Chapter Fourteen

G aliena had hoped she would have time for her heartbeat to return to normal before they encountered the next rickety bridge, but there it was already. The last one had appeared suddenly after a curve in the narrow road, leaving her with no time to think about it before they were upon it. The next one was still some way in the distance, but clearly visible, and like the last, it appeared to be a spindly wooden thing with very little support.

It was a slow torture to watch the thing she feared most coming closer to her with each agonizing step of her horse, yet the distance felt endless as the anticipation stoked her dread.

The narrow road had turned into a beaten pathway barely wide enough for two horses abreast. It followed the bank of the river and curved around the larger rocks and trees along the way. They were riding along a straight stretch of the river, but it curved out of sight just beyond the bridge. Folding her hands together with the reins tucked tightly between them, she said a prayer that the trail forked ahead, and they would ride in the opposite direction of the bridge. To keep herself calm, she let herself believe that another trail followed the curve of the river and that crossing the bridge would not be necessary for where they were going.

As was expected, God did not heed her prayers. Her father had not been a devout man, and as a result, neither was she. She prayed when she didn't know what else to do, and her own lack of faith was obviously reflected in her prayers and noticed by God.

"Hell and damnation!" she exclaimed louder than she'd intended as Ox and Dane steered their horses onto the bridge, one right after the other. The trail did not split as she had hoped, the cliffs being too steep to traverse. This bridge looked just as wobbly as the last to her eyes, but the men didn't seem as concerned about it as they weren't even waiting to cross one rider at a time. Unless she wanted to turn around, the bridge was the only option.

She pulled back gently on the reins to slow Metal while she composed herself and worked up the courage to cross on her own, remembering Red's warning that letting her horse feel her fear could teach him to be afraid of bridge crossings. She didn't want to be the one responsible for causing him to learn fear. And especially, she would not let Red, or his soldiers think she was a spineless ninny. But before she could even take a deep breath to prepare herself, Red was at her side, taking hold of one of her reins and leading her mount toward the bridge.

"Red, no!" She needed a little time to gather her courage and to convince herself that since she'd crossed one bridge, she could cross another. But he wasn't giving her the opportunity, and when she looked down at the water, she felt the panic rising in her throat.

"I liked kissing you last night," Red said.

She was appalled that he would speak out loud about their private moment in the solar at Hawkspur. Her head snapped up so she could give him a good glare. Red had a wicked grin on his face; she had no doubt the other men could most definitely overhear every word he said.

"It is not appropriate to discuss that in front of your men," she said through gritted teeth. "Or anyone else."

His eyes twinkled and the corners of them crinkled. "I think you liked it, too."

"That's very presumptuous of you, Viking," she said, her ire rising.

"No need to shout. I can hear you."

"I'm not shouting." She didn't realize until the words were out that, indeed, she was shouting. But she couldn't seem to quiet her tone with her heart beating like a runaway horse. "It's your fault that I'm shouting. You didn't let me catch my breath before dragging me across the bridge and then you started talking about kissing."

She heard a snicker of laughter behind her but decided not to look back over her shoulder. The huge Viking had a way of unsettling her. She was having a hard time collecting her thoughts because of the way his leg was rubbing against hers as he guided Metal over the bridge. Despite his overbearing presence, she had to admit his nearness was also comforting, and she was grateful for it.

"Keep looking to the other side," Red urged in a low, mellow tone. "And keep thinking about kissing me."

"I am not thinking about kissing you. And quit talking about that or everyone will know it happened."

"Everyone knows now, kitten, with the way you're shouting."

She heard the men behind them snickering again. "Bard, Wolf, don't listen to what this big oaf is saying."

"It's you we can hear, my lady."

"I'm not a lady. I'm just Galiena."

"No need to yell, Galiena," Bard said. "We are right here."

She jumped in her saddle when he said the last, startling her as he drew his horse up to her other side. It took her several panicky breaths before she realized they'd stopped moving and she looked down to see the trail beneath her, then looked behind her to see they had cleared the bridge by several paces.

"Much obliged," she said to Red, her voice still overly loud as she brushed his hand from the rein and bumped Metal's side with her foot. "How many more of these do we have?"

"Not many," Red replied, catching up to her, but she knew he was lying.

"I'm glad to hear it because if there are many more, I will gladly let The Executioner get to me first."

Red's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist to stay her horse. "Do not jest about that."

The horrified look on his face wrenched at her heart. She had overstepped in her attempt to make light of a situation that was distressing to her forgetting that, according to Red, The Executioner had nearly killed him. It would only be fitting that he had a healthy fear of the man. "I am sorry, that was thoughtless of me after what he did to you."

"It's not me I worry about. I will not let him near you." The intensity in his eyes as he looked at her made her stomach flip flop in a way she almost did not recognize.

Almost.

She should have diverted her gaze immediately to break the intimacy, but in truth, she was beginning to take comfort in Red. He was everything one imagined of a Viking—big, intimidating, boisterous, inappropriate. That he was also appealing, attentive, sensitive, and gentle was unexpected.

He lifted his hand to stroke the back of his fingers over her cheek. She gave him a small smile, then dropped her gaze from his. She liked his nearness and familiarity, but was it because she had been lonely for so long and the fact that a man—any man—was giving her attention like she'd not experienced since her husband had died? Or was it that it was Red—and only Red—who she needed to jar her from the stupor she had been living in these three bleak years?

And what did this mean about Adam? Was it a dishonor to him that she did not want to be alone anymore? Did she need to forget about him to let someone else into her life? Would he disappear from her memory?

You are deserving of love and happiness again.

The words said to her by Lady Alyce the night before came to her mind. The kind woman had spoken of the loss of her own husband and the guilt she felt when she started to fall in love with Hawk, as though betraying his memory.

You are deserving of love and happiness again.

It was too much to think about at this moment. She lifted her gaze to the heavy clouds above as cold raindrops spattered her face. "Shall we carry on?"

"Aye," he said, reaching for her hood and pushing it up over her head. "Stay as dry as you can. Once the chill settles into your bones, it stays."

"I remember," she murmured, thinking about the times that she and her father had endured cold rains, snow, and everything in between. She'd learned to tolerate the frigid weather, but some days the damp wind was too much, and her teeth would set to chattering louder than the castanets she'd seen dancers clacking together in countries where the sun shone far brighter than in Britain.

"Were you out in the cold frequently?" Red asked as the horses walked quickly on.

"The cold is everywhere, so yes, my father and I traveled through every imaginable weather. Heat can be just as miserable as cold." She felt her lips curving upward as memories of her life with her father surfaced in her mind.

"Tell me more," Red encouraged. "Where have you traveled?"

She sighed contentedly as she thought about all the places she'd been. "My father bought and sold merchandise from Scotland all the way down to Morocco. Do you know of Morocco?"

Red nodded. "Aye. I've not been there, but I have read about it."

"Where did you learn to read?"

"Hawk teaches anyone in his ranks who is willing how to read. And write. He believes in taking every advantage possible. And you?"

"My father taught me to read and write, at first just to make lists and tally numbers. But he always bought books to trade, and he liked for me to read to him during the long days driving the cart." The fond memories warmed her heart. She had not thought about the days traveling with her father in a very long time. Too long. She had let herself become numb and withdrawn. With Anora, she had started emerging from the dark place she'd been in; getting a taste of the world again made her crave more.

"I like to see you smile," Red said, flashing her his crooked grin.

"It feels good to smile." She felt herself blushing. "It has been a long time. It's also been a long time since I was kissed," she added quietly, not looking at Red. She hadn't expected to make this confession. But nothing was as expected of late. "I had forgotten how enjoyable it can be."

"Enjoyable?" Red lamented in mock offense. "A good roast is enjoyable. Mulled wine is enjoyable. A good kiss is breathtaking. Knee-wobbling. Heat-inducing." He accentuated each word by throwing his splayed hand in the air. "Saying it was anything less is the same as plunging a dagger straight into my heart."

"Perhaps you need more practice, Viking," she said. She did look at him then, tipping her head to see him clearly from under her hood and purposefully flashing him a teasing grin with a taunting arch of her eyebrows. She was shocked at her own coquettishness. And exhilarated.

She expected him to protest, mockingly bristle, and respond with his own barb. She did not expect him to reach inside her hood, wrap his long fingers around her neck until his hand almost completely encircled her throat, and pull her close so their lips almost touched, his breath warming her face when he spoke.

"You lie, kitten. I saw you trying to regain your composure standing by the fire after we were interrupted last night."

The horses did not break their stride, despite the fact that she dropped her reins in her surprise. A thrill coursed through her veins and warmth pooled low in her belly at his touch.

He kissed her then, pressing his lips to hers and sucking in her bottom lip to give it a sharp nibble before pulling back.

"But I'm not opposed to practicing, love," he said in a hoarse whisper with one eyebrow cocked. "Lots of practicing. On all of you until there isn't a part of your body my lips and tongue haven't practiced on."

She could hear the mischievous grin in his deep voice, which was smooth and seductive and made her weak in the limbs. Hell's fires, but he made her weak everywhere, including her determination and will.

When he released her, she cleared her throat and shook her head to rid it of the images he had put there, the increasing rain bringing her back to her senses. They had a mission to complete, an assassin to deter, and a child to save. That is what should be taking all of her focus. Not the red-headed Viking with his piercing eyes, tantalizing lips, and honeyed words that filled her with longings she thought never to have again.

"The mission, Red," she admonished, though even she could hear in her voice the smile that she couldn't seem to stop from spreading across her face—which she tried to keep hidden in the depths of her hood. "Let's not forget the reason we are together on this mission."

"Right now, let's not forget that the rain is only going to get worse," he said. "We need to move faster."

"I'm ready," she said with a bravado she didn't feel just before Red slapped Metal on the hindquarters. Clutching the reins with a death grip as her horse lurched into a canter, Galiena tried not to look down at the ground being churned up by the horse's hooves, imagining a similar fate for herself if she bounced off the side of Metal.