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should know of? Has an enemy attacked?”
    A rueful smile lifted her mouth. “In a way. But it’s not an enemy either of us can fight. My husband’s brother claims that my son is a bastard and has taken the lands that were entailed to Harry.”
    “Would you like me to kill him for you?”
    She laughed, though he’d been serious in the offer. “You can’t go and kill a man just because he stole an inheritance. I’ve been seeking help from solicitors, and—”
    “If he is dead, the land is yours for the taking.” Arik began to glimpse the possibilities. If he had to prove his bravery in battle, this might be the means. Once he had slain her enemy, the gods might grant him the right to spend eternity with the other warriors. His gaze settled upon the young boy. For a child, he had shown no fear. Harry was inquisitive and it was likely that the boy could be taught to be a strong fighter. Arik could understand Juliana’s need to guard him.
    “You will show me the lands your son has lost,” he demanded. “We will hire warriors to help us, and I will see that he is restored to what is rightfully his.”
    Juliana shook her head. “If you try to take Hawthorne House by force, you’ll end up in prison or hanged for it. I do appreciate your offer, however.” Her hands moved around her waist as if she could press the fear back inside her. “Still, this is my battle to face.”
    “By hiding in your father’s house?”
    “I’m not hiding. It’s just that…finding the evidence takes time. Once I’ve proven that my marriage was legal, I can be the viscountess once more.”
    From her tone, it sounded like she was trying to avoid her enemy. Arik preferred a more direct approach, but he didn’t doubt that he could achieve the same results. He would learn more about her enemy and later decide how to help her.
    “I will go fishing and take the boy with me,” he offered. “He’s old enough to learn.”
    As he’d predicted, Juliana was already shaking her head with refusal. “No. He can’t swim and he might fall overboard.”
    “I would never let him drown. My own father took me on his boat as soon as I could walk.” A sudden ache caught him at the memory, knowing that he would never see Valdr again. They had fought bitterly when Arik had left, and he wished he could go back and change what he’d said. He had thoughtlessly told his father that he never wanted to see him again—and now he never would. Regret curled within him at the thought.
    “You cannot take Harry with you,” Juliana insisted. “You’re a stranger to me, and I’m not about to let my son go off with a man who claims he is over a thousand years old.”
    His temper flared up, that she would treat him like one whose mind had wandered away. Words of denial rose to his lips, but instead of voicing them, he offered, “Then come with us to guard him as you will. What harm is there?”
    “Last night, I nearly drowned. There’s a great deal of harm.”
    “And I saved you,” he pointed out. His tone deepened as he thought of her bare skin against his. “I warmed you with my own flesh.”
    She paled at the memory, and her voice came out in a whisper. “What happened between us was a mistake.”
    “Was it?” He took her hand in his and drew it to his chest. “Or was it our fate?” Her palm was delicate beneath his, her gray eyes filled with doubt.
    Before she could protest again, he added, “We shall make a wager on it. You and the boy will go out on the boat with me, and we will see who brings in the most fish. If you win the wager, I am yours to command. If I win—” He let his voice drift away, letting her imagination conjure the rest.
    “I will not be yours to command,” she said emphatically.
    “Not yet, Juliana. But there will come a time when you will want what I have to offer.”
    Her cheeks flushed, though he’d been speaking of his protection. Though he did not know why the gods had summoned him into her world, he believed