Several minutes passed before Helga at last spoke. “If we meant to kill you, you would already be dead.” She cocked her head at Naðr. “Do you believe your people are safe now?”
Naðr nodded at the tray he’d sampled from. “Once you and your sister eat and drink of the same selection then yes, I will be satisfied.”
Even as Helga did as requested and she and the Unnamed One ate and drank, Veronica knew the seer was right…if they wanted them dead they would be. Regardless, they seemed well enough so all was shared.
Not offended in the least by Naðr’s actions, Helga said, “Please, partake of our hospitality. We will retire soon then summon Yrsa early on the morn.” Her sultry eyes turned Kol’s way. “Might I expect you in my bed this eve dragon?”
Veronica would have snorted if she wasn’t so busy being grateful they were all okay. Naðr had pulled Megan close and her cheek rested against his chest. Raknar’s arm was around Veronica's back and his posture so stiff she wondered if he’d ever move again.
Kol, however, seemed to be going with the flow as a slow, careful smile spread over his face. “If I know my family’s safe, I’m all yours beautiful.”
Though a warm, welcoming smile stayed on her face, Helga spread then shut her legs slowly as though undecided. “I do not know, that almost sounds as if you feel obligated.”
Kol took a long drag from his mug and shrugged, flirtatious as he braced his elbows on his knees and slowly looked her up and down. “You know how much I love you, Helga.”
“Yet you are willing to commit to a woman from the future,” she reminded, cunning eyes locked on his.
“For you, anything,” he murmured and shot her a look that made Veronica understand why women couldn’t turn him away.
“Ah, well, when you say it like that,” she breathed softly.
The Unnamed One started rattling the stones and shaking her head.
Helga sighed and momentarily focused less on lust as she met Naðr’s eyes. “Eat. Drink. Then my slaves will show you to your bed. We will meet the sun as she crests the horizon and call Yrsa. She will have no choice but to come. Then there will be war.”
The Unnamed One shot out her fist as though she meant to toss the stones, but Helga grasped it and shook her head. “Might we all rest in peace this eve?”
Her sister gave no response, only hung her head.
So they partook of the seer’s hospitality and maybe an hour later, Helga stood, eyes not soft but hard as they met Kol’s. “Come, youngest brother. I want to feel you between my legs.”
Kol started to turn his head to say goodbye to his brothers, but Helga bit out, “No, not them. Me. Now.”
Veronica didn’t care if it wasn’t her place, she stood, fists clenched by her side as she eyed Helga. “How dare you. Kol doesn’t deserve that.”
Helga’s eyes drifted lazily from hers to Kol’s. “Have I offended you then?”
Kol didn’t hesitate as he sauntered forward. “Not at all.”
Veronica couldn’t believe what she was seeing but before she could say another word, Raknar pulled her down next to him and whispered in her ear. “This battle is not yours, woman.”
“No, it’s yours,” she seethed softly. “And Naðr’s. Why aren’t either of you doing anything about it?”
“Does it look like Kol is being tortured?” Raknar said just as softly.
For all Helga’s ordering around, it seemed she was too impatient to go far. Veronica’s jaw dropped when Helga fell to her knees in front of Kol and ran her eager hands up his thighs and over his backside. When she untied the front of his pants and he grabbed her head in invitation, Helga flicked not only her tongue but her hand.
Multiple slaves swarmed forward. The next thing she knew Megan and Naðr were being ushered in one direction, her and Raknar in the other.
“What’s happening to Kol?” she asked as they were led forward.
“Torture by cock.” Raknar snorted then placed his hand against the small of her back as they walked. “Have no worries. Kol always survives, especially when with a woman.”
Baffled, she sighed as they were ushered into a surprisingly warm torch-lit cave with a small pool in one corner and a bed nestled in another. The men who had escorted them vanished back in the direction they’d come.
Raknar felt the air around the entrance. “Seer’s magic. We’re trapped.”
“Trapped,” she murmured and gazed around. It was beautiful. But…Her eyes met Raknar’s. “Are Megan and Naðr okay?”
He walked to the edge of the fog covered pool, back-dropped by water sluicing down a rock wall. “I'm sure they're fine.” His eyes met hers. “The seers mean us no harm.”
“How do you know?”
“Think about it.” Raknar pulled off his boots. “Like they said, the simple truth is if they wanted us dead we already would be.” He shook his head. “But that would be wasteful of them. They need more.”
He felt the water then held out his hand. "Come, it's warm.”
Veronica hesitated, unsure. “Tell me what more they need.”
Raknar pulled off his shirt, unveiling all his glorious muscles. More than that, the tattoo on his back of him…the dragon, with her wrapped around him…needing him. Caught in the golden glow of torchlight, his eyes met hers. “Not only are they determined to bless Odin with more souls but they remain curious as to whether true love not only exists but can truly sustain itself.”
She nearly laughed. “Really?”
Hand held out, he shrugged. “Is that so bad then?”
“Bad? No.” She took his hand. “Over the top? Yeah.”
“Over what top?”
Veronica rethought her words. “Unrealistic?”
Raknar brought her palm to his lips and murmured, “Is it so unrealistic?”
“Love,” she whispered and shook her head. “If it truly exists.”
Though she knew damn well it did.
Right here.
Right now.
Their eyes held for a long moment before he slowly untied his pants and removed them. Not shy in the least, he watched her the whole time before he walked into the pool and relaxed beneath the water.
While she might not be a huge believer in true love, she was an avid cheerleader of a perfectly made man and good sex. And Raknar was nothing less than perfect with his chiseled torso and long, strong form as he eased back into the water. When his eyes met hers it wasn’t with curiosity but one hundred percent pure challenge.
He didn’t need to say a word as he lounged against the far wall. His look said it all.
Come join me.
You won’t regret it.
Veronica might have been terrified of what lay ahead, but all her trepidation was put on a back burner as light flickered off his taut skin.
But this was wrong.
So she waved her hand in the air loosely, unsure what else to do. “Are we really that confident Naðr, Megan, and Kol are safe?”
“Enough so.” Raknar’s eyes traveled down her body. “But it no longer matters.”
“It might,” she argued.
“No,” he assured.
“How do you know?”
Raknar lifted a hand and curled his fingers in a slow come-hither motion, eyes languid. “Come here, Veronica.”
Heat might have unfurled beneath her skin in anticipation, but she shook her head no.
“Come here,” he repeated softly, not moving an inch. No, the power was in his eyes and now that she’d met the dragon within she could safely say what called her now was…him. Man.
Raknar.
Viking.
Though she swore she didn’t move a muscle, the next thing she knew she had kicked off her boots and was ankle deep in water.
“No,” he murmured, coming to her, eyes crawling hungrily over her form. “No clothes. Take off your dress.”
When she started to speak, he shook his head. “Take it off then come to me.” Though his mouth stayed hard, his eyes soften
ed. “I want to feel your skin against mine.”
Veronica continued to shake her head even as she peeled off her dress. She whipped it aside, eyes locked with his.
Again they stared.
It felt like her heart might explode in her chest.
Sharp desire unraveled in her stomach then moved lower.
Suddenly, it became all about seduction. Need. Desperation.
When his eyes dragged from hers and slowly roamed over her body, Veronica followed it, trailing her hands over her breasts, then waist, before sliding them over her hips.
His pupils flared.
A low growl rumbled in his chest.
She bit the corner of her lip as her body reacted to his animalistic response. When he lunged forward, water sloshing, to get to her, the look on his face was so intense she pulled back.
But he grabbed her wrist and yanked her forward.
Veronica part cried, part gasped, when one hand clenched her backside harshly and the other dug into her hair and angled her head. Raknar’s mouth came close, his hot breath fanning over her lips. “I need to be inside you.”
The last of her breath escaped when he lifted her, strode through the water and sat her on a small ledge. The pool might be warm but the water running down the rock was cool. A delicious contrast to the searing heat of his body as he came between her spread thighs. When his lips crashed against hers, she shivered and rippled, immensely aware of not only the stark ridges of his thigh and abdominal muscles but the eager, silky hard length between her legs.
Hips thrusting slowly, purposefully, he dragged his erection against her, fueling her need so thoroughly that concentrated, intense arousal pooled below. She wrapped her legs around him and cupped his cheeks, groaning into his mouth as she flexed her hips in rhythm with his.
This time there would be no slow build up but immediate possession.
Veronica cried out when he slammed her wrists against the stone on either side of her head and no longer moved against her but thrust deep. Guttural moans came from them both as he rammed forward and she dug her heels into the flexing muscles of his ass.
“Hel, woman,” he growled as he moved faster. Water skimmed over her shoulders and dampened her skin, creating a slick, delicious glide between her breasts and his chest.
He released her hands, scooped his arms beneath her knees then slammed his hands back against the wall. Veronica had just enough time to wrap her arms around his neck before he pressed deep. So very deep. She cried out again, squeezing her eyes shut to the drastically heightened pleasure twisting and ripping through her.
She swore he breathed her name into her hair but it was hard to tell over the roar of blood in her ears as waves of heat started to fill her. Everything seemed to be catching on fire as he rode her with such focused intensity breath struggled to break free from her lungs.
Trapped, forced to take all he gave, she dug her nails into his shoulders and whimpered, desperate for the release he drove her toward.
Climbing.
Pushing.
Almost there.
Her eyes shot open when her stomach muscles started to flutter rapidly. Then everything seemed to explode, expanding but clenching tight and pulling in all at once. This time she didn’t simply cry out but screamed as every little muscle in her body seized. Even her lungs or so it seemed as her wail snagged in her throat and a climax ripped away coherency.
Raknar released a low roar as he thrust one last time and locked up against her.
Both panted as they languished in the aftermath of pure perfection. Stars continued to shoot across her vision as her muscles slowly unlocked and a soothing, sated glow settled over her. Gentle, reverent, he slowly lowered her legs, cupped the side of her neck and brushed his lips over hers before he lifted her and sunk down into the warm water.
Completely lost, she floated in his arms, eased by the water. Though he braced his back against the rock, he kept her on his lap, his eyes roaming over her face.
“You’re looking at me like you expect to lose me, Raknar,” she murmured.
“No, I'm looking at you like I intend to keep you.” He ran his finger along her jaw. “Because I do.”
The interesting thing? The idea of that no longer seemed so preposterous. When she first arrived, heck even more recently, she had been so certain that she would be going home. Now the thought of it left her feeling uneasy. About the only thing she missed was twenty-first century clothing and on occasion, modern day amenities. But it seemed she didn’t miss them so much that she’d turn away from those she had met here. No, these Vikings had wormed their way straight into her heart.
The thought of returning to her apartment in the city held little if no appeal. She couldn’t imagine how empty it would feel…without them…him. Now that she’d finally come to that stunning realization, it made her sick to realize she would have absolutely no choice in the matter.
“Please don't look so sad,” he whispered and stroked her cheek.
Veronica tried to perk up some, but it was tough. She was increasingly frightened about what lay ahead, by all that she might lose. Not only him and his brothers but also Heidrek. She’d grown alarmingly close to the boy in a short amount of time.
Troubled, her eyes met Raknar’s. “If things go wrong you and your brothers won’t remember us and vice versa, but what about Heidrek? Will he remember me and Megan? Because that would be horrible and so unfair after everything he’s already gone through.”
And probably something she should have thought about before agreeing to this. Still, there was too much at stake and she knew she’d make the same decision again no matter what.
“My brothers and I will not lose you so please don’t worry.”
“I didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye,” she whispered.
“He knows how much you care about him.” Raknar pulled her close and rested her head beneath his chin. “Regardless of what happens, you have helped my boy find great strength and that will keep him brave when faced with whatever comes.”
A long silence stretched only broken by the trickle of water and the spitting of torches. All the while, he stroked her hair before at last whispering, “I love you, woman. I cannot be without you.”
Eyes closed, she released a soft sigh. “Though I’ve never been a big believer in it, I’m pretty sure I love you too.”
Raknar kissed the top of her head then tilted up her chin until their eyes connected. Again they stared at one another for a long moment before his lips closed over hers. At first gentle, seeking, confirming, the kiss was affectionate. Yet it soon grew more passionate as their tongues twisted, mingled and danced.
Within seconds, his renewed erection pressed against her.
Slowly pulling his lips away, he sat on the rock ledge and turned her so that she sat on his lap with her back to his front. Then he put her knees on the outside of his and spread his legs as he positioned his erection not against her backside but her front.
If there seemed to be one thing that was consistent about the Sigdir brothers, it was that they were absolutely insatiable. Which wasn’t such a bad thing. Veronica was quickly coming to understand why Megan had become so sexual because she was heading down the same road.
When he brushed aside her damp hair, grazed his teeth along the side of her neck and ran his fingers over her clit, she couldn’t help but return the favor. Eyelids drifting, she wrapped a hand around as much of his arousal as she could manage and began to squeeze and stroke. He grunted with approval but didn’t give her long to enjoy the feel of his thick length…at least not in her hand.
Veronica clamped down hard on her bottom lip when he lifted then lowered her onto him. That’s when he began a slow, excruciatingly delicious form of torture. His lips and teeth never left her neck as one hand paid thorough attention to her breasts while the other kept busy below.
All the while he thrust up and down so slowly she started to squirm. When she did, he locked her in position with a tight
arm around her waist. Her eyes drifted down. The sight of him working her swollen flesh in combination with the movement of their joined bodies had her groaning with uncharacteristically lusty satisfaction.
Raknar spread her legs further and started to roll his hips just enough that tiny bolts of pleasure started to zing up and down her torso, arms and legs. She released a quivering gasp and tried to arch. No such luck. He’d taken her freedom and left her with nothing but high-octane, unescapable bliss.
She cried out his name when he nipped her neck and jerked his hips, flinging her into another toe-curling climax. This time he didn’t go with her but dialed down his relentless touch to whisper soft, drawing out her pleasure.
When at last she drifted back down to Earth, he stood and turned them so that her wobbly legs fell. Yet he kept a solid, supportive arm around her waist as he urged her to brace her hands against the wall. He pressed her legs apart and started to thrust with far more ambition.
Veronica dug her now completely ruined nails into the rock and pushed back as his thrusts increased. Not only heat but shivers raced through her as he grasped her hips and took her over and over. Water sloshed as he again growled low in his throat. She clenched her teeth as pleasure mixed with sweet pain.
Then everything seemed to swirl into a tornado of unquenchable need.
In a brutal frenzy, she nearly lost her footing he became so aggressive. But she liked it and her body loved it. This time his final thrust was a harsh slam and his roar not soft in the least but loud and echoing in the cave.
Veronica might have thought he couldn’t outdo himself but when he found his release, it triggered her own. Intense, powerful, it seemed to be more than her body could handle because stars didn’t just shoot across her vision this time but flickered so sharply that all went completely dark.
Chapter Seventeen
Raknar knew the moment Veronica passed out and lifted her into his arms.
By the time he managed to dry her off and lay her on the bed, she was snoring. Raknar smiled, dried off, lay down next to her and pulled a fur over them. He shifted onto his side and wrapped his arms around her, content to watch her sleep. Her lips were open a scant fraction and her nostrils flared ever-so-slightly as her delicate snoring continued.
Viking Claim (The MacLomain Series: Viking Ancestors Book 2) Page 22