“Ours stores are in the back, for now, and cooking takes place there as well.” He led her to the very back of the hall, where part of it had been walled off to contain barrels and sacks of various supplies, from turnips to candles.
The cook, Geirr, was a surprisingly skinny man for one of his profession. He sat next to the fire, slowly peeling turnips with a small knife, and looked up in curiosity when the pair entered.
“Natalie is going to help you in here for now,” Alrek said. “She said she knows how to cook, but I expect you will have to explain a few things.”
Geirr nodded, and looked to Natalie. She had instantly wandered over to the stockpiles, and was going through their food with delighted curiosity, mumbling to herself in her foreign tongue.
“Dried meats, dried fruits…” Natalie picked up a small, black, raisiny looking thing and sniffed it. “Blackberries. Dried blackberries. Carrots, parsnips, turnips… Cabbages! Of course, there’s cabbage. Onions. Leeks. Beans, oh, so many dried beans.”
Alrek and Geirr stared on, not understanding a word.
“Before you ask, no, I don’t know what she’s doing,” Alrek said, shaking his head. Stepping across the room, he interrupted Natalie as she rummaged through a bin of dried fish. “Natalie. You’re supposed to be helping.”
She jumped back, blushing sheepishly, and quickly went to stand by the fire. Geirr raised an eyebrow at her, but he seemed more amused than anything else.
“Well, for now, you can peel these turnips for me,” he said, handing her his knife and a sack. Natalie sighed and took them, sinking down onto a stool. All this Viking culture all around her, and she was peeling turnips.
After watching for a few minutes, as the pair quietly worked, Alrek went on his way.
***
When the day drew to a close, Alrek arrived at the main hall to discover that Natalie and Geirr had produced a root vegetable stew and bread. Natalie actually looked extremely pleased with herself. Men began to wander in, and she quickly provided them with food.
“How was she?” Alrek asked quietly, standing to the side with Geirr.
“Oh, she’s fine,” he said. “Sweet enough woman. She picks things up quickly, but I’m amazed she got to be this old without learning a damn thing. She wouldn’t know a rutabaga from a live cow.”
“She’s a scholar, apparently.”
“Last I heard, scholars still need to eat bread,” Geirr said with a snort.
“As long as she picks it up. I suspect she’s going to be here for a while,” Alrek said. Geirr gave him a look, as though daring him to say that circumstance was the only thing making him keep Natalie around. Alrek just shrugged and went to get his own meal.
Natalie was eating her own food, now seated at one of the long tables and surrounded by men.
“Do you practice seidr?” one of them asked, looking at her curiously. Most of the men seemed to have lost their suspicion of her upon finding her meekly preparing dinner. As a result, Natalie herself was more relaxed than Alrek had yet seen her.
She shook her head. “No. I would not know how to begin.”
“What about Gaelic magics, then? Witchcraft?” another asked.
“I know nothing of that, either.”
“What about - - - - - - - - - - -?” still another asked.
Natalie just frowned in confusion. “I’m sorry, I do not know what you just said.”
While the rest of the group questioned her, Api sat in the back glaring. He couldn’t believe that these men had simply accepted her presence, like it was normal for women to pop out of thunderbolts. His stare didn’t escape notice, and Alrek watched him closely while he ate his food.
After sitting in surly silence, Api pushed his bowl away. “Someone can take my share. I’ll not eat anything she prepared.”
Everyone stared in tense silence, except for Hattr, who reached over and snatched the bowl for himself. Natalie looked utterly crestfallen.
Banki raised an eyebrow. “You would insult Alrek’s woman?”
“Alrek is a fool, and so are the rest of you. I would not trust her if Thor himself told me she was the most goodly woman on earth.”
“It is fortunate for the rest of us, then,” Alrek said, his eyes flashing with anger, “that you do not make these decisions. Now hold your tongue or I’ll have it held for you.”
Api glowered and stood up, stalking out of the hall. The rest of the men went back to eating, but to Alrek’s concern, Natalie said nothing for the rest of the meal.
Chapter 6
After dinner, as the sky grew dark, Alrek found Natalie already in his room. She’d built up the fire, warming the chill air, and now lay on the bed, fiddling with another one of her otherworldly toys.
She held a small, shiny metal tube, pointing it around the room. He wasn’t sure what it was doing, until the kitten’s movement attracted his attention. They were chasing something, a little red dot that moved erratically around the room. Natalie was creating it with her metal tube.
Alrek watched her trail the light back and forth across the floor, and understanding flowed over him.
“It’s a toy,” he said.
“A toy for cats,” Natalie agreed. To demonstrate, she spun the light in a quick circle, sending the kittens into frenzied spinning attempts to catch it. “There is no magic, unless making cats very confused is magic.”
“They say that Freyja rides a chariot pulled by cats,” Alrek said.
Natalie snorted. “Still think I am a goddess, do you?” she said. “A goddess that does not know how to perform the simplest tasks.”
“You have other talents, I’m sure.” Moving to the bed, he sat beside her and began trailing his fingers up and down her back, leaning over to plant a kiss on the back of her neck. “I have no doubt you will earn your keep.”
Natalie frowned at him. “In my country, it is a grave insult to suggest a woman earn her keep with her body,” she said coldly.
“Then don’t. I would let you stay, anyway.” Alrek continued to caress her, his hand now sweeping down over her bottom. “I would still want to fuck you if you were the most skillful woman on earth.”
“Why?”
Alrek paused.
“You’re cute.” he said, after a moment’s consideration.
Natalie closed her eyes, his blunt words soothing her rankled temper a little. He seemed nice enough. She was reliant on Alrek’s mercy for everything, from the roof over her head to the fact that she was alive at all. He certainly kissed her well, and she’d be lying if she said she didn’t want to know what else he could do well. His touch sent a shiver running through her, from the spot where his fingers connected out to the edges of her being and back again.
What better way to wash her hands of Cedric than to make love to a Viking?
Natalie sat up, putting one hand flat on Alrek’s chest. He paused, waiting for her to push him away, but instead, she slid her palm along him, feeling the muscle of his broad shoulders. With a wolfish smirk, he looped his arms around her waist, pulling her in close, and she gasped at suddenly finding herself pressed into him. Her gasp was quickly smothered as he kissed her; a hot, open-mouthed kiss that took her breath away.
Alrek nimbly undid the buckle holding the tunics around her waist and threw it to the side. The overtunic followed, fluttering to the floor. Moving behind her, he slowly pulled up the under tunic, trailing his lips along the skin of her back as it was revealed.
Natalie shivered under his touch, biting back a small moan. Alrek smiled. That was right—even if she came from another world, she was still a woman—and he knew what to do about that. Ripping off the under tunic, he pulled away her strange undergarments, leaving no barrier between his hands and her body.
With a pleased rumble, he ran his hands up her sides, the roughness of his skin in delectable contrast to the softness of hers. Natalie was transfixed—she’d never been with a man who didn’t do most of his work on a keyboard. The texture of his calloused hands catchin
g against her skin made his every touch more intense. Tendrils of pleasure ran through her, converging on where his fingers were now cupping her groin. With surprising gentleness for a man so large and rough looking, he stroked her folds, teasing up and down swirling around her clit until a riot of sensation was starting to build inside her. Sensing her growing arousal, he shifted his hand to slip a finger deep inside her.
Alrek was much better at this than Cedric. Natalie hadn’t been expecting that from a 10th century man. No matter how gentle Alrek was when he kissed her, she hadn’t expected him to caress her like this. Maybe that’s my modern point of view, giving me expectations that don’t matter here. she thought hazily.
He was tickling her from the inside, pushing her further and further, until she was stretched tighter than a rubber band about to snap. And then she did—pleasure flowed through her in a rush, sweeping away any lingering doubts she might have had.
With a soft moan, Natalie fell forward, flopping into the bed as she shook. He leaned forward with her, keeping his hand on her body until she lay pinned under him, panting and sweaty. Alrek tore off his own clothes, finally freeing his throbbing desire. Grabbing her hips, he pulled her up on her knees and quickly entered her from behind. Natalie cried out as he started to move, pushing her already sensitive body.
Now he was done being gentle. There was the Viking she had been expecting-- Alrek was moving so hard and so fast that he was all she could feel. He was much better at that than Cedric, too. Biting her lip, Natalie pushed back against him, their hips meeting with a smack. A soft moan escaped from her anyway, which only pushed him farther. His breath came in grunts as he moved.
It seemed like their movement could go on forever, and when Alrek shuddered behind her and held her close, she wouldn’t have minded if it had. Alrek had leaned forward over her, the skin of his chest hot against her back as he panted. With a satisfied groan he lay down on the bed, pulling Natalie down next to him. The softness of her skin next to his was more comfortable even than the silkiest of furs. Strange woman, that her skin could be so soft even at her age. Natalie sighed into him, a soft, feminine sound that made him happier than he could understand.
Rising on one elbow, he grabbed the blankets and pulled them up, covering the both of them. Tomorrow would be another long day, and they both needed their sleep.
Chapter 7
Api drained his flagon and slammed it into the table. He, Klintr, and Oddi were alone in the hall, drinking away their frustrations. Klintr and Oddi were his only friends, the only people he could trust. The rest of these fools had the wool pulled over their eyes, just like that idiot Alrek.
Getting up, Api stomped over to the barrel and drew himself another flagon of beer. They had been in the hall for hours, and he was getting quite drunk. The warm haze of alcohol flickered through him, stoking the fires of his resentment.
“It’s that blasted fool Alrek,” he declared as he returned to his seat. “If he wasn’t making damn fool decisions, we’d have gotten rid of that woman. Now she’s making our food! Who knows what kind of foul magic she’ll work upon us. She said herself, she does not practice seidr, or even witchcraft. With her foreign magic, she’ll have every man in this town under her thrall before long.”
Klintr and Oddi rumbled their agreement. I should be leader of these men, Api thought bitterly, downing half his flagon in one go. It should be me making these decisions, building this town. With that woman in my bed.
“She can’t be human,” he continued, waving his beer as he ranted. “She’s some vile utangard thing, some monster from the outside, disguising itself in woman’s flesh to tear us apart from within, and that fool welcomes her into our midst.”
“You saw that light,” Oddi said. “It’s some trick to capture our minds. She just came walking in here and bewitched our leader. There can be no good in this magic.”
“You’ll not get rid of her without getting rid of Alrek,” Klintr said. “She has him thoroughly entranced, and he’s taken her to his bed. I could hear them rutting in there on my way here.”
Something about that statement struck Api deeply.
Get rid of Alrek.
That was it. The solution to all his problems. If he were to kill Alrek, and Banki for good measure, he would be able to take charge of both the settlement and the woman. He’d play with her a while, have some fun with that pretty face, then get rid of her.
“Then we will,” he growled. “We’ll get rid of Alrek and fix this sorry mess once and for all.”
✦
“Alrek! Open your door, Alrek!”
Alrek snapped awake in an instant. Were they under attack? Natalie woke with a start as he leapt out of bed and pulled on a tunic. Seizing his sword, he rushed to the door.
Api stood outside, along with Klintr. They were both armed. The rest of the camp was silent, with no sign of danger. Nobody else even seemed to be awake. Alrek sighed, relaxing his grip on his weapon.
“Api, what is this?” he demanded, glaring at him. Api must have been begging for punishment, waking him up in the middle of the night after that arrogant display at dinner.
“I’ve come to put a few things to rights,” Api said. His voice slurred, and Alrek realized he was drunk.
“Go to bed, Api,” he growled. “You’ve had too much beer.”
He turned, and was about to return to Natalie and his own bed when Api’s spear stabbed into the dirt next to him. Natalie gasped, pulling the blanket up around herself as though it were a shield. Alrek turned around slowly, his irritation transforming into hot, fiery rage. If Api had had his wits about him, he would have fled from Alrek’s glare alone.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?” Alrek’s voice was low and dangerous.
“Like I said, I’m putting things to rights.” Api pulled his spear back, holding it ready to plunge into Alrek’s gut. “I’m here to take the position that should have been mine.”
“The position your own stupidity stopped you from gaining?” Alrek growled. “The same stupidity that is about to get your head cut from your shoulders.”
“You’re the only one who’s going to die, Alrek. You and maybe that woman, if I feel like it. You’ll be in Helheim before the night is through.”
Alrek snorted. “You’re drunk. You couldn’t defeat me sober. What makes you think I’ll lay down my sword and let you run me through?”
There was a noise in the house, the crunch of wood being broken, and a short shriek from Natalie. Alrek turned, fear stabbing into his heart. A third man—it looked like Oddi—had chopped the wall open with an axe to get at Natalie. He charged across the room with an angry shout, but Oddi had already dragged her through the hole and disappeared.
“Going somewhere?” Api sneered from the doorway, holding his spear at the ready. “She’s mine now, too. The woman and this settlement. With you out of the way, I can have anything I want.”
Alrek snarled. “Release her and you might get a chance to live.”
“Now, now,” Api tutted. “I wouldn’t be making demands if I were you. You wouldn’t want something to happen to Natalie, would you?”
Glowering, Alrek lowered his sword. He had no intention of dying, but he wasn’t going to risk riling Api further. Not while he had Natalie.
***
Oddi flung Natalie over his shoulder, running away from the house. She was too frightened to even care that she was naked, her stomach clenching so tight she was afraid she might vomit. And Alrek was still in the house, with those men with spears—who knew what was happening to him.
She took a deep breath, trying to force herself to calm down. Panicking wasn’t going to make this any better. Natalie had snatched at the bed when Oddi grabbed her, dragging away a woolen blanket and her laser pointer. There was one thing she could do, even if it turned her stomach.
Clutching the laser pointer in her fist, she twisted up and jammed the metal tube into his eye. Something squelched unpleasantly. Oddi dropped her, clutchin
g at his eyes with a shriek. Natalie landed with a painful thump, but she ignored it and scrambled away. The dogs were tied nearby—she ran to them and dropped down in their midst, her heart pounding in her throat.
Ugh. She could still see Oddi flailing across the way. Her laser pointer was now dirty with things she didn’t want to think about. She hastily wiped it off on a curious dog and struggled not to vomit.
Shouting in the distance made her aware that the rest of the men were waking up. Api was still shouting louder than the rest of them. People were slowly gathering around the house. Trembling, Natalie tried to think. She’d gotten lucky with that laser pointer, but she couldn’t just sit there, hiding behind the dogs.
That was it. The laser pointer. Frantically, Natalie rose on her knees and began to untie the dogs.
***
Alrek stood at spearpoint in front of his house, still holding his sword lowered at his side, while Api walked back and forth in front of him. It seemed like he wanted to gloat. Good. Alrek thought, glaring at him. Gives me more time to deal with him. More time to figure out what he’s done with Natalie.
“This is why you don’t let a woman put her charms around you,” Api said. He was shouting as loudly as he could, trying to attract the attention of the waking men. “All we had to do was snatch her up and we’ve got your balls in a vice.”
Banki appeared behind them, axe in hand. Api wasn’t concerned.
“You won’t do anything,” he said, sneering up at the much larger man. “One movement from you and Oddi snaps that woman’s neck.”
Banki looked over Api’s shoulder, and Alrek shook his head slightly, his face unreadable. Api’s words set his heart pounding harder than it ever had in his life, but damned if Api was going to see that. Growling, Banki stepped back, and Api crowed in delight.
Shifter Romance: BODHI (LOST CREEK SHIFTERS NOVELLAS Book 4) Page 23