Mia just looked at him. A second before his expression closed down his eyes widened. It was weird. But then both the people she encounter who worked here were. Not wanting to give it another thought she took a step back.
"Well you have a good night." Then she turned around and left the shop.
The entire walk out Mia felt Viking watching her. Her mind couldn't decide whether it was unnerving or exciting.
Chapter 3
Viking's heart beat four times its natural pace. At the same time his breathing stopped. He didn't have it in him to move. The shock was overwhelming. He hadn't even realized Poet came out from behind the registers until the other man grabbed his shoulder.
"Viking, Viking?"
It was then he finally turned his head from where Mia had been moments before. Looking at his third in command he could see the shock on the other man's face.
"Though you are strange. And your abilities are far beyond that of a Warrior. I would bet money you just felt the Flash."
Viking didn't respond. He didn't really need to. Poet had been around Viking long enough to know his expressions. He couldn't hide it. And he wasn't sure how to cover it up. He just felt the Flash. The warning bell that announced to a Warrior he just met his mate. Not just met his mate but touched her, flesh to flesh.
Viking had been around centuries and now here she was. Some woman he just happened to come across. He had been interested in her. Knowing there was something special about her. Could that have been it? Could he have known she was his mate without touching her? He blinked several times before turning towards the door again. That couldn't have been it, could it?
He turned towards Poet. The other man blanked his face.
"Yes, I did." Just saying it out loud seemed overwhelming. He didn't know what to do. Where to go. He didn't know how to find that woman.
Before he realized what he was doing Viking was out the shop door and looking down the street. He scanned both ways and jogged to the end of either block. He had no idea how long he stood there staring but clearly it was long enough for her to get her car and leave. Cursing himself repeatedly he walked back into the store. Several of the employees gave him funny looks. He ignored them and headed straight out the back doors.
There was only one person he could think of to talk to. Once he exited the back door of the shop. Into the staff only area he didn't stop his momentum, he ran up the stairs. Taking them several at a time. He didn't slow until he burst out the door on the top floor. He yanked out his keys in a jerky motion and unlocked Gwen's apartment. Slamming the door behind him he went and sat down in her favorite oversized chair. He tried to calm his pulse and his breathing. He needed to talk to Gwen.
He had never tried to reach her from so far away before. He wasn't entirely sure if it would work. She was supposed to be on her honeymoon, as it were, but he knew she would understand why he would call.
"Little One! Little One can you hear me?" He was yelling it so loud in his head the only thing louder was his racing heartbeat.
He concentrated on his breathing as he waited. If he could calm his body down, maybe he would have a better chance of reaching her.
"Viking? Viking is that you? What's wrong? What's happened? Is everyone okay?" The worry and fear in her tone was clear as a bell. It overrode the sleepiness he heard.
Viking took another deep breath before answering. "Everyone's fine. Everything is fine. I just. I just needed to talk to you. I needed to hear your voice."
"What's happened? Viking you tell me right now or I'm walking out the bedroom door to find August and making him call over there to tell me what's wrong."
Viking knew that was an empty threat. Gwen would not stoop to chasing down her husband, who could be doing important political business just so he would answer her question.
He blew a few random strands of hair from his face. Gwen could always tell when something was wrong. She'd gotten good at reading every single one of his micro-expressions in the two decades they'd been together.
"I felt the Flash." He didn't even get out an entire thought before she answered.
"You what?! Who is she? I'm coming home right now. I will be on the next flight to Seattle."
This is why Viking loved Gwen so much. She had such a big heart. She would drop everything if she felt someone needed her.
"That is not necessary Little One. She's someone I met paying off the debt to Lucia. There is no need for you to come home before your proper honeymoon has begun just to sit with me."
If he was honest with himself there was nothing Viking wanted more than having the woman he had grown to think of as his little sister by his side through this trying ordeal.
"Don’t be ridiculous. I'll be there in the morning. One of you guys are to pick me up from the airport. I'll text you the flight information as soon as I have it."
With that last statement he almost physically felt her disconnect from him. And he knew at that point the argument was over. He couldn't convince her not to come. Not that he really wanted to. He would be grateful to see her. He and all the other Warriors missed her terribly. She meant a lot to a lot of people. He had been eternally grateful when Cesar agreed to move part of the Warrior government to Washington State so she could be near the people she loved.
Closing his eyes to the room around him, Viking concentrated on his breathing. The next few days were going to be difficult. He had to somehow woo a woman he didn't even know. It had been longer than he cared to admit since he had been up for such a challenge. He was going to take the opportunity while his head was still relatively clear to meditate and relax his body. Hopefully, ward off some of the initial effects of the Maddening.
When the Flash hit, a Warrior only had three days to bed his mate. If he didn’t, the Warrior in question would be driven insane by the overwhelming lust that came over him during that three day period, or as it was usually referred to, the Maddening.
During the Maddening, the Warrior would experience physical pain when away from his mate. He would lose his senses should she be injured or touched by any other male. Warriors tended to stay away from those in the Maddening or in the first stage of mating while all the Maddening symptoms lowered to the tolerable level mated Warriors dealt with. The first stage of mating could last anywhere from three months to a year, depending on the Warrior. The more the Warrior bedded his mate in that first stage, the easier it would be for him to handle the symptoms. Viking wasn't sure how to get a near stranger to sleep with him once, let alone multiple times over the coming months.
He couldn't have been in the apartment ten minutes when the front door burst open. He didn't have to open his eyes to know it was Raider storming into the room. When he heard a second set of footsteps he assumed it was Poet strolling in behind and shutting the door. He didn't bother to open his eyes. He could hear Raider physically calming himself and forcing himself to sit on the couch across from the chair Viking sat in. However, not being one for patience, not long after he sat, Raider cleared his throat.
Viking opened his eyes to see a smirking Poet and a wide-eyed, worried Raider.
"Is it true? Is what's Poet says true? Have you truly begun the Maddening?"
Viking didn't say anything. He didn't really feel he had to respond. The silence alone would be answer enough. Less than a beat later Raider started cursing, leapt off the couch and began pacing Gwen's living room.
"What do we know about this woman? Do you have a way to reach her? Does she even know of our world?" With that last question Raider stopped mid-pace, eyes widening as he rounded to stare at Viking.
Viking forced his racing heart to slow and took a deep breath before answering. "I do not believe she does. She is an acquaintance of Lucia's. So yes, I do have a way to contact her."
Some very creative curse words came out of Raider's mouth as he began pacing again. Poet just leaned further back on the couch, his smirk growing to a smile.
"Stop smiling Poet! Don't make me force it off your face
." Raider growled as he continued to pace. He had not looked at Poet once since entering the room.
There was a snort. "I would like to see you try." He then turned to look Viking in the eyes. "It took me a moment but I knew I recognized her. Would you like to know where you can find her? That way you do not have to broker with the MP?"
Both Viking and Raider froze. Viking's mind blanked before pumping into overdrive. Poet knew her? How could this be?
Raider recovered first. "Are you serious? So help me, if you are making a joke I will beat you."
Poet gave the other man a droll look before returning his attention to Viking.
There was silence for a second before Viking realized Poet really wasn't going to tell him anything until he asked.
Sighing heavily, Viking fought the urge to get annoyed. "Okay Poet, tell me."
The other man smiled again and lifted his arms above his head, interlocking his fingers at the base of his skull. "If either of you ever attended that annual convention on holistic healing with Gwen you would know Mia Jones owns a pan-religious bookstore in Renton. I cannot remember what it is called but I'm sure that Gwen does." Poet smile this time a little more indulgent than before. "I assume you've already contacted her and knowing our little Gwen she is already making plans to make her way to us."
Viking didn't even know why he was the least bit surprised. Not only at the fact that poet knew the woman, Mia. But that he already knew Viking had spoken to Gwen. He felt himself calm marginally.
At least this gave him a place to start from. He wouldn't have to track down Lucia to find the woman. Nor would he have to spend a great amount of time trying to hunt her down. Her owning her own shop would definitely make that part of the Maddening easier. He found himself wondering what type of religious bookstore she owned. He hoped it would not give her of bias that would make the Night World harder for her to process.
It had been quite some time since he tried to court any kind woman. Viking hadn't tried since before he had been sent to take care of Gwen. He was unsure how he was supposed to woo this woman he barely knew. And convince her to sleep with him. Over the next three days. Taking a deep breath Viking looked at the two men in front of him.
"With all due respect to both of you, your presence is going to be more of a nuisance to me then help." Viking looked at the pacing Raider. "Raider I need you to take charge. I need you to take control of the day-to-day operations of things while I try and sort this out. Worst-case scenario this is going to be your job now. There is no other warrior to whom I would trust Gwen’s safety. You already know almost as much about my job as I do. While I prefer you get eased into it, it seems that is not what fate has in store for us."
Raider stopped pacing and watched Viking. His expression a mix of worry and sorrow. He wasn't a very emotional person. But it was clear that Raider didn't like the idea of losing Viking to the Maddening. He probably wouldn't say it out right but Viking knew it to be true. After a moment his second-in-command simply nodded.
Viking then looked to Poet. "I need you to try and not cause problems for a while. Raider is going to need someone who knows the ropes to back him up on things. So worst-case scenario you're going to have to be less difficult as he settles in to his new role. Best-case scenario you just have to be on good behavior for a couple days. I'm well aware of the fact that won't kill you."
Poet’s smile didn't quite reach his eyes. There was a seriousness there Viking knew not everyone always noticed. Poet lived a very long time. Viking got the impression that his nonchalance and his joking demeanor was only a recent addition to Poet's personality. Which is probably why he overused it so much.
Poet leaned forward on the couch. "Of course. But I do not think you should count yourself out as of yet. Unlike our dear King you are not going to do in yourself due to chivalry. You're much too intelligent for that. I have more faith in you mating your woman than I would have Cesar mating anyone other than our Gwen. Any woman less determined and he would've been screwed." With that Poet stood up and smiled again for beat before walking past Raider out of the apartment.
Viking had no idea where he'd gone. Probably, knowing Poet, he could've gone right back down to the store. He was little surprised by the other man's confidence in him. He was touched by it and confused by it all the same time. It was not like Poet to be outwardly encouraging or emotional in any way. He looked at his second-in-command whose expression said he was just as thrown off by Poet statement as Viking.
"Certainly a little bit strange. Tell me Viking, what exactly is your game plan?" Raider looked at him expectantly
Viking sighed. "I don't actually have one. The farthest my thought process has gotten is to use the internet to find her shop and then go there and strike up a conversation with her. That is literally as far as I have gotten. Although, I know that I probably will not be able to reach her shop until the morning. Sure I could probably bribe Carter to look up her home address but I can't imagine showing up at her doorstep would work in my favor."
"No, probably not." Raider frowned.
Viking rubbed his forehead. He would spend the rest of this evening doing his usual work. It would be difficult but there was not much he could do in the meantime. Then, later tonight he would check into the store Poet claim she owned. First thing in the morning he would head to the shop and introduce himself properly. He would offer to take her to coffee or some such thing. If there was anything he learned from Gwen it was that women in this area loved their coffee. At least marginally relieved that he had a plan Viking took a deep breath and stood up.
"Okay well, there isn't a whole lot I can do right now. So we will spend the night getting things done and getting you caught up on what might need to be done over the next few days. Then first thing in the morning I will go about wooing this woman named Mia.
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Gwen called about an hour after he had spoken to her to let them know she was catching a redeye from Montana. Cesar had to yank the phone from her hand to let Viking know Gwen was traveling alone and that he demanded at least one Warrior be there to pick her up from the airport. When Poet heard this he immediately volunteered with more excitement than Viking had seen from the other man in weeks.
So here Viking was at four in the morning still in the lounge with Raider going over assignments for who would be guarding Gwen during her unexpected visit. They were both impatiently waiting for Poet to return from the airport with Gwen.
Viking knew the moment she entered the building. He couldn't hear her and Poet talking, but he could feel her arrival a moment before that.
Pausing in his sentence to Raider and from the other man's expression the pause was long enough to understand that Gwen was now in the building. Without even thinking Viking stood up and faced the door to the lounge. A few moments later Gwen walked in followed by Poet.
The smile on her face was huge. She was clearly happy to see them, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. The worry for Viking being in Maddening seemed to have tainted her smile. She still dropped the duffel bag in her hand and ran to Viking, arms open. He reciprocated by opening his arms wide as Gwen launched at him. He couldn't help but smile in return. He had missed her so much. It almost felt like he was missing a part of himself.
"How are you?"
"About as well as you would expect."
He felt Gwen beginning to separate. A small part of him screamed that it was too soon. But he knew it would be impractical for him to hold on when she had let go. She would just be dangling in midair as he held her. So he slowly set her back down on her own two feet and she backed up a step so she could look into his face.
"Do you know anything about this woman? Her name? Where we could find her? Anything? Oh no, I hadn't even thought about this, is she even a Night Worlder?" That last thought had turned Gwen's eyes almost into saucers.
Viking took a deep breath before answering. "Yes, we know her name. We know a little bit about her. I do not believe she is a Night Worlder. In fact
from what Poet tells me you know her better than the rest of us. Except maybe Lucia."
Gwen backed up the step then turned so she could look at both Poet and Viking. "What is he talking about?"
Poet's smile diminished slightly as he looked down at Gwen. "I am afraid our dear Viking has found a mate in Mia Jones. The woman who owns that spiritual bookstore down in a Renton."
Viking felt his heart speed up as he watched Gwen's confused expression as she processed what Poet just said.
"You have met Mia at the holistic healing convention in Seattle on several occasions." Poet said by way of reminder.
Viking watched as a light bulb went off in Gwen's head. "Oh yeah, Mia." She turned back to Viking. "Mia is actually quite nice. From what little time I spent with her. I kind of like her. I think I know where her shop is. I know I have her phone number. Or at least her office phone number at the shop. I don't remember the shop name though. Though I could Google it and I know I would recognize it." Her expression turned stern as she looked at Viking. "I'm coming with you in the morning." It left no room for argument.
Viking was grateful Gwen wanted to help him in this. He genuinely did feel more comfortable with her there. And he knew as awkward as it might be he would prefer to have her with him later in the morning. Viking didn't put up any kind of argument he simply nodded at Gwen.
Gwen nodded in return. "Good, now that that is settled. I'm going to bed. I am so behind on my sleep and I am soon to be of no help to anyone." Then she smiled at Viking before turning to pick up her duffel bag, brushing past Poet and leaving the room to presumably go up to her apartment.
Viking heard Poet chuckled to himself and looked up. "It would seem our king has rubbed off a little on Gwen. Either that or she's use to Cesar doing exactly what she tells him to do. But I just can't see Cesar bending to Gwen's will." With that the other man shook his head and walked out of the lounge.
Viking Sensitivity (Night World Series Book 2) Page 3