By Sarah Rodi
A spicy, forbidden love Viking romance
Their forbidden tryst…
Is treason!
Helena’s spent her life preparing to be the Byzantine Prince’s bride. But when his cruel disinterest turns her position perilous, she finds salvation in fierce warrior Viggo. As the Prince’s personal guard, he knows her betrothed like no other. Could Viggo help her win his affections?
Only, Helena swiftly discovers the man she craves is not her husband-to-be…but thrillingly rugged Viggo! To act on their desires would be committing treason. Getting caught could be fatal. And yet, resisting their illicit connection feels like a fate worse than death…
Excerpt
The Viking She Shouldn’t Crave is set in 10th century Constantinople, where skilled Viking warriors fought for emperors in return for great riches, and the royal princes picked their wives at bride shows.
The story begins when the bishop’s daughter, Helena, is chosen at the bride show. Prince Marianos must marry to sire an heir, and Helena must wed to save her family from financial ruin, but during their first moments alone, the prince’s charming façade drops, and Helena’s ideas of a romantic union are shattered.
She is surprised when his Varangian commander, Viggo, is kind to her, despite his belief that she is marrying the prince for wealth and status. As Viggo helps her to win over the prince’s affections, she soon discovers it is not the prince’s heart, but that of his right-hand man she cares about, but any attraction between them is forbidden, and Viggo must resist temptation – he needs the wedding to take place to receive his coin and help his pregnant sister...
Pulling Helena’s door to behind him, Viggo looked up and down the corridor and, seeing it was empty, he let out a sharp curse.
It had been one hell of a day so far and they still had the feast to get through.
He’d been relieved when he’d managed to apprehend the man in the square and put a stop to the fighting, and he’d been able to breathe a little easier when his soldiers had ushered every last spectator out of the gates, sending them home to their families. He’d been eager to catch up to the Prince to secure his safety—but was appalled when he’d approached Helena’s chambers and heard Marianos’s cold, harsh words.
He didn’t know what had got into Marianos lately.
He’d served the Empress Regent and her son for many years, since the day he and his sister had arrived here in Constantinople. He’d proved his worth, working his way up the ranks to where he was now—one of their most trusted advisors and military generals. He commanded a huge army of elite mercenary guards—Norwegian soldiers just like him—and he had won many battles for the crown. In return, Zoe and Marianos had treated him well and rewarded him with coin, knowing they had his unwavering loyalty. But since the Prince’s coronation had begun to loom on the horizon and the bride show had been announced, something had been off.
He’d watched the Prince grow from a boy into a young man these past winters. He knew Marianos was spoilt and could sometimes be self-serving, but he wasn’t cruel. Especially not to women—beautiful women at that.
‘Helvete,’ he groaned, placing his hand on the wall, resting his head against the cool marble.
Truth be told, he hadn’t wanted the Prince to choose Helena.
But of course he had! She was by far the most exquisite woman in the bride show. He himself hadn’t been able to take his gaze off her since he’d first caught sight of her during the briefing. And when Marianos had lifted her veil, Viggo had felt an alarming punch to his gut.
He’d been drawn to her expressive eyes—green and wide, framed by thick, black lashes that matched her long, dark glossy hair—and when she had looked at him, his heart had come to a standstill, just for a moment. He had never felt such a fierce attraction to anyone—a sudden need to touch her, to see if her bronzed skin was as soft as it looked. He hadn’t been able to prevent his eyes from dipping down over her soft, full lips, over the beauty mark on her left cheek, and lower, to the delicate silk that encased the small swells of her breasts, before he’d brought himself up short.
He should not be thinking like this. His head could be severed from his body just for doing so. She was going to be the Emperor’s bride. He had no right.
This was unfortunate. More than a little problematic. Because he took his role seriously. He could not compromise his ability to carry out his duties. He needed to extinguish the flame that had been lit upon meeting her—immediately. To allow any attraction to linger was inappropriate. Dangerous. For when he’d seen Helena be mistreated—within moments of her stepping inside the palace—his outrage had been instant and his loyalty tested. His allegiance had always been to the Prince, but the sight of her forlorn face at Marianos’s harsh words, her eyes two huge pools of vulnerability…
No! He would not think of it. He pushed himself off the wall, making a fist with his hand.
With that thought, he began to stride down the corridor towards the hall with purpose. They had a feast to prepare for. Everyone would be on edge after the incident today. The situation in the city was fraught and growing worse by the day. He would need to double the guards on the gates, making sure the palace was secure. And if things went smoothly, only then would he be home in time to eat supper with his sister.
With every day that passed with Sofie in her condition, he was hating leaving her home alone even more.
She was what he lived for. The reason he’d risked the dangerous journey along the Silk Road to Constantinople eleven winters ago. He’d been determined to bring her to this land of riches to give her a better life. And he was still striving for that now, so he ought to focus.
The incessant heat and humidity weren’t helping. But he hadn’t fought so many battles and come so far only to throw it all away on an inconvenient desire now—by losing his head over a woman. A woman whose beauty was skin deep. She clearly lacked depth, for he had heard her whispering to one of the other participants about her reasons for wanting to marry the Emperor. It seemed riches and status were the only things of importance to her.
Maybe she and the Prince were suited—perhaps this marriage would work. Only, he doubted it. He had seen what such a union could do to people. It had destroyed his parents—helvete, his entire family.
Coming to the end of the portico, he glanced out at the dazzling afternoon sun, the brilliant blue waters of the Bosphorus Strait shimmering in the distance, and sighed.
They just had to hold out for a few more days and the Prince would be crowned Emperor. Marianos would be wed. And then Viggo would finally receive his reward—the silver he had been promised by the Empress Regent to see her son safely to the throne and married. Then, he and Sofie could leave.
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Sarah Rodi
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Sarah Rodi has always been a hopeless romantic. She grew up watching old, romantic movies recommended by her grandad, or devouring love stories from the local library. Sarah lives in the village of Cookham in Berkshire, where she enjoys walking along the River Thames with her husband, her two daughters and their dog. She has been a magazine journalist for over 20 years, but it has been her lifelong dream to write romance for Mills & Boon. Sarah believes everyone deserves to find their happy ever after. You can contact her via @sarahrodiedits or sarahrodiedits@gmail.com. Or visit her website at sarahrodi.com
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