Viking Warrior Rising

by Asa Maria Bradley

  With one forceful thrust, he plunged deeply into her wet tunnel.

  Her arms fell back as the pleasure made her back arch. Leif captured first one nipple, than the other between his lips. Sucking and gently biting while thrusting his hips faster and faster.

  Naya squeezed her thighs around his waist to hang on and matched his feverish pace.

  He released her breasts and arched, forcing his hips forward, driving himself deeper.

  Someone screamed his name and she realized it was her. She placed her hands against the bed, pushing her groin against his. Their tempo increased.

  He twisted his hands, hooking thumbs behind her knees and lifting her ankles onto his shoulders. Entering her deeper than she’d ever thought possible, the tip of his shaft hit the very back of her, creating a vibration deep in her womb with each thrust.

  Again, he increased the pace and she lost the ability to breathe.

  He climaxed shouting her name while pulsing inside her.

  She clenched her inner core muscles around him and wave after wave of pleasure washed through her body. She felt light and free as she flew past the now familiar circle of white lights and into the balmy darkness of complete stillness that she’d visited before.

  The silver-haired woman appeared, illuminated by a light from within. She regarded Naya with strange dark eyes, deep pools of glittering darkness. “Welcome.”

  “Freya?” Naya hadn’t moved her lips to utter the word.

  “It is I,” the woman said, reaching out to caress Naya’s cheek. Icy fingers trailed over her skin, and yet warmth radiated from where they touched.

  “You have endured much, and yet it only made you stronger.” She captured Naya’s chin with her fingers. “You will be a wise queen and a worthy Valkyrie.”

  “I’m not a Valkyrie,” Naya said…thought.

  Freya’s smile held infinite wisdom. “Daughter of my heart. Loyal and fierce warrior. You have always been like my Valkyries.” She touched her forehead to Naya’s. “You will be a true daughter of mine after the handfasting.”

  Before she had a chance to answer, Naya drifted out of the stillness and away from the goddess. She came to in her own body with a gasp. She turned her head. With eyes the color of an icy sea, Leif studied her.

  He reached out and traced his finger along her jaw. “You okay?”

  She nodded, wanting to tell him about meeting the goddess, but not sure how to put it into words.

  “I love you,” he whispered, leaning forward and nibbling her lower lip. “You belong to me.”

  She pushed gently on his chest to create some space between them. Meeting his ice-blue gaze, she corrected him, “I belong with you.”

  He hummed his agreement before pulling her closer, engulfing her in his arms.

  She breathed in the scent that was uniquely him. Her heart slowed its frantic beat and she relaxed in his embrace.

  The Viking king belonged to her.

  Epilogue

  A month later

  Naya tried to stand still while Astrid attached flowers in her hair. “Ouch, that’s the third time you have poked me with a bobby pin.”

  “If I wanted to be a hairdresser, I wouldn’t have learned to fight,” the blond Valkyrie shot back, but her broad smile took the sting out of the words.

  “I think we need Irja to help with this.”

  “Help with what?” the Finn asked as she entered the room. Her rose-colored, ankle-length chiffon dress complemented her pale skin. Her dark hair, twisted into an elaborate updo, was sprinkled with wild roses of the same color as the dress.

  “I can’t figure out where these freaking pins go,” Astrid complained. Her dress, the same color and material as Irja’s, reached only mid-thigh and draped across one shoulder, leaving the other bare. She had refused flowers in her hair, but wore rose-colored thigh-high leather boots.

  Irja dumped the bouquet of wild roses and baby’s breath she carried into a chair and joined the other two in front of the floor-length mirror. “Here,” she said, taking the hairpins from Astrid, “let me do the hair.”

  Naya studied their reflections. A sash in the same rose color as the Valkyries’ dresses bisected her white dress. The three of them, so different in stature and complexion, were perfectly color coordinated. Irja caught her gaze in the mirror and smiled while expertly twisting tendrils of Naya’s hair and braiding flowers into them. “You are beautiful, sister.”

  Naya swallowed the lump in her throat and smiled back. The last month had been interesting. Leif and she had navigated how to live together without killing each other. Compromising was hard work.

  She had dug through most of the files she’d stolen from Dr. Trousil. Her dad had escaped the compound and met her mom while on the run. All of the other soldiers in his unit had eventually gone into uncontrollable rage and been executed, as had the ones in hers and Scott’s unit. Her brother and she were the only ones left. Maybe they’d lasted longer because they were the natural offspring of another super solider. Irja was studying the data in the files, but it wasn’t likely they’d ever find out exactly why Naya and Scott were different from the others. The more important reason to study the files was to gain an advantage on the wolverines.

  Their attacks had escalated after the warriors burned their mobile herb garden. She had refused to miss out on the fights in which the other warriors participated. After a couple of heated discussions, the Viking king no longer tried to stop her when she patrolled with the Norse fighters. He’d actually added her to the rotating schedule and put his own name down on most of her patrols.

  The king and queen joining their warriors strengthened everyone’s fighting skills, but also seemed to enhance the communication between battle brothers and sisters.

  She pushed the thoughts of combat out of her mind.

  Today was her Valkyrie initiation, and after that, her handfasting to Leif would happen as an extra bonus. They would be engaged for a year and a month, like the old tradition dictated. Next summer they’d be married.

  “Time to go,” Astrid said as Irja put the finishing touches to Naya’s hair.

  “Before we go downstairs”—Irja grabbed Naya’s hands—“I want to thank you for bringing Pekka back to me.”

  “You’ve thanked her every day for the last four weeks,” Astrid said. “We have a Valkyrie initiation and a handfasting to perform. Let’s go.” She handed the bridal bouquet to Naya.

  “With everything that you have done for Scott, we are more than even.” Naya kissed Irja’s cheek.

  Irja smiled. “I only wish your brother were here.”

  “Me too,” Naya said. After extensive testing of Batch 439, both on Naya’s and Scott’s blood, Irja had come up with a treatment for her brother. Although he was improving every day, his body tolerated only small increases of the dose, and he was not yet fully conscious. It would take some time to completely eliminate the destructive nanoparticles from his system. “He’ll be here soon though. As soon as he’s fit to travel, I will go and get him.” He’d be at the traditional wedding next year.

  “I’m making progress on resynthesizing the formula.” Irja straightened a flower in Naya’s hair. “Soon I’ll be able to produce it on my own.”

  “That’s fantastic.” Naya kept tabs on the research facility in North Dakota, but Dr. Trousil’s death and the deaths of dozens of compound soldiers seemed to have stopped its activities.

  “Let’s go.” Astrid gestured from the door. “If we don’t finish the Valkyrie initiation soon, Torvald will have drunk all the mjöd and eaten all the sill by the time we get to the handfasting.”

  Naya liked the sweet honey mead that Per and Sten brewed in one of the sheds, but didn’t mind missing out on the pickled herring. “We’re coming,” she told Astrid as she and Irja followed the tall blond down the hall and the stairs.

  The women led her to the clearing where the giant ash stood, tall and majestic behind the stone throne. The ash tree symbolized Yggdrasil, the sacred
mythological tree that held together the nine Norse worlds.

  Naya followed the Valkyries behind the tree. A small altar stood nestled among the ash’s roots. A figurine of a gold chariot pulled by two blue cats stood on top, with a gold goblet next to it.

  Irja and Astrid knelt on a blanket in front of the altar and gestured for Naya to do the same. She knelt, careful not to wrinkle her dress.

  “This is the gold chariot driven by our mother Freya,” Irja said.

  Naya swallowed a nervous giggle. “Why the cats?”

  Astrid smiled. “Thor gave them to her. When the god of thunder gives you steeds to pull your wagon, you know they’re going to be strong no matter what animal they are.” She reached for the goblet. “Clasp your hands together and hold out your arms.”

  Naya did as told and the two other women both held the goblet, raising it through the circle formed by Naya’s arms.

  “Sister of Valkyries. Daughter of Freya,” Irja said. “Share our wine.” She leaned forward, placing her lips on the rim of the gold cup.

  Astrid gently pushed on the back of Naya’s head until she also had placed her lips on the goblet. Astrid then added her own mouth to its edge.

  While very carefully tilting the cup and their heads, the Valkyries orchestrated a simultaneous three-woman sip, Naya receiving most of the wine. Although the liquid was cold when it entered her mouth, heat trickled down Naya’s throat as she swallowed.

  Irja returned the cup to the altar and pulled out a long, gold blade that had been hidden in the folds of the cloth covering the small table.

  Naya reared back, but Astrid shot her a reassuring grin. “We don’t do the whole sharing-of-blood thing when it’s just us girls.”

  Irja cut an inch of her hair before handing the blade to Astrid, who hacked off a good chunk of her blond curls before handing the strands to Irja. The blade then passed to Naya, who copied Astrid, probing her hair carefully so she wouldn’t upset any of the flowers adorning her head.

  Irja rolled the three bunches of hair between her palms until they were mixed together. She placed the strands in the gold chariot and reached for two small metal pieces. Striking them against each other caused sparks to fly and lit the hairs on fire.

  The acrid smoke hit Naya and she instinctively closed her eyes as the fumes burnt her nose. The Valkyries grabbed her hands when she swayed backward.

  Naya zoned out, but remained anchored by the other two women holding her. Inside her head she heard a loud whisper. “Daughter mine. Valkyrie Mine. Warrior Mine.” The touch of a cool hand brushed across her forehead. Freya.

  The skin of her left bicep stung and she came to, rubbing her arm. She looked down to discover a tattoo encircling the top of her arm. Instead of the Nordic design the Vikings and Valkyries wore, her snake’s runes swirled around each other, forming patterns similar to a Celtic knot.

  Naya traced the pattern.

  “Beautiful,” Astrid said.

  Irja nodded and smiled. “You are truly our sister now.”

  “What does that mean?” Naya asked.

  Astrid shrugged. “It’s different for everyone. Only Freya knows.”

  Irja touched Naya’s arm carefully, tracing the design. “The goddess has a purpose for each of her Valkyries. If you are lucky, she will tell you yours.”

  Astrid snorted. “Or you’ll be like me and still, after hundreds of years, wonder what your true destiny is.” She rose. “Let’s get back to the fortress while there’s still sill left.”

  The three women strolled back through the forest. In the garden behind the main house, several chairs had been lined up in front of a tall arch decorated with green leaves and traditional midsummer flowers of daisies, bachelor buttons, and poppies. The white, blue, and red of the wildflowers were echoed in colorful streamers hung from the trees, under which long tables bowed from platters of food. The Vikings wore tunic tops over slim leather pants tucked into knee-high boots. Wool cloaks were slung over their shoulders, secured by large metal broaches.

  As Naya and her new sisters stepped into the garden, Ulf and Torvald cheered and thumped Leif on the back where the three stood together under the flowered arch. The king radiated power and understated sex appeal, dressed completely in black with an intricately patterned silver broach keeping his cloak in place.

  Naya forced herself to walk slowly across the lawn. She wanted to run and take her place beside him. As she strode down the aisle, the seated Vikings smiled encouragingly.

  Pekka gave her a wink and a thumbs-up. She returned both gestures.

  When she finally reached the flowered arch, Leif grasped her hand and smiled down at her. “Ready?”

  Her stomach fluttered when his familiar dimples appeared. She’d never grow tired of seeing them. “Ready as I’ll ever be.” She returned his smile.

  He traced a finger along her new tattoo, quirking an eyebrow. “You do know that by pledging yourself to me, you also bind yourself to this whole group of rowdy men and women?”

  “Yes,” she said as warmth spread through her chest, “I know that by pledging myself to you, I’ll finally be your warrior queen.” They didn’t know if completing the bond would alter her aging process. Maybe she would become as invincible as the other Valkyries. Maybe she would only live a normal human life span.

  However much time she had left, she wanted to spend it with Leif.

  A cheer rose in the audience when Leif claimed her lips.

  “Save those for after the ceremony!” Harald, who had the honor of officiating, bellowed over the ruckus.

  The king released her lips, his grip on her elbow steadying her as they turned toward the stallare to recite the vows that would bind them closer.

  Leif bent down. “And I’ll be your Viking king,” he whispered close to her ear and then grinned wider as her breath caught.

  Acknowledgments

  I have been gifted with amazing support and generosity from so many people that thanking them all is going to be impossible, but I will do my best.

  So, a huge thank you from the deepest parts of my heart to:

  My editor, Cat Clyne, for fishing my manuscript out of the slush pile and guiding me through the process of making it a much better story. And to the entire Sourcebooks team for making me feel welcome and for being as excited about this book as I am.

  My agent, Sarah E. Younger, for answering millions of questions, calming me down when I stress out, and always knowing exactly what to say to support and encourage me.

  My writer pals who read parts of early drafts and showed me how to make them stronger: Holly, Erin, Teresa, Jeré, Melissa, Scott, and Geneva.

  My RWA community for educating, encouraging, and always supporting me: IECRWA, GSRWA, RCRWA, KOD, The Contemporary Chapter, TGN, and FF&P. And to the Dreamweavers, who are the very best part of being a Golden Heart finalist. Also, special thanks to Cherry Adair for running the Finish the Damn Book challenge—without that Leif and Naya’s story would still be on chapter 3—and to Rebecca Zanetti for being generous not only with great advice, but also unwavering support.

  My instructors in the INCW MFA program, especially to Rachel Toor and Natalie Kusz for showing me that good writing happens when I push out of my comfort zone.

  My family and friends for being understanding when I disappeared for many months and for always asking, “When is the book out?” Here it is!

  My bestie, Jeré, for going way out of her way to support me, whether that involves house and doggie sitting, a long talk, or an inspiring card.

  My incredible, amazing, award-worthy husband who has endless patience and puts up with me being absentminded, stressed out, and sometimes discouraged. Your support and encouragement means the world and none of this would matter without you by my side.

  And lastly, a very grateful thank-you to you for reading this story. Without you, these amazing people’s support would have been in vain.

  Wolf Trouble

  SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team

&nbs
p; by Paige Tyler

  New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

  He’s in trouble with a capital T

  There’s never been a female on the Dallas SWAT team and Senior Corporal Xander Riggs prefers it that way. The elite pack of alpha-male wolf shifters is no place for a woman. But Khaki Blake is no ordinary woman.

  When Khaki walks through the door, attractive as hell and smelling like heaven, Xander doesn’t know what the heck to do. Worse, she’s put under his command and Xander’s protective instincts go on high alert. When things start heating up both on and off the clock, it’s almost impossible to keep their heads in the game and their hands off each other…

  Praise for Paige Tyler:

  “A wild, hot, and sexy ride from beginning to end! I loved it!” —Terry Spear, USA Today bestselling author of A SEAL in Wolf’s Clothing

  “Hot, action-packed, and sexy as hell!” —Sara Humphreys, award-winning author of Vampire Trouble

  “Wow, just wow!” —Fresh Fiction

  For more Paige Tyler, visit:

  www.sourcebooks.com

  In the Company of Wolves

  SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team

  by Paige Tyler

  New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

  The new gang of thugs in town is ruthless to the extreme—and a pack of wolf shifters. Special Wolf Alpha Team discovers this in the middle of a shootout. When Eric Becker comes face to face with a female werewolf, shooting her isn’t an option, but neither is arresting her. She’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen—or smelled. Becker hides her and leaves the crime scene with the rest of his team.

  Jayna Winston has no idea why that SWAT guy hid her, but she’s sure glad he did. Now what’s a street-savvy thief going to do with a hot alpha-wolf SWAT officer?