One Night with Her Viking Warrior by Sarah Rodi
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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