‘I’ll come with you,’ said Rurik. His eyes were slightly hooded as he took her in and there was a softness about his mouth. There was no doubt to anyone what he was thinking, but she could not face that yet.
‘Stay and finish.’ She spoke too quickly, so she made her voice calm as she continued. ‘I will be a while.’
He nodded, but she noticed his jaw hardened. He was not happy about staying. Perhaps it would have been better to stay at the table. She did not know and, as panic began to overtake her, she did not care. She had to escape, to be alone for a few precious moments before facing the coming night.
Chapter Fifteen
Annis was still pacing her chamber when a knock sounded at her door. An hour must have passed since she had left the hall. It was hard to tell as, after Goda had finished helping her change and brushed out her hair, she had spent the ensuing time pacing the length of her chamber. She kept eyeing the Norseman’s bone-handled dagger lying on a chest, but her normal ways of protecting herself would not work this time. The marriage had to be consummated before Jarl Eirik arrived.
Before she could make herself cross to open the door, Rurik pushed it open as he let himself inside. His eyes took her in—her hair was unbound and fell to her waist, and she wore a simple, linen underdress—before stopping on her face. The look he gave her was one that threatened to swallow her whole. She took a step back from him as he closed and locked the door behind him without looking away from her. He wore a long, dark tunic that was open down the middle and secured with a belt and his bare feet were peeking out from the bottom of the long hem. It was not until he stepped closer that she realised he only wore trousers. The fabric parted to reveal his bare chest beneath. Thankfully, he did not take it off, but she got a glimpse of firm, sculpted muscle. She shivered both in fear and a sort of anticipation she did not know how to manage. There was no question that she had been attracted to him from the first, but to have him here in her space, like that, was too much.
Reacting in the only way she knew—to take control—she crossed to the bone-handled knife and picked it up. Laying it across her palms, she turned back to him. Her brain could not quite believe that he had been a guarded enemy, a prisoner even, the night before, and now she was handing him a weapon. Cedric had insisted on keeping men posted in the corridors for safety, but they would be too late to help her if she truly needed them.
‘The knife,’ she said. ‘The other weapons are in the armoury. We can retrieve them tomorrow if you like.’
Her heart pounded as she awaited his reply, anticipation at his pleasure in seeing it threaded with fear. She could hardly miss the way his eyes lit up when he saw it. His fingers touched the hilt with the same reverence in his gaze as he took it from her and turned it over in his hands. ‘Thank you.’
The appreciation startled her. She had imagined him to be a bit more self-righteous in his acceptance of it. The tension in her shoulders relaxed ever so slightly. ‘You’re welcome. I know it is important to you, so I wanted you to have it with you.’
The hint of a smile touched his mouth. ‘My mother gave it to me not long before she died. I think she knew she would never see her home again. Feann had given it to her.’
‘Is it the only thing you have of hers?’
He nodded and walked to place it back on the chest. ‘She gave it to me, because I was the older. I don’t think Danr ever forgave me for being born moments before him.’ When he turned around she could see the teasing light in his eyes and relaxed a tiny bit more.
‘You and your brother are twins?’ Shock coloured her voice. She had heard of the phenomenon, but had never actually seen twins. ‘Do you look alike?’
Walking slowly towards her, he explained. ‘Only a little. He is known as Danr the Fair because he is blond and favours our father. I am called Rurik the Dark.’
‘Rurik the Dark. Hmm... Perhaps that is how our people shall know you.’ She forced a lightness she did not feel and was surprised when he laughed. How was it so easy to fall into this familiar play with him? She had been terrified until he walked into her chamber. Perhaps it was her own imaginings causing her to be so afraid rather than him.
Even so, she could not help but let out a small gasp when he came right up to her and put his hands on her arms. She was not accustomed to him touching her at will.
‘Are you afraid?’ he asked, dipping his head down slightly to meet her gaze.
Admitting to her fear seemed almost as bad as having that fear to begin with. ‘I am not.’
‘I will not hurt you, Annis.’
The solemnity in his eyes made her believe him and a little more of the tension holding her rigid began to ease. However, she also knew not to expect the coming night to be particularly comfortable. Grim had taken his time with her and, while the intimacies between them had been far from terrible at the beginning, it had taken some time before they were more than tolerated on her part. She had no reason to believe it would be different with Rurik.
To delay the inevitable, she said, ‘Earlier you mentioned an agreement. Things happened so fast that we were not able to properly discuss it, but I had hoped that things could be settled.’ She braced herself for his disappointment and possible
