“Thank the Gods you’re all right!” His gaze roamed over her with scrutiny, inspecting her bedraggled appearance, stopping on her bruised cheek.
The sight of his shaved head and his giant body had Valeria close to tears, she was so grateful to see him. “I was afraid you were dead.”
“I’m hard to kill.” He wore armor with the Roman standard imprinted on it and carried a heavy sword.
Rufus felt whole with a weapon in his hand and wielded the sword as if it were an extension of his arm. He’d been in the army for so long that fighting came naturally to him, like breathing.
Valeria, on the other hand, was a gentle girl and had no place in the middle of a battle. Though stubborn and strong-willed, she’d been sheltered from the real horrors of the world. Rufus took great pride in being responsible for keeping her from harm. He feared he’d failed her this time. He never should have let her come here. What had that dirty Pict general done to her?
“Has my uncle come with more troops?” she wondered with hope shining in her pretty eyes.
Poor Valeria. She was constantly trying to win the Emperor’s affections, but the man spent all his time and energy on his son. He wanted his niece to marry so he no longer had to be responsible for her, and Rufus didn’t have it in him to tell her the truth.
“He is not here, but he sent three legions in his stead,” Rufus informed her. “We’ve taken the camp and all survivors will be brought to Rome as slaves.”
Valeria’s throat seemed to close up and she felt a nauseating pit of despair in her stomach. Tristan would either be killed, or he’d become a slave. It didn’t feel right. She might not know him very well outside of their lovemaking, but he deserved a better fate than that.
“And we are to return to Rome as well?” she asked, already knowing, and simultaneously dreading, the answer.
Where else would they go?
“Yes, Domina.” Rufus gave her appearance another disapproving glance. “I’ll get you some proper clothes. I have men outside so it’s safe for you to stay in here.”
Valeria was alone again, waiting. In a way she was glad to be returning home where it was warm and dry. She’d see her friends again, and Lucia, the woman who was like her mother. Had she remained with Tristan he would have traded her as a slave. Instead, he was to be the slave. She should feel a great sense of triumph. He’d kept her prisoner and seduced her into his bed, and she had a feeling if she’d refused his advances he would have forced his affections on her. He was nothing but a brute and a bully.
And that was a lie to make her feel better, because she’d rather be with him right now more than any other person in the world. Despite his sometimes horrible treatment of her, she had feelings for him. Real, true feelings, that in this moment were tearing her in two.
The sound of a fight erupted outside the tent. Valeria’s mind was a crazy mixture of hope and fear as swords clashed and rioted. Someone dared to challenge the men Rufus had posted at the door. She knew it was Tristan even before he came crashing into the tent. Her heart jolted and her pulse pounded when she saw him standing there, his auburn hair long and wild, a heavy sword in each hand, covered with blood.
Tristan wasn’t sure what possessed him to return to his tent for Valeria. He was in the midst of a war and a woman would only slow him down. What was he doing? Only a complete idiot would risk his life for a woman he barely knew. He hadn’t even expected to find her, but here she stood, staring at him with wide, surprised eyes.
“What are you doing here?” She looked as baffled and astonished as he felt.
“We’ve fallen to the Romans.” The words tasted foul on his tongue. Rome’s tactics of war were no longer superior for he and his men had learned their enemy’s ways quickly. In this battle they’d simply been outnumbered.
“You shouldn’t have come,” she said. “You have to hurry. You have to go.”
“I said I’d come back.” Of all the things he’d be leaving behind, Valeria was something that couldn’t be replaced. Gods help him, he wanted more time with her.
“It’s too late—”
“It’s not too late.” He sheathed one of his swords and held his hand out to her. “We can get out, but we must do it now.”
She hesitated and glanced at his offered hand. Why wouldn’t she take it?
“I can’t go with you, Tristan.”
“Why not?” A tic worked along his jaw and he glowered at her. “You begged me not to leave earlier.”
Had he been wrong to come back for her? Had she only pretended to have feelings for him, lying to him as she’d lied about her reason for coming to the north, or the fact that she spoke his language?
Tristan should have known better. He should have left her and never looked back. There was good reason why he guarded his heart, but he’d felt something different with Valeria, something special, so he’d let her in, and she proved to be just as cold and uncaring as a woman could be. And a Roman on top of it. He’d never make the mistake again.
“You didn’t mean it, did you?” He barely suppressed his rage at her betrayal. “You hoped I’d be killed or that I wouldn’t come back.”
“No!” She shook her head in denial. “I was desperate to have you return.”
“This could be a trap you’ve carefully laid,” he continued to accuse her. “I’ll bet there are more men waiting outside for you to simply give the word.”
“Please, Tristan, listen to me when I say you must go. More men will be coming and I hate to think what they’d do if they found you here.” The sad, pleading look in her eyes was almost enough to convince him she was telling the truth.
In any case, he had to get out of there, and he would still take Valeria with him. He’d make her regret her lies and deceit, and do to her what he should have done from the beginning. Reaching out, he grabbed her by the wrist and jerked her close so he could toss her over his shoulder.
“Put me down!” She kicked her legs and pounded her fists against his back as she lay draped over him.
Tristan tightened his hold around her legs to stop her kicking and slashed his sword down the back wall of the tent so he could leave with less chance of being noticed. The forest was close, and once he got there, he could disappear.
“Halt, northern swine!” a deep voice bellowed out behind him.
Tristan turned and saw Valeria’s fearsome protector, covered in Roman armor and heavily armed with weapons. It was time to find out just how loyal the soldier was. Tristan ducked out of the tent and raced towards the forest with Valeria flopping over his shoulder. He tossed away the extra sword in his hand to lighten his load.
“Dammit, Tristan.” She beat at his back with her tiny fists. “Rufus will kill you.”
“Let him catch me first.” He continued with sure strides towards the welcoming depths of the green forest.
“Put me down.” She reared up from his shoulder and twisted about. “Just put me down and get out of here.”
“I recommend you do as the lady asks,” a deep voice said in his own language from behind him.
Tristan spun around to face Rufus, with Valeria hanging over his shoulder, muttering foul curses at him. The woman certainly had spirit.
“Let her go,” Rufus ordered. “She’s innocent in this, or was, before you got a hold of her.”
Tristan felt a sudden shame for what he’d done to Valeria, knowingly taking her virginity and not caring what the consequences might be for either