Page 101 of The Viking’s Captive

Might try to swive,

Thinking it is a hole …

Of an entirely different kind.”

Thorvald seemed stunned at first. That was most people’s reaction to hearing one of Bolthor’s sagas for the first time. Then he threw his head back and released great peals of laughter, which gave all the other Vikings in the hall permission to join in.

Adam had to give Norsemen credit for one thing … they did have an ability to make mock of themselves.

“I give you fair warning, Tykir … you had best not be thinking about leaving Bolthor behind with me when you return to Dragonstead,” Adam told Tykir even as he took another long swig of ale.

“I am deeply offended that you would think such,” Tykir said, placing a hand over his presumably wounded heart.

“That is precisely what you told me you were going to do,” Alinor pointed out. “Your exact words were: ‘Adam needs a poet to brighten his life.’”

“For the love of Allah, do I not brighten your life enough?” Rashid asked. He also put a hand over a presumably wounded heart.

“Best you examine your tongue and where it might lead you,” Tykir chastised his wife. Meanwhile, he patted his restless baby on the head, clearly a doting father despite all his arrogant man-talk.

“You liked my tongue well enough yestereve,” she answered saucily.

“Al-i-nor!” Tykir exclaimed with pretended shock, accompanied by a huge grin. “A biddable wife would never speak in such a wanton way.”

“I thought you liked my wanton way.”

“I do. I do.”

“Would you two mind taking this conversation elsewhere?” Adam suggested. “I am busy turning my brain into gruel.”

“Which brings us back to the original subject,” Alinor said. “Advice to Adam.”

“I do not want any advice,” Adam protested.

But no one was listening to him.

Tyra’s sisters had just come up and had apparently overheard part of the conversation.

“Forget about advice,” Breanne remarked. “It will probably go just as badly as our seduction plan for Tyra.”

“Well, the feminine attire seemed to work,” Drifa said.

“Yea, I may have to get one of those red gowns for myself,” Ingrith added.

“And jealousy … don’t forget jealousy. It worked when Gunter and Egil expressed an interest in Tyra,” Vana said. “Adam was nigh livid at the sight of other men interested in her.”

“We never could get her to walk in a feminine way, though. She does have a tendency to swagger,” Alinor put in. “And as for acting like a damsel in distress, forget that. Even I have trouble swallowing such silliness in a woman.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Adam said, raising his heavy head and trying to make sense of what they were blathering about. “Are you saying that Tyra had a plan for seducing me?”

“Nay, you dimwit. We had a plan for getting Tyra to seduce you,” Alinor explained.

“We? What we?” Adam was getting more confused by the moment.

“Me, Vana, Breanne, Drifa, and Ingrith,” Alinor replied.

“Alinor! For shame, that you would stoop to such devious means to entrap a man!”

“Well, it was not really so different from our plan,” Rafn said, coming up to join the group. “Except that our plan was for Adam to seduce Tyra.”