I was totally set and having a fabulous time.
And I couldn’t wait to tell Claudia, though I told myself I wouldn’t rub her nose in it.
I expertly shuffled the cards, my eyes on them, as I suggested, “How about I teach you boys poker?”
Although I suggested it, I didn’t know how I was going to do it considering they didn’t have the same face cards. They had diamonds but they had no hearts, clubs or spades, instead they had stars, moons and daggers. But the deck started at a dash or “naught” and also had ones, a ghost card and a sorceress card so I figured we could make ones aces and naughts, ghosts and sorceresses could be face cards.
As I was deciding this, I realized none of the boys had said anything so I looked up.
It was then I belatedly felt the air in the pub which was wired.
And it was then I belatedly noticed that Ulysses, Frederick and Laurel were all looking in the direction of the door.
And that was when I felt a weird, pulsing and warm but very scary energy beating at my back.
Shit, Dad had always told me never sit with your back to the door. And there I was, like Wild Bill Hickock before he bought it, sitting with my stupid back to the door.
Slowly, I turned in my chair. Equally slowly, my eyes drifted up the so dark brown it was nearly black clothing, taking in the knife belt (with knives), leather band across the wide chest, slanted cloak made of hides and angled sword at the back of my now heavily bearded husband.
He was scowling at me.
I was fighting for breath.
Shit!
What did I do now?
I instantly realized my mistake of not, perhaps, taking some time away from enjoying my parallel universe adventure and, say, preparing for his return, considering the fact he told me he would be returning. I realized this as my eyes flicked beyond him and I saw about seven men, all smaller than him (not by much) all dressed a lot like him, all sporting thick beards, all having hair (of a variety of colors) that needed a cut, all of them scary and all of their eyes were on me.
This must be some of his Raider brethren.
Ho boy.
I pulled in a deep breath to fill my lungs.
Then I smiled huge and called, “Hi honey! I see you’re home.”
There was some movement around me but not much as that weird, pulsing, warm, very scary energy filled the pub until it was suffocating.
Then he growled at me across the expanse, “Wife, arse over here.”
Hmm. Not sure I liked that.
Nope, I was wrong. I was sure I didn’t like that.
Nevertheless, he was twice the size of me and he had seven men of much the same size behind him. I had Frederick, Ulysses and Laurel. Sure, Ulysses was the blacksmith and he had forearms the size of anvils (and likely the consistency, though I hadn’t checked), but Frederick and Laurel were lightweights compared to the Raider Party.
And I liked them, I knew they liked me, we’d had some good times, but we weren’t exactly BFFs (yet) so I wasn’t certain they’d wade in for me.
Not with these guys.
It was probably best that I got my arse over there.
I nodded to Drakkar and turned, putting down the cards.
“Thanks guys, see you all later,” I muttered, grabbed my little, satin, drawstring bag off the table, decided to let my winnings sit where they were and with some haste I stood, snatched my cloak off the back of my chair and moved quickly, trying to do it without appearing like I was moving quickly, through the silent pub, taking every step with every eye in the place on me.
I wasn’t certain what would happen once I got my arse to him because one could say I didn’t know my husband like, at all, but I would never have been prepared for what did happen.
The minute I was within reach, he reached. Then, with a small, surprised cry, I found myself, ass in the air, over his shoulder. Then I found myself out of the pub and into the cold night. Then I found my ass on my horse and my arms automatically came up quickly to catch the cloak I had lost and he had caught and was now throwing at me.
Then he growled two words, “Arse. Home.”
“But –” I started but didn’t finish.
He lifted a large hand and slapped my gray on the rump, barking, “Yah!” and my gray took off at a full gallop.
I didn’t even have the reins in my hand!
What a fucking dick!
I quickly hooked my leg around the saddle, leaned forward, holding onto the gray around her neck so I wouldn’t fall off, I grabbed the reins then sat back and, as best I could with purse and reins, I flung the fur lined cloak around my shoulders.
Then I rode home and I did this fast. This was because I was pissed way the fuck off and I knew if I didn’t go in that direction, I’d go back to the pub and probably do something that would get me murdered by a giant Viking-type, parallel universe Raider.