“I told Etienne what happened on our date, and then I never saw him again. I am pretty sure Etienne did something to him, but I didn’t really care. I was just glad to be out of that situation.” Looking up at Finn, he isn’t looking at me with sorrow in his eyes, like everyone else does. My mother died when I was a kid, and I lived with my father, who had cancer. Everyone who hears my story has a look of pity that irks me to the core.
But the way Finn is looking at me is making my heart flutter. There is no pity for the girl who lost her parents. Just pride.
“I admire someone who fights for what they want. Your father was a good man.”
The wind decides to pick up at that moment and blasts small flakes of snow directly at us. Strong arms wrap around my waist, pulling me against his body as we are pounded by a massive gust of wind. Our bodies are locked in place as the wind pounds Finn’s back, trying to get us to move. If it weren’t for him, I would be flat on my back.
Feeling my face pressed against his solid chest, I lean in closer to inhale his scent. Damn, this man smells good.
After a few more gusts try to knock us down, finally the wind settles, and Finn releases me. His hands stay on my hips as he stares down at me. Something flickers in his eyes as his gloved hand caresses my cheek. A small sigh escapes my lips, causing a small puff of white fog to show how much he is affecting me.
Our breaths mingle for a moment before he pulls back and continues as if nothing happened.
“We should pick up our pace. There is a storm coming in, and Etienne should be done with camp by now.”
Camp? No one said anything about camping. It’s snowing for goodness sakes, and it’s cold. Who in their right mind would want to camp out here? That’s right, my idiot best friend and this bi-polar ape. That’s who.
Chapter 17
~ Finn ~
I am this close to taking her in my arms and ending this torment. I have waited for her for so long, to feel her heartbeat against my chest. But things have changed. My brothers are going against everything we have fought so hard to protect, and I have to give up the one thing I want more than life itself.
The amount of bloodshed in the past few days has been astronomical. I’m all for killing and erasing the world of the evil that plagues our lands. But this isn’t what we signed up for. Killing in cold blood to lure someone out? No, that makes us monsters.
History shows Viking’s as barbarians and those who kill without honor, but we kill for a purpose. Protect our family, our lands, and our legacy.
The girl who has haunted my dreams since before I can remember is finally within my grasp, but I can’t claim her. What I plan to do will be the fucking hardest thing I will ever have to do. When we reach Skorraey, we are going to use her as bait to lure out Bjarne and Asbjørn. In order for me to go through with the plan, I need to let her go. My heart is tearing itself apart at the thought of what must be done. The beast inside me is on the verge of unleashing, but I can’t let him out. To save her life, I have to play into the devil's hands.
No one knows what I intend to do, and it's better if it stays that way. My brothers would never let it happen. To take the place of another is to condemn your soul and ruin the chances of the gods welcoming you into Valhalla.
The trek to the caves is a long one, but eventful. The past few days, I have kept her at a distance, but somehow, she has broken down my defenses. Stephanie drills me with questions about anything and everything, and I can answer with ease. She is my light in the world, one that will never go out. Just being around her makes me smile like a goofball who is falling hard. Fuck, I can’t think like this.
Keeping myself a few paces ahead of Steph, I scan the entrance of the ice cave to make sure everything is all clear. The mountain is quiet, but I can hear the wind howling against the walls and a few animals scurrying around.
“Oh. My. Holy. Sweet. Alien. Babies.” Stephanie says as she pauses after each word. Her eyes are popping out of her head as she scans on the opening of the cave.
Large icicles hang on the outside of the opening, giving it an ominous look. The lining of the walls has a black catalyzed look that makes it look like we are about to walk into another world.
“You haven’t seen anything yet.” I wink, causing her cheeks to redden and my cock to strain against my pants.
Doing what I can to adjust and make sure she doesn’t see the effect she has on me, I set our packs on the outside of the entrance, and turn towards Steph. Unlocking the clips from my snowshoes, I walk over to Steph and bend down in front of her. Something flashes in her eyes, and she takes a few steps back.
“Uh, what are you doing?” Steph asks as she maneuvers her feet away from me.
Shaking my head, I grab her ankle and yank it towards me. A small smile starts to form as I think about her ridiculous fear of ice and how she said they do not get along. I am already one step ahead of her. “We can’t use the snowshoes inside; I need to take them off.”
Stephanie shakes her head and involuntarily starts to rub her ass. Biting back the groan and mental images that are invading my mind, I unhook the clasps and slide my hand inside her pant leg.
Wrapping my hand around her ankle, I hear a small intake of breath. Against my better judgment, I look up and see heat pooling in her eyes. Tension builds around us, pulling us closer together. My thumb starts to trace small circles, and my cock strains, thinking about what I could do to her right now.
The damn thing has never been this hard before. Hard yes, but to the point of insanity and leaking just by looking at her? No. You’d think I’m a damn virgin at this rate.
Keeping my hand firmly grasping her ankle, I reach inside my bag and pull out two small leather sleeves, which wrap around the underside of your shoes, to stop you from slipping. There are small tiny spikes to grip the ice to make sure nothing will happen.
Etienne warned me about her relationship with ice, so I figured this wouldn’t be a bad idea. “What are those?” Steph asks out of curiosity.
“After witnessing you at the bar the other night, and knowing your fear of ice, I figured you could need these,” I say, as I place the first grip on her boot and move to the next.
Her brows are scrunched together for a fraction of a second before they shoot up to her hairline as she figures out what they are.
“Also, I don’t want to pull your ass out of another snow bank. Not that I minded the view.” I wink as I put on the last wrap.
A loud oomph escapes my lips as she tackles me to the ground. Her body is flush against mine, but we don’t move. Heat is still pooling in her gaze, but there is something else. Before I can decipher what I see, she leans forward and places a chaste kiss on my cheek. “Thank you.”
The emotion behind those two words causes my arms to wrap around her waist and press her tightly against me. Nuzzling her neck, my nose trails from her earlobe to the base of her shoulder. Her scent causes the beast inside to mentally claim her as our own.
Fuck. I am supposed to be keeping away from her, but every fiber of my being is calling out to her. Steph never moves as I lightly trail my lips against her jawline. Her breathing starts to get heavier, but something snaps inside me, and I stop before I step into dangerous waters.
With a hair’s breath between our lips, we stare at each other for what feels like hours but is only mere seconds. The world around us ceases to exist, everything is gone, except for us. Tightening my arms around her, everything screams at me to end this now and just take her. She closes her eyes, waiting, but I roll her over on her back and start to stand.
Watching the hurt and confusion in her eyes at what just happened, I reach my hand out and pull her to her feet. She mutters a few curses about smashing balls, and I do my best to hide the laughter that is battling inside of me.
Taking her hand in mine, I ignore the murderous glare and pull her inside.
One night trapped under the stars with her is going to be tougher than I thought. Do the gods hate me this much? All
I have ever done is serve them and protect what we were born to do. But Steph changes that. She makes me want to live for me and have my own life. Away from the death and endless wars that no one will ever win. All around me is nothing but death and destruction.
With Steph, there is life and beauty. Laughter and love. Everything I knew I could never have. But maybe I can…
“OMG, Finn.” Steph tightens her grip on my hand as we walk through the threshold.
The walls look like water has been frozen in time. Colors of light and dark blue are swirling all around, encasing us in an icy wonderland. Light shines off certain parts of the cave, making it look like tiny stars are glowing from the night sky.
The ground is a solid sheet of ice, which gives a glimpse at the endless mass below. In certain parts of the cave, there is nothing but darkness, but other parts have large rocks, frozen in time.
Steph keeps a tight grip on my hand as I pull her farther into the cave. Her eyes scan the cave with wonder, but I see fear clouding her vision. When her eyes drop down to our feet, she squeals and leaps into my arms.
“Don’t look down, don’t look down.” Her arms are tightly secured around my neck, cutting off my air supply, and her legs are securely fastened around my waist, not letting go.
Tapping her on the shoulder, I mouth, ‘can't breathe,’ and she releases her hold, but only a fraction. Just enough for me to be able to breathe.
Her body trembles in my arms and she keeps muttering, ‘don’t look down, don’t look down.’ Goddammit, Etienne. He told me her fear and hatred for ice is bad, but he didn’t tell me it is this bad. I am going to kill that fucking piece of shit when I see him again.
Rubbing my hand on her back, I feel her tense, and slowly the tremors start to subside. “Easy, Steph. I’ve got you.”
“Oh yeah, easy for you to say. You don’t have a black ice abyss that is ready to swallow you whole. Then again, I’d rather have that swallow me whole than deal with an ape-man who gives a girl whiplash and endless blue balls. Well, not blue balls, more like a frozen taco that needs some sauce to fire it up.” She mutters under her breath, but her entire body locks in place when she realizes what she just said.
“Oh, shit.” She squeals.
My shoulders start to shake, and laughter pours out of my lips. I hear Steph groan and begin to untangle herself, but I hold her in place. Tears start to fill my vision, and this is the first time in a long time since I have laughed this hard.
“Zip it, ape-man.” Steph snaps, but I can see she is trying her best to keep the smile off her face.
Coughing a few times, I reign in my laughter. She is still tightly wrapped around me, and right now, I wouldn’t have it any other way. It feels so damn good to have her this close to me. Praying her pants are thick enough, I try to think about anything other than her pussy being barely an inch away from my cock.
“Ape-man? Frozen taco who needs sauce?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.
Stephanie leans back, and she is trying hard not to smile. Her lip is sucked in between her teeth, but her eyes betray her.
“I would never put you in harm’s way, Steph.”
“Why?” She asks breathless, looking for answers I can’t give her yet.
Ignoring her question, I grip her hips and pull her off me. When she is on her own two feet, I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her close. “Come on. I need to show you something.”
The smile that shined in her eyes a minute ago is now gone, and fear takes its place. Pulling her into my chest, my other hand cups her chin and makes her look at me. “I’ve got you. You are worth more to me than anything else in the world. Trust me.”
Steph’s mouth opens and closes a few times, but she says nothing. Well, that’s a first. Keeping my arm around her shoulders, we slowly make our way to something I have been dying to show her. Etienne and I found this beauty a few years ago, and all we could talk about was showing Cameron and Stephanie. Something frozen in time that will never be forgotten.
“Where are you taking me?” Steph asks, but not quite directing the question at me. Her eyes continue to roam everything around us while her arms stay tightly secured around my waist. Her mouth is open in awe, and the fear that filled her eyes is now gone.
Doing everything I can to keep the grin off my face, I tell her the story of how we stumbled upon this gem. “A few years ago, Etienne and I hiked this mountain, before we had to part ways for a while. We stumbled upon this cave while a massive storm started blowing in, and we figured why not look around. There was no way we would survive out in the storm, so we figured, what the hell. There was no sign of any animals, but we had to make sure. The cave provided cover from the bitter cold and harsh winds. It was a miracle we even found this place.”
“And you didn’t think bears or wolves occupied this place?”
“Nah, when we stumbled inside, there was nothing but ice everywhere. A bear would never live here, and wolves would have already hidden when they felt the storm coming in.” I shrug. We are only a few feet from what I want to show her.
My hands start to sweat, anticipating her reaction. As a history geek, she is going to scream when she sees this.
“This is out of this world. How did the ice form weird designs like that? I mean, this is… I have no words. Th-”
Jackpot.
In front of us, frozen in time, are wooden fixtures, with wood carvings depicting a time long ago. A few wooden beams are sticking out of the ice, while the majority of it is frozen below. Wooden carvings of the gods are scattered throughout the design, showing this person or family’s loyalty. The thing is, I know who this family was.
She starts to hop up and down when her eyes land on the surprise. Ignoring the fact that we are standing on ice, a missive grin explodes on her face, and that same sparkle shines in her eyes once again. And it’s adorable as hell.
“Oh my God. Is this-”
“Go,” I tell her, knowing the question she was about to ask.
Steph takes a few steps forward and kneels before the wooden beams. Her hand traces the frozen objects below, never saying a word. Making sure not to touch the beams, her hand hovers over the top of the shaft and stops over the family crest.
“What happened to them?” She turns to me with fascination in her eyes.
“My guess is, they got trapped here. This family is well known in the old language. When we stumbled across this, we knew we found a gold mine.” Kneeling next to Steph, I place my hand over hers and pull it to my chest.
Everything inside me is screaming to tell her the truth. The crest in the beam is a symbol of the Iseley’s. A prominent family in society that stood by the royalty of their time. Born from a royal line, Stephanie is a descendant of the Iseley’s. She is kneeling before a priceless artifact that shows a small piece of her family heritage.
I open my mouth to spill my guts and tell her the truth, but orange flames kiss the walls, signaling our time is up. “What the hell, asshole? You were supposed to wait for me.” Walking up to us with a small fire lamp, he sets it down next to us. “Couldn’t wait, could you?”
I roll my eyes at Etienne’s ridiculous display of acting mad, since, he walked off to give us some time alone. He knows the turmoil that is wracking my body about my decision. He is the only one who knows.
“Nah. You were taking too long.” I play along, not wanting to give away what I was just about to do. I release Steph’s hand as Etienne gives me a questioning look.
Ignoring what just happened, he narrows his eyes, telling me this isn’t over. “What do you think, Steph?” Etienne asks as he kneels beside her.
“What do I think? This is incredible! Something was frozen in time, and you both stumbled upon it. Do you know who it belongs to? What century? Eek! My brain is going into overdrive. Have you guys told anyone?” She asks as he looks back and forth between us.
Sharing a knowing look with Etienne, we both shake our heads no. If Cameron were still alive, he would keep th
is under lock and key. The Iseley name needs to stay hidden from the modern world. So, the responsibility lies to the next of kin, her.
“We told the proper authorities and are just waiting to hear back. Until then, we can visit as much as we want, but have to make sure no one knows.” Etienne lies.
“So why bring me here?” Steph asks as her eyes sparkle with fascination. Did I say sparkle? Fuck, I did. Goddammit.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Etienne get up and walk towards the entrance. “We know you. Finn figured instead of telling you; we should show you.”
Never breaking contact with Steph and wishing I still held her hand to my chest, I imagine the taste of her lips on mine. What it would feel like to hold her like I did the other night, my fingers running through her soft brown hair and letting my eyes soak her in.
“Anywho, lovebirds. It’s getting dark out, and we need to make camp. The show is about to start, and we want to make sure our camp is ready before it starts.”
“What show?”
Chapter 18
~ Stephanie ~
Finn is one of the most infuriating men I have ever met. Touch me, kiss me, mess with my head and make me want you more. No, don’t touch me. Touch me; I need you. No, don’t touch. I swear I am getting whiplash just thinking about all of this. But today seems to be different. I don’t know how to explain it, but the way he’s been looking at me makes me feel like I am the only girl in the world he has eyes for.
As the guys finish setting up everything, which by the way, I asked numerous times to see if I could help, only to get shot down, I lay nestled in my sleeping bag next to the opening of the cave, looking at the gorgeous view before me.
The open land before us is swallowed in darkness, and the sky is as dark as night. Clouds cover the stars, but as the minutes pass by, the clouds start to disappear, allowing the moon and stars to shine.
A Viking's Lost Soul Page 12