“Time to head home, boys.” He frowned at the radar. “Weather’s comin’ in fast. Batten down the hatches and stay safe.”
“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath as he continued to watch the radar. “Where the hell’d you come from?”
Svala narrowed her eyes on it. While there was certainly genuine precipitation mixed in, this weather wasn’t entirely free of magic. They were still somehow under Grant’s influence. She should tell Sean but couldn’t seem to do it. The idea of upsetting him bothered her too much.
He cursed again and gunned the engine as the boat rocked. Nick ducked in and shook his head, chuckling. “Damn weather hit early, eh Cap?”
“Ayup,” Sean grunted and turned the wheel. “Gotta be ocean-effect.”
Nick nodded. “Don’t suppose you want your stowaway out in this, do ya? Because she is.”
Loki’s cock. Svala stayed low and started to make her way down, but it was too late. Sean pulled her inside.
“Hell, Svala.” It took more effort than she expected not to slump beneath the look of disappointment in his eyes as he muttered, “I asked you to do one damn thing, but I should’ve known better.” He pointed at a stool. “Sit. Now.”
“Don’t worry, Cap,” Nick said. “The guys can’t see much up here through the snow.” He poured a cup of coffee and handed it to her. “Here ya go, beautiful. Warm yourself up, eh?”
Svala nodded her thanks and kept her eyes glued on the radar rather than on Sean.
“I just came up to let ya know the fish are secure, and the guys are heading down to the cabin.” Nick turned back at the door. “Take it easy on her, boss. She just wanted to see ya bring in a good catch.” He chuckled, his last words on the wind as he left. “Maybe make a good catch herself.”
Svala watched Nick until he vanished downstairs. “He is very observant, yes?”
Sean didn’t look at her but kept his eyes on the water. “He’s a damn good seaman.”
When she started to speak again, he shook his head. “I’m not much in the mood for talking right now, Svala.”
“This weather is not normal,” she said softly.
He finally glanced over his shoulder at her. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t think Grant’s done with us yet.”
“But the fog’s gone and my guys are back.”
Unable to help herself, she joined him and pointed at the radar. “Does weather such as this come in so quickly?”
He frowned at it and shook his head.
“No,” he finally muttered and sighed. “Not even around here.”
Seconds later, the wind shifted, and the waves started to grow far rougher. Sean kept cursing as he increased the speed and turned the boat into the swells as best he could considering they came from every direction. “I never should have brought my men out here today. I know how unpredictable these waters can get before a storm.”
She was about to remind him that it was likely magic but kept quiet. This was his turf, and he was more comfortable trying to ground himself in reality. The wind increased so quickly that she was surprised they hadn’t rolled yet. One of her Viking ships very well might have.
Sean looked more and more upset as he navigated the boat. She was about to lend comfort when the door flew open and snow whipped in so heavily that she lost all visuals. The next thing Svala knew, she was against Sean as he braced his feet and held her steady.
She found it interesting how her inner dragon let him be her strength. How she didn’t flail at a human male keeping her safe. But then he was her mate, and she was just beginning to understand what that meant. How her inner beast was adjusting to it.
Just like the fog, the snow blinded them until it didn’t.
“Careful,” Sean murmured as she pulled her head back and peered around.
“We’re not on my boat anymore,” he said.
Svala jolted in surprise when she realized where they were.
They stood in her fishing boat.
The boat Sean and her mother had built.
“Where are we?” she murmured, trying to figure out if they were in another memory as he urged her to sit on a bench opposite him.
The weather was clear and cool as they floated on calm seas with Valhalla’s underbelly shimmering overhead. Sean eyed the wide spectrum of blues and greens splashed across the night sky.
“I’ll be damned,” he whispered. “I’ve never seen the Northern Lights like this. So bright.”
She scanned the ocean. “So we are not in one of your memories?”
“No. It has to be one of yours.” His eyes fell to the boat. “I never got a chance to sail this.” He ran his hand along the side. “The boat looks great, so it’s gotta be one of your memories before you burned it.”
“With Bjorn and Kjar’s help, I fixed it.” She couldn’t help but eye it with pride and love. “They helped me restore it to how it was when you and mother built it.”
“Ah, Kjar, the demi-god master boat builder.” His eyes went to the mast. “The man who helped your mom get back to the past with a certain sail.”
“That was the seers,” Svala said. “But yes, Kjar had a part in all of it too.”
He fingered the rolled up sail. “Is this it?”
“No.” She fingered it as well. “This is not Scandinavian material. Nor is it of my peoples’ magic.”
Her eyes went to him, to the troubled look that hadn’t left his face. “I am sorry I didn’t listen to you on your boat, Sean,” she said softly. “I am sorry if…” she struggled to find the right modern day words, “if I let you down.”
His eyes finally met hers and he sighed. “I should’ve known better. Listening to people isn’t your strong point.” He clenched his jaw and shook his head. “I guess I just hoped maybe for me you would. At least once.”
“I just wanted to watch you fish,” she murmured, trying not to sound defiant. Trying to work on her manners. “But I should have listened to you. Now I have lost your respect, and I am sorry for that.”
Sean watched her warily. “Are you really, Svala? Because based on my experience with you, it’s hard to know when and if you’re being truthful.”
“I am being truthful right now,” she assured. It was time to tell him everything. Time to tell him that yes, she was his mate. She wanted him to want her as she was…flaws and all. “It can be no other way with your mate, Sean.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and eyed her. That was it. No words. No look of disbelief or astounding wonder. Just a simple, long assessing look. Not sure what to make of his reaction and only catching glimpses of his contemplative thoughts, she narrowed her eyes and blurted, “Are you not pleased, then?”
When he remained silent, Svala sat up straighter and clenched her jaw. She didn’t like this feeling of insecurity. Of not knowing precisely how he felt.
“Tell me why your father said you spoke to me in this boat so much,” he eventually said. “Why did I become your imaginary friend?”
Svala started to talk then snapped her mouth shut. Imaginary friend? Yet the truth was that’s exactly what he had become over the years. Someone she talked to and imagined responded to her on occasion.
“The truth, Svala.” He pulled off his hat and rested his elbows on his knees. “I just want you to be straight with me.”
She lowered her hood and debated. If he truly were her mate, then he would not judge. He would care for her no matter what. So she said what was in her heart.
“My childhood was not always easy.” She felt foolish saying that considering what he had been through. “I did not make friends easily because of what I am and my position within the clan.”
Rather than point out his own upbringing, he simply nodded for Svala to continue when she paused.
“When Mother was pregnant with me, she filled in her time by telling Kjar stories of her time spent with you. Everything she could remember. She asked him to etch those stories in this boat.” She pointed at the various carvings
. “She wanted to preserve the memories she shared with you. She wanted her children to remember you as she did. After the boat was burned and restored, she had him carve them again. ”
Sean’s brows lowered as he ran his fingers along one of them. “It’s sweet that she did that but kind of odd considering me and Amber, don’t you think?” His eyes met Svala’s. “Didn’t Kol find that…uncomfortable?”
“No, this boat brought my mother back to her people in Scandinavia,” Svala said. “And you helped build this and loved her like family. That meant you were a hero amongst my kin. Respected by all. It could be no other way.”
“A hero?” Sean snorted, pulled his hand back and shook his head. “I’m no hero, sweetheart.”
“But you are,” she said. “Not only did you build the boat that helped my cousin Matthew find his way back to his mother but it helped me into this world.”
Sean frowned and cocked his head. “I’m not following.”
Svala didn’t bat a lash.
“This is where I first arrived on Midgard,” she said proudly. “I was conceived in this boat, Sean.”
Chapter Nine
JUST WHEN SEAN thought he was finally getting the hang of Svala and all the crazy-ass things that could come out of her mouth, she threw him for a loop. In this case, it was with information he was pretty sure Megan wouldn’t want him to know.
Svala was conceived in this boat?
“Okay,” he said slowly. “Probably more than I needed to know.” But he was curious about what else she said. “What do you mean, it helped Matthew find his mother? Isn’t Matthew Veronica's son? Megan’s nephew?”
“It does not matter,” she murmured. “That is not part of our story but perhaps Shannon’s or Lauren’s.”
Sean narrowed his eyes. “But Lauren’s gone missing with Tait. Or so we assume.”
“That doesn’t mean she is meant for him. She could be meant for Matthew and Tait for Shannon.” She shook her head. “And then there is another sister too, is there not?”
He shook his head and muttered, “Yeah. Erica.”
“See, it can be overwhelming when it comes to dragons and their mates.” She tilted her head. “But it is very simple when it comes to you and me. We are destined to be together.”
“Destined, are we?” His eyes went to the carvings in the boat before returning to her. He did his best to ignore how beautiful she looked with her wild curls and bright eyes. How the idea of being destined for her turned him on more than he was willing to admit. “So you were…conceived in this boat then Megan made it some sort of shrine to my memory.” His eyes narrowed. “This all boils down to your dad seeing us in that memory, doesn’t it?”
“I’m starting to think maybe yes,” she said, her voice again unnaturally soft. “Perhaps it was a way to lead me in the right direction. To have trust and closeness with you before we met so that I would…”
When she trailed off, his brows perked. “That’s where I’m getting a little confused, Svala. If you were so caught up by the idea of me before we met, why were you such a…” he struggled for another word besides the offensive one that almost came out. “Why were you so damn difficult every step of the way? For your mother? Me? All of us.”
“Maybe I did not want to be obligated to one man,” she said bluntly. “Or perhaps it was something else entirely.” Though he saw her uncertainty about whether she should share, she rolled her shoulders back, thrust out her chin and plowed on. “You did everything for my mother. You took over. You cared for her when I should have.”
She sighed then continued. “You were someone I knew so well from stories, yet you didn’t know me. Not at all. And a part of me felt like you should. You should have understood my anger.” Her frown deepened. “I think maybe along the way you made me realize how high I had let my anger build. And because you had, perhaps a part of me didn’t understand why you did not see my hurt more clearly. Why you did not understand its root.”
“Fair enough. But now you know how one-sided everything really was.” Sean held her eyes for a long moment. She had shared far more than he anticipated and he wasn’t sure what to make of it. “You might have had snippets of the life I shared with your mother, but I had none of yours, Svala. Not until tonight.” He sighed and looked around. “Not until Grant showed me.”
Svala said nothing only watched him. There was a strange look in her eyes. Almost as if she wanted to turn away in embarrassment or shame but refused to. “It is very hard for me to push past my anger with my parents…my mother…but for you…”
When her voice faded, Sean crossed over, sat next to her and took her hand. “Svala, you need to know something. What I tried to tell you before.”
Her eyes fell to their adjoined hands before they returned to his face and she nodded for him to continue.
Funny, now that he finally had a moment to tell her, he found it surprisingly difficult. Mainly because it upset him that there had been someone out there that wanted to hurt her. Who would have killed her. But he had to tell her. She needed to know.
“I’m pretty sure the whole point of that raid was to get you there.” He clenched his jaw and frowned. “The guy who I assume was in charge was looking for the Viking King’s youngest daughter.” His eyes held hers. “He wanted you dead, Svala. And I think your parents somehow caught wind of it beforehand.”
“You know my parent’s kept me from that raid,” she whispered.
“Yeah, your mom told me a while ago,” he confirmed and squeezed her hand. “And now I know why.”
“You assume, you do not know.”
“C’mon, Svala, don’t be naïve.” He shook his head. “It makes sense, doesn’t it? If Grant can manipulate magic like he did tonight, not to mention travel through time, what’s to say he didn’t somehow warn your parents before that battle?” He tilted her chin until their eyes met. “From what I’ve heard, he’s become pretty tight with your dad. Tight enough to share something that big about his friend’s little girl, don’t you think?”
Svala inhaled deeply and her pupil’s flared. “You only speculate.”
“True.” He held her eyes. “But say Grant didn’t warn them. Say your parents were just being overprotective. Now you know they had good reason to be. Now you know you would’ve likely died that day.”
“Instead of my cousins,” she ground out. Her nostrils flared in anger. “As it should have been. That way they would have gone home to their families…to their husband, their child.”
That’s when he realized. Though it had a lot to do with her cousins, it had more to do with a kid being left without a parent. Underneath Svala’s tough façade, anger, and cruel statements was a soft heart. One she kept hidden because she thought it did her no favors. That it made her weak. Not forceful enough. Because if she was forceful enough, she would have found a way around her parents.
“Have you met your da then, lassie? Better yet, your ma?” came a soft voice. “They never would have let you go on that raid, Svala, no matter how hard you tried to defy them.”
Their eyes shot to Grant, who appeared at the bow, rowing.
“Did you tell them, Grant?” Her voice was rough with emotion. “Is that why they kept me from battle?”
“That I cannae tell you, love.” Grant rowed shallow and methodically as he enjoyed the Aurora Borealis. “But I think Sean’s right. You need to accept that you would have likely died that day. Then you need to stop assuming you would’ve been the only one to meet your maker.” His eyes met Svala’s. “Had you been there, what do you think Heidrek and Bjorn would have done when you were stricken down? Do you think they would’ve had the wit to get your people out of there? Do you think there would be any survivors at all?”
“They would have done what they needed to do,” she bit out. “As they did when my cousins died.”
Grant perked a brow and kept rowing. “Then you’ve no real grip on how much those two love you, lassie. Aye, they loved your cousins too, but you’re di
fferent. You’re their little sister. Everything would have gone verra differently had you been the one to fall beneath the blade.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” She blinked away angry tears. “Is that supposed to make me forgive my parents for stopping me?”
“’Tis supposed to make you stop and think, lass.” Grant’s tone was level though Sean saw the turbulence in his eyes. “Think about your kin. About the bigger picture considering the evil you all face now. Aye, ‘tis sad as bloody hell that you lost kin. I loved them too, Svala. But they’re gone and ‘tis best to remember that for your people ‘tis an honor to die in battle. And in this case ‘twas meant to be because I can say with certainty, had you been there not only would you be gone but everybody else. Heidrek and Bjorn. All your kin. All your male cousins. Every last one.”
“How do you know that?” she whispered. “How can you possibly know that?”
Grant gave no response but glanced over his shoulder. “We’re almost there.” His eyes turned back to them. “That means someone needs to get off soon.”
“What do you mean?” Sean frowned and shook his head. “We’re out in the middle of the ocean with no clue whose memory we’re in.”
“This is not a memory.” Grant smiled, set down the oars and retied the lace that had come loose on his boot. “Not yet anyway.”
“I don’t understand.”
Grant cinched the knot before he gestured in one direction then the other. “’Tis time for you both to go home. Svala to tenth-century Scandinavia. Sean, to twenty-first century Maine.”
Sean’s eyes widened as the Northern Lights started to illuminate land masses on either side of them. On one side, jagged white-tipped mountains rose above Viking ships. On the other, a rocky shore, and endless pine trees. A marina and boats. His eyes narrowed on one bobbing beside the dock with Christmas lights glowing along its bow.
A Viking Holiday: The MacLomain Series: Viking Ancestors' Kin Page 7