Viking Warrior Rising

by Asa Maria Bradley

  Naya nodded and left the lab. Strange how comfortable she felt around Irja. She had never had a girlfriend, or any real friend for that matter. The only person she’d ever been close to was Scott. Her family had never stayed long enough in one place for her to make friends.

  Back in the main house, she poked her head through various doors, trying to find Leif. In the game room, Ulf and Sten played some kind of car racing game on the big-screen TV while Astrid watched.

  When she saw Naya, she sprung up from her lounging position on the couch. “Why don’t you join us?”

  “I’m looking for Leif.” The tall blond Valkyrie made Naya nervous. She was too full of energy.

  “He and Harald are yelling at each other in his office. Give them some time to simmer down.” She held up a bottle. “Beer?”

  Naya hesitated. They all seemed nice, and they had saved her life. But she lacked the chatting gene. Things got awkward when she tried to be social.

  “Come on.” Astrid gestured toward the two men. “Don’t leave me alone with these bozos.”

  Right then, Sten let out a howl when Ulf’s racer forced his car off the road. “That’s not fair.”

  “Didn’t your mother teach you life isn’t fair?” Ulf countered.

  “She was too busy consoling your mother over having delivered a bastard,” Sten countered.

  Astrid turned to Naya. “See what I mean?”

  “I’ll join you for a drink.” It couldn’t hurt to stall a little longer. She preferred a calm version of Leif when she saw him next.

  “Excellent.” The tall blond strode over to a mini-fridge. Pulling out a bottle, she popped the cap in a bottle opener attached to the wall. “Skål,” she said as she handed Naya the beer.

  “What language is that?”

  “Swedish. It means cheers.”

  “You and Leif speak the same language?”

  “Pretty much,” Astrid said. “All of the Nordic languages are close. Icelandic is a little different, but I can usually understand people from there.”

  “But you mostly speak English when you are together?”

  Astrid hesitated. “It’s quicker that way. No room for misunderstandings.”

  “I don’t understand,” Naya said.

  Astrid took a sip of her beer before answering. “The word rolig, for example. In Swedish it means funny. In Danish it means easy or calm.”

  That would complicate things if you were fighting together or trying to pass on information quickly. Naya studied the woman beside her—the long, straight blond hair and high cheekbones. Astrid could be any age between twenty and forty. Her face was wrinkle free with a smattering of freckles across her nose. She held herself with a dignity most women didn’t acquire until well into their forties.

  Naya curled her legs underneath her on the couch, enviously checking out Astrid’s long jeans-clad legs stretched out in front of her. Even dressed casually in a plain T-shirt, her curves showed how much of a woman she was.

  Compared to Astrid’s womanly shape, Naya had the body of a girl. She cleared her throat when Astrid gave her a funny look. “How long have you and Leif known each other?” Naya didn’t know why the thought of Leif with this tall, gorgeous blond bothered her, but it did. They made a striking couple with the same icy Scandinavian features and matching heights.

  “Quite some time now,” Astrid answered. “Why?”

  Naya avoided her gaze. “I was just wondering why he doesn’t have a girlfriend.”

  “A girlfriend?” Astrid’s tone was sarcastic. “When would he have time to find a girlfriend? He’s the king.”

  “Doesn’t the king need a queen?” An alien zombie queen.

  Astrid gave her a funny look. “Maybe, but that’s a big decision.”

  “He had a wife,” Ulf interjected.

  Astrid swore loudly.

  Ulf turned away from the game, throwing Astrid a perplexed look.

  “What happened?” Naya asked, ignoring Astrid and Ulf grimacing at each other.

  “She was killed,” Ulf said.

  “Together with their five-year-old twins,” Sten volunteered.

  “That’s awful.” Naya’s heart ached for Leif. “How did it happen?”

  “There was a raid on his village while he was…traveling overseas,” Sten said without looking up from the screen.

  “That was all a very long time ago,” said Astrid. “Besides, he wasn’t king then.”

  “Sure,” Ulf said, “but he’s not likely to get married again. He takes his duties too seriously. A wife would get in the way.”

  The words depressed Naya more than she wanted to admit. She told herself it was because of the tragedy of Leif losing his wife and children at the same time. Not because she wanted her relationship with Leif to develop into something more than just sex.

  Liar.

  She ignored her annoying inner voice.

  Astrid interrupted her thoughts. “You two are blabbering on like idiots. Show your king some respect.”

  “We’re not saying anything everyone doesn’t already know,” Sten said, but reddened a little when he looked at Naya. “Well, at least they would find out soon.”

  A scowl darkened Astrid’s face.

  “He’s not getting married again,” Ulf said, turning back to the TV screen.

  Astrid stood, lobbing her bottle at him. Ulf yelped when it bounced off his shoulder.

  “Nice shot,” Sten said.

  “I was aiming for his head.” Astrid walked out of the room, clenching her fists.

  Naya watched the tall woman leave. Was Astrid holding out for Leif? She didn’t blame her. He was protective, incredibly hot, as well as charming, when he wanted to be. She frowned at the bottle in her hand. With Astrid as the competition, she might as well give up.

  Whoa, where did that thought come from? She didn’t want Leif.

  Liar, liar—

  She was only here to finish her contract, and then she’d be on her way to Colorado. Hopefully with results from Irja that would help Dr. Rosen treat Scott.

  Besides, Leif had been married. He’d had kids. She finished her beer and threw the bottle in a recycling bin next to the fridge. Enough mooning over the sexy Viking king. She should get back to reality and finish Holden’s plans and prepare for their meeting.

  Pushing aside thoughts of Leif and how he made her body tingle, she mentally reviewed the security blueprints as she walked back to her room. The details blurred as her thoughts circled back to what she’d learned about Leif.

  How could he not tell her he’d been married? Even if she hadn’t shared everything with him, she had told him about her parents. She’d opened up, and yet he had shared nothing.

  She quickened her pace as she passed his office. Now was so not the time to run in to him. Her feelings were too raw.

  Loud voices erupted from the slightly ajar door. Leif’s low rumbling voice argued with Harald’s booming timbre. She heard her name and slowed.

  “Be reasonable,” Harald said. “You have only known Naya for a short time.”

  Anger rose in her body, heating her skin. Leif better not share any of her personal details with Harald. She pushed on the office door a little harder than she’d intended. It hit the wall with a bang.

  The men turned in unison.

  “If you have anything to ask me, do so in person instead of gossiping behind my back.”

  * * *

  Leif couldn’t help the smile tugging at his lips. Naya stood in the doorway, fists on hips, glowering. She might be small, but Naya was magnificent. She reminded him of a Valkyrie. Not in stature, but in spirit. She possessed the same temper and the same courage.

  His berserker had chosen well.

  His marshal stuttered as he tried to deny they’d just been talking about the angry dark beauty. “Nej, we were discussing security logistics.”

  “What kind of logistics?” Naya tilted her head, a suspicious frown on her brow.

  Harald looked at Leif, a panick
ed plea for help in his eyes.

  Leif shrugged and covered a cough with his hand to hide a grin.

  His friend cleared his throat several times. “We have a leak in the team.”

  “How do you know?” Naya walked farther into the room, closing the door behind her. She strode confidently across the room and sat down in one of the chairs.

  Leif took pity on his stallare when Harald gave him another desperate look. “The only way the wolverine creatures could know exactly where Per and I would be on the nights we were attacked is if someone told them about our plans.” He sat on the edge of the desk.

  Naya leaned forward as if he’d pulled on an invisible string. “Maybe they have you under surveillance.”

  Harald jerked. “What do you mean?”

  Naya shrugged slim shoulders. “Did you have any repairmen in the house lately? Any deliverymen skulking around? They could easily have planted a bug.”

  “We don’t get deliveries and we do our own repairs,” Leif said. “There’s no way anybody could plant a bug in this place. No strangers are ever allowed in the house.”

  Harald cringed.

  “What?” Leif asked.

  His friend looked away. “There was a problem with the network access that neither Ulf nor I could fix. We had to bring in a serviceman from the Internet provider.”

  Naya snorted.

  Both men turned toward her. Leif raised his eyebrows.

  She waved her hand. “That’s the oldest trick in the book. Jam the network signal to get the target to call for service. Then intercept the van before it arrives at the house. Used to be done with phone lines before the web.” She shrugged her shoulders. “The guy who came didn’t repair anything. He just unblocked the signal when he was done.” She jumped out of the chair. “I’ll go get some scanners.”

  Harald turned to Leif as Naya rushed out of the room, anguish in his eyes. “I’ve failed you, my king.”

  Leif stood and put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Let’s see if Naya finds anything before we assign blame.”

  “No.” Harald took a step back so Leif’s hand fell off his shoulder. “I’ve resisted technology and have become a liability. Security is my responsibility.”

  Leif slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “The security of our people is my responsibility.”

  Harald shook his head. “No, my king. I should have known better—”

  The door opened. “Could the two of you do that later?” Naya interrupted. “Your listeners are having a grand ol’ time laughing their heads off right now.” She handed a small black device to Harald. It looked like an old-school cell phone with a short thick antenna attached. “Help me with this.”

  The red-bearded Viking looked lost. “What is this?”

  “A frequency scanner,” Naya said, assembling another one. “The listening devices are most likely wireless. These scanners detect both digital and analog signals.” She turned on her device, nodding at Harald to do the same. Several of the scanner’s diodes started blinking.

  Naya slowly walked around the room, sweeping the detector over bookcases and other furniture. Harald followed, mimicking her movements.

  Leif watched, fascinated. The determination on Naya’s face showed she was fully in her element. He loved how fierce she looked. Wait, wrong word. Any strong feelings he had were caused by his berserker being drawn to her. It had nothing to do with love.

  He concentrated on Naya and Harald. They had reached his desk, both devices vibrating with an insistent buzz.

  “Check everything on top,” Naya told Harald and crawled under the desk.

  Her backside caught Leif’s interest. His groin tightened and he forced himself to look away.

  Harald caught his gaze with a knowing smirk. Leif pointed at the desk, adjusting himself when his stallare looked away.

  “Got it,” Naya’s muffled voice said from under the desk. She crawled out holding a silver box about the size of a credit card, but thicker. Fishing out a tiny screwdriver from her front pocket, she quickly loosened the casing. “It’s a beauty. Pretty much state of the art.” She pulled out one of the wires with a quick jerk of the wrist. “That one’s disabled. Let’s see if we can find more.”

  “Can you tell who planted it?” Leif asked.

  Her nose wrinkled as she studied the device. “No, these can be bought online by pretty much anyone.” Scratching her chin, she traced a smear of dust across her face.

  He wanted to kiss her. “We should continue searching.”

  Half an hour later, they’d uncovered another bug by the fireplace and one under a small corner table. Naya showed Harald which wire to pull.

  Leif hid a grin as the tiny woman showed the large warrior how to stuff his fat fingers into the small box. Although angry to know their plans had been overheard, Leif was also relieved. His warriors were as loyal as he’d thought.

  “What other rooms did the network guy visit?” Naya asked.

  Harald led them to the computer room where the frequency scanners revealed two more bugs.

  “Is there any chance they’re monitoring our computers?” Leif asked.

  Harald flinched.

  Naya shook her head. “I scanned your hard drive when I traced Per’s email. Your firewall could use some work, but you’re clean.”

  Harald groaned.

  “What’s with you?” Naya asked him. “Are you ill?”

  “I don’t know how to do any of that.”

  “Okay,” Naya said slowly. “Does Ulf?”

  “If he did, he would have already,” Leif said. He watched Naya’s face, hoping she would come to the right conclusion. He could always tell her, but he’d rather it was her idea. She hadn’t responded well to being told what to do earlier.

  She paused. “I could upgrade your system and then teach Ulf and Harald how to maintain the processes.”

  Leif had a hard time keeping the triumph off his face. “We’ll pay you,” he said.

  Naya shrugged. “Consider it payment for room and board.”

  “There must be something we could do to compensate you.”

  She watched him, her eyes swirling with emotion. “You could tell me the truth about who you are and why the wolverines are trying to kill you.” She cocked her head to the side.

  Leif swallowed. He knew he’d eventually have to tell her, but he’d hoped for more time. “Right now I need you to sweep the rest of the house. I’ll explain after dinner, when we are alone.” Hopefully he’d know what to say by then.

  She watched him a moment longer, then nodded and left the room.

  Leif now had a few hours to figure out how to explain who he was and that she was bound to him for life.

  All without making his själsfrände bolt.

  He sank into a chair. Shit.

  Harald shot him a look of sympathy, clearing his throat. “You haven’t told her yet?” His hand stroked his jaw. “The bond only works if you make her fall in love with you.”

  “I know that,” Leif snapped. He glared at his stallare and knew they were both thinking the same thing. The bond also only worked if Leif fell in love with Naya. He was so fucked.

  His friend was the first to break eye contact.

  Leif owed it to his people to complete the bond so he could stay in the mortal realm as their king. The trick was how to be involved enough to get Naya to fall in love with him and still be able to keep his distance. Although he did look forward to her sharing his bed on a permanent basis.

  Chapter 12

  Naya waited in the bedroom she’d started thinking of as hers, expecting Leif any minute.

  She’d spent the evening with Ulf, sweeping for bugs. The only other place they’d found one was in the game room. She’d wanted to keep it in place so they could send misinformation to whomever listened, but Ulf had quickly disconnected its wires and crushed the device with his fist, a grim expression on his face.

  As she waited, she fiddled with the objects on the dresser. Her m
om had given her the hairbrush. She’d never before felt safe enough to leave it out. Its regular place was an outside pocket on her bag with other essentials, an always ready to-go bag.

  A soft knock on the door made her turn. “Come in,” she called.

  Leif stepped through the doorway. A black long-sleeved T-shirt strained over his shoulders and broad chest. A pair of black jeans hung low on his hips. All that darkness highlighted the radiance of his ice-blue eyes and the angled planes of his face.

  Naya swallowed.

  Leif strode toward her, stopping a few paces away, concern on his face. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” she croaked. The air between them crackled, making the hairs on her arms stand up. Was she the only one feeling this?

  He took a step closer and cupped her cheek in his palm. “Are you sure? You look a little pale.”

  She resisted the urge to rest her head in his hand. “No, I’m fine.” She took a step back.

  He frowned.

  “We found one more bug in the game room.” Her voice sounded rough.

  “Ulf told me.” He stepped toward her, eyes blazing.

  “We’re working on the computers tomorrow,” she whispered, taking another step back. He crowded her. His body heat confused her, making her want impossible things. She cleared her throat. “It shouldn’t take us long to improve your firewall and install a few security checks.”

  Leif watched her silently.

  “You want to sit down?” She gestured toward the arm chairs.

  “Sure,” he said, but didn’t move.

  Naya had to step around him. Her skin sizzled when her arm accidently brushed against his. Relieved, she sank down in one of the blue chairs. A small table created a barrier between her and Leif. “So,” she said. “You were going to explain what makes you different from regular humans.”

  He sat down in the empty chair, elbows on knees, studying his clasped hands. After a few moments he tilted his head and looked at her. “I’ll try to answer all of your questions, but some of this may sound a little crazy.”

  “I’ll keep an open mind.”

  Leif’s eyes met hers. Whatever he saw in them seemed to satisfy him. “I died in 1050.” He paused, watching her reaction.