Page 19 of Bride of Ice
So he fixed his forthright gaze on her, while her eyes of crystal blue ice pierced his soul and probed the darkest recesses of his heart.
Who would have surrendered first, he’d never know. Their contest of wills was cut short by a feminine cry in the distance.
The Valkyrie flinched at the sound.
Behind him, the newcomer tripped merrily down the rise, crying, “Is it him, Hallie? Is it The One?”
Colban saw Hallie’s jaw tighten.
The new arrival appeared to be a younger version of Hallie. A lass on the verge of womanhood, she was lanky, too tall for her kirtle. She had a snow-blonde braid and large blue eyes.
The hulking bear of a guard moved to block Colban’s view of the lass, snarling, “Isabel! Go back to the keep.”
Undaunted by his growls, Isabel replied, “Pah! You’re not my laird.”
“What do you want?” Hallie said with cold warning.
“I was watching you from the parapets,” she said, trying to peer around Rauve’s massive bulk. Then she gushed, “’Tis him, isn’t it? You’ve finally found The One. I knew it. He’s tall and handsome and… Oh, Hallie, I’m so happy for you.”
What did she mean?The One.
“Cease, Isabel,” Hallie bit out. To Colban’s amazement, the unflappable Valkyrie was blushing. “’Tisn’t what you—”
Isabel gasped, then blurted out, “I’ll plan the wedding! We can have it after Martinmas, when the snow’s on the ground, and—”
“Weddin’!” The word burst out of Colban, unbidden. Was that what the lass meant, calling him The One?
“Enough, brat,” Rauve said, planting himself squarely in Isabel’s path. Then he addressed Hallie, nodding toward Colban. “Where would you like me to stow him?”
“Oh!” Isabel exclaimed. “Our bedchamber! He can have my side of the bed, Hallie, and I’ll sleep with Swannoc,” she eagerly offered. “That way, the two of you can be together.”
The horrified look on Hallie’s face would have been amusing, had it not mirrored Colban’s own shock.
The young lass, impatient with Rauve’s interference, gave his black beard a hard sideways yank. He staggered out of her way. Then she glided forward, flashing Colban a kind smile.
“I’m Isabel, Hallie’s sister. Who are you?”
“He’s nobody,” Rauve growled, rubbing his offended chin.
“He’s not a guest,” Hallie told her. “He’s a hostage.”
The smile froze on Isabel’s face as she glimpsed Colban’s chained hands. Then, perusing his injured face, her brow crumpled in dismay. “Did you do this, Hallie? Did you hurt him?”
“’Tisn’t your concern,” Hallie snapped, clearly upset by the accusation.
Isabel pouted. “How could you be so coldhearted, Hallie? That’s why it’s taken you so long to find The One. Everyone’s afraid of you.”
Hallie’s gasp of hurt was so slight it was almost imperceptible. But Colban heard it. Her sister had touched a nerve.
In the next instant, Hallie’s eyes frosted over. “Go back to bed, Isabel.”
“Bed?” Isabel scoffed. “I’ve been up for hours. So why are you holding him hostage?”
“I warned you,” Hallie bit out, “this is not your affair.”
“’Tis, if I’m giving him my side of the bed.”
“You’ll do no such thing. He’ll stay in…in…”
