Chapter 4

Roxanna

He had no need to tie me to him after all. Because Varkaan slept on his side, wrapped around me. His huge leg was slung over both of mine and his heavy arm pinned me to the ground.

It should have been humiliating. Humiliating and angering.

So why had I slept so comfortably…safe and warm?

I refused to look at him as we broke our fast. He kicked the embers of the fire out and loaded the horse in a ridiculously good mood, judging from his smile. At one point he planted his hands in the small of his back and stretched to each side, letting out a pleased grunt, as if he had just been satiated .

Made me want to kick him.

Last night…

I swallowed and turned away.

Last night I had run from him as I said I would. I had run from him, and he had tracked me…as if he were a ruthless predator. But then he had returned my weapon and laughed, as if I meant naught to him.

That kiss meant something .

Aye.

My eyes fluttered closed. That kiss.

He had kissed me. He had sniffed me, then he had kissed me, and I should be ashamed of the way I had pressed my thighs together, overwhelmed by need before I kissed him back.

But I was not shamed, and that—more than anything else—was why I was angry this morning.

"What has ye scowling, firebrand?" Varkaan asked as he offered his hands as a step to hoist me into the saddle.

"Naught," I snapped. "And do not call me that."

"Why no'?" His tone was so casual as he settled behind me and clucked at the horse to begin our day's journey. "'Tis what ye are. Sharp and hot and just waiting for the right whisper to turn ye into an inferno."

The way he said it…I couldn't determine if ‘twas a compliment or not. But the word inferno made me think of how last night, pinned between him and that tree, not certain of his intentions, every inch of my skin had prickled in awareness and heat.

I had been terrified, aye, but also breathless in anticipation.

I still was.

When Varkaan's hand settled on my thigh, I slapped it away in irritation—mostly at myself. His chuckle was not what I needed to hear.

"Stop it," I barked, which only made him chuckle again.

"Why are ye in such a sour mood, Roxanna?"

"Why are you in such a good mood?"

I felt him shrug, the movement as graceful and easy as he was. "I slept well, have a full stomach, and am going home."

"Well, I did not sleep well, I am not going home, and I stink."

Oh fook. I should not have said that.

I could practically feel Varkaan's grin as he leaned forward, pressing that thick chest of his against my back, and sticking his nose in my hair to inhale again. I bit down on my shiver.

"Ye smell delicious to me."

Delicious. As if I was a feast for him to sample.

Focus, Roxanna. That should not be an arousing thought .

"I stink of horse and sweat and firesmoke."

"Aye," he agreed merrily. "Ye do. So do I."

I huffed to cover the urge to smile. "Then you need a bath as well."

I admit that our argument was making me feel…well, not calm, but more at ease, at least. Being able to snap at him and know Varkaan was always going to reply with a grin…it was as if I had permission to be as grumpy as I wanted without fearing retaliation.

And aye, I was correct; he merely hummed thoughtfully.

"Then this afternoon we'll stop early, and we'll both have a bath."

"In a lake?" I asked suspiciously.

His arm tightened around me momentarily. "A loch, aye. And ye can wash yer gown afore nightfall if ye'd like."

I twisted in his lap to glare up at him. "And you will no doubt use the chance to spy on me as I am naked? To touch me and make me feel…"

I trailed off because I was uncertain how to finish that.

My tone was biting, accusing. I wanted to make him feel shame.

But staring up at him, at his sharp jaw and soft, thick hair and those fascinating pointed ears that made me want to touch—with my tongue…well, I rather forgot my point. Because suddenly the thought of him watching me bathe, touching me when I was naked…

I swallowed.

His expression, meanwhile, had changed to something uncharacteristically serious. Varkaan tucked his chin so he could stare into my eyes and lifted his free hand.

He cupped my cheek, his fingertips brushing away the hair at my temples, palm caressing my jaw, as he made a vow.

"I ken ye, Roxanna Tarbert. And I ken ye'll come to trust me. I'll no' do a thing to hurt ye, or aught which ye dinnae want to do."

I swayed in his lap, trying to remember why I did not want to go with him .

He is taking you from your family .

Nay, Sorcha and Effie were my family, and they were ahead of us, at the village. Behind us, my father would scorn me, even if I could return to him.

My eyes squeezed shut. Varkaan had taken the choices from me.

And for some reason, I didn't hate that.

The realization actually filled me with a sort of relief. My shoulders slumped and I felt myself fall against him. His arm settled at my back, supporting me against his chest.

"Sleep, Roxanna," he whispered. "I'll keep ye safe."

God help me, I believed him.

I didn't have to be strong anymore.

Varkaan

I gave her the privacy she requested for her bath. There was a glen I knew where a stream trickled down a mountainside to burble over boulders and land in a pool. The water wasn't so deep I'd have to worry about her drowning, but enough for her to bathe and wash her gown as requested.

As for myself, I sat with my back to one of the largest boulders, facing the west and simultaneously straining my ears for her movements while also doing my best to ignore the thought of her breasts floating in the pool of water.

She hummed as she bathed, which seemed so sweet and domestic I had to fight the urge to turn and ensure she was still the same female I'd seen spitting defiance at me in the last days.

I needed a bath as well, but I'd wait until she was through.

"Oh fook , that's cold," I heard her hiss, followed by some splashing.

The sound of such a word on Roxanna's lips? I groaned aloud.

The splashing stopped. "Varkaan?"

Varkaan. Fook. Gods below, I groaned again.

"Varkaan, is aught amiss?"

"I'm fine, firebrand," I snapped. "Wash yerself."

I heard her sniff, as if my bluntness had offended her. "Fine. I will bathe. Of course, I have no soap, so I will use this sand. Scoop it up and run it over my arms…my shoulders…"

Palton's Spear, was she teasing me? My eyes fluttered closed. "My breasts. Oh, Varkaan, the water is cold on my breasts. "

The minx was teasing me!

I shouldn't respond, I knew. But I also knew she couldn't see me, behind the boulder, just as I couldn't see her. So my hand wrapped around the thick bulge in my kilt.

Through the woolen plaid, I jerked my cock once, twice, thrice, imagining ‘twas her that touched me. Malla the Beginner, but I wanted her to touch me. I wanted to touch her even more. I positively ached to taste her, to stroke her…to hear her gasp my name the way she'd gasped when her nipples had touched the water.

But behind me, her teasing had turned back to humming, and I sighed, releasing my cock.

I wasn't going to hand-fook myself here and now. I could wait until I returned to the village and my simple cottage. Alone .

When the humming abruptly stopped, I straightened. "Roxanna?" I called without turning around. My heart began to pound. "Roxanna?"

A sputtering sound. "I was washing my hair," she called, laughter in her voice. And Torvor's Hammer, I liked the sound.

I settled against the boulder once more and imagined what I could do to her to make her laugh more often.

Finally, she called almost shyly, "You can turn around now."

When I did, my breath caught in my throat. She was wearing her chemise, still wet from its washing, the pale linen sticking to her as it dried in the warm summer afternoon. Her gown was spread across some berry bushes to dry, and she was combing her fingers through her hair, wringing out the worst of the water.

"Are we staying here tonight?"

I couldn't seem to make my mind work. "Uh…aye, if ye'd like."

"I would." She yawned. "I thought I might take a nap while you bathed?"

"A-aye." Nodding, I jerked my chin to where I'd stacked the saddlebags. "The plaid…"

But Roxanna waved airily. "I can handle it. Go bathe. I will just curl up in the sunshine."

It took seven deep breaths and imagining how cold the water was in order for my raging erection to subside. By the time I'd stripped off my boots and weapons, I peeked over the berry bushes, and aye, Roxanna was fast asleep.

So I thought.

The water was as cold as she'd said, and it surprised a shout of laughter from me. But growing up with a twin like Korvak had taught me to face adversity head-on, or he'd dunk me anyway. So I took a deep breath and dived, gathering up sand to rub into my scalp and rid my body of the oils and sweat which had been plaguing me.

The bath wasn't so long I had to worry about Roxanna, but mayhap I should have.

Because as I buckled my kilt around myself, I glanced over to our little camp…and she was gone.

Mayhap ‘twas because I had trusted her, or mayhap ‘twas my Kteer was throbbing in my chest, demanding I take what was mine.

Or mayhap I'd just had enough.

Whatever the reason, this time I didn't laugh at her audacity.

This time, this wasn't a game.

This time, I tipped my head back, allowed my claws to extend, and I roared my frustration to the pinkening sky.

This primal need shocked me, and I shook my wet hair, not even questioning the urge. My Kteer had saved me in battle, triggering my moves before I understood them, and now was no different.

This was visceral , this impulse to run. I took off after Roxanna without even stopping to check the signs of her passage.

I didn't need my senses for this hunt. ‘Twas as if I knew where she was without having to see, hear, scent.

It was a knowing.

She was ahead of me, panting as she tripped through the small thicket. The white of that chemise flowing behind her, catching on bushes, was a beacon in the gathering dusk.

Chase.

Hunt.

Catch.

Pin.

Take.

Mine.

Roxanna cried out as I reached her, grabbing her by her arm and spinning her around until she slammed into me.

Her blue eyes were wide, and the longer I crushed her to me, the more they changed. I saw the fear leave them, to be replaced with…something else. Her small tongue darted out to caress her lips, as if nervous, and I felt her breathing calm.

She wasn't afraid of me.

Mayhap she should be .

I wouldn't hurt her, but if she didn't believe that, mayhap she would cease running from me. My Kteer demanded I teach her a lesson, to keep her with me.

And as my cock throbbed beneath my kilt, where it was pressed against her stomach, I had a thought.

With a growl, I tossed her over my shoulder again. This time she didn't struggle, but a little whimper escaped her lips.

And her cunny…

Torvor's Hammer, her cunny was so close. So close to my mouth I could taste her. Her arousal teased my tongue, assaulting my senses, making me stagger back toward the waterfall and our camp.

Roxanna said naught and didn't fight me. I reached the plaid she'd laid out when she'd pretended to sleep, and I hefted her from my shoulder. Her feet hit the ground, but I held onto her arms until I knew she was steady.

Her breasts heaved beneath that damp linen, and I could see the dark circles of her nipples. My mouth watered at the sight, but my Kteer demanded her obedience.

"Varkaan?" she whispered.

Instead of answering, I reached for her hair, wrapping the damp mass once around my hand, forcing her head to jerk back until she was staring up at me wide-eyed. Her pulse fluttered at the base of her throat, but I still saw no fear in her expression.

That was my firebrand.

"'Tis time to teach ye a lesson, lass," I growled, and I saw her nostrils flare. "Ye ran from me."

"I did," she immediately answered. "And you chased."

Chase.

Hunt.

Catch.

Pin.

Take.

Mine

That primal need rose again and I tightened my hold, pulling her closer.

"I'm no' sorry."

My lips were inches from hers, and I could still smell her arousal. I wondered if even she was aware of her response to me. Surely ‘twas why her pupils dilated, why her breaths were coming quicker.

Then her tongue brushed across her lips again, and I growled in surrender .

My mouth slammed down into hers, and I held her there as I ravaged her lips. My tongue wasn't gentle, not like yesterday. I suckled at her lower lip, I scraped my tusks along her soft skin…

And she whimpered. Whimpered with need and pressed herself up on her toes, trying to get closer.

My firebrand wanted more.

I would give it to her.

But first I would teach her a lesson.

I yanked her hair back, pulling her away with a gasp. My lips followed, however, traced along her jaw, finding her earlobe. I'd wanted to explore this part of her, and now I did. My tongue followed the outer swirl, and I felt her knees buckle.

"Ye're sorry ye ran from me, aye?" I growled.

Not giving Roxanna time to answer, I suddenly straightened. As she panted, eyes glazed with desire, her cunny perfuming the air with its sweet honey, I gently pushed her to her knees.

Carefully I unwrapped my hand from her hair and pressed my palm to the back of her head, my thumb caressing her scalp as she tipped her head back to look up at me.

"Ye're sorry ye ran from me, Roxanna. Aye?"

Her nod was vague, as if she couldn't quite process what was going on.

I dropped my hand from her head and stepped closer to her. My cock strained against the inside of my kilt, tenting the thing obscenely. I shifted until I was standing before her, my hips only inches from her.

"I said , ye're sorry ye ran from me, aye, Roxanna?"

"I…" She licked her lips, then swallowed, her gaze finally dropping from mine to the kilt-covered erection a mere breath from her lips. "I am sorry," she whispered.

"And ye're going to be a good lass and show me how sorry ye are. Because I caught ye, and now ye're mine."

Roxanna's breath caught as she understood my demand.

"Aye, lass," I growled. "Be a good girl and show me how sorry ye are."

Her eyes fluttered shut, and I knew her anger was about to return. My firebrand would blast me, show me she'd taken the threat seriously.

I didn't expect her to hum softly and sway toward my hips, turning her head to the side so the softness of her cheek rubbed along my cock.

Malla the Beginner, I could have died then and there .

Like a kitten looking for cuddles, Roxanna nuzzled at my cock, that clean skin and those soft lips caressing me through the wool like the good girl I'd demanded she be.

My firebrand had met my challenge head-on.