Behind me, Elric entered the ring and paced closer as he surveyed the scene. In the tense silence, everyone watched and waited.
“What’s the Viking doing here?” Elric barked at me, not deigning to acknowledge her as a person.
I jerked and turned to face him like I hadn’t known he was standing here. “She’s only here to observe. It’s not unheard of for aroyalto survey the performance of her royal guard.” I made sure to emphasize the word that had always rankled him.
He trudged closer until he was chest to chest with me. “I won’t have an enemy just standing there, watching for weaknesses. If she’s down here, she trains like everybody else.”
I didn’t budge. “Her berserker has never been leashed before. We don’t know how much it’s weakened her,” I repeated.
His face twisted into a predictably vicious smile. “She seemed strong enough earlier. Why not put her to the test?” He gestured broadly with a sweep of his arm. “Come, Princess. We’d be honored to have such a legendary warrior train with us.”
I tilted my head and clenched my jaw angrily, letting him believe I didn’t want this.
Sigrid ducked gracefully under the railing and walked towards us like she was unbothered one way or the other.
“Form up!” Elric shouted, and all the men straightened their lines for strength drills.
Sigrid sauntered over to me with a face like thunder and leaned in like she was going to have the last word. “Well played,” she whispered.
She was close enough that a strand of her dark hair brushed my cheek, and I wanted to snatch it and feel its silky length. I could smell the light floral soap she’d used in the bath, which only took me straight back to memories of what else we’d done while bathing.
I adjusted my breeches subtly as she took her place directly in front of me, but the delicate silk of her dress did nothing to hide the strong lines and supple curves of her body as she bent over to stretch along with everyone else.
“Are you trying to kill me, woman?” I groaned softly.
Her laugh was barely an exhale. “Not yet, Prince.”
CHAPTER TEN
SIGRID
“Shield wall!” At the bellowed command from the Saxon captain, my instincts screamed at me to pick up an axe, a sword—any weapon I could wield against my enemies.
Memories of past battles rattled my senses, shaking my berserker from her slumber. She snapped and thrashed against the magical leash, convinced I was in mortal peril, but I had no way to soothe her and no release for the seething energy she worked up.
I wasn’t fighting against these men. I was supposed to be trainingwiththem. Shoulder to shoulder with these Saxon fucks who’d slaughtered the people of Ocracoke in cold blood.
“This is too much to ask,” I said, ignoring Bastian’s look of concern as I walked from the field to the buckets of water.
Let them think I’m exhausted and weak.
Training with them was infuriating because it was forcing me to see them as men, as individuals with weaknesses andpersonalities. Men who had little to do with the decisions of their king. Could I allow them the excuse of following orders when they’d killed Axel? Would the gods grant such an allowance in order to release him from Niflheim?
Elric scoffed, then gave his men a significant look and flicked his head in my direction like he wanted them to enjoy the spectacle of a tired berserker. I was tired in my godsdamned bones, but it had nothing to do with his ridiculous drills.
The prince wanted to check on me so badly, I could practically see him straining against the temptation to move from his line. He was too perceptive not to realize that doing so would make me look even weaker, and he was too conscious of my feelings to make such a mistake.
Bastian’s cleverness knew no bounds. He was a strong fighter, but stronger still with his wits. I’d nearly killed Elric before the banquet, but with just a little manipulation, Bastian had convinced the captain to do exactly what we wanted, all the while letting Elric believe he’d gotten the upper hand.
I’d need to keep a closer eye on the devious bastard. Bastian was probably playing head games with me too.
As one, the Saxons followed Elric’s command and moved into place just as they did on the battlefield, interlocking their shields for protection.
But there was a gap where my husband stood.
On either side of him, the men left a space, refusing to either protect or be protected by him in the shield wall. It was a mark of disrespect intended to shame him, and from the look is his eyes, the blow hit its mark. He was stoic in the face of almost anything, butthisrattled him. He cared what these useless soldiers thought of him.
“Will no one stand with our prince?” Elric drawled, clearly enjoying himself. He could’ve snapped at them and put an end toit, but he looked around casually, leaving Bastian to stew in his shame.
