The rusty hinges of the door at the top of the stairs creaked and squealed in protest as the door opened. He straightened, his mind racing with how to entice her into his cage. It would have to be something believable, something that would make her disregard her own safety to enter. There came her even footfalls on the steps. One...two...three...
He moved as silently as possible with the old chain attached to his wrist. Holding it against the stone, he debated on pretending to have got it stuck on one of the rocks. If she had brought food, he would not be able to reach it and she would be forced to come in. He disregarded the idea just as quickly. Anyone with any sense would suspect it for the ruse it was, and she did seem intelligent. She would likely seek help before coming inside and he would have lost his advantage in having her alone.
The only thing to do was to pretend to be injured. Despite the fact that she had kidnapped him, he had seen a reluctance in her eyes to bring him harm. His only chance to get her inside would be to pretend to have some lingering head injury from the assault. If she believed him and reacted as he hoped, she would come inside. If she went to get help first, then it would have been a failed attempt that cost him nothing, because they could not prove he had no ill effects and thus he wouldn’t be punished. It was his only hope.
The moment her boots touched the floor, he dived for the straw pallet, grimacing at the low clink the chain made as it scraped against the stone. He closed his eyes just as the light from her lantern flickered against the iron bars.
‘Norseman!’ Her voice was a sharp contrast to the thick silence of the underground chamber.
He forced his breathing to stay shallow and kept his face turned away from her. The scent of roasted meat met his nose, making his stomach rumble in greedy displeasure. He only hoped it was not loud enough for her to hear. His heart pounded in his head every moment she stood there watching him. She stayed still, the weight of her stare a nearly tangible touch as she tried to determine if he was faking an injury.
Finally, her breath exhaled on a sigh and there was a series of soft clips as she set the wooden bowl and the lamp on to the floor. The one from earlier had long since burned itself out. The rattle of keys followed a moment later as she pushed one of them into the lock. It must have been stubborn, because she had to fumble with it for a bit before it gave way with a harsh clang. The creak of old iron told him the door was opening, but he would have known even without the sound. The very air changed around him, becoming thicker with her presence.
‘Norseman?’ The tip of her boot pushed at his hip. Apparently satisfied that he wasn’t pretending, she knelt down at his side and touched the pulse at his neck.
Conscious thought gave way to instinct as he grabbed her wrist with one hand and her hip with the other. He twisted his body and attempted to roll her beneath him before she could make a sound, but he wasn’t quite prepared for the ferocity of her response. She struggled with her whole body. Her hips rose to thwart him while her knees did their best to unman him. She struck a blow to the side of his head that had him seeing spots even as he tried to wrestle her into submission. The tables had turned and she was the animal bent on fighting her way out of captivity.
Only his greater weight saw him succeed in the end. They were both breathing heavily by the time he managed to sit on her thighs, his upper body leaned over her as he held her wrists to the straw pallet at her back. Her eyes blazed with her fury. Had they been weapons, he would have been ripped to shreds by their intensity.
‘You have made a grave mistake.’ Her voice was as hard as that of a queen whose sovereignty had been called into question.
He had expected yelling and more than a little screaming. What he got was a vow of retaliation that was all the more powerful for its unwavering belief that she would prevail before this was over. The proclamation was so jarring that he hesitated, but only for a moment before he renewed his commitment to the path he had set out for himself. He had to escape and the only way to do that was through her.
‘It is you who made the mistake, Lady Annis. You believed that you could take me captive with no ill effects. You were wrong.’
Giving a quick shake of her head, she said, ‘I never thought that. You left me no choice. When you came here to my home asking questions about Wilfrid, what did you expect would happen? I cannot allow you to bring harm to him.’
It wasn’t the first time she had spoken of Wilfrid as if she were responsible for him when it should very well be the other way around. Suspicion had niggled at the back of his mind the day before and now it became full-blown.
‘Do you not mean that he cannot allow harm to come to you? Should he not be here himself?’ At the look of mutinous righteousness that flared to life in her eyes, he added, ‘Not that you are not capable of defending yourself, as we can both plainly see.’ He smirked at the flash of rage the remark evoked. Now that she was beneath him and powerless, he could not help but take the time to enjoy her righteous anger.
‘Are we back to this
