“So, we’re celebratin’,” Kell stated then looked to Skylar. “Boy, get me a horn.”
“Kell, we are not celebrating,” Frey ground out, his infuriated eyes locked on his friend then he stated angrily, “By the gods, you walked my wife into the tent of a man who may be plotting her murder.”
Kell sat back and agreed, “Yup.” Then he popped the hunk of cheese into his mouth.
Ho boy.
The fury rolling off Frey increased about seven levels. I felt it, fancied its heat burned my skin, bit my lip and avoided looking at him.
“Gun, Steph, would you like to explain why you not only didn’t stop this venture but participated in it?” Frey asked, obviously giving up on Kell, and I watched Gunner look at Stephan and Stephan looked at Gunner then they both looked to Frey.
“You left Kell in charge, Frey, and you were pretty clear about that,” Gunner answered.
“Indeed. And this will be a mistake I do not make again,” Frey stated low and I watched Kell roll his eyes but, other than that, he didn’t seem too upset.
There was more silence, more fury waves from Frey and then Frey called, “Wife.”
Ho boy.
I gave Kell a raised-brow look indicating I could use his assistance. Kell’s response was to grab another hunk of cheese and pop it into his mouth. My look became a death glare when I realized Kell was throwing me right under the bus then I sucked in breath, rearranged my features and turned to my husband.
When he had my eyes, he asked in a soft voice that was not his gentle soft but an altogether different kind of soft, “Would you like to tell me, when I believe while you were trembling in my arms after seeing three men die, that I informed you specifically your uncle is a threat, why you would board a boat, sit in it while it was rowed ashore and attend a man who, it is highly likely whether he’s acted on it or not, wishes you dead?”
Actually, no I wouldn’t like to tell him though I didn’t think I had a choice.
“Um…” I started, Frey’s eyes narrowed and I clamped my mouth shut.
Then he clipped, “Finnie, you saw a woman spewing blood and that woman was supposed to be you.”
I got my wits together and began, “I know, Frey, but –”
“You had entirely no idea what you would be walking into when you walked into that tent,” Frey cut me off to say.
“Listen, I –”
Frey interrupted me again and I could tell by his eyes, his tone and the way he held his body that he was getting angrier and I didn’t need our afternoon with the adela cup to read it.
“I could have come back with a bloody branch to find myself without a bloody wife.”
I leaned toward him and said, “Frey, listen –” but I was cut off again.
This time by Kell.
“Got a sharp wit, that one,” he stated and Frey’s eyes cut to him so mine did too. “We were in a bad position Frey, you off doin’ what you were doin’, Baldur suspicious. Got nerve, your woman does,” he jerked a head my way, “got smarts too. Was her idea to fake bein’ sick and how she did it. We’d already used that ploy to call ‘em off, they weren’t fallin’ for it but her act was so good, man, even I thought our lie was true. And the way she faked bein’ sick meant she didn’t have to talk much so I could do the talkin’ for her, which helped hide who she is. In the end, she made a show of takin’ pains in payin’ her respect to a man who don’t deserve it but sure as hell demands it and he came off lookin’ like an arse. Quite a play, all ‘n’ all and worked out fine. So calm, man, pull up anchor and let’s get outta here.”
I thought this was an excellent suggestion, not to mention I was pleased that I’d impressed Kell.
Frey did not agree.
“It worked out well by pure chance,” he growled and when I turned to him and opened my mouth to speak, his eyes cut to me and he kept growling. “And don’t, Finnie, don’t you tell me it was a risk worth taking. Three times,” he held up three fingers, “fortune has smiled at you and, wife, if you keep riding that particular blade of luck, you’re going to get sliced wide open.”
Eek!
All righty, clearly it was time to soothe the pissed off Raider.
“Honey,” I whispered, hoping my tone would calm him, “what did you expect us to do?”
“Not bloody walk into a tent with only two trained guards when Baldur had twenty-four and sit down for a bloody chat,” Frey returned, not soothed even a little bit by my soft tone.
Hmm.
Unfortunately, it seemed I was getting mad.
“We needed to buy time,” I informed him.