LITMIR.BIZ

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and her sister were already alone. Their parents died last year, and if they had uncles or aunts, we never met them.’ Áron thought a moment and added, ‘There was a man who courted Morren, I think. Adham Ó Reilly was his name.’

      That brought him up short. Trahern tried to remember if he’d seen Morren with anyone, but to be honest, he’d spent so little time with the rest of the Ó Reilly clan, he didn’t know.

      ‘What happened to Adham?’

      ‘He is still here.’

      Trahern didn’t respond, but it was as though a strand of tightened steel had pulled through his stomach. Though he’d never met Adham, he had little faith in any of the Ó Reilly men.

      There had been no reason for the clan to abandon Morren, despite the danger.

      ‘I’ll come with you when you leave,’ Trahern said. ‘And I intend to take my horse back from Gunnar.’

      Áron ventured a smile. ‘I’ll arrange it.’

      The two men crossed through the longphort, but Trahern departed Áron’s company, continuing on to Katla’s dwelling, where Morren was staying. The tall woman intercepted him at the door and nearly shoved him outside again. ‘You cannot come inside. Only the women may stay.’

      Trahern ignored her. ‘Your husband is here, is he not?’

      Katla planted both hands on her hips. ‘I trust Hoskuld with my life. I don’t, however, trust you.’

      ‘I swore to Morren that I’d keep her and Jilleen safe,’ Trahern argued. ‘If it bothers you to have a guard, then I’ll take them somewhere else.’

      ‘You aren’t her family,’ Katla argued. ‘You haven’t the right.’

      ‘I’m the only man who’s shown any concern for them, so aye, I have the right.’ He wasn’t going to let a sharp-tongued Norsewoman badger him.

      ‘Stubborn brute of an Irishman,’ she cursed, trying to shut the door on him.

      ‘That, and more.’ He didn’t back down, but met her fierce brown eyes with his own, keeping the door open with the strength of one thigh. ‘No harm will come to them.’

      Morren had risen to her feet, sleepy-eyed, her fair hair neatly braided. ‘It’s all right, Katla. He can stay.’

      ‘And what about the others? They’ve no need to be bothered by a man such as him.’

      Morren touched Katla’s shoulder. ‘Trahern would do nothing to hurt any of the women. But if you’d rather, I will go elsewhere to sleep.’

      Something knotted up inside him at her quiet offer to stay at his side. Her trust in him was unexpected, humbling even.

      Katla stared at both of them, sending Trahern a heated look of disapproval. Pointing to the far end of the longhouse, she ordered, ‘Stay on that side, then.’

      Trahern waited until the woman had reached the opposite side before approaching Morren. He eyed her carefully, wondering if she wanted him to leave. ‘I didn’t mean to wake you.’

      ‘I wasn’t truly sleeping,’ she admitted. ‘I don’t like to dream.’

      He didn’t press her to answer why. ‘Do you want me to go? I’ll sleep outside if it would make you more comfortable.’

      ‘Don’t be foolish. It may freeze tonight. And what good are you, if you’re dead?’

      Her macabre remark made it hard not to smile. ‘Are you certain?’

      She nodded and patted the ground beside her. ‘Sit with me and tell me what you learned from the others.’

      In a low voice, he relayed all of the information to her, but left out any mention of Adham. Though he didn’t know the man, he distrusted him for leaving Morren behind. He also wondered what feelings she held for Adham, if any.

      ‘They’re going back to the cashel in the morning,’ he told her, ‘to rebuild the homes. Do you want to come?’

      Morren hesitated. ‘Will you go?’

      He gave a nod. ‘I had planned to, yes. I want to speak with the other Ó Reilly men about the attack.’ He softened his tone, suddenly aware of the dark memories Glen Omrigh would hold for her. ‘But if you’d rather remain here—’

      ‘No, I need to return.’ She looked over at her sleeping sister. ‘I think it would be best for Jilleen, as well.’

      She leaned back, her spine resting against the wall of the hut. With their voices lowered, she had to lean closer to him to hear. He wondered if it made her fearful, being so near to him.

      ‘Trahern, how long will you stay?’

      Until I know you’re safe, he almost said, but stopped himself. She might misunderstand the words.

      Protecting Morren and her sister was a way of atoning for his mistakes with Ciara. He wanted to be certain that her clan didn’t fall victim to the Vikings or be absorbed into the Dalrata tribe. And that would take time he didn’t have.

      Though he didn’t like the idea of wintering amongst the Lochlannach, soon enough it would be too dangerous to travel. ‘Long enough to help your clan rebuild,’ he admitted. ‘I want to know why the Lochlannach are so interested in your land. I suspect that there’s more that the chief isn’t telling us.’

      He cast a look over at Katla, who had gone to sleep. ‘Among the Ó Reillys, I may learn more about the attack. And, if we work hard, you might spend the winter in your own homes.’

      Morren shook her head. ‘Even if we rebuild, we don’t have the supplies we need to last through the winter. Not unless any of the harvest was spared.’ A despondent look crossed her face. ‘I doubt if anyone tended the fields.’

      ‘There’s time enough to hunt. If everyone works together, we could preserve enough meat.’

      ‘But we’ve no grain.’ She drew her knees up, growing quiet for a time. ‘And it’s too late to plant.’

      ‘We could trade for what you need,’ he offered. ‘There’s always hope.’ He opened his palm to her.

      She looked into his eyes, and he saw softness mingled with determination. Tentatively she lifted her hand and placed it in his. ‘You’re right. There’s hope.’

      He curved his fingers over hers, knowing what it had meant for her to reach out to him. The serene beauty of her face caught him like a spear between the ribs. For Morren Ó Reilly was more than what she seemed, with a strength veiled beneath the delicate features. Her wistful blue eyes had seen too much horror. He found himself wanting her to find happiness again.

      But not with Adham Ó Reilly.

      He didn’t know where these possessive thoughts had come from. She needed a steady man to take care of her, to push away the nightmares of her past. Why should it matter if it were Adham, or Gunnar, or any other man?

      Because those men didn’t know what she’d suffered. They hadn’t held the body of her child in the palm of their hand, nor did they know the unimaginable torment that she’d locked away.

      She shouldn’t have to reveal it. They didn’t need to know.

      Morren’s gaze fell to his feet. The ties of his shoes were loose, the leather stiff from the cold. She reached out to his feet, meaning to bind them.

      The light brush of her hands against his feet sent a rush of blood through his body. Though she did nothing more than adjust the ties, the gesture was unexpectedly arousing.

      He couldn’t have stopped the reaction if he’d tried to stop breathing. The light scent of her hair, the fragile air about her, made him want to pull her close.

      What in the name of God was

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