Destiny of the Heart (Viking Destiny) (5 page)

Kristen sighed in exasperation. She didn't understand
the change that had come over Derrick after she had
answered his question, but his haughty tone was beginning to
annoy her. Attractive or not, she wasn't about to let him get
away with it. She has a singular way of dealing with that kind
of attitude, and it usually made the other party feel like an ass.
If Derrick's flushed cheeks were any indication, she had hit her
mark. But, that knowledge didn't bring her the satisfaction it
normally did. For whatever reason she couldn't begin to
fathom, she didn't want Derrick to feel like an ass. She wanted
to reassure him, to make him feel comfortable. She had no
idea why since she owed him nothing, but it was a feeling that
persisted all the same.

"Look Derrick, I have no wish to argue with you. I didn't
realize you were using this cave, so I'll just be on my way and
let you attend to your business. As I said before, I haven't
mentioned this cave to anyone as it doesn't suit me for others
to know my whereabouts."

"You must understand my apprehension, and the
reason I must detain you."
"Detain me? Absolutely not. You will let me pass, or so
help me, you will regret it!" She spat angrily.
All of her plans were suddenly crashing down around
her, and she was furious. She had hoped he would be
reasonable on this matter, but it was beginning to look as if
she was simply hanging on to childish fantasies of chivalry
and gentlemanly conduct.
"Perhaps I will, but I must be absolutely certain that you
are not a threat to me, Kristen."
"But, I've already assured you..." Her voice trailed off as
she realized Derrick's men were moving in her direction again.
"Please understand that I need my own assurances
rather than your promises." He signaled for his men to grab
her.
Her head spinning with angry adrenaline, Kristen
reacted by pulling out her dagger. Derrick smiled once again
at her tenacity, and watched with bated breath to see what
she would do. To his surprise, she actually knew how to use
the knife and it looked as though the move he saw her pull on
Peevely wasn't accidental, but planned. She expertly wielded
the knife toward her would-be attackers, giving herself space
to advance in her own time. He watched with some admiration
as she remained calm and aloof, where as the many women
of his acquaintance would be crying and in hysterics by now
given the same circumstances.
The first two men moved in, circling her slowly, trying to
make her nervous. She took a deep breath and countered.
Spinning around, she kicked one squarely in the face and then
wasted no time sinking her knife deep into the stomach of the
second man before withdrawing it and slashing upward toward
his throat. He pulled back, but the third man approached her
with murder in his eyes. Kristen waited until he was just close
enough to palm his chin, knocking his head back, then pulled
it back toward her by raking her nails over the length of his
face, scratching his eyes. She finished the brutal move by
punching him in the throat with her knuckles.
As he fell over trying to catch his breath, the first guy
she kicked in the face bulled his way toward her. He threw a
punch before she could react and hit her squarely in the
stomach. She hunched over in pain, tears searing the inside of
her lids as she struggled to breathe. Still, she could hear the
man coming for her again. Rolling out to the side, she jumped
up and threw an uppercut to his face, then grabbed his head
and slammed it down to her uprising knee. She heard the
crunch and knew she had broken his nose. He howled in pain
and ran at her full speed, blinded by his rage. Kristen merely
stepped out of the way and let him run straight into the cave
wall. She shook her head as he fell unconscious to the
ground.
But, with all three opponents down, it was just Derrick
left in her way. She didn't want to hurt him, but she did need to
leave, and that she would do whether he liked the
consequences or not.
“So, it is down to you and me, is it?” She asked.
“Aye.” He nodded in agreement.
He had never seen anything like what Kristen had just
done. While it had been hard to watch his men attack her and
not do anything about it, he was so stunned by her ability to
fight that he was rooted where he stood. She had taken out
three of his most reprehensible men, men he had hired for the
damage they could inflict, and she wasn't the least bit
concerned. In that moment, he knew he wanted Kristen. He
may not be able to marry her, but there were other ways they
could be together.
“I must know where you learned to fight like that. It is
not a common skill among women, you know.”
“It bears no consequence on this situation, so let us
stick to the facts at hand.” She replied flatly, still breathing
heavy from the exercise.
Derrick grinned. “Very well. I think perhaps a wager is
in order then.”
“I do not have time for games, Lord Shane. Do let me
pass.”
“I believe we agreed to dispense with formalities,
Kristen.” He purred while imitating her haughty tone.
Kristen's stomach filled with butterflies each time he
said her name. His eyes seemed to change from the eerie
glow of anger to a warm amber, reminding her of the brandy
her mother used to indulge in when she would tell Kristen
stories of her real father training in the yard with other guards.
"Fine, Derrick. I don't have time for this, now let me
pass." She insisted.
He chuckled, but had to wonder at her anger. Was she
late to meet someone, or was it simply that he was delaying
her? There was nothing in her eyes to suggest that she
wanted to be with a lover, but there was something, he just
couldn't place it.
"Well then, I shall speak quickly so as not to keep your
lover waiting." He added, just to see her reaction.
Kristen wrinkled her brow, wondering what the devil he
was talking about, but gave nothing else away. Derrick was
somewhat disappointed, not able to tell one way or the other if
she was meeting a lover as he reaction could go either way.
"If you win, your freedom is your own. If I win, you
agree to become my mistress." He stated baldly.
Kristen gasped at his nerve and impropriety. She
decided that whatever childish fantasies she harbored for this
man were now tamped down in disgust...mostly, anyway.
The very suggestion that she, a lady of breeding, should be
any man's mistress was just as vile as marrying her
stepfather. Were all men truly this despicable? Not to mention
the fact that if he wanted her, he could have had her when she
presented the marriage contract to him. The only thing she
could work out in her head was that he wanted his freedom to
gallivant about with other women.
"I will not agree to those terms, you disgusting lecher. If
you wanted me so badly, you should have agreed to the
betrothal." She huffed.
Derrick was somewhat surprised by her response, but
quickly realized he shouldn't be. Whatever circumstances had
brought her to this cave, it wasn't to meet a lover. She was an
innocent, and he had just offended her. A soft smile played at
his lips. A hungry possession played at his nerves. He was
determined to possess her, by any means necessary.
“Either those terms, or we shall see how well you fare
with seven of my men to just yourself.”
“Have you no decency?!” She fairly screeched at him,
tears shining in her eyes. This whole ordeal was becoming
much more than she could bear.
Seeing her so close to tears, yet fighting them off,
caused a sensation in Derrick's chest he couldn't recall ever
feeling before. Not sure what the sensation meant, but
becoming angry with himself for putting her through such an
ordeal, he decided it was best to direct his anger at her.
“Hardly, madam.”
Kristen's small hope of him being a gentleman dashed,
she thought quickly. If she agreed to this ridiculous wager and
won, she would never have to see him again and her freedom
would be her own. If she lost, she would have to become his
mistress. Either scenario lead her away from her stepfather,
so perhaps it was worth considering. Even as a mistress, she
could buy a husband when the time came.
Honestly, she didn't care for that scenario at all, it being
just as disgusting as her stepfather's proposal. And, despite
her body's reaction to Derrick, she hated him for what he was
putting her through. What's worse, she could actually lose to
him. But, even if she didn't agree, her chances were slim
against seven men, especially after all of the energy she had
expended thus far. It was better to fight one man and at least
attempt to gain her freedom.
“I accept.” She whispered in fear.
“What was that?” He demanded coldly, not seriously
wanting to fight her, but knowing she would be going for blood.
“I accept.” She said more loudly and raised her head to
meet his gaze.
He could see the loathing in her eyes, and again he
wondered if he'd just made a terrible mistake.
“Good. I have only one condition before we begin.”
“And that would be?” She asked uneasily.
“No knife, m'dear. I don't want one as I'd prefer not to
mar your beautiful skin with a jagged edge; however, I do want
a fair fight.”
“This is hardly a fair fight.”
He merely shrugged, so she did the same. “Fine,
agreed.” She set the knife to the side, then turned to face him.
She lifted the edge of her skirts to tuck them inside her belt,
giving herself some leg room.
Derrick was momentarily mesmerized by the look of her
trim ankles and the lust he'd been battling all night came
raging to the forefront. He stepped toward her, merely to kiss
her, but she interpreted it as aggression. She hissed and
swung a punch that landed solidly across his jaw. He took
several steps back from her in stunned silence, and became a
little uneasy as he saw her crouch, preparing to attack again.
She could rival many of the men on his crew and those he'd
faced in other countries. Men trained for combat and to kill, yet
she put them to shame with her graceful movements.
Kristen was anxious to get out of the caves before any
more damage was done. As she looked around to figure out
her next move, she noticed a large crate to her right and
darted toward it as a thought came to mind. As anticipated,
Derrick moved with her, only to be struck in the face with her
descending foot as she ran up the side of the crate and spun
her body around, bringing her foot down. She landed a foot or
so away from Derrick. He snaked his arm out from under
himself and grabbed her ankle, then turned his body over and
spun out his leg, hitting her legs and knocking her to the
ground. He immediately grabbed her wrists and straddled her
to keep her from getting up.
“Well, I must say I expected more from you, Kristen.
Nevertheless, a deal's a deal, so how 'bout a kiss to seal the
bargain?”
As he leaned in for the kiss, Kristen slammed her head
into his, causing him to release her wrists and lean back just
enough where she could wrap one leg around his neck and
the other to kick him off of her. She quickly scrambled behind
him and held him in a choke hold.
“I gather you didn't expect that, Lord Shane. But, it
seems I've won and as such, I'll be leaving. I think you are a
disgusting pig and I hope never to see you again, so since I
can't have you following me...”
She reached for the nearest object to her. Grasping it
firmly in her hand, she hit him over the head with the heavy
object, a vase as she glanced at it, knocking him unconscious
and shattering the vase to pieces around them. Letting him go,
she got to her feet and backed away from him. Keeping a wide
berth between herself and Derrick, just in case he was faking
it, Kristen went back to retrieve her dagger. Getting too close
was out of the question, it was how people got themselves
trapped.
She looked around the cave. Boxes were smashed
where heavy bodies had collided into them, the silks were
strewn about, and many of the other goods were smashed to
bits. She noted that two of the three men she had fought
before were still unconscious, but the other had left the cave,
presumably to have his wound tended. That meant others
would be coming soon and it was best she wasn't there when
they arrived. She looked at Derrick again and felt a slight
twinge of guilt.
It was actually odd, her emotions playing havoc with
her mind. She had liked him immensely until he suggested
she be his mistress, and even then she felt all tingly. If she
were honest with herself, she might realize she didn't mind
being that close to this particular man.
But, she had her own agenda and had to ensure her
safety. He had chosen not to move forward with the betrothal,
so she didn't think he would fit into her plans.
He was no longer for her. She left the cave as quickly as she
could, not sparing another glance back, but knowing the man
would never be far from her thoughts.
Chapter 6

Kristen paced in front of Meloney Atchkinson's parlor
window. She had arrived so early that morning that the maids
had to be roused in order to prepare a room for her. She felt
horrible for the trouble, but she didn't have anywhere else to
go just then, and she was desperate, exhausted, and looked
terrible to boot. Meloney's butler, Chester, clucked his tongue
disapprovingly, quite freely telling her of the hour. She had
been in no mood, and had promptly told him to prepare her
room and save his sermons for someone who gave a damn.

He had puffed up his chest at that, and she immediately
wished she could take it back. It wasn't his fault that she was
going through this, but Kristen hadn't slept in several days,
anxious to find a way out of the mess she was in. Her one and
only hope at an easy solution turned out to be an awful cad,
and now she was back at square one, needing a husband and
having no idea where to begin with such a task. Not to
mention the fact that she was worried someone was trying to
kill her based on several seeming attempts on her life recently.
Another reason she had been so short on temper lately. At
any rate, she would certainly have to apologize to the old
butler for she had no call to be that way with him.