One Night with Her Viking Warrior by Sarah Rodi

Happy Thursday! I hope you are excited to read an excerpt from a new book today. Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources for including me on the tour doe this book! 


About the Book:

Her forbidden love is back to claim her!

Once Lady Rebekah shared a life changing night with stable hand Raeden but he disappeared the morning after. Now she’s consort to a cruel Saxon Lord, and when Northmen lay siege to Ryestone Keep, Rebekah’s shocked to see Raeden leading the charge! This Viking warrior is not the man she remembers, yet she finds herself drawn to him again. Taken as his hostage, Rebekah must decide: can she trust him with her life…and her dangerous secret?

Excerpt:

When her parents are killed at the hands of Danish raiders, a young Saxon girl, Rebekah, becomes the ward of her powerful uncle Cynerik. Alone at the fortress of Ryestone Keep, Rebekah's only pleasure is riding, until she falls in love with a stable boy, regardless of his lack of status. However, her uncle wishes her to marry his son, Atol, a cold and corrupt young man. Envious of Rebekah's relationship with Rædan, Atol seizes him and does the unthinkable...

Eight years later, a fleet of Danish ships sails up the river and lays siege to the fortress of Ryestone. The leader of the Northmen is instantly recognisable to Rebekah even though he is much changed. Rædan is back for revenge on those who destroyed his life. Seeing Rebekah at his enemy's side, and with a daughter too, his anger - and attraction - burns. The Saxons offer the Vikings gold and silver to leave their lands, but Rædan demands something much more valuable - one night with Lady Rebekah...  

 

‘I can give you the gold and silver now, but I will need some assurance you will retrieve your men from our fortress and that you’ll relinquish any prisoners—to show willing,’ she said. ‘The deeds to the land will have to be drawn up. You will need to release Lord Atol as he is the only one who can arrange for the land to be given over to you.’

His brow furrowed. Of course she wanted her lover back and was prepared to negotiate for his release. His nostrils flared.

When he had heard of their engagement he hadn’t been able to believe it, that she would say yes to that man—until he’d seen it with his very own eyes.

When the ship he belonged to had sailed back up the river into Ryestone just two weeks after he’d been forced to leave, to stock up on supplies under cover of a large celebration taking place at the fortress, his heart had lifted in hope. He had thought he might see his father and be able to signal for help, or perhaps see Rebekah and she could explain to her uncle there had been a terrible mistake.

But then the happy couple had stepped out on to the bridge, overlooking the delighted crowd of villagers, to announce their upcoming nuptials, and suddenly it had all made sense—why he’d been sent away. And the pain he’d felt had been far greater than any he’d experienced at the hands of his captors. That vision was now branded into his memory.

Although he’d tried, he couldn’t erase the image of Rebekah looking stunning in a deep purple gown. He’d watched Atol’s hands roam over the pale, bare flesh of her arms, circling her waist, as he’d bent down to whisper something in her ear, and Rædan had known his life was over.

After that, he had no purpose, no reason to live. He’d worked from dawn to dusk, not even feeling the beatings any more, not caring about his empty stomach, or his aching, bruised body. He’d survived on a diet of hate and shame.

If there was one thing he’d learned during those years, it had been how to endure pain, how to shut off his feelings and keep control, to reroute his anger to make him stronger. They were all traits he prided himself in possessing now, so he was incensed with himself that he couldn’t control the way his body was responding to her.

He had come here wanting the Lord and Lady of Ryestone Keep to experience how it felt to have their home threatened, their lands taken away—to have your loved ones stolen from you. He had been thinking about this for eight long years. And suddenly, he knew what he had to do.

He shook his head. ‘No, I will not release the prisoner, or how can I trust you will stick to your end of the bargain? Unless…’

He wished he could have sacked the fortress, having dismantled Lord Atol’s kingdom and destroyed all that he cared for, leaving this place for good. But here she was, still looking like that, pretending she didn’t know him. He pressed his lips together into a thin, hard line. It made him want to take her right here, to slam into her hard and fast, making her cry out in pleasure, to fire up that shocking memory of hers and remind her of the night they’d spent together. But he told himself to be patient…

Instead, he nodded slowly. ‘I will leave with my men now and hand over my prisoners, but I shall need some assurance… Let’s call it a form of protection, until I know you’ll be true to your word.’

Her chin tipped up, in that challenging way of hers. ‘The gold is my assurance.’

‘Something far more valuable than gold.’

‘There is nothing more valuable than gold,’ Lord Atol spat from beside him. He had seemingly worked free the gag over his mouth.

Rædan gave his prisoner a cursory glance. ‘I shall take a hostage in your place—as collateral—until the deal is complete.’

A sneer slashed across Lord Atol’s face. ‘Who?’

Rædan was aware of Rebekah’s eyes upon him, her hands gripping tighter on to the arms of the wooden chair, her knuckles turning white, as if she knew where this was going. A long time ago she’d stared at him with passion in her eyes. Now, was it fear or hate? He didn’t care. He had nothing to lose. Not any more. And yet he had the sense that she was still as drawn to him as he was to her. Was it the flush of heat in her cheeks, or the rapid rise and fall of her chest, as if she was struggling to breathe?

‘Someone of importance to you.’

About the Author:

 Sarah Rodi has always been a hopeless romantic. She grew up watching old, romantic movies recommended by her grandad, or devouring love stories from the local library. Sarah lives in the village of Cookham in Berkshire, where she enjoys walking along the River Thames with her husband, her two daughters and their dog. She has been a magazine journalist for over 20 years, but it has been her lifelong dream to write romance for Mills & Boon. Sarah believes everyone deserves to find their happy ever after.

Keep in touch on social media:

Instagram: @sarahrodiedits

Website: www.sarahrodi.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/sarahrodiedits


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