Night Aberrations - An Adult Paranormal Romance (Night Aberrations Series)

by Nelson, JD

  He wasn’t going to tell me. Frustrated, I agreed. “I promise.”

  “Hilda and Gunnar are here. Would you like to join them together now?”

  I smiled. “That would be perfect. Their Fates are calling me to them already. I can actually see them. Hilda is in the laundry. Gunnar is watching her from outside of the window.”

  “Are you sure? That doesn’t sound like Gunnar.”

  “I’m right on this one.”

  Soren laughed and pulled me to my feet. “Let’s go bring these two together before Hilda sees him and decides to press harassment charges.”

  Walking hand in hand around the corner of the building, we found Gunnar exactly where I predicted he’d be. He was understandably embarrassed and sporting a very noticeable erection. I tried not to laugh at the absurdity of the moment.

  He hung his head in shame. “My lord, I am sorry. I know that what I do is wrong. I love her so much, but she doesn’t know I exist.”

  I gave him a knowing smile. “I wouldn’t be so sure. May I see your hand?”

  He looked nervously at Soren but complied. “Are you going to read my palm?”

  “Not exactly.” I closed my eyes and pushed my magic into Gunnar. He stiffened and stood straighter, eyes drawing back to the window and Hilda. I kept pushing until the magic connected with Hilda and she looked outside to the three of us. Confused, she stepped outside and curtseyed to Soren and me, before glancing sheepishly at Gunnar. Oh yes, this was a love match.

  “Good Evening, Hilda.” Soren said cheerfully.

  “Good evening, Sir, Madam, Gunnar.”

  Soren made a show of glancing in the window at her work. “You know, Hilda. That laundry can wait. Actually, I think the two of you should take the next few days off. You haven’t had a proper vacation in a while. I will supply you both with full pay, of course.”

  I beamed at Soren. “That’s an excellent idea. You know what? I know just the thing to start out your vacation. There’s a bottle of champagne in the kitchen cabinet. Why don’t you two take it and pack a few things for an impromptu picnic. It’s a gorgeous night.”

  Hilda looked stunned. “Are you sure?”

  Soren waved off her worries. “We’re sure.”

  Gunnar finally spoke up. “Thank you both. This is very generous.”

  Soren put a companionable arm around both of them. “You’re very welcome. Thank you for doing a great job.”

  Shocked, but happy they made their way inside together.

  I frowned. “Do you think it worked?”

  “It better have. You just gave them a ten thousand crown bottle of bubbly.”

  “Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s perfectly fine, Emelie, I don’t think it could be put to a better use than this.” He assured me, looking everywhere but my face.

  I smiled at him shyly. “Thanks.”

  Things were different between us now. He’d distanced himself and even though I knew he did it for self-preservation, it still hurt—a lot.

  “Thanks for all of this, Soren, I mean it. Thanks for saving me, for helping me, and even for pushing me around. I couldn’t have got away from Kristian by myself.”

  He shook his head and grinned. “You would have eventually. With your temper you wouldn’t have been able to put up with him for very long.”

  I laughed at his accurate assumption. “You’re probably right.”

  He cupped my face, almost as if he would kiss me, but then dropped his hands. “I just couldn’t leave you there with him.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t. How did you find me?”

  It was his turn to look shy. “In a moment of desperation, I called to you and you didn’t answer. I could touch your mind, but it was obvious that something other than yourself was blocking my entry. I’d had your blood, so I simply followed your energy until I found you.”

  “Where was I?”

  “Jötunheim.”

  I pouted, playfully. “What? I didn’t get to see any giants.”

  He laughed. “That’s all that worries you? I can introduce you to my mother, if you’d like.”

  I smacked my forehead. “How could I forget that you’re a half-giant?”

  He pretended to ponder the question. “Well, I do take after my father’s side.”

  “Only in looks, thank goodness.”

  In a blink, his pretense of a light, carefree conversation was over. “Speaking of my father, is his friend’s doppelgänger still lingering in your mind?”

  I smiled, relieved that I could tell him some good news for a change. “Not a bit.”

  “Are you sure?” He asked, searching for clues in my face.

  “I am, I….” I stopped talking to listen to someone’s thoughts coming from the forest. “There’s someone here.”

  Alarmed, he took a fighting stance. “Where, Emelie?”

  I pointed to the grove of spruce trees just to the east of us and tensed. “It is Kristian’s right hand. He doesn’t mean us any harm. He’s just trying to figure out a way to speak to us without you attacking him. Axel, come out. Soren won’t hurt you…well, unless you attack us.”

  Axel stepped out slowly with his hands above his head. “I do not seek to injure either one of you. I have come because—”

  I interrupted him and read his mind out loud. “He owes Kristian a life-debt. He must try to save him no matter who he is in allegiance with or face being the disgrace of his species.” His past on his home world was laid out for me and it was horrible. “I’m so sorry Axel.”

  He dismissed my sympathy by ignoring it. “I do not truly believe that the king is a servant of Odin. I believe him to be enchanted.” He explained quickly, with a wary eye on Soren.

  “We believe the same, though he is partly to blame.” I said. “Do you know where Freyr is holding him captive?”

  “I do, he is at the doppelgänger’s castle in Jötunheim. I did a bit of reconnaissance this morning and found him in the west wing, locked in a small closet. He was alive but sedated when I left him.”

  I nodded at Soren. “He’s telling the truth.”

  Soren sheathed his saber. “The doppelgänger leaves every morning for an hour or two. Do you know where he goes?”

  Axel shook his head.

  “I think that is the best time we can hope to have, to rescue your king, but first we have to find out where he goes. We don’t want any surprises.”

  Axel breathed a huge sigh of relief. “Agreed.”

  “Great! What’s the plan?” I asked.

  “There is no plan for you, Emelie. You need to stay here.”

  Axel nodded. “I have to agree, it is much too dangerous for you to be there.”

  I didn’t like where this was headed. “I can take care of myself, you two.”

  “I know you can,” Soren appeased. “But, there’s no need for you to go. Axel and I can shift without detection. He will not know that we are following him.”

  What he meant to say was that I wasn’t that long out of the control of the enemy and I couldn’t be trusted yet. That didn’t make me too happy, but annoyingly, I had to agree with him. A scenario where I was unknowingly under the doppelgänger’s control was too dangerous for all of us.

  “I understand. You should get going if you’re going to catch him before he leaves. Thank you for aiding my mate, Axel.” I offered him my hand though I was the tiniest bit afraid of him. That poison action he’d pulled in the castle before had a very lasting impression.

  He bowed low before taking my offering. “It is my honor, Queen Emelie.”

  His touch triggered a vision of a series of events in his future. “Oh…”

  Soren snatched me out of his grasp and whirled me into his side. “Are you okay?”

  I didn’t answer him. Instead, I negotiated myself around to speak to Axel. Smiling goofily, I said, “Would you like to know about your Fated? She’s lovely.”

  The four hours I waited for Soren and Axel to return were some of
the longest hours of my life. I kept myself occupied by doing small amounts of magic, but the worry never left the back of my mind.

  I’d never experienced a rush of relief like I felt when they blinked back into existence in the garden. Running outside to meet them, I was overjoyed to see triumphant faces. “I can tell, by the cat ate the canary expressions on your faces, that it went well.”

  Soren dropped a kiss on my lips. “It did, love.”

  Axel turned away. “No my king, fear not. I did not see my queen kissing someone other than you.”

  I giggled. He was so much like his intended. I couldn’t wait for them to meet. “So, when do we rescue Kristian and Katrine?”

  “Tomorrow morning.”

  “I’ll be ready.”

  We crept onto the doppelgänger’s land just as he faded away. By Soren’s estimation, we only had a guaranteed thirty minutes before he returned.

  Running full out, we ducked behind the hedge surrounding the castle and waited for the first patrol to pass by. When they were out of sight, I dashed to front doors and tried the knob. “It’s open.”

  Axel breathed a huge sigh of relief and joined me at the door with Soren, Viggo, and Nils following close behind. Viggo had been reluctant to come with us. He didn’t want to be a liability. His eyes would be sensitive, not having seen the sun in over twenty years…and he’d have to drink my blood, which was just icky because of our brother-sister kind of friendship. In the end, he’d agreed, but it had been awkward while he was at my wrist.

  I opened the door slowly and tiptoed quickly through the halls on high alert. “I sense Katrine in the first room on the left; Kristian is at the end of the hall in a broom closet.”

  The males fanned out, Axel and Viggo going down the hallway towards Kristian, Soren and Nils following me into the room where Katrine was held.

  Katrine was restrained, but it hardly mattered. She was in her own personal hell. It was devastatingly painful for her to be without Cedric, her heart was exuding an agonized keening that only she and I could hear. She was beyond hope.

  “Aunt,” I spoke softly, trying not to frighten her.

  Her tears were immediate. “Emelie, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I’m so sorry.”

  “You didn’t do anything to be sorry for. The doppelgänger is to blame for all of this.”

  Her eyes pleaded with me. “Please help me hide from him.” I’d seen that look before. She had been through unspeakable things in her time spent with him.

  “Don’t worry. We’re here to save you; Kristian too.”

  Relief filled her features. “Thank you.”

  Okay, now the hard part. “Soren, how do we get her out?”

  He walked closer to the shield and held out his palm.

  “You can’t get through this way. It’s a trap.” Katrine yelled.

  Soren jumped back and we all enjoyed yet another huge sigh of relief.

  “Just a minute, I think I’ve got it.” He disappeared into thin air, sending me into panic mode.

  “Soren!”

  “I’m okay,” said his muffled voice from the next room. “The magic cage doesn’t extend into the other room. I’m going to try to go through the wall. Stand back, Katrine.”

  Katrine pushed herself against her opaque glass-like prison as far as she could and crouched down, hands over ears.

  A loud, sudden crack coaxed a yelp from my throat and then I held my breath, watching the wall intensely. A second later, it seemed to fall away like ash, revealing Soren behind it. He quickly helped Katrine to her feet and accepted the desperately grateful embrace she bestowed upon him.

  “Such a touching moment, isn’t it Emelie?”

  I shrieked and pivoted around to find the doppelgänger’s horribly beautiful face mere inches from my own.

  “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”

  My jaw dropped. He was pretending to be ignorant? “I’m here for my Aunt, as you can see.”

  Nils stepped in front of me protectively, with Katrine and Soren following his lead and moving on either side. I peeked around Nils and finished, “I’ve come to collect my husband, as well.”

  He laughed giddily. “Silly girl, I don’t have your husband hidden here. He arrived last night and only stayed for a moment. I did not question his traveling intentions.”

  I arched a brow. “So, you’re telling me if I walk down this hallway and open the closet at the end, I won’t find him gagged, bound, and bleeding on the floor?”

  His face fell and I laughed viciously, the building magic in me making my fear vanish. Viggo and Axel chose that moment to make their grand entrance, and amusement filled me as his eyes bulged and sweat beaded on his forehead. His sick game was finally over.

  Nils laughed. “You heard the lady, we can do this the easy way or hard way, your choice, but we will be leaving here with the king.” He leaned toward the Freyr look-a-like and stage whispered, “I’m secretly hoping for the hard way myself.”

  The doppelgänger quickly masked his fear, from the group save me. He couldn’t block me anymore. Ha!

  “Soren, you can’t really believe that your little band of misfits can defeat me?”

  Soren’s livid face at his comment said it all, but he obliged him with an answer I thought it was more than satisfactory.

  “The faith I have in my friends is only one of the many powerful weapons we have at our disposal. I think that you should understand that you’ve met your match in any one of us. If you willingly return to face judgment, you may live to see tomorrow. If not, your death will be tonight.”

  The doppelgänger smirked. “Pretty words. It’s a pity to see you so deluded.”

  I felt the static in the room rise and yelled, “Now!”

  I had no plan, so I didn’t know what outcome to expect in the melee. I was hoping for the guys to tackle him and put him in a magical headlock or something, but the result far was beyond anything I could have imagined.

  Just as I yelled, the doppelgänger lifted his arms to let a stream of magic ooze out of the fingers he had pointing at me, and Soren had stepped between us to block it. Both of them now stood completely immobile.

  I sighed. “Oh, for the love of…”

  Katrine’s weak voice sounded behind me. “You’ve frozen them in time. You’ll have to reanimate them one by one if you hope to hold Freyr captive this way.”

  “I didn’t even mean to do this.” I grouched.

  She nodded sympathetically. “Nevertheless, it is very effective.”

  “How do I do the unfreeze?”

  “Don’t over think it. Simply concentrate on it like you did for Cedric and me.”

  The crack in her voice at the end of her sentence undid me. The doppelgänger had done this. He’d ruined so many lives, so much happiness. I would make him pay for his evil doings, and I would make sure that all of his victims got the chance to get their revenge. Justice demanded it.

  I raised my hand to touch Soren, only to have Katrine grab my hand.

  “Wait.”

  “What is it?” I asked her, right before she kicked the doppelgänger where it counts.

  “Katrine! What the hell?” He didn’t move or even blink, but I could feel the pain radiating off his body. Katrine had hit her mark.

  She spit on him. “He deserves it. You know he does.”

  “I do. Don’t waste another second of energy hating this asshole. He’s going to get what’s coming to him.”

  “I’ll try.”

  I gave her a reassuring smile, and then closed my eyes, concentrating on freeing all but the doppelgänger. One by one, they came to life, first blinking then falling into a fighting stance as soon as their eyes found the enemy.

  “Sorry, guys.”

  “I’m used to it.” Viggo and Nils said together.

  Axel gave them an incredulous look. “Emelie, I don’t want to ever get used to that. “

  “Hey, I’m getting better.” I said indignantly. “I unfroz
e you, didn’t I?”

  “My queen, I meant no disrespect.”

  “Then stop disrespecting the talent, buddy.”

  Soren cleared his throat. “Children, if you are done, we still have the little problem of transporting the prisoner…and retrieving the dark king.”

  I seriously doubt I’ll be winning an award for mate of the year anytime soon. In all the excitement, I’d forgotten all about Kristian.

  Walking at a fast clip down the hallway, I opened the closet space to find him curled up asleep on his side, looking no worse for the wear, except for a bloodied bottom lip. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

  Shaking his shoulder lightly, I said, “Kristian, wake up.”

  His amethyst eyes sprang open. “Emelie?”

  “That’s me. Are you okay?”

  He sat up gingerly, wincing. “I’m sore.”

  “I’m not surprised. You’ve been folded up in this closet for who knows how long.”

  Understanding crossed his handsome face. “Freyr, where is he?”

  “The one you call Freyr is in the parlor, subdued by the hands of time. He is not who you think he is. He is the doppelgänger.”

  “It is the creature that was created?”

  “Yes.”

  His smile was one of furious satisfaction. “I want him in my dungeon. He is a prisoner of the dark elves furthermore.”

  “It shall be done.”

  He stood on unsteady legs and touched my cheek with the back of his knuckles. “I am a servant at your feet, Emelie. You have saved the elves and countless others from a similar Fate. Axel?”

  I didn’t realize anyone was behind me until Axel stepped up.

  “Sire?”

  “Transport the prisoner to the castle and alert the council that I will be calling an emergency meeting, but tell them nothing of what’s happened.”

  “Yes, my king, right away.”

  When Axel left, Viggo took his place. “Brother?”

  “I am well enough. I am thinking clearly for the first time in over a hundred years. Let us return to the castle and straighten this catastrophe out. There is much to set to right.”

  His eyes found mine and I smiled encouragingly. I received a tight, distant one in return. Not exactly, the reaction that I’d been expecting from my newlywed husband, especially since I’d just saved him from the clutches of a madman, but whatever. At least all of this was finally over.