Rorik gripped Meryna firmly by both of her shoulder. His blazing blue eyes peered deeply into hers. She felt bile rising up in her throat. Felt the next wave of nausea rolling through her. She tried to swallow it down. "Meryna, you have made me the happiest man alive." Meryna shook her head. "Yet, you have made me the saddest." A tear slide down her face. Rorik brushed a thumb across her cheek, soothing her tear away. "I never wanted to hurt you. I only ever wanted to keep you safe. Even from the first time I saw you, Meryna I have been your defender and your champion."
Silence hung between them for several moments, until, Meryna finally found the words she needed to say.
"I'm not coming back with you. Not while she is there. If you want me to return with you, you must renounce her. You stole me from my home, you impregnated me, none of it was my choice. But this I will not take. I will not share a husband."
Meryna could not have Princess Astrid interfering in her plans. Rorik sighed. Then, nodded his head in understanding. He swiped a stray red curl from her pale freckled face and tucked it safely behind her ear. His hand slid down her shoulder and her delicate arm.
"I will find a way. You need not worry about Astrid."
He gripped her hips, which he noticed has widened since he last saw her. Her breasts had also blossomed, more than he thought possible. Her already voluptuous figure was enhanced by her pregnancy, Rorik observed. She was irresistible to him. Meryna knew this too. Perhaps this child was what she needed to have the strength to finally save herself. She had decided she would find a way home, for her and her bairn. She would see Scotland again. No matter how long it took. Her first step was to gain Rorik's trust. That would be her biggest challenge of all, she realized.
"Take me back to Westfold and make me your Queen,"she whispered to him. Rorik took her hand in his, helped her onto her feet. Together they vacated Aslaug's hut. With Rorik leading the way, they began their trek into the woods, the path back to Westfold familiar to Meryna.
YOU ARE READING
Blood & Fire
Historical FictionWhen Meryna's Scottish village is invaded and pillaged by ruthless Vikings her stunning beauty is the gift and the curse that spares her life. She is taken hostage as a war prize, leaving her ransacked village and the only life she has ever known be...
