Read To Tempt A Viking for Free Online Page B

later, they would find a way back to the ringfort and they would rescue Styr. Then she would do what she could to heal their shattered marriage.
    It was best to ignore the kiss with Ragnar, as though it had never happened. It had been a foolish thing to do and his volatile reaction only reassured her that she had nothing to fear from sleeping close to him. Breathing a little easier, she walked back to the beach, her mind already envisioning the shelter. She would build a watertight lean-to that would keep out the rain and any harsh weather.
    Along the way, she spied some wild strawberries and picked them, tying them into her apron. There were also some carrots, hardly bigger than her thumb, but they would still do well enough. Further inland, she spied the silvery surface of a pond.
    Water. She breathed a sigh of relief, letting herself hope for the first time that they could survive here.
    She wasted no time in getting a drink. Then she found a leaf larger than her hand and curled it into a cone, filling it with water for Ragnar. It wasn’t much, but it was a start, until she could find another container. There was so much to do; her mind was reeling from all of it.
    * * *
    When she returned, she saw that he was leaning on his side, his eyes closed. Pain tightened over his face and blood darkened the bandage on his thigh.
    Guilt flooded through her, for she shouldn’t have left him this long. The cone of water fell from her hand and she ran to kneel beside him.
    ‘Ragnar.’ She tried to awaken him, shaking him slightly. He didn’t respond and she loosened the torn fabric, peeling back the bandages. The skin was an angry red and at the sight of it, her spirits sank. He was beyond her healing abilities and she didn’t know where she could go or what she could do.
    ‘I’m not a healer,’ she muttered, as she touched his cheek. ‘But you can’t give up. Not now.’
    His wound was swollen and she racked her mind to think of any herbal knowledge she’d heard of. Ragnar remained unconscious and she didn’t know what to do for him.
    There were no people here. There was no one to help, no one to tell her the proper way to treat his wounds. He would die if she did nothing.
    She had to reach inside and find a place of calm. Surely if she studied him more carefully, she would find the answers.
    Elena took a deep breath, then another as she examined his leg. His skin was hot to the touch, so tight as if it were an animal skin bulging with water.
    It needed to be drained, she decided. Some of the healers drew blood to bring out the evil spirits. Perhaps if she released some of the pressure, it would help.
    She pulled her dagger from its sheath, starting to lose the edge of her courage. The idea of hurting him more, of causing him to bleed, made her wince. But neither could he tolerate this pain.
    Beneath her breath, she murmured prayers to all the gods as she cleaned the knife with a cloth and began probing his wound. His hands clenched at his sides, and his eyes flew open when she touched the raw flesh.
    ‘Don’t,’ he gritted out.
    ‘I’m going to ease the pain,’ she said. ‘The wound needs to be lanced.’
    His eyes were wild, his mouth tight as she reopened the wound. The moment her blade touched the swollen area, it sliced through the poisoned flesh. Blood and pus mingled from the wound and she fought to hold back the wave of nausea. But as she bled him, the swelling did seem to recede. She couldn’t tell how long she would have to let out the bad blood, but eventually, she held the edges of his flesh together and wrapped his leg tightly.
    All she could do now was pray. She tried to make him as comfortable as possible, but inwardly she knew they needed a better shelter or they would both die. And that meant leaving his side to build it.
    Only when she was certain he was asleep did Elena venture out again. Though it bothered her to leave him, their survival depended on it.
    * * *
    ‘Ragnar.’
    Her voice awakened