A smile starts to blossom as I think about everything that has happened so far. The fact that we almost kissed, my word vomit about my vagina, the history piece frozen in time, and the vulnerability in his eyes, made this a pretty great trip so far.
When Etienne is around, Finn blocks everyone out and acts like an ape-man, but when it’s just him and me, he is an open book which is ready to spill his secrets.
I could have sworn he was going to tell me something before Etienne showed up, but I could have been mistaken or imagining things. I’ll go with the latter.
The wind has started to die down, and the snow flurries stopped a while back. Animals brave enough to weather this ungodly temperature are running around and having a blast. The guys behind me grunt and mutter something that I can’t hear.
As I watch a pack of wolves’ hunt for dinner, an arctic fox poked its head around a tree trunk to see what we are doing, and several birds flying overhead.
“Here.” Finn hands me something in tin foil, which is warm to the touch and smells delicious. Forgetting to put my gloves on, I sigh in bliss when the heat touches my frozen fingers.
“Thanks,” I reply as I start to open the bag.
“HOWL!” Several wolf howls echo all around us, and the sky starts to open. The moon's light starts to peek through the clouds and shine on the world around us. The snow shimmers when the light kisses it, and the wolves stand at attention.
The stars start to sparkle and explode as the last of the clouds begin to dissipate. Billions of stars litter the sky. Constellations I have wished to see all my life are staring back at me, and I am truly speechless. I have seen pictures all over the world, but this is unlike anything I have ever imagined.
“That’s twice in one day,” Finn says with a knowing smirk. I roll my eyes at his ridiculous comment, but my heart also does a summersault as fireworks burst in my stomach at the thought of him noticing.
He drops down next to me, and I lift the sleeping bag for him to snuggle in next to me.
“You have a way of making things interesting,” I say, taking a small bite of my dinner and doing my best not to moan. Inside the tin foil is steamed meat and vegetables, and it smells divine. Not caring about silverware, I take another small piece and shove it in my mouth.
A small moan escapes my lips, but I couldn’t care less. This is amazing.
“Please don’t do that. I don’t need to know what sound my sister makes when she gets turned on.” Etienne says as he sits down on the other side of me.
Elbowing him in the ribs, he shakes his head and looks up at the sky.
“Ass.”
“Brat.”
Finn stays quiet the entire time, but he never takes his eyes off me. I feel a slight movement, and soon his arms are wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me in tight. Since leaving the cabin, it seems like Finn is incapable of keeping his hands off me. Not that I mind, I freaking love it, but tonight he seems different.
“It’s about to start.” I jump and bite back a squeal when I hear Finn’s voice so close to me. His trademark smirk causes me to roll my eyes and nestle closer to him. I don’t care what happens tomorrow, screw the consequences. At this moment, I am in complete and utter contentment. I will deal with the backlash tomorrow.
As the wolves continue to howl, the night sky explodes with shooting stars. One after another shoots through the sky. I have no idea how long it lasts, but I would never trade this moment for anything.
Nestled in the crook of Finn's neck, I hear his voice sing a song I haven’t heard since I was a child.
“Det är väl ingen dager än,
Fast Eder tyckes så,
Det är den ljusa stjärnan
Som för dagen plägar gå.”
“There is no sign of dawn
Even if it seems to be
It is the shining star
Promising the day to come.
The soothing sound of his voice makes the darkness start to cloud my vision, and I drift off into a blissful sleep, without any of the nightmares that normally plague me, from the time that I cannot forget.
Stirring in my sleep, I feel a heavy mass on top of me, and it feels like I am in a sauna. Please don’t let it be a wolf, please, oh please. Opening my eyes, it takes a few minutes for my eyes to adjust. When my blurry vision starts to clear, I see something I was not expecting.
Finn’s face is inches from mine, and his massive muscular leg is draped over my short, stubby ones. Weaved into a pretzel, I lay completely still and take a moment to act like a creeper and check him out.
The hard lines that plague his forehead, and the vein that normally tells me he’s worried, are no longer there. His face is completely relaxed, and he’s breathing with ease.
Right now, he looks like any other man. Seeing him this vulnerable in his sleep, tugs at my heartstrings. No. No. No. I cannot be falling for this man. Shoot, we hardly know each other.
“I have never seen him like this with anyone. He is a good man, Steph. Just give him a chance and be patient. He has a dark past that most would run screaming from, but through all the darkness and bullshit, he is worth the wait.” Etienne says, taking a sip of his steaming cup of coffee. He is leaning against the opening with his arms crossed over his chest.
Wiggling free from the massive weight next to me, I get a few inches away, before I feel his arms snake around me and pull me in close. I feel soft lips on my neck, mumbling something about ‘mine,’ until he falls back asleep.
“Et-”
Etienne puts his hands up and stops me before I can argue. “He is a man of few words. But I have never seen him like this, or you, for that matter. You’ve put your foot in your mouth more times than I can count, and you are constantly tripping over yourself. When was the last time you felt out of control and free around someone? When was the last time you felt like yourself and could do whatever the hell you want?”
“Never,” I whisper, as my hands start to rub Finn’s forearm and trace circles on his hand.
“Exactly. I need to go before Finn wakes up. He isn’t exactly a morning person, and I would rather not see him fuck your brains out.” With that said, Etienne heads into the far end of the cave and starts to pack up our gear.
But one thing does tug at the back of my mind. When was the last time I felt out of control and free around someone? Never. Etienne is like a brother, but no man has made me feel like this. No control, wild and free; No worries about how I look or what I should say. I can be me. The last time I felt like myself and could do whatever the hell I want? Never. I’ve always felt trapped and needed to do what everyone else told me. The only two people in this world who know the real me, are Etienne and Sam.
Why is it Finn has destroyed all my walls, and I don’t have to pretend to be something I am not? He is an asshole who broods all day and hardly says two words. Then I find out that he made Luna the custom cat house, he laughs over the most ridiculous things, like me dancing from excitement over the priceless treasure or the fact he couldn’t keep his hands to himself last night; Every time his hands brush mine, I feel fire explode against my skin, and my heart skips a beat. Butterflies blossom in my stomach, and I begin to imagine his lips on mine again.
He laughed when I showed him made up pictures in the stars, and he soon started to join in. We created our own stories. He never once let me go last night. He never had that look of pain and confliction.
I feel Finn start to stir and freeze the moment he sees me. His eyes blink a few times, and the smirk that causes my panties to melt once again starts to form. I need to get a grip and buy some new underwear. “Good morning.”
He places a soft kiss on my forehead and pushes a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “Good morning.”
I feel his leg lift off mine and almost whimper when I feel the loss. Biting my tongue, so my body doesn’t betray me, I slide my hand under his jacket and run my hand below his navel. Feeling my fingers expand against his skin, I hear a sharp intake of br
eath.
The blue eyes that have captured me since day one start to darken and desire pools within them. Shifting my body closer, I feel his massively hard erection against my thigh. Damn, he is stacked.
Being brave and taking a page out of Samantha’s book, I lean forward and place a soft kiss on his lips. I hear a guttural growl before his hand snakes behind my neck, and he slams his lips on mine. My mind is spinning out of control when he shifts me under him and devours me. Our tongues clash together, thirsting to claim each other as our own.
My hands wrap around his neck, and I pull him closer. My hands tangle in his hair, loving the way it feels against my skin. The kiss starts to deepen, then all too soon, I feel him pull away and sprint off me.
Several curses fly out of his mouth in his native tongue, which only turns me on more. I normally hate the chase, but this man has changed everything I have ever known. He wants me, I can see it in his eyes. But something is holding him back.
Etienne wouldn’t have set me up with a man who is married or with another woman. But Finn is a mystery. He is a man who, when you find out the real person, will blow your mind and ruin you forever.
Finn pauses at the entrance of the cave and stares back at me. His eyes burn with desire, urging me to go to him. Before I can make a move, he shakes his head and bolts.
Groaning, I silently curse myself. My poor girl is in constant need and is dying for a release. There is only so much poor Ragnar can do at this moment. Throwing the sleeping bag off my legs, I curse Mother Nature when a gust of wind as cold as balls hits my legs.
“Well, that was entertaining.”
“Glad my sexual frustration and need for a guy, who is clearly not interested, amuses you.” I groan but know everything I just said is a lie.
“Bullshit.” Etienne spits, before putting away the last of his gear.
Ignoring Etienne’s look, I turn my gaze back to where Finn disappeared. How long will this game last, Finn? Because game on.
Chapter 19
~ Finn ~
“What’s your status, Athena?” I ask, keeping my voice down. Four men are surveying our cabin. Leaving Steph in the mountain with Etienne is the stupidest thing I ever could have done, but I had to get the fuck out of there.
I let my guard down for one day, and she crawled her way back into my cold, callous heart. Etienne ripped my ass a new one after she passed out and frankly, I deserved it. But I am saving her. I am doing this for her.
Who wants to live a life full of death, destruction, and corruption? Forever living a life with one eye open, never knowing who to trust. A gun is always pointed at the back of your head, but you never know who will pull the trigger.
“Someone is in a pissy mood. Who the fuck crawled up your vag and died?” Athena snaps before moving into place. “I swear if you get me killed because your girl parts are having issues, I will come back and haunt your ass. Got it?”
“Will you two shut the fuck up?” Christian hisses, before slipping inside the building. “I don’t need this shit right now. Kill the target and get the fuck out. I don’t need to hear about Finn’s pussy issues right now.”
Christian’s voice comes over the small intercom in my ear as I adjust, waiting for the signal. “If I needed another’s opinion, I would of fucking asked for it. Bones, get your ass on the roof and keep an eye out.”
“One mother fucking time. Remind me never to tell you guys shit.” Karl, a.k.a Ghost, quips before scaling up the side of the building with his gun strapped to his back.
“Not our fault you told us how much you loved Bones from Star Trek. Kind of creepy you have a thing for the actor with the same name as you.” Ian’s voice comes through the intercom, and I hear a few gunshots sound off, and men scream in agony. “I got a cousin who looks like him, want me to set you up?”
Karl shakes his head and does his best to keep from giving away our position. With one shotgun strapped to his back and one mag locked on each leg, he is ready to get over with. “Ghost, go out back and kill off the runaways. Barbarian, leave the target for me.”
Karl nods his head and slithers his way around the building. I hear a loud oomph, and a crack before a body gets dragged to the side. “Two up ahead. Give me fifteen seconds.”
“You got five, Ghost,” I tell Karl as I start making my move. “This ends now. We hit Skorraey in less than a week. I don’t want to have to fucking worry about these punks when Steph meets her family.”
“Aww, he does have a heart. And here I thought he was a soulless bastard who enjoyed fucking with my best friend and was too much of a pussy to do something about it.” Athena snarks in my ear.
“Amen, Athena. If he doesn’t get his shit straight, I’m going to make a move. She is hot.” Darren quips as I hear him take out a few men.
“Marvel,” I growl. Keeping my body flush against the wall, I pull out my gun and make sure everything is all set. “I will fucking gut you like a goddamn pig if you so much as look at her in that way.”
“Please, you are all bark and no bite. Let a real man take care of her.”
Then something snaps. Kicking down the door, five men stumble to get their guns, but it’s too late. They were already dead the moment I kicked down the door. Five direct hits and they are making their way to Valhalla.
Not giving the bodies another glance, I slam open the side door and deliver four shots to my pursuers.
“Mind leaving some for little old me,” Athena says as she runs past me with her fiery red-haired braid draped over her shoulder. With two matching .45 cal guns in the holsters on her shoulders, she runs down the hallway towards our objective.
“Athena,” I warn, knowing full well if she does what I think she is going to do, she is a dead woman.
“Oh, calm your tits, I will leave him be. I may lick him a few times, but you are granted permission to pee and mark your territory.” She jokes over our com, as several shots fire, but her steady breathing tells me she is having the time of her life. Her laughter rings down the hall, and when I enter the room, she has her boot slammed onto the face of a man who is weeping for his mother.
“Done yet?” I cross my arms and holster my gun, waiting for her to get it out of her system.
“You have got two minutes before the Cavalry gets here. Hurry up and get the fuck out of there.” Bones barks, snapping Athena out of whatever zone she is in because she pulls out her gun and shoots him in the head.
Blowing on the tip of the barrel, she pushes his body to the side and bolts downstairs. “He isn’t here.”
“No fucking shit, Sherlock. Where the hell did that asshole go?”
“Don’t worry your pretty little head, my dear Finn. Your present is outside waiting for you.” Marvel’s voice sings through the com and gives us the coordinates to his location.
Not wasting another second, we bolt out the door and run. Karl slides down the wall, and we run to end this, once and for all.
Only a mile away from the building, Bjarne’s son is on his knees with his hands tied behind his back. Blood is trickling down his face from his broken nose, but that is the least of his worries.
“Asbjørn.”
Spitting blood out of his mouth, he gives me a smug look. “Finn Móðrbiǫð.”
Taking the last few steps to him, rage and everything I have felt since I was thirteen, start to burn through my veins. Avenge them, says the beast within me. Make him suffer like they did.
“You think killing me will stop them. She will never be safe with you. When our men get ahold of her, she will beg for death. No one will take mercy on that innocent piece of ass. Not even the gods will stop us from taking what is ours.”
“Tie him up.” I bark, trying everything in my power not to think about what he just said. No one will lay a fucking hand on Steph.
Darren and Christian hit Asbjørn a few times when he struggles to break free, then they slam his body on the ground with his back facing me.
“Finn don’t.” Athena moves in
to my line of vision and puts her hands on my chest. “Don’t become like them. Think of your family.”
Shoving her behind me, I pull out my knife and mentally prepare myself for what I need to do.
“Goddammit, Finn. Think of Steph. Do you think this is the man she wants to be with? I want revenge more than anything, but this is not what we fucking do. Fight, Kill, Erase. That is what we do. We don’t fucking perform something that has been against our code for centuries. Listen to me!” Athena dives onto my back, but her attempts are pointless.
This man fucking killed my family. He was the man behind the knife that slit my mother’s throat, and he raped my sister before she died. He deserves far worse than what I am about to do to him.
“Fuck. Ian, Karl, stop him. Darren, give me your phone.” Athena jumps off my back and catches a phone midair.
“Why the hell would we stop him?” Karl asks, unsure about what he should do.
“Because if he does this, we will never be able to get him back. Look at his eyes.” Athena motions with her hands as she dials someone’s number.
“Who the fuck are you calling?” I snarl, as my eyes never leave the man who is the bane of my existence.
Athena puts the phone to her ear and murmurs to someone on the phone. Moving the phone in front of her, she puts it on speaker, “What’s going on, Sam?”
“Put Steph on the phone.” She orders. My eyes snap to hers, and suddenly everything inside me starts to churn.
Etienne grumbles and tells Steph she has a phone call. “Sam?”
“Hey girl, I just wanted to let you know I finished my shoot early and should be stateside in a month or so. How much longer are you going to be in Norway?”
The hatred I had towards this man starts to ebb away as reality hits me full blast at the reality of what I was about to do. What the hell is wrong with me?
“No way! Um, we just got to Good-whatever-en, and then I guess we meet the crusty old folks in about a week. But to be honest, I am dreading it. I am having a blast with Etienne and Finn, even though Finn is an emotionless sap, who is wreaking havoc on my girl parts.” I hear the sweet sound of her laughter, and I start to regain control. Seeing the man who made my world hell and took everything from me so long ago, has more power over me than I ever thought was possible.
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