“There’s less beastly men ye could take to yer bosom, miss.” The jailer opened the shed door, his bruised eyes squinting at her. “As ye see, I had to keep him separated.”          A lone torch lit a seated monster of a man, his braw arms manacled to the wall of Marshalsea Prison’s strong room, the windowless outbuilding saved for troublesome criminals. Despair hung heavy. It clung in dark corners ready to pounce. The...

  I stuffed the check in my back pocket over the foil package of a waiting condom. I’m no saint. I knew what I wanted. Cold water dripped from drenched hair down my bare back, but I’d wait. My arms were awkward at my side, unmoving when I wanted to soothe her. We both had our needs. She turned around, scraping messy bangs off her face. “As of right now, we’ve known each other for about twenty-four hours.” “So?” My voice was...

          Brandr let go of her when he came to his weapons in the grass. He knelt down, his profile severely set. “We need to get you to Hakan’s farmstead quickly. One of the women can tend you there.” She rubbed her arms briskly. “Your warming me sounds like a better idea,” she said in her sauciest voice. “If you kiss me like you just did, I promise my tunic won’t get in your way.” The Viking turned...