“Alone?”
“With Ren.”
“Why?”
“For her safety.” It wasn’t a lie. He’d agreed to Keita’s return because he knew she’d be safe in the Southlands. But he needn’t mention the rest of it, because Keita, as always—he’d grudgingly learned—was right. They couldn’t afford to lose the soldiers and Dragonwarriors the two Fire Breather princes led, especial y since most of the Cadwaladrs would go with them if they returned to Dark Plains to protect the children. For that Clan it was al about protecting their kin, especial y the hatchlings.
So Ragnar kept his answers short and vague. It was the safest route when dealing with Keita’s brothers.
Fearghus, the smarter of the pair—or perhaps the more devious—circled around Ragnar.
“She just let you send her back? Without question?”
“Yes. But I’m being careful with what I eat over the next few days.” For good or il , Keita was known for her vengeful nature and her method of vengeance usual y involved slipping certain herbs in the offender’s food. Even if that offender was kin.
“Probably for the best,” Fearghus murmured.
“But why now?” Briec pushed. “Why send her back now?”
“Because we’re almost finished with the tunnel. And once that’s done, we’re not going to wait before we move. I don’t know about you two, but I want this done and the Irons out of our lives for good. Now if you two wil excuse me . . .”
“Where’s your brother?” Fearghus asked.
“Which one?”
“The only one that is around you constantly. I’ve seen your cousin Meinhard, but I haven’t seen Vigholf in days. Where is he?”
“I asked him to accompany Keita and Ren.”
“Ren doesn’t need a Lightning for protection. Ren doesn’t need any protection.”
“I’d feel safer if my brother was with them. He’l be back in a couple of days, so I wouldn’t . . .” Ragnar’s words faded out when he saw Fearghus’s gaze straying to the ceiling.
Briec watched his brother. “What is it?”
Fearghus raised his front claw, lifted one black talon. “Don’t you hear it?”
That’s when Ragnar heard the distinct whistling sound, his body instinctively tightening, waiting for the impact as something large and extremely heavy hurtled into the cave wal s.
“Siege weapons,” Fearghus said, before he turned and charged out of the cavern, al of them fol owing.
They pushed past scrambling soldiers and warriors, al of them speeding toward the north side, where a circle of mountains kept the Fire Breathers and Lightnings separated from the Irons.
They made it to the wide cavern opening. The forces that usual y protected this important area were diving for cover as giant boulders hurtled over the mountaintops and rammed into their stronghold.
“Pul back!” Briec ordered, grabbing Fearghus by the neck of his armor and yanking him away moments before a boulder crashed where Fearghus had just been. “Pul back!”
Ragnar helped two of his kin to their claws and pushed them toward the entrance. “Inside! Everyone in! Now!” The air around Ragnar changed and he used his wings to quickly drag his body back, away from the entrance. “Briec! ” he cal ed out, seeing the boulder hurtling toward the back of Keita’s brother. But the dragon was busy helping others. He didn’t see. And that boulder slammed into the back of the Silver with a mighty force, ramming his big body into the far wal .
Chapter 22
Dagmar fol owed the captain of the guards to the barracks. As they walked in, the guards and soldiers moved out of her way, none of them speaking to her or each other.
“We found them last night. Just . . . lying there.”
Dagmar studied the soldiers. The morning light streaming in through the windows making it easy to see that their throats had been slit but no other damage had been done. There were no signs that they’d fought back. Perhaps they didn’t have the chance.
“Did you see any signs of Tribesmen inside the castle wal s?” Dagmar asked the captain. “Perhaps when they left the bodies. Because this is clearly the work of their assassins.”
“That’s just it, my lady. We don’t think the bodies were left, as you say.”
“One second there was nothing there,” one of the soldiers volunteered. “The next second . . . there they were.”
“They just appeared?”
“Aye, my lady.”
Dagmar raised her hands, palms out, to silence them although none had said anything. “The fact that we have no idea how these bodies got here is irrelevant. Al we do know is that assassins were inside castle wal s. This cannot happen again.”
“We’l take care of it.”
“Deal with the bodies first. Quietly and quickly. We can give them a proper burial later.”
“Aye, my lady.”
Dagmar headed to the exit, her dogs by her side. She motioned to the captain to fol ow. “You won’t discuss any of this,” she told him. “They must al swear to it.”
“Aye, my lady. But why?”