“I need to know what’s going to happen to you,” Veronica murmured.
“My actions will be presented at the Thing on the morrow,” he said.
Her heart rate increased. That’s what she figured might happen. Veronica met his eyes, determined to keep her voice level, calm. “Who will argue on Hamdir’s behalf?”
“Likely his friends.”
“And for you?”
“Nobody. I will defend myself.”
That didn’t sound promising. “Am I allowed to stand with you? Argue on your behalf?"
“That is unnecessary.” Raknar shook his head. “They were my actions. Not yours.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“No.”
Her eyes narrowed.
Raknar sighed, gaze on the shore. “I have eliminated Hamdir as a threat. If you stand with me against my accusers, it will once more put you in harm’s way. Whether or not the judgment against me is death, you will become their next target.”
“Death,” she rasped, eyes widening as she slid her hand into his. “Tell me Naðr won’t order that.”
“My brother will do what he has to.” Raknar threaded his fingers with hers but kept his eyes away. “He will do the right thing based on the evidence presented.”
“Well, that’s a bunch of bullshit,” she huffed. “Might it not be argued that because he’s taken over two weeks to make a decision that you were driven to take action? Who knows, it might have been Kol or even Megan that ended up doing what you did tonight.”
Raknar’s eyes shot to hers. “I won't put this on Naðr. And I am not afraid of death if that is what he decides.”
Her chest tightened. “Maybe I’m afraid for you,” she said before she could stop herself. But it was out and she meant it. She didn’t want him to die.
The hard set of his eyes softened and his grip tightened. “I would rather go drink ale with Odin than have your life be threatened.”
“But I’ve got you defending me now.”
“And I did.”
Frustrated, she was about to say more when he nodded at the sky over the mountains. “It’s almost time.” His eyes again went to hers. “Do you trust me?”
Trust him? Unequivocally. “Yes.”
“Good.” He wrapped an arm under the cloak, around her waist and pulled her against his side. A strange sensation rippled through her. Desire, certainly, but something else. Something undefinable.
Tiny tingles spread through her veins and gooseflesh rose on her skin. His whispered words came against her ear. “What you’re feeling is magic. My magic.” He again nodded at the sky over the mountains. “Watch.”
For a moment, she figured he was being sexual when he spoke of his magic but the thought filtered away as she gazed above the mountains. At first it was just a brightening of the flickering stars.
Then something started to happen.
Movement.
Veronica blinked several times, sure she was seeing things. Her eyes widened as something started to take shape and shift across the sky from left to right, North to South. A long trail of what looked to be…spirits? Transparent but somehow visible, they were made of stars and dust as they raced after what appeared to be hounds, as well as horses.
“It is the Wild Hunt,” Raknar murmured. “Odin’s hunt.”
Her jaw fell open as the long band of entities turned and raced from the mountains in their direction.
“Holy crap,” she whispered and grasped his hand tighter.
“Don't be afraid,” he murmured. “They but pass over. When they do, you may see…”
But she couldn’t hear what he said next as they flew overhead and stars seemed to scatter everywhere, falling, drifting, hovering around them. It felt like they were suddenly sitting inside a magical snow globe. Better yet, that they were sitting high in the sky and part of the stars themselves.
The air smelled sweet yet still held the unmistakable tang of salt. Not only their surroundings warmed but something inside. Her heart filled not with fear, but an indescribable peace as spirits floated around them. At first they blurred by so quickly that they were featureless.
Until one wasn’t as he sat on the bench across from them laughing and smiling as he watched the hunt fly over his head. Then his young eyes went to her and Veronica’s throat closed.
Matthew?
Her son?
The age he would have been had he lived.
It couldn’t be…but she knew it was. When he smiled, so incredibly happy, she smiled back even as tears leaked from her eyes. There was nothing but pure solace in the way he looked at her.
And she knew.
He was here to comfort her. To let her know that he was okay and that he didn’t want her to be sad anymore. When his smile widened, something heavy inside her lifted. Sorrow. Guilt. Pure heartache.
“I love you,” she whispered.
He nodded. He knew.
Their eyes held and indescribable love passed between them.
Then, suddenly, another spirit drifted down and stood beside him. A woman. With long streaming pale blond hair, she was utterly beautiful as her skirts billowed in a phantom wind and her kind eyes met Raknar’s.
“Aesa,” he whispered.
Aesa? Naðr’s deceased wife? So it seemed. She looked at him for a long moment, love in her eyes, before her gaze shifted to Veronica. Though it was nearly impossible to keep from looking at her son, she couldn’t tear her gaze from Aesa. It was as if she was being compelled.
Then one single word drifted through her mind.
Love.
Matthew stood as two small spirits drifted down, fluttering around him until one landed on each of his shoulders.
Ravens.
The same birds she’d followed in a dream along coastal Maine. The same two that had appeared before she arrived in England. Matthew smiled as he patted first one then the other before his tender gaze met Veronica's and a young boy’s voice whispered through her mind.
His voice.
I’m happy. So happy. It’s better where I am. I will see you again someday. I love you.
Then his hand slipped into Aesa’s and they smiled at one another before the woman’s eyes once more found hers. Live a full life for him. Embrace love. Matthew will be waiting wherever you wish to go in the end. Heaven or Valhalla.
Veronica stood as the last of the spectral hunters flew by overhead and Aesa and Matthew wisped up and vanished into a trail of stars. She watched with renewed awe as the birds circled around her several times then flew off after the huntsmen. As soon as the spirits vanished on the horizon a wide spectrum of greens, blues and purples burst across the sky.
The northern lights. Aurora Borealis.
Then, if everything she just witnessed wasn’t enough, the cylinder hanging around her neck fell into her hand…
And searing pain stung her shoulder.
Chapter Ten
Raknar pulled Veronica’s trembling body onto his lap and did his best to soothe her.
“My shoulder,” she murmured and winced. Yet the pain did not seem to capture her attention as much as the cylinder in her palm. He didn’t blame her.
Glowing, two runic symbols repeated and overlapped up and down the small tube.
The Helm of Awe’s light blue.
The Hugin and Munin's dark green.
His eye color. And Veronica’s.
Just as Megan and Naðr’s cylinder had glowed, mimicking their rune staves and eye colors.
Moments after the symbols on Veronica’s small cylinder appeared, they slowly vanished.
Her hand drifted to the back of her shoulder and she whispered, “I’ve been marked by the seers like Megan was, haven’t I?”
Raknar brushed aside her hair and tunic. Though the cylinder had been direct enough, he couldn’t help but sigh with relief when nothing less than pure satisfaction blew through him.
“Yes,” he murmured. His eyes met hers as he brushed his thumb gently over h
er new tattoo. “With Hugin and Munin. Odin’s ravens.”
Her eyes closed and she nodded, lower lip trembling before she whispered, “Thought and Memory.” Then her eyes slowly met his. “Memories. Yours and mine.”
Troubled, he was sad for her while simultaneously joyous that the seers and gods had claimed her…for him. Because if they did not do it soon, he was going to take matters into his own hands.
Raknar pulled her against him and held her for a long while. Until he was confident that she would be all right. Eventually, he cupped her cheek gently, cherishing. “Are you well?”
Though she no longer cried, moisture still glistened and matted her long, thick lashes as she held his gaze. “I am. Better than I have been in a long time.” Then, despite the heaviness of her emotions, her concern turned to him. “Aesa was here…so how are you?”
Raknar knew Megan hadn’t told Veronica the dynamics of his relationship with Aesa any more than she’d shared that Veronica had a son. It seemed her sister was truly as wise as he thought. The information should not come from her but from them…to each other. He had been working toward that when he purposefully showed her the tattoo on his back before he left. Then she chose Kol so nothing more was shared.
Until now.
But first…
“Veronica, do you truly understand why you were able to see what you just did…something man cannot normally view. Something hindered from their sight because they are only of this place, Middle Earth.”
“Your magic,” she said softly and surprised him when she continued. “After traveling back in time and seeing what I just did…my son, believing that you possess magic is becoming less and less of a far-fetched idea.”
Raknar slowly nodded, cupped her other cheek, eyes never leaving hers. “Do you know what I am, Veronica?”
Her breathing increased. The scent of her unexpected desire hit his nostrils. He inhaled. She shifted. His eyes fell to her lips. Odin above, he had never wanted to kiss a woman so much.
But not yet.
Not until she understood.
“Dragon,” she whispered and swallowed, voice steadier. “Part dragon.”
He brushed the pads of his thumbs over the delicate flesh of her defined cheekbones, his voice low and primal as not only he but the beast within responded. “Yes. Part dragon.”
“I’m not afraid,” she said, eyes unwavering. “Not at all.”
“Then you are as rare as your sister,” he murmured.
Aesa had said as much when she came and freed his soul. But even Raknar knew pulling away from Veronica would be impossible even if she had not. So he at last did what he had been waiting so long to do.
Kissed her.
The moment his lips touch hers it felt like Valhalla merged with Middle Earth. Like the seas rose up and perched them on the highest wave, frozen in time, frozen in a singular moment unlike any other. A low growl rumbled in his chest as their tongues swirled, tasted, sampled…
Devoured.
Veronica tasted like his deepest, darkest desires, like pleasures he never allowed himself.
But he would now.
Raknar stood, thrust her fur onto the bench beneath them then pulled her over his lap until she straddled him. The heat between her legs burned his rigid cock and he wished to hel she wasn’t wearing trousers. They might be sexy, but they weren’t as convenient as a dress.
Still, they were workable.
Once more wrapping his tongue around hers, he dug his hands into her hair, tilted her head and all but ate her alive. A long, low moan vibrated up from her chest when he released her hair and grabbed her ass. He yanked her tightly against him as he ground his arousal between her quivering thighs.
Raknar began to tremble as not only desire but emotion seized him. He again dug his hand into her hair and ripped his lips from hers, breath ragged as his eyes found hers. “You saw a lot tonight. Too much. Think, Veronica. Is this what you want right now?”
Breath just as choppy, she whispered, “Not only what I want but what I need.”
Their eyes held as low waves lapped against the boat and the underside of Odin’s, Asgard shimmered and burst across the sky. Otherwise known to her as Aurora Borealis.
“The sky is bright,” she said. “Can we be seen from shore?” Her eyes flickered around. “Better yet, can the boat handle it?”
“Yes, the boat can handle it.” If it couldn’t, he would make damn sure it did via magic. “And no, we can’t be seen. Except by those with superior vision.” He quirked the corner of his lips. “So my brothers and Kjar could see us… but I’d imagine they’re busy.”
Veronica didn’t consider long before she nodded once and murmured, “I don’t care.”
He tried. He really did. But nothing could stop him now. Not only the Viking male but the dragon responded instantaneously to both her words and the silent plea in her liquid green eyes. Holding her gaze, he cupped either side of her neck and licked his lips, hungry for everything she was about to give him.
Intrigued by the feel of her smooth skin and the gentle contours of her body, he ran his hands over the fine bones of her shoulder blades. Then down her soft, toned arms until he swooped his hands along either side of her chest, palming the edges of her breasts before trailing his hands down. Once there, he tightened his grip. She gasped. Her pupils flared. But he was only memorizing the dimensions of her slender waist, the way her body curved and flared.
Releasing a scant fraction of the intensity he felt, he continued his slow roam down her body until he folded his hands around her hips then upper thighs. He loved this part of her. Underused, slim, bones obvious, he looked forward to building muscle here as she rode him again and again over the years. When her body changed, grew stronger, he’d know it was because of the effort, passion, inability to do anything but use him until her muscles burned and he had to take over.
Eyes never leaving hers, he brushed his knuckles over her center, thrumming them down over her core, challenging her the whole time to never lose his gaze.
And she didn’t.
Mostly.
The dragon within flared. Demanded submission. He clenched his teeth. While tempted to order her to kneel between his legs, he wouldn’t. Not this time. Hel, did he want to though. The thought of her full lips wrapped around him made blistering fire burn beneath his skin.
Instead, he grasped her waist and made her stand. The boat swayed but not much. He spread his legs, and then hauled her close. Eyes locked on hers, he deftly undid the strings holding together his trousers and let his eager arousal spring free just enough that she better understood what was coming.
Then, as he did on the shore nine nights before, he lifted her tunic and pressed his lips against the soft plane of her stomach. This time he didn’t just lick but nipped his way as he tasted not only the area where a child might be housed but lower. He ran his teeth along her pelvic bone as he cupped, measured then again clenched her backside.
When her head fell back and she whimpered, he curled his fingers over the top of her tunic and ripped it down the center. Veronica jerked. Air whooshed from her lungs. But she didn’t pull away. Only held his gaze. Which didn’t stay with her long as his eyes fell down her body in long-overdue relief.
Veronica was every bit as beautiful as he imagined she would be. Nipples dark pink and erect on firm breasts fit for a goddess. She might have charcoaled delicate vines on her collarbone, but he wanted to put permanent markings there. Ones that declared she was every inch his.
That she belonged to him.
When she made to move closer, he held her hips and shook his head. Swiveling one finger down the strings holding her trousers together, he loosened them then pulled the material down her legs.
“Step out of them,” he ordered gruffly.
Yes, he could have done away with the material using dragon magic but it would have taken from the moment. All the tiny expressions that flitted across her face. All the different ways her body responded. Be
cause he counted at least five. The clench of her jaw. The blush that stole over cheeks. The way a tiny vein in her neck expanded when she swallowed. The slight rub of her forefinger against the pad of her thumb. The flutter of her stomach muscles when chilled air met hot skin.
“Now,” he said, the tone of his soft demand unrelenting when she hesitated, suddenly unsure.
Raknar nodded, his eyes traveling the length of her.
He wanted her to come to him, to show him that she was sure of her actions, that she chose this. It had been a hard night and though he wanted to rip into her, make her feel him from the inside out, he wouldn’t if it was not what she truly wanted…or needed as she said.
Raknar crossed his arms over his chest, hard cock still obvious to her, and waited. The next move was hers. She would take it or not. Either way, he’d be waiting…even if he had to temper his arousal.
Thankfully, she proceeded to pull off her boots then slid her pants the remainder of the way down. He watched her every movement with avid fascination. The way she seemed compelled to set aside the boots carefully but kicked them instead. The way she meant to be sultry when she slid the trousers down those last few inches but instead nearly stumbled out of them.
A small smile came to his lips, but he quickly hid it when she once more stood before him without a stitch of clothing. Raknar was surprised by how comfortable she seemed to be with being on display. He liked her self-confidence.
Very much.
He pulled down his pants just enough and curled his finger. “Come here.”
When she remained still, his eyes made a slow crawl up her stunning body until they met her eyes. “The next move is yours, Veronica.”
Her eyes drifted down and took him in before they snapped back to his face. He clenched his teeth when she straddled him but did not lower. She stared down as she dug her hand into his hair and tilted back his head so that their eyes remained connected. “The next move is ours, Raknar.”
Veronica might have meant to tempt, might have meant to test where he would go next, but even he didn’t totally understand what flared between them. How powerful it was. He again clenched her firm backside. This time he had the pleasure of feeling the silky, firm curvature of her nude flesh. He kneaded and stroked, avidly watching as pleasure softened her features.
Viking Claim (The MacLomain Series: Viking Ancestors Book 2) Page 13