Viking Warrior Rising

by Asa Maria Bradley

“Don’t talk about leaving. Please.”

  She opened her mouth to tell him that she didn’t do long-term relationships.

  He shook his head. “I know there are still things we have to figure out. For now, just let me know where you are so I won’t…worry.” His eyes pleaded with her.

  “Okay,” she said. For now, she’d just sit with him, savoring this brief moment of connection.

  Leif had seduced her body into his bed, and her mind and heart followed because of his strength, his loyalty, and how much he cared for his people.

  She swallowed the lump of sadness lodged in her throat.

  Once he learned the whole truth of her origins, he’d make her leave. And then she’d be alone again, just like before.

  But now she’d know what she was missing.

  Chapter 14

  Naya stood and stretched her arms out behind her back before rolling her shoulders. Her bones creaked. She sighed contentedly as tension left her body.

  Luke Holden looked up from the blueprints spread out on the bar. “You’re too young for your body to make sounds like that.”

  “Too many hours in front of the computer.” More like too many old injuries and bruises. Naya returned Holden’s smile with one of her own. She took a peep around the nightclub. They were on the first floor of Desire. “You spent some money on the decorating.” She swept her arm along the long bar where they’d spread out their papers. Made entirely of glass, it was actually a huge aquarium. Rainbow-colored Japanese koi swam around sunken treasures and a model pirate ship.

  “The bar was Rex’s idea.” Holden extended his thumb in the direction of the door, where the large man stood in his usual bodyguard stance.

  Rex shrugged. “I like fish.”

  Naya smiled and stifled a yawn. Irja had eventually taken over watching Sten. Naya had snuck off to her own room while Leif talked with the medical researcher. The intensity of her feelings overwhelmed and scared her. Why could she not stop thinking about him?

  “Ms. Driscoll?”

  It took her a moment to react to her fake name, but finally she turned. Holden was staring at her. “Sorry.” She shook her head. “I was thinking about the plans for your home.”

  Concern reflected in his gray eyes. “Me too, that’s why I was asking you if you are still going with me on Thursday to implement your suggested home security measures.”

  “Absolutely.” Two more days and she’d be far away from Leif for at least a night. Maybe that would calm her feelings, or at least her libido.

  Holden picked up the list of new equipment again. Before he could move on to the next item, a loud banging rattled the back door.

  Rex swiveled around and had a Beretta in his hand in less than half a second. He placed his hand on the door handle and glanced back at Holden.

  Holden slipped a Glock under the blueprints.

  She wished she had her own gun, but Rex didn’t allow guests to carry weapons.

  At least she still had the switchblade tucked in her boot. A girl should always carry at least one weapon, the most essential accessory.

  Someone should tell Vogue.

  Holden nodded at Rex who opened the door.

  “About freaking time.” Astrid strode through the door, giving Rex a slow once-over, mumbling something appreciative before surveying the room. She stopped when she saw Holden but then quickly directed her attention to Naya. “Sorry to come barging in, but I need to speak with my friend.”

  Naya hopped off the bar stool. “Is Sten all right?”

  “No change.” Her voice faltered and she cleared her throat. “But that’s not why I’m here.” Astrid took another step into the room.

  “Hold on.” Rex put a hand on her shoulder. “No weapons allowed inside the club.”

  Astrid aimed a brilliant smile at him. “I don’t have any weapons.”

  The tall black man didn’t even raise an eyebrow as he looked pointedly at the broadsword strapped to Astrid’s back.

  “Oh, this little ol’ thing,” the Valkyrie chirped, touching the straps crisscrossing her chest. “It’s practically an antique, for accessory purposes only. It matches my boots.”

  Rex stared unblinkingly at her. “Please remove all weapons, ma’am.”

  Astrid made a big point of sighing. “Oh, fine. Just don’t call me ma’am.” She unstrapped the sword and handed it to Rex.

  “Can I go now?” Astrid put a hand on her hip and pouted.

  Rex glanced over at Holden again, who nodded.

  “Taking orders makes you less sexy,” she threw over her shoulder to the bodyguard as she approached Naya. “We have big trouble, Miss Hacker.”

  Naya frowned at the nickname Astrid had started using a few days ago.

  “What are you talking about?”

  The Valkyrie sighed. “Leif found out you borrowed my bike and is having a hissy fit about you leaving without telling him.”

  “Shit.” Naya glanced at Holden. The nightclub owner followed their conversation with obvious interest on his face, but didn’t say anything. “How did you find me?”

  “All vehicles have GPS.” Astrid tried to turn the security plans so she could read them.

  Naya slapped her hand away, earning a pretend-hurt look from the Valkyrie. “How far behind is he?”

  “Not much.” She held up a bundle of car keys. “Although this will detain him for a while.”

  Naya started rolling up the drawings of the club. “I’m really sorry,” she said to Holden, “I’m going to have to cut this short.”

  “Are you in trouble?” he asked.

  Rex took a step forward, the gun still in his hand.

  Testosterone apparently made all men overprotective. “I’m fine. It’s just a misunderstanding.”

  Astrid snorted.

  Holden watched the Valkyrie, heat flaring in his eyes for an instant.

  “Just a case of not telling her boyfriend where she went. He’s a little worried.” The Valkyrie traced an invisible pattern on the bar, pointedly not looking at Holden.

  Interesting.

  Holden came around the bar. “Ms. Driscoll, you know you can come to me for help.” He put a hand on her shoulder.

  Naya shrugged it off. “If I need help, I’ll ask for it.” Being small and female did not make her helpless.

  “Of course.” Holden took a step back.

  Shit. Now he’d think her rude. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m really okay.” She smiled. He was, after all, a client.

  “It’s an open offer.” Holden nodded at Rex. “Since we’re finished here, I need to leave for an appointment across town.”

  Rex walked to the front door. “I’ll pull the car up at the front.”

  “We better get going too.” Astrid flung her hair over a shoulder and walked toward the back door. Her stride was hard, angry.

  “I’ll see you on Thursday,” Naya said before nodding at Rex and following Astrid out the back door. Why was Astrid peeved all of a sudden?

  Behind the building, an identical motorbike was parked next to the one she’d borrowed from the Valkyrie. In the late afternoon sunlight, the black paint glistened as if wet.

  “You took Sten’s bike.”

  “It’s not like I could ask him, so yeah.” Her voice laced with worry, Astrid straddled the bike.

  “He’s going to be okay.” Naya put her hand on the Valkyrie’s shoulder. “Irja will find a cure.” Naya hoped that outcome was as certain as she made her voice sound.

  “I hope so.” Astrid raised the kickstand with her boot. “You’re a good friend.” Starting the bike, she put on her helmet and shouted over the engine noise. “Hop on your bike so we can get your butt back to the house.”

  A little dizzy over the warmth spreading in her body at the word “friend,” Naya nodded. Before she had a chance to straddle the other bike, a silver Porsche pulled up next to them. Leif stared at them through the windshield.

  “I’m out of here!” Astrid shouted before shooting off on the
Kawasaki.

  Some friend she turned out to be.

  The driver-side door of the car opened.

  Naya squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, ready to take on another male thinking her small and helpless.

  A brown motorcycle boot hit the ground and a jean-clad leg appeared. The tall Viking took his time easing out of the sports car. He closed the door behind him and leaned back against it.

  He exuded dangerously sexy, but nobody told her what to do. Not even the Viking king who’d somehow taken a piece of her heart. Shit, where did that thought come from? Her heart needed to remain whole. She couldn’t afford sharing it with anyone else, not even a small part of it. She fiddled with her gloves while she waited for Leif to say something.

  He crossed his arms, stretching his shirt across his chest and shoulders. A frown marred his face as he continued staring at her.

  Naya glared back for a minute before getting tired of the game. She straddled the bike.

  Leif was in front of her in three quick strides, grabbing the handlebars. “Don’t you dare,” he growled.

  “I’m going back to the mansion. Thought that’s what you wanted.” She retrieved the helmet from the back of the bike.

  He gazed up at the sky, sighing heavily. “What I want is for you to tell me when you leave the fortress and where you are going. What part of keeping me informed do you not understand?”

  Bullshit. “You mean you want to be able to stop me from going.”

  He looked her in the eye. “I need to know where you are at all times.”

  “Why?”

  He averted his eyes. “So I can protect you.”

  “We’ve been over this. I don’t need your protection.” She put on the helmet but left the visor up.

  “I disagree. Last time you were on your own, you were kidnapped.”

  Of course he had to bring that up. “Last time you were on your own, you were poisoned and got your ass kicked.”

  A tic appeared at the side of his jaw. “Fine. We both need to tell each other where we are.”

  “Not going to happen. I don’t really care where you are or what you do.” She popped the visor shut.

  “Naya,” he growled.

  She shook her head and leaned forward to raise the kickstand with the back of her heel. She could protect herself. The sooner Leif understood that, the better.

  Before her heel made contact with the metal of the stand, a blur behind Leif’s back made her turn. Three wolverines grinned back at her. One of them raised a blowgun to his lips. “Look out!” she shouted and shoved Leif out of the way.

  The dart grazed her helmet. She leaped off the bike, widening her stance and bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet. She was totally up for a fight. Maybe that would get rid of the restlessness that had plagued her for the last couple of days.

  * * *

  Leif brushed off the seat of his pants as he stood up. His slip of a själsfrände had brushed him to the side as if he weighed no more than an empty flour sack. Even now, she stood in front of him, shielding him from the wolverines, exposing herself to danger.

  He grabbed her arm. “Get behind me.” He swept her behind his back.

  She struggled, of course. Why couldn’t anything be easy with this woman?

  “Get the fuck out of the way,” she growled, whipping off her helmet. A bird’s nest of black hair surrounded her flushed face.

  One of the wolverines had moved closer while they argued. Leif pivoted and struck the monster’s head with a roundhouse kick. The bastard went down and the blowgun skidded across the asphalt.

  Naya tried to slip around him, but he pushed her back as one of the other monsters advanced. “Get on the bike. When you’re far enough away, call Harald for backup.”

  “Get over yourself. If you want backup, you call it in.” She leaned to the side and threw the helmet at an advancing wolverine.

  The creature ducked and grinned as the black dome bounced across the ground and hit the building. “What do we have here? A lovers’ tiff?” His nails elongated.

  Naya shot out from behind Leif, aiming a side-kick toward the creature’s head. Watching Naya run toward the other two wolverines, Leif’s berserker roared and he struggled to maintain control.

  She delivered a flying punch to the chin of the one to the right.

  The creature went down, but kept scrambling on the ground, his claws scratching at gravel as he tried to get up.

  The one on the left growled. “I know you killed three of my kin,” he said as he threw a jab at her head. “Consider this payback.”

  But Naya ducked and bobbed. The blow scraped the side of her head without doing much damage. She quickly recovered and grinned. “I killed four, not three.” She cross-countered and then slammed his jaw with an uppercut.

  The wolverine’s head snapped back, making hard contact with the brick wall of the building. A sickening crack of crushed bone vibrated through the air before the creature slid to the ground.

  A scraping behind him made Leif turn around. The blowgun wolverine had recovered and was trying to stand up.

  In two strides, he reached the monster, kicked him over, and then crushed his windpipe with his boot heel.

  He turned around and inhaled sharply as the remaining wolverine back-fisted Naya’s cheek before landing a cross in her stomach. Strangely, the monster’s claws were retracted. She hunched over and sank to the ground, but turned her body to the side and swept her leg out to hook the wolverine’s legs.

  Her movements were off. The blow to the head must have dazed her.

  The berserker inside Leif howled in anger, taking control over his body.

  Throwing his head back, he bellowed a war cry as he embraced his warrior spirit. His vision blurred and he now viewed the world through a crimson filter.

  He focused on the wolverine threatening his queen. Fists clenched in anticipation of encircling the animal’s neck. It would be a slow death.

  Car tires squealed. A black nondescript sedan pulled up behind the Porsche. The wolverine swiveled his head toward the car. The passenger-side door opened with a pop. The monster took one last look at Naya before sprinting to the car.

  Leif’s berserker screamed in frustration as its prey escaped.

  Naya was up on her feet and shot past him quick as a rabbit. She reached the car just as the sedan drove off.

  He caught up with her and cradled her face in his hands. As soon as his palms made contact with her skin, the berserker calmed, sighing contentedly and retreating to the back of his mind. “Are you okay?”

  His själsfrände shook her head free. “What the fuck were you doing back there?” A bruise flashed angry red on her cheek.

  The berserker stirred. “Protecting you.”

  “Protecting me?” she yelled. “You almost got me killed.”

  “If you would have gotten on the bike like I told you, you’d be safe.” He lifted his hand to touch the mark, and then clenched a fist in frustration when she flinched. “I only want you safe.”

  “I know how to fight.” She stalked past him, picking up the discarded helmet.

  He followed. “Did you not hear what the wolverine said?” He towered over her, using his body size for intimidation. “They know you killed their brothers.”

  “I’ve had a price tag on my scalp for a long time. Another group of monsters out to get me doesn’t make much of a difference.” She glared up at him, her dark-blue eyes glittering.

  Damn, she was beautiful.

  “It makes a difference to me.”

  “It has nothing to do with you.” She bit her lip.

  He focused on her mouth and closed the distance between them. “You are in this mess because you saved me. It has everything to do with me.”

  Naya squared her shoulders. “I can take care of myself.”

  “The point is you no longer have to.” He cradled her neck and leaned forward. “You’re mine now,” he whispered against her lips before claiming them with his
own.

  Her body tensed and she resisted the kiss.

  He loosened the grip on her neck, turning it into a caress, lingering on the spot below her earlobe before sliding a finger along her jawline. He coaxed her lips with his.

  She leaned into his kiss, dropping the helmet.

  Her surrender stoked the fire within him. He groaned, deepening the kiss and grabbing her hips, pressing her body to his. Teeth knocked against teeth as he devoured her mouth, wanting to make her understand what he couldn’t get across with words. She belonged with him—to him. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to protect his själsfrände.

  She moaned into his mouth. Grabbing her ass with one of his hands, he pressed her against him. The other hand slipped under her jacket, cupping her breast. His thumb flicked the nipple, which instantly hardened. He did too. His damn jeans zipper was about to leave a permanent imprint.

  He pushed her back against the motorcycle, pressing his throbbing cock into the heat between her legs.

  She half sighed, half moaned in the back of her throat.

  He almost expired on the spot.

  A car horn blared in the distance.

  Naya stiffened and pushed against his chest.

  He sighed reluctantly and kissed her once more before lowering her to the ground. Smiling, he watched his tousled queen try to straighten her clothes, her face bright red. She picked up the helmet and then winced as she straddled the bike. He dipped his chin to hide a satisfied grin. At least he wasn’t the only one who was uncomfortable.

  He dug out the keys to the Porsche from his front jeans pocket, whistling as he walked to the car.

  Naya’s bike shot past him, spraying his boots with gravel.

  Two wolverine bodies were halfway decayed by the sunlight already and blended in with the ground. Another half an hour and they’d be gone completely. Loki’s creatures always disintegrated in sunlight, once the life magic he’d granted them was gone. Leif climbed into the Porsche and followed his själsfrände back to the fortress. They still had much to clear up. He still needed to convince her mind to surrender to him as easily as her body did.

  Chapter 15

  The pulsing shower beat Naya’s skin like pebbles of hot hail. Her bruises hurt, but she welcomed the pain. It distracted her from thinking about what had happened in the parking lot after the fight. She concentrated on the sensation of the water massaging her skin and emptied her head of all thoughts of a sexy Viking. Unfortunately, her body still remembered. Her skin tingled, recalling what his calloused hands felt like scraping against the tender surface of her breasts.