by Kate Pearce
He jerked awake and inhaled sharply as the scent of his female’s blood reached him and allowed his mind to relax its vigil. Her thoughts briefly touched his in a moment of recognition as intimate as the brushing of their lips together. He stayed where he was, his axe in plain view on the floor by his side, his throwing dagger in his left hand. Her silhouette grew closer until she blocked out all the light behind her.
She went down on all fours and crawled very slowly toward him and then sat back on her heels. Even in the darkness he drank in her sweetness, the full curve of her lower lip and the fullness of her breasts.
“Komdu hérna.”
He sent the thought to her and held out his hand, willing her to understand and come to him. When she moved forward and grasped his fingers, it was as if a thunderbolt shuddered through him and his cock hardened in a sudden aching rush. He growled and tightened his grip in case she had any thoughts of changing her mind and retreating.
He urged her closer until she was practically in his lap, which suited him perfectly, because once she opened her legs he could be inside her in seconds. She tugged on his hand and he reluctantly released her only to shiver as she placed her fingers on his cheek and stared right into his eyes. He let the dagger fall gently to the floor, aware only of her soft breathing and the pounding of his heart.
“Blóð af blóði minu.”
He licked a line along the seam of her lips and she moaned something. Cupping her head in his hands, he gently kissed her until she was kissing him back, her tongue in his mouth, her teeth nipping at his lips and…
“Fjandi!” He tried to jerk his head away but it was too late. The she-devil pierced his skin with something and everything went black…
Frey let out her breath in a sudden rush as the Viking beneath her went still. She could only hope that the stun gun would hold him long enough to secure him in a safe place. Gods, he’d tasted so fine she hadn’t wanted to stop kissing him. She made sure he was still breathing and then focused on the task at hand.
“Slavin? Get Brown and his team down to the engine room ASAP. I have the Viking.”
Einarr was aware of being lifted and carried out of his hiding place. His female walked in front of him holding open the doors. She’d betrayed him. Anger coalesced in his gut and the metal of his armbands grew warm, illuminating the runes etched into their surfaces in the darkness.
As if she sensed the emergence of his magic, the female raised some kind of alarm and pointed at him. It was too late. He was already on the move, smashing his fist into one of the men who carried him whilst sending a burst of magical power through the second. As both men went down, Einarr rolled over and came back to his feet, his hand already shooting out to grab the female.
She screamed once as he slammed his hand over her mouth and drew her hard against his chest, his dagger at her throat. The other male took one look at him and backed away, his mouth moving, his words unintelligible as he spoke urgently to the captive female.
Without waiting, Einarr pivoted on his heel and began to drag his female back to where he’d made his stand before. She tried to fight him, but he was twice her size and still enraged by her dishonorable tactics. She struggled to free one hand and slapped it against his neck.
With a growl, he caught her fingers and threw her over his shoulder. Her breath slammed out as he picked up the pace and jogged down the tight passageway between the tall iron containers. Eventually, he let her down, but wrapped a hand around her throat to keep her exactly where he could see her. He used his other hand to investigate his neck.
“Don’t take that off.”
His fingers froze.
“It’s a universal translator strip. FREN programmed it with Old Norse.”
He felt the edges of something foreign against his skin but didn’t remove it. She twisted around to gaze up at him, her brown eyes wide.
“You can understand me now, right?”
He nodded.
“Great.” She swallowed hard, her throat working against the blade of his dagger. “So, could you put the knife away while we talk?”
He shook his head and her skin went pale.
“You can’t understand me?”
He sank down to his knees bringing her with him, her back to his chest, one of his hands still at her throat, the other around her hips. On impulse he leaned forward and buried his face in her hair, inhaling her flowery scent and the throb of her blood beneath her skin. With great care he bit down on the curve of her throat until she jumped.
“My female,” he growled.
“I certainly am not yours.”
“Mine.” He bit harder, and she tried to pull out of his grasp. “Mine by blood and magic.”
“I’m not magic and my blood is my own, thank you very much.”
“You will change your mind when you are under me begging for my cock and my seed.”
“I…will not! That’s disgusting, I—”
“You will beg.” He wrapped her ponytail around his fingers and drew her face to his for a savage kiss.
She bit his lip and he cursed and released his grip on her hair.
Her bravery impressed him. He settled her closer within the grip of his thighs until her arse was against his leather-clad groin. His cock kicked up and he fought a groan. He’d have her soon; have her spread beneath him while he fucked her hard, but not yet, not quite yet.
“They’ll be coming to get you,” she whispered. “There isn’t anywhere for you to run.”
“I don’t run.”
The last time he’d done that, he’d been encased in ice by a fickle and demanding God.
“Good,” she breathed. “Then put down your weapons, and we can work this out.”
“Nay.” He pressed the edge of his dagger against her throat. “Tell me, sorceress, how you called me from my sleep.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“You lie.”
She shivered. “There was an eclipse. The systems went haywire. You just appeared out of nowhere.”
“I do not understand your words.” He pressed a little harder. “Your blood called me. I felt it in my soul.”
“That makes no sense. I didn’t call you. I—” She went still and then started talking, babbling like a brook in high season, making it difficult for him to follow her. “I pricked my finger—there was one drop of blood, but it came from the ice, it wasn’t… Oh dear Gods, what happened?”
“You called to me.”
She subsided against him. “Well, something happened because here you are. Maybe it was both, the eclipse and the blood.”
“What is this eclipse?”
“When the planets aligned and covered the Pavlovan moons of Odin and Thor.”
He didn’t understand half her words, but at least something made sense. “You know of my Gods?”
“I’ve studied up on them.” She sighed. “Will you please put the dagger away? You’re scaring me.”
He looked down at her auburn head. “Nay.”
“I won’t let them hurt you.”
“Let them?” He snorted. “I am a match for any man. I do not hide behind my womenfolk.”
“You can’t win this one. You have no idea where you are, what’s been happening, or where you are going.”
“This could be one of Loki’s tricks. I could be dreaming the whole thing.”
“I wish I was dreaming.” She tried to straighten and then winced as his blade grazed her neck. “I can’t let you run around this ship killing people and destroying things.”
“That decision isn’t yours to make, woman.”
“You’re kidding, right? I can give the order to have you shot right now.”
“And kill yourself?”
“We have weapons that could take you out and not damage a hair on my head. Please believe me.”
He picked up the stick he’d taken from the guard and tossed it in his palm. “This paltry thing?”
Her fingers closed around his wrist. “For the Go
ds’ sake, put it down! If it goes off, it could take out the engines of this ship or rip through the hull, and we’d all plummet to our deaths.”
He considered that, his fingers moving over the shining metal tube and handle. “But I wish to die gloriously in battle and take my place in Valhalla.”
“Oh please, don’t say that.” She hesitated. “Don’t you wish to see if your companion survived the ice, too?”
He stiffened. “My brother Aki is here?”
“Not on this ship. He is being taken to Alpha Three to be defrosted just like you were.”
“De-frosted?”
“You were both found encased in ice in the city of York on Earth. Alpha Base Three is the only place in this planetary alliance with the necessary technology to even attempt to bring you back to life.”
Again, almost nothing she said made sense. “But I am alive.” He flexed his muscles.
“That wasn’t supposed to happen yet.”
“Then perhaps my brother is alive, too.”
She tried to turn her head to look at him. “I could find out, but you’d have to let me go.”
“Or I can accompany you while you find out.”
She dug her elbow into his side. “You’re not being very cooperative.”
“Why should I be? You’ve already deceived me once.”
“Because it’s safer for you to be in a controlled environment where we can talk without anyone getting hurt.”
Einarr snorted. “As if such a place exists. No man can be trusted.”
“Not even your brother?”
Frey gasped as the Viking lifted her up and turned her to face him. It was the first time she’d gotten a good look at his eyes, which were the pale blue of a Husky dog’s and far icier. His black hair was shaved on the sides, braided at the back and then gathered at the base of his neck. It wasn’t a handsome face, but it was a compelling one. She knew she’d never forget him. But how to persuade him to come out of hiding and release her?
He shrugged as though he didn’t have a care in the world. “My brother can take care of himself.”
“Alone?” She blinked slowly at him. “Don’t you want to see him again?”
A muscle flexed in his square jaw, and Frey resisted an urge to touch his unsmiling mouth. He’d sat her across his lap, her thighs spread over his crossed knees, her sex pressed against his groin. She could feel the throbbing heat of his concealed cock inches from the sudden wet need of her arousal. The reality of his presence was a million times better than the fevered dreams she’d had since embarking on the voyage. She’d dreamed of being his, of being tangled up naked in bed with him while they fucked for hours… And she was aroused now. She wanted to strip him out of his leathers and lick his skin…
His blue eyes narrowed, and he spread his fingers over her ass, pushing her even closer to the stiff temptation of his erection. She brought her hand up and braced it against his massive chest.
“Let me go.”
“You want me,” he said quietly.
“I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“I think you understand me very well.” He rocked his hips. “I can smell your desire, and you know I am already hard for you.”
She felt her cheeks heat. “It’s not that simple.”
“Aye it is. I free my cock and I’ll be inside you in less than a moment.” He glanced down at his lap. “I’m big. I would satisfy you well.”
She smothered a groan as he settled her even more intimately over him. “It wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Because…” She glared at him. “Because it wouldn’t, okay? Just because I’m acting a little weirdly around a telepath doesn’t mean there’s anything in particular going on, like I want to mate with you or anything…” Frey stopped speaking. Oh dear Gods. This was exactly like the health unit Teacher Forbes had shown them during their junior space camp training: The inconvenient nature of telepathic attraction and finding mates where you least expect them. But this male was a four-thousand-year-old Viking! He wasn’t Pavlovan or even an Etruscan.
He was her science project.
And she wanted to fuck him more than she wanted to breathe.
“What is wrong?”
His low voice made her jump.
“Nothing! As I said, we need to get you into a safe and secure area.” She was aware that she was jabbering and that he still held her tightly against the big, hard, hot rod of his cock…
“You want me.” He slowly inhaled. “I need to fuck you. I can sense your desire in your blood.”
“Which doesn’t mean anything,” she snapped back. “Now behave yourself and come and be officially welcomed by the captain and crew.”
He cupped her cheek, his remarkable eyes moving over her face. “Nay.”
She moaned as he bent and took her mouth in a savage kiss of possession. His hands shifted, locking her hard against his body until she was rubbing herself shamelessly against him like Armstrong the cat. Her clit was throbbing, her nipples were hard, and she was so wet that if he’d touched her sex she’d easily take his cock.
“Not easily. I’m big. I’d need to get you ready with my mouth and my fingers,” he crooned to her as his mouth ravished hers. “But by Odin, I would serve you well.”
She thought she whimpered. She couldn’t even protect her most intimate thoughts from him. Kissing him was more arousing than having full sex with any of her previous partners. It just felt so right. As if she’d been waiting for this moment for the whole of her life. It was incredible. Oh Gods, if she kept this up she was going to come and he was bound to notice, and then he’d fuck her, and she wouldn’t be able to stop him, maybe for days, and…
“Just hold him there.”
Even as she recognized Slavin’s voice, the big Viking beneath her jerked and went still, his head falling back to strike against the metal storage unit behind him. A dart bristled in the crease of his neck.
No! Had she screamed that out loud? She hoped she hadn’t. Frey forced herself to slide out of the Viking’s arms and step away. Brown and his two assistants picked up the unconscious form and this time took off as fast as they could to the tiny brig.
“Are you okay?” Slavin crouched down beside her.
“Not really.” Frey forced down a shudder of pure, frustrated lust.
Slavin grinned. “You looked like you were quite enjoying being mauled.”
“I was.” Frey stood up. “He’s a telepath.”
“I got that. He isn’t very clear to me.”
“He’s way too clear to me.” She switched into telepathic mode. “I’m struggling to keep my hands off him.”
Slavin put her hand on Frey’s arm. “What?”
“Yeah, I’m not sure what’s going on.”
“Well, they do say we might meet our mates anywhere.” Slavin gave her a tentative grin. “My instructor at university was Etruscan and was brought here by a Pavlovan soldier after her unit abandoned her during a mission.”
“That’s slightly different to a four-thousand-year-old Viking.” Frey started walking again. “I feel like such a fool. How am I going to explain this to my mothers?”
“You’re that certain he’s the one?”
“Well, he’s one of the ones,” Frey muttered. “I feel it in my soul.” She squared her shoulders. It felt stupid even saying such dramatic and life-changing words, but she’d learned never to lie to herself. “And now I have to forget all of that and just make sure he stays alive.”
5
Einarr considered the shackles that had been put on his ankles and wrists and how easily he could remove them. There was also something attached to his upper arm through a long needle buried in his skin. The healer had told him it was for nutritional purposes, whatever that meant. Brown, one of his guards, had simplified the matter and said it was food and water and necessary to keep him alive.
He’d developed a grudging respect for Brown who didn’t treat him like a foo
l, but also refused to leave him alone for a second. Not that he couldn’t escape in the blink of an eye… His female had made a good point. Learning where he was and about his brother’s fate could only help him plan his future escape. He’d already decided that whatever happened he would be taking his woman with him.
Apart from the bars on the door, the cell bore no resemblance to any similar structure he’d been incarcerated in on an unsuccessful raid. There was no wood, only smooth white surfaces that resisted his attempts to break them. He slammed his fist against the unforgiving wall and then continued his pacing. The lights were giving him a headache and were brighter than the noon sun. He hated this place. It made him yearn to fight his way out with whatever weapons he could find and destroy everything.
The door unlocked from the outside and Brown stood to attention as another older man came in. Einarr recognized him as one of the men who’d been hunting him earlier.
“I’m Travis, captain of this vessel.”
Einarr inclined his head an inch and kept his gaze bland.
“We wish you no harm, Viking. Our intention is to take you to Alpha Three where you will be reunited with your companion from the ice.”
Travis sat down as Einarr continued to study him before taking the seat opposite. Eventually, Travis looked back over his shoulder at the guard and asked,
“Can he understand me, Brown?”
“Yes, sir. The translator is working perfectly.”
“Then he’s not choosing to cooperate.”
“I wouldn’t say that either, sir. He’s still sitting here.”
“You believe he’s a security risk?”
“Yes, sir. Despite his advanced age, he has unusual abilities.”
Reluctant to allow the captain’s thoughts to stray in that direction, Einarr sat forward. “I understand. Where is the female?”
“Which one?”
“The one who trapped me.”
“You mean Slavin? She shot the tranquilizer dart at you, but it was on my orders.”