The Viking's Witch by Kelli Wilkins Read Free Book Online

not Ivor.”
    She shuddered as she recalled the feel of Ivor’s rough hands grabbing her breasts. “How am I to know? ’Tis late, I’m tired, and I was sleeping fine until you brought me up here, tossed me on the bed, and tried to smother me.”
    “If I bother you so much, leave.” Rothgar folded his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling. “I’ll not smother you again. You can fend for yourself come morn.”
    She stood and walked to the bed. What would happen to her if Rothgar didn’t protect her from the other Norsemen? Could she sneak away to the cairn and hide until they left? What if they never left?
    “Nay. I’ll not leave you. I didna mean to make you angry with me. Pray don’t set the other men on me. I’d die if they …” She was unwilling to say more, lest her words invoke trouble. “You have been good to me, Rothgar. I wish to make up for hurtin’ you as I did.”
    “ Gut . Come to bed and do two things for me.”
    “Nay. You said you would not touch me.”
    “I will not touch you … unless you ask for it.” He chuckled. “Fear not, sweet maiden. My lust has faded. I drank too much bjor and lost control of my desires while drukkinn . I wish to sleep now. Today was a long day.”
    “Aye, ’twas very long and quite troublesome, indeed. What do you wish of me?”
    Rothgar cleared his throat. “First, come to bed and lie next to me.”
    “You won’t kiss or touch me?”
    “Only if you kiss or touch me first.”
    She folded her arms across her chest and eyed him suspiciously. “And what other thing must I do?”
    Rothgar smirked and wriggled his eyebrows. “Come to bed and find out.”

    Rothgar lay still, waiting to see if Odaria would get into bed next to him. If she refused, he would not force her. For all he cared, she could sleep on the floor or leave. If she insisted on acting so stubborn, then she could take her chances with the others and see how she fared. No other Nordmann would show her such kindness.
    He pulled the bedcoverings across his stinging chest and closed his eyes. Odaria was right. In a way, he was no better than Ivor. Granted, he never would have forced himself on her, but he had ignored her when she’d begged him to leave her alone. He frowned. It was the bjorr . He’d drunk too much tonight and gotten carried away. Up until the moment he’d scooped Odaria into his arms and carried her upstairs. Being intimate with her was a mere hope.
    Over the last three years, he had learned not to expect any reaction from his lower half, whether he was drunk or sober. His manhood was nothing but a useless lump of meat between his legs. But being close to Odaria had caused it to blaze back to life tonight.
    “You swear you will do me no harm?” Odaria asked, interrupting his thoughts.
    He sighed. After she had ripped out all of his chest hair, his burning hardness had shriveled down to nothing. His mighty sword now lay as limp as a blade of grass. He couldn’t enter her even if he wanted to. “I swear it.”
    Odaria climbed into bed next to him and lay on her right side. The bed wasn’t large enough for a man a third his size, and she was forced to lie close to him. The bed frame creaked as he readjusted his weight.
    “What are you doin’?”
    “Trying to get comfortable. Fret not. I will not touch you.”
    “Why should I trust you? Norsemen are raiders and murderers, you—”
    “Hush. You are angered still over the raid at Lindesfarne. Blame me not. I did not destroy your precious monastery.”
    “Mine? How dare you call that lump of stone mine? That belonged to them, not me. You can tear down every monastery and abbey stone by stone and hurl them into the sea for all I care.”
    Her violent words shocked him. One moment, Odaria acted tender and sweet, and a second later, she sounded cold and uncaring. She reminded him of some of the women back home. He laughed. “Does Norse blood run through your body?”
    “What? Nay.” He heard her sigh. “I’m