Unleashed Read online

  Sandor stepped back and ran his hand through his hair, clearly frustrated with her refusal to listen. "Look, Kerry, I'm sorry about how all of this has been thrown at you at once. All I ask is that you give yourself some time to adjust. When we've taken care of Bradan, I'm sure Judith will see to it that you have the opportunity to meet other suitable Kyth men."

  "Suitable? Meaning more like you, Sandor?"

  "I never said that, but you need someone who is…"

  She finished the sentence for him. "Handsome and charming and judgmental?" She put her hand on his chest and shoved him back a step. "Well, you know what? I'll take Ranulf, rough edges and all, over your backstabbing any day."

  It was all she could do not to smack him upside the head. She might not find him attractive, but she had liked him.

  "Look, I know you mean well," Kerry continued. "We're all tired and worried, and that makes for short tempers. But if you try interfering again, I'll—"

  A door down the hall slammed open to reveal Ranulf. He clearly picked up on the tension, because his hands closed into hard fists.

  "What the hell's going on, Kerry?"

  He asked her the question, but his eyes burned holes through Sandor.

  "Nothing. I was just asking about Judith."

  He didn't believe her for a minute, but she wasn't going to give him the chance to tangle with Sandor again. "Come on, both of you. We need to get going."

  She picked up her bags and walked toward Ranulf, giving him no choice but to back out the door so she could get past. He shot Sandor one last dirty look before finally giving ground. He already had the trunk open, so she hefted her bags into the car herself.

  When she walked around to the passenger door to get in the car, she realized that there was no way that someone as tall as Sandor could fit his long legs in the rear seat. When she started to climb in back, Ranulf stopped her.

  "You ride up front with me. Sandor can have the back."

  "There's not enough room for him back there."

  "Too bad. He can sit sideways if he needs to."

  Sandor just couldn't stay out of it. "Why don't you just stick me in the trunk?"

  Ranulf's smile was not friendly. "Fine with me."

  Lord save her from the male of the species— whatever species that might be.

  "I'm riding in back. You two figure out what you're going to do so we can get moving." Then she plopped down on the leather seat and settled in.

  Ranulf gave her a disgusted look that matched the expression on Sandor's face almost perfectly. Neither of them appreciated her laughing, especially when they didn't know what they'd done that she found so amusing.

  The Packard's engine roared to life, and Ranulf gunned it out onto the street.

  After a couple of blocks, Sandor broke the heavy silence. "Take me to the closest hotel. I can keep working from there."

  Ranulf jerked his head in acknowledgment. A few seconds later he cranked up the stereo, preventing any further conversation. That was fine with her. She had enough to think about without trying to negotiate a peace settlement between the two men.

  From the vantage point of the backseat, she studied her Kyth companions. Both were strong men, powerful, assertive, so clearly warriors. With Bradan on a killing spree, they were exactly the kind of men she needed to keep her safe. But their tendency to be domineering was a whole different ball of wax; that had to stop.

  If she was honest with herself, she was even more irritated with Ranulf than with Sandor. Ever since Ranulf had climbed out of her bed that morning, he'd been acting like a bear with a thorn in his big glow-in-the-dark paw. Before they'd even gotten started, he'd warned her that he wasn't going to stick around. She could accept that and had made no demands on him. So what was he so angry' about?

  She planned on having it out with him once they were somewhere private. She wasn't about to tiptoe around, trying not to say or do anything that would set him off.

  She shifted around until she found a comfortable position and closed her eyes. She hadn't gotten much sleep in days, and before the next song ended, she was asleep.

  The highway stretched out in front of the car with only trees and mountains for company. Ranulf adjusted the rearview mirror to study the woman sleeping in the backseat. He didn't know when he'd made the decision to take Kerry to his mountain home for safekeeping, but it felt right.

  Other than the occasional messenger from Judith, he'd never allowed a single person across his threshold. But now he found himself wondering whether Kerry would like his sanctuary. And why did that matter, since their relationship wouldn't extend more than a few days?

  A few miles farther east, he moved into the exit lane. By the time he reached the stop sign at the top of the ramp, Kerry was stirring, probably due to the change in speed. After a few seconds she sat up straighter and looked around, blinking to clear her eyes and her thoughts.

  Finally, she smiled. "I seem to spend a lot of time sleeping in your car. Sorry, that doesn't make me very good company."

  "No need to apologize. You obviously needed it. While we're stopped, do you want to come up here with me?" He tried to keep the question casual, as if her answer didn't matter one way or the other.

  But it did matter, because when she immediately climbed into the front seat, that meant he hadn't totally screwed up whatever time they had left together. Judith's high-handed behavior still rankled, but she was right in thinking that Kerry would need a suitable Consort if she was to rule the Kyth. That didn't mean he had to like it.

  "Ranulf, are we going to sit at this stop sign all day?" Kerry softened her remark with a smile. "Where are we, anyway?"

  He put the car in gear and followed the narrow road to the north and east. "We're headed to my home."

  His answer clearly shocked her, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. "I need a safe place to stash you while I hunt for Bradan."

  "Won't that be the first place he'd look?"

  "Maybe, if he knew where it was. Only the Dame and Josiah know where I live, and she'd die before she'd give that information to Bradan."

  "Why would she do that for a total stranger? Even if I am a long-lost relative, she hasn't known me long enough to care that much."

  "She cares more than you know." He didn't want to be the one to tell Kerry why, but he had a feeling that decision had already been made for him. Kerry confirmed that suspicion with her next breath.

  She shook her finger at him. "Once we're not moving and we've had something to eat and you've had a chance to rest and we've exhausted whatever other excuses you can come up with, we're going to talk."

  She said it with a bit of a smile, but that didn't lessen the determination behind her words. And she was right. It was long past time that they quit playing games with her life. She deserved better, especially from him.

  "I promise, and no more excuses," he told her, clasping his talisman in his hand. She didn't yet know the power that gesture had among their people, but that didn't make it any less binding. "You can tie me to a chair if you want to make sure I don't try to escape."

  As he'd hoped, she laughed.

  "First you were going to tie me to the bed, and now this. Tell me, have you always been into bondage, or is this a new development?" She waggled her eyebrows, looking more ridiculous than flirtatious, but it was good to see her enjoying herself.

  "I'm willing to give it a shot if you are." And then he held his breath, waiting to see if she'd slammed the door on that part of their relationship.

  She turned those dark eyes in his direction, looking at him so intently that it felt as if she'd been able to see straight through to the heart of him. When she looked away again, he resumed breathing and concentrated on doing the least possible damage to his car as he turned off the blacktop onto the almost invisible gravel road that led back to his property. The silence dragged on as the trees swallowed them up, cutting off the rest of the world.

  Kerry reached over and turned off the radio. "I hope y
ou don't mind, but heavy metal doesn't belong out here."

  "Fine with me. We'll be at the house in about five minutes."

  "Good. When we get there, we can flip a coin to decide whether we need that rope or not." She put her hand on his thigh and squeezed.

  His prick immediately sat up and took notice, and he had to fight the urge to floor it. If he hit a chuckhole and bottomed out the car, it would be that much longer before he got Kerry behind closed doors and in his arms.

  Bradan's watch beeped, reminding him that time was up. He'd decided to wait outside the Dame's house for two more hours before giving up. There hadn't been any more activity since Ranulf had left.

  Maybe it was time to stage a frontal assault on Judith's home. With Ranulf gone, he'd be facing his old buddy Sandor, two women, and an old man. How hard could it be to bypass the security on that gate? Sandor was computer literate, but Judith's ability with electronics was limited.

  This time of year, it would stay light until almost ten o'clock. When the sun set, he'd come back prepared for every eventuality.

  And the games would begin.

  Sandor paced the floor of his hotel room. He'd been spending too many hours in front of a computer, hours that would be put to better use protecting his Dame. Not that she'd allowed him to return to her house, stubborn woman that she was.

  How would all of this play out? It would take both Ranulf and him working in tandem to bring Bradan to bay. Someone had to protect Kerry while the other went one-on-one with the renegade. He should be with Kerry since the Viking warrior was the logical choice when it came to down-and-dirty fighting: He would strip Bradan down to dust.

  The thought made Sandor sick, since Bradan had been his friend. Had he ever known the other Talion at all? Probably not. It was time to report in again. He picked up his cell and hit her number on speed dial.

  "Judith, I finally found a paper trail. Bradan has rented a place we didn't know about. He did a thorough job hiding it from us, but I've made progress digging through the layers."

  After they talked for another few minutes, Judith said, "Sandor, never doubt that I appreciate all you've done." Judith's voice sounded tired through the phone. "Keep me posted."

  "Of course. I'll tell Ranulf when I hear from him. He didn't tell me where he was taking Kerry, but it will be someplace secure."

  He'd like to think that if Ranulf was worthy of a woman of Kerry's strengths and abilities, he'd be man enough to wish the two of them well. But right now, the best he could hope for was that Kerry was taking a short walk on the wild side. Once she accepted her new role as future Grand Dame of their people, surely she'd understand that Ranulf would be the worst possible choice for her Consort.

  His phone rang again. He closed his eyes and wondered how much trouble he'd be in with Judith if he let her call go to voice mail. He reached for the phone and was surprised to see that the number on the screen wasn't one he recognized.

  His hand went for the knife he carried strapped to his waist, the urge to protect himself against even a verbal threat riding him hard. He flipped open the phone.

  "Bradan, I was just thinking about you." And wishing he was already dead and buried.

  "Funny, Sandor, you've been on my mind as well. Are you and your good buddy Ranulf plotting up a storm? I know how much you love working with him."

  "What do you think?"

  Bradan's laugh rang out over the phone line. "I think Judith is forcing the two of you to play pretty together, and you're about to break your jaw from gritting your teeth over it."

  The man knew him too well.

  "You've given up all claim to knowing what's going on among the Talion warriors, Bradan." He let silence hang between them for a few seconds. "There's only one bit of business left between us, old friend, and we both know what that is. You can die fast or you can die slow, but the bottom line is that you die."

  He disconnected and ignored the phone when it began to ring again a few seconds later.

  Ranulf watched in amazement as Kerry walked through his wards of protection without hesitation. If she sensed them, she gave no sign of it. As soon as he'd stopped the car, she'd jumped out with a huge smile on her face.

  "This whole place is beautiful, Ranulf!" She followed the wraparound porch around to the back, where it looked out over a small stream tumbling down off the mountainside.

  While she listened to the music of the water rushing over the rocks to the valley below, he tested the wards he'd set before leaving for the city. Nothing had damaged or weakened them, so his defenses had simply recognized her as a friend and let her pass. Amazing.

  She started toward him. Despite the shadows of the late afternoon, she brought the warmth of the summer sun with her. "I can see why you live here."

  So she sensed the ancient peace of the glen, too, where the sparkling stream sang to him when he woke up in the morning and murmured a lullaby when he turned out the lights at night. The short summer and long winter of the mountain suited his Viking soul, but it was the sheer natural beauty that kept him sane. When he was down among the jumble of humans and Kyth in the lower lands, he swiftly burned up his store of energy just by holding the constant crush of their frantic lives at bay.

  Here on his mountain he could simply breathe. This was his home, his refuge, his cell in what he'd meant to be a life sentence of solitary confinement. But now that he knew what Kerry looked like smiling at the rainbow in the spray from the creek, how could he stand to watch it alone?

  He watched her close the distance between them, her too-clever eyes seeing more truth than he would have her know about him.

  "I'd ask how many friends you've brought here over the years, but I already know the answer. None."

  He glowered down at her. "What makes you think that?"

  "I'm not sure, but I know it's true." She frowned as she tried to puzzle it out. "You don't live perched up here on the mountain because you like it—or at least, that's not the only reason. You live here alone because you need the quiet."

  She cocked her head to the side and studied his face. "You could have taken me to a hotel like you did Sandor. Instead you brought me here, and now you're having second thoughts."

  He turned away, not liking the way those big eyes of hers saw too much. "Let's get inside."

  With a whisper of power he banished the protection wards on the door before Kerry reached it, not wanting to know if they'd recognize her like the others had despite being stronger. When the door swung open of its own accord, she jumped.

  "Nice one, big guy. Can you teach me that trick? It would come in handy when I'm loaded down with groceries." She stepped across the threshold gingerly, as if wondering what would happen next.

  Rather than spook her any more, he hit the light switch, casting the interior in the glow of electric lights. Normally he depended on oil lamps, which he could light with a flicker of energy from across the room, preferring their softer glow.

  When she didn't immediately say anything, he moved past her on the pretense of setting their bags down. When he turned to face her, he stopped at the look of utter awe on her face. She clasped her hands as if in prayer as she looked about the room, her eyes lighting in one spot for a brief time before moving on.

  "Your house is simply amazing. You built this yourself, didn't you?"

  How did she know that? "I designed it. And I did as much of the work as I could by myself."

  This was his tribute to a Viking hall, built as accurately as money and a long memory could make it. There were concessions to modern technology: electricity, indoor plumbing, comfortable furniture, and a stereo system that he updated every chance he got. But the rest came from the culture that had given birth to him so long ago.

  She walked over to run her fingers over the carvings and inlays he'd done on the wooden beams, then gave him a reproachful look. "Why didn't you tell me you were an artist? When did you learn how to do this?"

  "Winters were long where I was born. Most everyone
had some kind of craft they worked on. I learned mostly from watching them."

  Kerry wandered over to the glass case where the torque and matching bracelets were displayed, along with an ancient sword and handful of beads. She gave him a puzzled look. "I know this sounds crazy, but I swear I've seen jewelry just like these somewhere. Maybe on the History Channel?"

  He waited in silence to see if she succeeded in teasing the memory free.

  Then her face lit up. "I remember. It was all over the news late last year. An international team of archaeologists were excavating a burial dig and uncovered what they thought was the grave of a female warrior. They found her weapons and a set of jewelry very similar to this, but it disappeared between the site and the museum. The thieves were never caught."

  When he didn't immediately reply, the dominoes started falling, leading her to one conclusion. "Oh my God, it was you. You stole them."

  "They had no right to these." He opened the case and lifted out the torque. Tracing the pattern with his fingers, he remembered how it had looked on the woman in the grave.

  "But how are we supposed to learn about the past if we don't study the artifacts we find in a cairn?" There was sympathy mixed with simple curiosity in her voice.

  He forced his hand to relax enough to avoid crushing the torque, his memories burning his nerves raw. "Those so-called scientists learn nothing real from their studies. No matter how hard they try, how deeply they dig, they'll never know the sound of her laughter or that her eyes were the color of the summer sky. They might know what they see, but they won't know her. And for the sake of their stupid fairy tales, they desecrated the dead."

  His pain washed over Kerry in waves and the truth finally hit her hard. "Oh, dear God, Ranulf! You knew her, the woman that necklace belonged to."

  He closed his eyes against the memories. "She was my wife. The jewelry was my present to her on our wedding day. The sword was her gift to me."

  Kerry stepped away from the case, wishing there was some way to ease the pain Ranulf had endured seeing his wife's grave ripped open and put on display.