Ragnar - Lord of Jaegar

by Sasha Gold

  He stopped kissing her neck but didn’t immediately reply. Did she have the right to ask him where he was? Her heart thudded heavily against her ribs.

  “I had to help Gunnar,” he said.

  “At nighttime?”

  “Yes.”

  She could tell there was something he held back. Fear twisted inside her. She hated that he had that control over her emotions. She was no clinging Nymph. She was a Maiden. A pilot. A leader. She tried to remind herself of all those things but couldn’t deny the icy dread chilling her veins.

  “Will you come to bed tonight?” she asked.

  The vulnerability in her voice made her cringe. She didn’t want to need him or ask him for anything. What did she know about Jaegarian men, or any man, for that matter? They might all promise things about forever and fated mates.

  He released her wrists and brushed his thumb across her lips. “Do you want me to?”

  “Yes.”

  “So we can start our family?” His voice was deep, rough with desire. A smile played along his lips, but there was an intensity in his eyes that was different. An urgency.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Yet.”

  “Natasha.” He took her hands in his and kissed them. “Ever since I came of age, my mother has begged me to seek out my mate. For a long time, I didn’t think I would find you, but now that I have you, you’re all I think about and all I want.

  Her heart warmed at the sound of his words. It wasn’t so much what he said as how he said the tender words.

  “My mother has asked to speak to you,” he said. “I think you’ve revived something inside her.”

  She nodded. While she loved spending time with Birgitta, she yearned to know more about what Ragnar so readily concealed. “Will you tell me one day about what you’re doing at night? What keeps you from me?”

  He lifted her chin to give her a kiss but said nothing.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Ragnar

  Even though Ragnar hadn’t slept in two nights, he wouldn’t allow himself to rest until the ship was fully rigged with explosives. He made sure Natasha was well-protected with his best guards, and returned to the docking bay where the ship was hidden from sight.

  A cadre of soldiers stood outside the portal. None knew what lay on the other side of the doors because Gunnar wasn’t entirely certain there weren’t spies right here on Jaeger. Not likely, but his brother didn’t want to take any chances. They saluted Ragnar as he passed.

  Inside the cavernous room, Gunnar sat, alone at a desk. The only light shone from a small lamp. The ship, a hulking shadow, lay behind him, awaiting its deadly mission. His brother looked up from the manifest. “You should be resting. Everything is done. The ship will depart this evening for the Tarascan Quadrant. The crew thinks they’re transporting a load of Iridium.”

  “I won’t rest until the thief is dealt with.”

  Gunnar smirked. “You do love the girl, don’t you?”

  Ragnar shook his head in warning. He wouldn’t allow Gunnar to make light of his feelings for Natasha. In the past, he might have scoffed at the idea of a mate, but the moment he realized who she was to him, his entire world had tilted on its axis. In a single, blinding instant, the girl had gone from a sweet, beguiling nuisance to The One. His Everything.

  “How is it possible that a Maiden, an Andromedin worker, could transform into a lovely woman?” Gunnar asked.

  Ragnar studied him and noted that his brother’s taunting demeanor was gone. Gunnar looked at him inquisitively as if he truly wanted to know the answer to something Ragnar didn’t understand either. How could Ragnar explain the impossible?

  “I suppose it was meant to be,” Ragnar said, bracing himself for Gunnar’s cynical reply.

  But his brother merely shrugged and returned his attention to the manifest. “The pirate has an interest in Natasha as well.”

  “I know that. Isn’t that obvious from the note?”

  “The pirate’s interest in Natasha isn’t casual. I received another message about her.”

  “Another message? When?” White-hot rage traced through Ragnar’s veins. He wasn’t sure who made him angrier, the thief or his brother. Gunnar announced the fiend’s message as casually as a passing comment about the weather.

  “Quit playing games with me and spit it out, Gunnar.”

  “He’s furious that we have a Maiden here on Jaegar. He says it’s unnatural for races to interbreed and soon we’ll poach females from other planets. He’s offered to give up stealing from Jaegar’s ships in exchange for Natasha.”

  Inside, Ragnar’s wolf seethed. It took an immense effort to keep from shifting. He needed to keep his wits about him and conserve his strength for whatever battle lay ahead. Someone wanted Natasha very badly. The man, a Vrandarian most likely, must not understand that Ragnar was prepared to kill anyone who might threaten her.

  “The pirate will be dead soon. What do you care what he offers?”

  “I think he suspects something and wants to negotiate.”

  “I won’t even consider a deal. This is blackmail and he’s talking about my mate. What does he want? To return her to Andromeda? Her people tried to kill her.”

  “He sent communications that he intends to keep her. He knew about the threats against her on Andromeda. How, I’m not sure.”

  Ragnar paced back and forth in the docking area. He’d never known such anger or need to kill an enemy. His wolf snapped and snarled. He imagined hunting this man down and tearing him apart with his razor-sharp teeth.

  “I want this man alive,” Gunnar said quietly. “I want to know who he works for and how he knows so much about our transports.”

  Ragnar turned slowly to face his brother. “You agreed, didn’t you?” he asked softly. “You offered Natasha up like she’s just some prisoner.”

  Gunnar held up his hands as if to ward off Ragnar’s fury. “He wants to come to Jaegar and retrieve her. Once he lands, I’ll teleport him and his men off his ship.”

  “I won’t put Natasha at risk.” Ragnar’s self-control slipped perilously. He wasn’t sure what Gunnar had in mind. He probably didn’t want to know.

  “She’ll need to be visible to the man as he lands. If he doesn’t see her, he might not come close enough for us to get a bead on him and his crew.”

  Ragnar drew closer. “Absolutely not.”

  “I’m doing this to protect Natasha as much as for my own desire to stop the theft. If we don’t apprehend the man, how will we be certain Natasha is safe in the future?”

  Ragnar’s thoughts were nothing but turmoil. Usually, he was the calm and decisive brother, but the mere idea of a threat to Natasha had him wild with anger. In a way, Gunnar’s words made sense. If the man weren’t apprehended, he might steal Natasha. He had a perfect track record of getting away with robbery. What if he decided, for whatever reason, that he wanted to take people instead of precious minerals?

  He nodded. “When is he coming?”

  “Tomorrow at midday.” Gunnar leaned forward. “The prisoner is mine to do what I please.”

  Ragnar scowled.

  Gunnar shrugged a shoulder. “I know you’ll want to kill him outright, but you might not want your bride to see your bloodthirsty side.”

  Ragnar said nothing. No, he didn’t want Natasha to see him kill a man, even if that man threatened to take her from him. In the end, that might not matter. If there was a fight when the ship landed, he’d come out on top and would be willing to commit to whatever carnage necessary to eliminate the threat to Natasha.

  His need to claim and mark Natasha flared hot inside him. Tonight, he’d need to make her his, not only for his own sanity but to prove to Natasha, beyond a shadow of doubt, that she belonged to him.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Natasha

  Natasha loved the warm days on Jaegar. The Jaegarian sun burned bright and hot, unlike Andromeda’s dying sun. Birgitta liked to sit outside and bask in sunshine and Natasha was only
too happy to join her. They sat in the morning sunshine, talking about their childhoods and lives. Spending time with Birgitta made Natasha forget about missing her home and her colleagues.

  Just as they were about to head in to have lunch, one of Birgitta’s attendants brought her a transmitter. The device was a small screen that crackled with static until Birgitta adjusted the controls.

  “It looks like it’s Thorsen,” she said. “My eldest son.”

  Natasha expected an image to fill the screen but Thorsen didn’t appear. Only his voice came through the transmission. His speech was terse and clipped, and he spoke as if he were eager to keep the conversation with his mother short.

  “You’re doing well, darling?” Birgitta asked.

  “No different than last week when we spoke three times.”

  “I wanted to know if you’d given any thought to coming home for Ragnar and Natasha’s nuptials.”

  “I’m too busy.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Thorsen. You have dozens of underlings who you can have stand in for you. This is your brother’s Tidings.”

  Natasha didn’t want to say a word. She felt awkward listening in on a private conversation. Thorsen might not be able to see that she was sitting right there. Making a move to get up, she stopped when Birgitta made a motion for her to remain.

  “I’m sure Ragnar and his mate will be too focused on each other to notice that I’m not there.”

  Natasha thought she detected a bitterness in his tone. Ragnar seemed close with Gunnar and spoke highly of all his family. Was there a rift between him and Thorsen?

  “Everyone will notice you’re not there, Thorsen,” said Birgitta. “Especially your ailing mother.”

  Birgitta punctuated her words with a well-timed bout of coughing. She looked over at Natasha and winked. Natasha covered her mouth to hold back her small murmur of surprise.

  “I’ll do what I can,” Thorsen said, this time more gently. “But I make no promises.”

  “That’s music to my ears,” Birgitta said. “I’ll hold you to that.”

  “I never said-”

  “What? Are you there? I think I’m losing you.” Birgitta pressed a button on the side of the transmitter and shrugged, giving Natasha a look of exaggerated innocence. “We must have had a bad connection.”

  Natasha laughed softly and poured herself a cup of the herbal tisane Birgitta drank every morning with her breakfast. “Why doesn’t he want to come? Is there a quarrel between him and his brothers?”

  “Thorsen was in a mining accident and has some scarring. He doesn’t like to come back to Jaegar if he can help it. The fact that his younger brother has found his mate doesn’t help matters.”

  “I see,” Natasha said. She couldn’t ignore the twinge of sadness she felt.

  “Don’t let him bother you, darling,” Birgitta said. “He’s a prickly and impossible man. It’s because he doesn’t have a mate. Women civilize men.”

  Natasha smiled. “You think so?”

  “Of course, they do.” Birgitta poured herself a cup of the herbal infusion.

  “I hope you’re right. I’ve seen Ragnar in his wolf form and it frightened me.”

  Birgitta was about to respond when the transmitter chimed. She smiled at Natasha. “This is a call from one of your people. My friend, Paula.”

  She answered the call and the screen was filled with an image of a lovely Nymph, smiling serenely. “Good morning, Your Highness.”

  Natasha hadn’t heard anyone call Birgitta that before. It shocked her to see a Nymph on the transistor and to hear the woman speak to Birgitta in such a deferential tone. The Nymph bowed her head.

  “Good morning, Paula. How are things on Cresenta?”

  “Very well. We thank you for your generosity.”

  Birgitta waved a dismissive hand. “It’s nothing.”

  “We have so few needs. A little goes a long way and on behalf of the Maidens and Nymphs of Cresenta, we thank you for your kind donation.”

  Natasha rose and moved to the seat beside Birgitta. She couldn’t help herself. It was as if she were drawn to a magnetic force.

  The Nymph turned her lovely gaze to her and nodded. “Natasha Petrov.”

  “Who are you? How do you know me?”

  “I am Paula. Lead Nymph of Cresenta. We are a little-known outpost. A group of cast-off Andromedins.”

  “I’ve never heard of you,” Natasha whispered. “How is that possible?”

  “They are a secret sect,” Birgitta said. “They offer asylum to failed Nymphs and misfit Maidens.”

  Natasha could hardly comprehend what she was hearing. Failed Nymphs were rejected by their husbands and sent off. Where they were sent to, Natasha had never asked. Misfit Maidens lived in obscurity, doing menial jobs and Natasha had to admit, she knew little about them either. Such things were rarely, if ever, spoken of on Andromeda.

  Paula spoke. “Our group got their start by Nymphs who couldn’t provide their husbands offspring. After a few months, we took in Maidens who hadn’t conformed to expectations.”

  Natasha listened in disbelief and recalled a childhood story, a fairy tale about a girl who refused to conform and was cast out and left to the wolves. She shivered with the memory.

  “We exist because of Birgitta’s benevolence as well as the contributions of a few others,” Paula explained.

  A distant memory swirled in Natasha’s mind. A proposal that surfaced now and again, for how to deal with certain Andromedins who didn’t fit in. The plan some had suggested offered ideas for how to quietly dispose of the misfits. The notion was too awful to imagine and she’d never given the talk any credence. Major Sebastian and her cohorts had formulated the most recent rendition of the plan but quickly abandoned the idea. Sebastian was far too shrewd a politician to put her name on an unpopular effort.

  Birgitta brushed her hand over the device’s screen and sighed. “This is my pet project. I know you always wanted to start a mentorship program, Natasha. My hope is that you’ll help me with the Cresenta outpost.”

  Paula turned her attention to gaze at Natasha, making her shift uncomfortably.

  “You’re hardly a Maiden anymore,” she murmured. “I’ve never seen one of your kind blossom into a Nymph.”

  “I’m not really certain what I am,” Natasha replied. “I wondered what would happen if I returned to Andromeda.”

  Paula shook her head. “Our kind doesn’t tolerate oddities. They’d kill you instantly.”

  “You don’t know that,” Natasha snapped. Despite her angry reply, a feeling of icy dread filled her chest. What if that was what had happened to Elise? Her heart thudded heavily.

  “I advise you in the strongest possible terms not to return to your people,” Paula said quietly.

  Her words struck Natasha as not only shocking but unseemly as well. Nymphs weren’t known for having strong opinions on anything outside childrearing and homemaking skills. This woman dared to speak to her as if they were equals. Such a thing would never happen on Andromeda. Never.

  “You speak your mind freely,” Natasha said, her tone sharp.

  “I do. I am a widow. I answer to no man or woman. Not even Maidens.”

  Birgitta sighed again. “Paula’s a tough one. I’ve tried to get her to let Thorsen pay her a visit, but she wants nothing to do with my son, or any man.”

  A flash of worry flitted across the woman’s eyes. “The fewer who know of our community, the better. The last person I would want to have visit Cresenta is a wolf-shifter. No offense, to your sons, Your Highness.”

  “Too late,” Birgitta replied in a playful tone. “I’m already offended. May I remind you that I’m trying to convince Natasha to stay? I have plans that involve marrying her to one of my sons.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “So, try not to make her more afraid of men shifting into wolves.”

  Paula’s lips curved into a smile and she nodded. “I wish you all the happiness, Natasha. Should you decide to stay, I hope you are b
lessed with a large and happy family.”

  Was that a barb? It was hard to say. Nymphs prided themselves on their fertility. Paula’s pride had to have been dealt quite a blow when she couldn’t conceive. Was her hope for Natasha to have a large family a thinly veiled insult? It was hard to say.

  “Thank you,” Natasha said. She wasn’t sure what she thought of the prospect of having or not having children. The idea was so foreign and odd to her, but she knew Ragnar wanted children. How would it feel to be unable to give him a child? What were the chances of being fertile? The short conversation with Paula left her feeling exhausted and defeated.

  “Promise you’ll come visit if I manage to get this girl married?” Birgitta implored.

  Paula smiled again, only this time it was a sad smile. “I’ll do my best.”

  Birgitta bid her farewell and turned off the transmitter. “I can’t wait for you to meet her. She’s one of my favorite people and I’m sure you’ll be as excited as I am to help that little, plucky group of misfits.”

  Natasha nodded, but didn’t reply. Her heart felt suddenly heavy and filled with foreboding.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Ragnar

  The evenings and nights Ragnar spent working with Gunnar made him acutely aware of how much he craved his mate. He felt Natasha’s absence keenly, thinking about her constantly and hungering to hold her in his arms and to finally claim her.

  That night he came late to their room and found her asleep. He knew she’d spent much of the day with his mother and would most likely be exhausted. The air on Jaegar was thinner than Andromeda’s atmosphere and that alone tired Natasha. In addition to that, his mother had changed from a frail, ailing convalescent to a spry, energetic woman. She was so pleased that one of her sons finally had a mate. The prospect of grandchildren had revived her spirits and she wanted to spend as much time as possible with Natasha.

  Ragnar moved stealthily across the room. The only light came from the fire in the fireplace and shadows danced across the walls. He stood at the foot of the bed and watched Natasha as she slept. She wore a pale gown of Jaegarian lace that clung to her breasts. His wolf snarled and began to pant.