Chapter Eight

     Candy awoke to a delicious aroma wafting past her nose.  She
stretched like a happy cat, bringing a deep chuckle from the body lying next
to her.  Smiling lazily, she opened her eyes and gazed into the deep green
pools that were looking at her with gentle amusement.  Dolph's tender
words warmed her like a caress.
     "Are you finally awake, my sweet?"
     Candy replied in a voice still soft from sleep.
     "I like the smell of breakfast to be my alarm clock.  What's cooking? 
It smells great!"
     Candy ran her hands over the soft fur throw that covered their
naked bodies and blushed, remembering all that had come before their
night's sleep.  Then her smile returned.  Dolph had told her that he loved
her, told her in a way that would have made any romance writer proud.  His
eyes, his voice, his actions - they all said that he spoke the truth.  He was
such a strange man, her Viking.  One minute, a fierce and frightening
warrior; the next, a warm and tender lover.
     Just before the warm afterglow of their lovemaking had seduced her
into a deep sleep, she had said that she loved him, too.  Had she meant it? 
Could love happen that quickly?  Looking at his handsome face in the light
of day, she didn't regret one word or action of the night before.  She knew
she had spoken the truth from her heart.
     Still, there were so many unanswered questions.  Candy figured
now was as good a time as any to start asking.
     "Why are your eyes such a strange color?  I've never seen anyone
with eyes that shade of green."
     Dolph stood and walked to the door of the tent as he answered her,
totally oblivious to his nakedness.
     "My great-grandmother was not human.  She came from a planet
on the outskirts of the known galaxy.  My grandfather was," he smiled at
her, his teeth shining white in his deeply tanned face, "'exploring' the outer
planets.  He caught her away from her people and took her."  His voice
lowered, his look making Candy flush with warmth.  "Much as I took you."
     He turned, threw open the tent-flap and yelled out the door.
     "Felix!"
     Candy barely had time to make sure the fur was covering all the
parts of her that she didn't want seen when another Viking appeared in the
doorway.  He was several inches shorter than Dolph, with dark hair that fell
to a bob at his shoulders.  He reminded her of Prince Valiant.  He was
yelling at someone out of her vision.
     "I don't care if he spent the night with twenty wenches, I want it
done now.  Tell him if he keeps me waiting much longer, the wenches will
have nothing to play with tonight!"
     He turned his attention to Dolph.
     "I know, where's your breakfast?  The same place as mine, still
being prepared.  It seems that the men caught a couple of local wenches too
close to the camp last night and Belan took part in the party.  He overslept
and was late getting breakfast started.  It should be ready by the time you,"
he looked pointedly behind Dolph at Candy, his handsome face breaking
into an appreciative, if slightly leering, smile, "and your lady are ready to
begin the day."   
     "Tell Belan that I will expect my breakfast to be waiting when I am
dressed.  If it is not, he will answer to me."
     Hearing the hint of anger in Dolph's voice, Felix frowned, his brown
eyes showing concern.  Though he lowered his voice, Candy could still hear
his words.
     "I didn't think that you would be so quick to anger this morning, my
friend.  After the sounds we heard coming from your tent last night, I
thought that you would be lazy as an old horse, barely able to climb from
your bed.  Does something trouble you?"
     Dolph motioned Felix into the tent, dropping the flap behind him. 
Candy had the definite feeling that she had been totally forgotten.  Dolph's
voice was thick with concern.
     "I don't like this, Felix, something feels wrong.  When I took this
job, there were no other Vikings involved.   Now, as soon as word of my
involvement could be known, a Viking force joins the other side."
     Felix nodded.
     "You think it's Vierig the Merciless that we battle?"
     Dolph seemed to stiffen at the mention of that name.  Candy made
a mental note to ask about it later, then decided she'd had enough of being
ignored.
     "Who's 'Vierig the Merciless'?"
     Both men turned to look at her like she'd suddenly sprung from the
earth beneath their feet.  Candy gritted her teeth, trying not to get angry.
     "I've been here all along, you know.  I don't disappear when you're
through with me like a well-trained dog!  If you don't want me listening in
on your conversations, have them somewhere else!"
     Both men looked stunned by her outburst.  Dolph's expression was
leaning toward anger when Felix suddenly threw back his head and let out a
loud guffaw of laughter.  Dolph glared at him for a minute, then caught the
contagion of his mirth and started laughing himself.  Candy was quickly
progressing from trying to keep a lid on her anger to thinking of possible
ways to kill two Vikings at once.  She wrapped the fur around herself and
stood, giving the warriors a look that was supposed to send them searching
for shelter from her wrath.  Their laughter increased.  Felix actually had
tears running down his cheeks!
     Candy wondered if they realized how close they were to death at
this moment.  She gritted through clenched teeth, each word carefully
pronounced,  "What is so damn funny?!"
     Finally getting his laughter under control, Felix smacked Dolph on
the shoulder in a manly gesture of friendship.
     "You are either a very lucky man, or a very unlucky one, my friend. 
I know you like wenches with spunk, but are you certain that this one isn't
too much even for you?"
     He wiped the back of his hand across his face, then, giving Candy a
very obvious up-and-down look, flipped his eyebrows at Dolph.
     "If you wish any assistance, I would be more than happy to lend a
hand."
     Dolph growled, "I'm sure you would.  Now go see about breakfast. 
You've reminded me how hard I worked last night."
     Dolph turned his green glare Candy's way and she wished she were
back on Earth, maybe under the earth.  His voice lowered ominously.
     "And I believe I need to instruct Star on the manners of a Viking's
woman."
     Candy was scared, and since she didn't like being scared, it made
her angry.  And stupid.  Using her free hand to toss her hair behind her
shoulders, she raised her chin proudly.
     "My name is Candy.  You don't get to change it just 'cause you
adopted me from the pound."
     Felix slowly shook his head, sighing heavily.
     "I hope you know what you're doing, Dolph.  Pride like that in a
woman may be desirable in bed, but it will surely prove difficult to deal
with at any other time.  Still..."  Felix smiled at Candy, a slightly off-color
smile that she didn't like one bit.  He turned to Dolph.
     "I wouldn't mind a piece of the wench if you ever decide to give her
up."
     He nodded to Candy and said, "Pleased to meet you, Star," placing
an emphasis on the name that spoke volumes.
     Then he left the tent, pulling the flap closed behind him.
     Dolph had not taken his eyes off Star since his declaration of a need
for her instruction in manners.  Though the heat of his glare nearly seared
her flesh, she was still angry.  She hadn't done anything wrong as far as she
was concerned.  She just wanted to be included in their conversation.  Even
though she was innocent, she decided to defend herself.
     "I don't know why you're glaring at me like that, all I did was ask a
question."
     Her voice was rising with her growing distress and frustration.  That
blonde lug just kept glaring at her!
     "It's not like I was spying on you or anything.  I have every right to
be included...What are you doing?"
     Her question echoed suspicion, and a bit of fear. 
     Dolph was slowly walking toward her, shaking his head.  Candy
caught herself starting to back away and forced herself to freeze in her
tracks, albeit with some difficulty.  She absolutely refused to appear
frightened, even though she was becoming increasingly so the closer he
came.  'Never show fear to a vicious animal,' she thought with a shudder. 
Dolph stopped in front of her and placed his hands, fairly gently, on her
shoulders.  He looked intently into her eyes and spoke in a firm tone.
     "Understand me well, girl.  I will not stand for disobedience from
anyone.  You are no longer on Earth.  Here, you have only the rights I give
to you.  You are my property, to do with as I wish.  No one would come to
your assistance if I chose to take you out into the middle of this camp and
run you through with my sword.  Since my lack of instruction is the cause
of your ignorance, I will not punish you for your outburst.  I am trying to be
patient with you, Star, but..."
     Her flaring temper sparking her eyes, Candy tried to wrest herself
from Dolph's grip.  He tightened his hold till she thought she'd surely hear
the crack of breaking bones.  Candy opened her mouth to speak but never
got out a word.  Dolph yelled, "Silence," then tossed her to the floor where
she landed hard on her bottom and elbows.  He towered over her, his
seething anger so apparent that for once Candy was smart enough to be
scared speechless.
     He stood with his legs apart, straddling her knees, his hands on his
hips.  His hair had fallen forward, forming a curtain on either side of his
face that cast parts of it into semi-shadow.  He was breathing quickly, the
sound of each breath hissing through his clenched teeth.  His lips were
pulled back in the semblance of a snarl.  And his eyes.  If eyes are the
mirrors of the soul, Dolph's soul was a blazing inferno at this moment.  He
looked like a rabid wolf standing over his prey.
     Though he kept his voice low, the strain of controlling his temper
was very clear in his clipped speech.
     "The first thing for you to learn is that you are to hold your tongue
whenever a warrior, any warrior, is speaking.  And you are never to
interfere in matters of battle.  They do not concern you.  If there is anything
that you need to know, I will see that you are told.  If you want to ask
something of me, ask it in private.  Do you understand?"
     As he spoke Dolph's anger cooled, leaving him only mildly
terrifying.  His breathing slowed to normal and he relaxed enough to let his
arms fall to his sides.  At Candy's nod, he stepped to the side and offered
her his hand.  Candy ignored it, preferring to gather her bruised pride along
with her fur blanket and climb to her feet unassisted.  She didn't want him
to see the tears that had come to her eyes, so she turned her back to him
and set about looking for her clothes.  She sensed him moving - getting
dressed, she guessed.  She didn't care, she just wanted him to leave so that
she could have a nice long cry.
     "As soon as you are dressed, I will show you to the bathroom. 
Then, while we eat, I will explain your duties in this camp."
     He stood watching as she began climbing into the black jumpsuit
she had worn the day before.
     "Should you wish to wear something different, the rest of your
clothes are in my war-chest."
     Candy cast a vicious glare over her shoulder as she closed the front
of the jumpsuit and pulled on her boots.  Dolph looked at the ground and
shook his head, unsure which he felt more like at the moment: laughing or
throttling the little wench.
     "Come."
     Again, he held out his hand to her; again, she ignored it, looking at it
as though it were some slimy creature that had just wandered into her path. 
Head held high, she walked out of the tent ahead of Dolph.  Frowning his
annoyance, he quick-stepped to her side and placed his hand in the small of
her back, using semi-gentle pressure to guide her where he wished her to
go.  Stopping before a small tent, he motioned toward it.
     "This is the toilet.  When you have finished here, return to my tent. 
I will see to our food."
     Candy ignored him, stepping into the tent in sullen silence.
     The bathroom was a strange place.  A boxlike contraption which she
assumed to be the toilet stood in the middle of the tent.  Opening the lid,
she expected to see a dark hole in the ground.  Instead, she was met with a
sparkling white surface that resembled porcelain.  On the ship she had
discovered, quite by accident, that toilet paper was one of the things that the
crew of the USS Viking had replaced.  She had to admit that their way was
an improvement.  When you were finished with whatever necessity had
brought you to this place, you just pushed a button on the side of the toilet
and some sort of air flow cleaned and dried you.  'Just like one of those
automatic car washes,' she thought with a grin.
     She hadn't expected a camp bathroom to be quite so clean.  It even
smelled clean.  Cleanliness was one thing that seemed very important to
these warriors.  She had yet to see one of them with dirty hair or clothes. 
Not that they wore much in the way of clothes, but what little they deemed
necessary to wear was always clean.  They all had hair that she would call
long, none shorter than shoulder-length.  Dirty hair was such a turn-off, but
these guys' locks were always shiny.
     Candy shook her head.  She knew she was keeping her mind on
inconsequential things like cleanliness to keep from thinking about Dolph's
words.  He had made it very clear that she was little more than a slave to
him.   A sex slave, at that.  Well, she had no intention of being some man's
geisha for the rest of her life.  Of course, she didn't know what she was
going to do about it.  But she wasn't going to lay down and take it, no pun
intended.  She finished with the toilet and left the tent, planning to give
Dolph a piece of her mind.
     Near Dolph's tent there was quite a commotion, men yelling and
cheering, jostling each other.  Candy pushed her way to the front of the
crowd and saw that Dolph was in the middle of a loose circle of men,
fighting with another warrior who was unknown to her.  Wanting to get a
better look at how badly Dolph might have been hurt, she started to step
into the center of the circle.  A large arm was flung across her chest, barring
her path.  She looked up to find its owner, a great red-haired bear of a man,
leering down at her.  He sounded like he was belching when he talked.
     "Keep out of it, girl.  They'll decide who claims ye."
     Between the leer and the implication of his words, Candy decided
on the spot that she didn't like this guy.  Glaring up at him, she pushed on
his arm.  When it didn't budge, she did the sensible thing.  She bit him.
     Howling with rage, the Viking bear grabbed a handful of her hair
and jerked her head back, which made her scream and let go.  Dolph raised
his head, the sound of his lady's distress bringing pure fire to his eyes - and
took his opponent's fist in the stomach.  It knocked the air from his lungs,
and the sense from his mind.  An inhuman scream of anger rent the air,
known to all present, except Candy, as the war-cry of the Viking berserker. 
Dolph started delivering punches to his opponent's face and body in a blur
of motion.  Within seconds, the man fell to the ground, nearly unconscious. 
It didn't register to Dolph.   He wanted more - more blood, another battle. 
He was about to pounce on his prone opponent when a yell of, "Grab him
if you want Belan to see another battle" brought several hands to hold him. 
Dolph raged, trying to free himself.  He had no idea it was his friends that
held him.
     "Dolph, it's Felix.  The fight is won, the victory yours."
     Dolph shook his head, a sense of his surroundings slowly making its
way into his mind.  He flexed his shoulders, realizing that the hands holding
him did so only to restrain, not to damage.  Gritting his teeth, he inhaled
deeply, then blew the air out through open lips.  At his nod his friends
released him.
     Looking down at the man on the ground before him, Dolph spoke
with contempt.
     "Belan, you are a fool.  We prepare for battle and you insult me? 
Have you no wish to live?"
     He raised his voice, addressing the gathering.
     "Are there any others who think that I was wrong to bring the
woman?"
     No one spoke, some shaking their heads to punctuate their lack of
disagreement with Dolph.  He nodded.
     "Good."
     Returning his attention to Belan, Dolph softened his tone to one of
friendship.
     "Do you still fight by my side, Belan?"
     Dolph offered his hand to the man on the ground.  Belan took it and
Dolph pulled him to his feet, smiling.
     "Maybe you should stick with using only one woman at a time,
Belan.  More than that seems to addle your wits."
     Belan laughed, "Aye, maybe you're right.  But the one with all that
red hair was just too juicy to resist.  And then there was the blonde.  Her
breasts were mountains of firm flesh.  I couldn't miss out on her."
     Dolph slapped him on the back, laughing.  Belan started moving
through the crowd, getting back to whatever it was he'd been doing before
the fight began.
     Dolph turned to the man who had tried to restrain Candy.  His tone
was slightly ominous.
     "Ulrich, why did you touch her?"
     The big red-haired bear pointed to his arm, where teethmarks were
clearly visible.
     "I didn't think you'd want her helping you with the fight, so I meant
to keep her here.  She tried to take a piece out of my arm with those sharp
little teeth of hers.  She's worse than Silky."
     Dolph turned to Candy.  She was opening her mouth to tell her
version of the story when his palm connected soundly with her cheek.  It
didn't really hurt, more of a sting, but she was so stunned and startled that
she let out a little squeak.  Dolph glared at her.
     "You were warned.  You never disobey a warrior!  Now get in
there!"
     He pointed toward the tent.  Candy didn't need any more
encouragement.  She ran into the tent and flung herself onto the bed to cry
her heart out.
     Dolph came in behind her and closed the tent.  He had meant to
chastise her further, but when he heard her sobs, he lost the heart for it. 
She didn't understand that these things could mean her life in the future. 
'No, she doesn't understand,' he mentally admonished himself, 'because you
have not done a very good job of making it clear to her.'
     He lowered himself to the bed beside her and, ignoring her token
resistance, pulled her onto his lap and into his arms.  Her sobs increased in
strength and volume, tugging at his heart.  He rocked her in his arms,
whispering soothing words that she couldn't possibly hear over her own
wailing.  Still, his comfort must have started getting through because her
sobbing slowly quieted.  When he thought she might have calmed down
enough to understand him, he continued speaking softly.
     "My heart, I am sorry.  I have failed you.  I should have taught you
everything that you needed to know before you were ever thrown into such
danger.  Belan's right.  I should not have brought you here, but my choices
were limited.  I know I have been too harsh with you, my love, but I have
no time to be gentle.  This battle has forced my hand.  Know this, my Star,"
he lifted her chin so she would look at him.  Her eyes were still drowning in
her sorrow, and his heart tightened at the pain and betrayal he saw there, "I
love you.  Everything I said last night was true," his lips curled slightly in a
sheepish smile, "though I suppose you find that a little difficult to believe
after the events of this morning.  You are my heart and I would die to
protect you."
     He touched her cheek where he had struck her.  Candy winced,
more from memory than pain.  Leaning over her, Dolph placed a gentle kiss
on the slightly pink spot.  His breath fanning her brows, he spoke his heart.
     "I have finally found my mate, the one that can make my life
complete, and I must leave you.  My heart cries out at the injustice, but my
duty awaits.  You must heed my words, love.  Though our ways seem
harsh, they will keep you safe while I am not here to protect you.  You must
always obey a warrior.  We are all there is between you and the enemy. 
And believe me, my sweet Star, you do not want to be taken by this
enemy."
     He pulled her head against his chest and rocked her as he spoke. 
His voice was soft and slightly wistful.
     "Vierig the Merciless was my friend.  We went on our first raid
together," a slight chuckle, "had our first women together."  His tone
darkened.  "And we were captured together.  The enemy tortured us both -
beatings, no food or water, but neither of us would tell them anything.  As
the battle came nearer their camp, they grew desperate for any bit of
information that might help them turn the tide in their favor."  Dolph nearly
spit the words.  "In their desperation, they lost their honor."  Hearing the
pain in his voice, Candy forgot her anger and wrapped her arms around
Dolph's chest.  He tightened his hold on her body and, with a sigh that
wiped all emotion from his voice, continued.  "They decided to remove our
manhood a piece at a time.  Forcing me to watch, they removed half of the
sack that holds his seed, all the time saying that I could stop it just by telling
them anything that might prove useful to them in battle.  Vierig was a
strong warrior, a man I had called brother.  He never cried out, just
watched as the hot knife cut through his flesh.  They were about to turn the
blade on me when our forces broke through and we were freed."  Dolph
shook his head, the dark memory shadowing his face.  "Even as we took up
our swords to take our vengeance, I could see that something in Vierig had
changed."  He gave a small snort of humorless laughter.  "We won the war
and gained great wealth from it, but Vierig was never the same.  He became
vicious, earning the name 'Merciless'.  I could no longer fight by his side. 
He is not a berserker like me, the battle lust does not overpower his senses. 
He knows exactly what he's doing at all times.  Yet he kills everything that
crosses his path.  Women, children, everything."
     Disgust, then sarcasm, tinged his words.
     "I have seen him savagely rape a young girl repeatedly until her
blood ran freely, then cast her aside and look for more prey.  Many of his
victims have bled to death from his tender lovemaking.  It is not the Viking
way to interfere in such things, but we came to blows many times before I
left."
     He paused, then continued in the soft tone of memory.
     "When I told him I was going to fight with another raiding party, he
said that I saw him as only half a man and could no longer stand to fight
beside my creation.  That if I had been half the warrior I thought I was, I
would have found a way to beat the enemy before they had destroyed him."
     Softer still, echoing his pain and surprise, Dolph's words reached the
center of Candy's heart.
     "That was when I realized that he blamed me."
     Candy raised her hand, meaning to place it on his cheek, but he
stiffened, his pride giving him the need to appear unaffected.  She let her
hand drop casually to his shoulder.  He spoke with anger.
     "He tried to stop me, drew steel and tried his best to kill me.  He
failed, but we both nearly died from our wounds.  Before I left, he vowed
that he would do everything in his power to make my life a living Hell, as I
had made his."
     Candy had to say something, to offer him some comfort that he
would accept.  Words would have to do, since he had made it quite clear
that he didn't want to be touched at the moment.
     "You couldn't have stopped them, Dolph.  They probably would
have killed you both if you'd talked.  I'll bet he wouldn't have talked to save
you.  It was just the luck of the draw that they did it to him first."
     He spoke in an emotion-choked whisper.
     "I would gladly have changed places with him to save him.  He was
my friend, I loved him as a brother.  I would have laid down my life for
him.  Now he commands a force against me.  The time for ending this is
close at hand."
     He leaned back and lifted Candy's face, silently commanding her
gaze to meet his own.  His eyes shone with anger, fear, and love.  His
words were a passionate plea. 
     "If he were to capture you, my love, he might learn that you are
mine.  He would take great pleasure in using you to take out his vengeance
on me.  You must be very careful.  If anything happened to you..."
     He hugged her so fiercely that the breath left her lungs.
     Candy understood a little better his motives for being such an
autocratic bastard.  He didn't want her to get hurt.  Okay, she didn't want
her to get hurt either.  Maybe knowing all the rules would be a good idea. 
Though her words were muffled by his chest, Dolph heard them and
smiled.
     "Okay, my Viking warrior, how about a crash course in the etiquette
of a Viking's woman?"