The expression Viking gave her during this whole conversation said he was looking at her in a new light. She waited for him to speak for a second. When he didn't appear to have a response she walked around him back into the kitchen. Once she reached the kitchen she set the board and cards on the table and went to her pantry. She fished around for a moment until she found a coveted bag of Oreos. Clutching them against her chest she went to the sink and grabbed two cups and set them on the table. Then grabbed the milk out of the fridge. It wasn't until she was filling both cups that she saw the amused expression on Viking face.
"What? Do you have something against Oreos?" She finished filling the cups and put the milk back in the fridge before sitting down.
"No, I have nothing against Oreos. You just did it with such a routine. Let's just say I'm used to living with a woman who, while maintaining a coffee addiction, doesn't eat a lot of sweets. It's refreshing to see somebody eating junk food."
Mia paused opening the wrapper to stare at him for a second. "Everyone loves Oreos. Oreos aren't sweets by the way, they are chocolate and cookies. It is an important distinction." She continued to open the wrapper.
She heard him chuckle as he grabbed one. "My apologies. I did not mean to offend."
Mia heard a rustling sound. She looked up to see him fishing his cell phone out of his denim pocket. She must've been giving him an inquisitive look because he smiled at her.
"Sorry that just reminded me, I should let Gwen know about your visitation. The more information she has the quicker she will be able to find whatever it is that's trying to hunt you down." With that he tapped his phone several times.
Mia was somewhat touched when she realized he put the phone call on speaker so she would be able to hear the whole conversation. She wasn't sure why, but it meant something to not be excluded.
"Storebror, has something happened? Are you all right? Is Mia all right?" Came Gwen's worried voice through the phone.
"Yes, everyone if fine. However, before I got here, and I mean minutes before I got here, Mia got groceries out of her car in her driveway when she noticed a woman standing on the sidewalk on the other side of her property line. When the woman had her attention she proceeded to talk to her. But it became clear to Mia this was the being talking through this woman. The being told her not to worry because it would be around. It would be watching or something to that extent. She then walked away. By the time I got there I chased the woman. Though I did not catch her I did she a woman who I believe is the woman in question and she was driving away. Meaning she hadn't meant to stay here all night. Which I think is good news because that means Mia is not the being's sole interest. However it does mean that being is planning on coming back."
"Could you hand the phone to Mia?" Gwen's tone sounded inquisitive
"I have you on speakerphone."
Mia pushed her chair in closer to Viking. Even though Gwen could probably hear her from where she was, it was an automatic response to move closer.
"Mia, when you say that they are speaking to you do you mean you hear the being's voice speaking to you or is it the being speaking through these people? Also, does the being speak for itself or does it saying we?"
It sounded like she had something specific in mind. Mia felt hope and a little bit of excitement bloom. She tried to keep calm.
"Well they are certainly speaking in their own voices. Or as far as I can tell. I have never met the people before. It definitely seems like the being is controlling them and speaking through them but they're not jerky or saying something they memorized. It definitely sounds like something is controlling them. It's also not using the royal we. It is speaking for itself."
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds. Viking made eye contact with Mia while speaking into the phone.
"What are you thinking Gwen?"
There was a sigh over the phone. "I don't quite know yet. It is weird to me that one being can control multiple people at once. I've never seen it before. I'm going to have to ask around. If it fits into your schedule I'd like to meet in person later once I have had time to do a search."
Viking looked at Mia and shrugged. He was leaving it up to her.
"Yeah, that should be okay." She felt weird being the one answer. She didn't know why, but if felt as if they were speaking in a code she was only beginning to understand.
"Great. I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good night you two." Gwen hung up.
Vikings set his phone back on the table. Grabbing an Oreo, just before popping it in his mouth he spoke. "So shall we play?"
Mia nodded, took out the cards and began to shuffle. There was nothing to be done now. Cards would differently take her mind off of everything.
Chapter 12
Viking couldn't believe the evening he had. It reminded him of some of the dates Gwen had gone on as a teenager. He and Mia played cards until well after midnight. Playing and telling stories about each other's lives. It had been wonderful. Mia turned out to be very competitive. Once the Oreos were gone Mia pronounced the game would no longer be fun without cookies so they finished the round then stopped playing.
They made their way to the couch. It started out with her on one end and him on the other. They chatted and laughed. It was the kind of night Viking could have regularly and be a perfectly happy man. Mia was beautiful, smart, and had a goofy lighthearted sense of humor that he hadn't seen coming.
He never imagined himself finding his mate. Now that he found her he couldn't imagine having someone that would have fit him more perfectly. The lightheartedness at the core of her, he found it fascinating. Sometime during the wee morning they had fallen asleep on the couch. When Viking woke up he was stretched out and Mia had her head laying on his chest. He tried not to move so he wouldn’t wake her. As much as the Maddening rage made him want to wake her up and claim her on the couch until she screamed his name, Viking found some bliss in the moment. It was more calm and relaxed than he had been a long time.
Too soon Mia woke. Once she was awake she smiled with a sleepy expression. Viking felt like it punched him in the gut.
She said something about making breakfast. But Viking had not quite heard all the words. While she busied herself in the kitchen Viking tried to gather his thoughts.
If he hadn't spent most of his life trying to blend in and remain calm in stressful situations he would be struggling far more than he was right now.
For all intents and purposes he was on day three of the Maddening. He could feel the aggressive energy flowing through him. It was like his blood was running hot, not quite boiling but still much hotter than normal. He could feel his body reacting much stronger than it should to Mia's proximity. His pants were a little tight and Viking was willing to bet money that wasn't going to change anytime soon.
Sighing he closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing. After a minute or two he realized it was not going to work. The Maddening had too strong a hold of him. The few moments of bliss he had just a short time ago were over. All remnants of it washed away.
Now his body was anxious. It either wanted to claim its mate or get into a fight. There was no middle ground. He knew everything was going to agitate him today.
But he told Mia and promised himself he would not push her. He hoped maybe if he could avoid thinking about it. Concentrated more on other things it would be enough of a distraction to keep himself under control.
"Okay breakfast is ready." Called Mia from the kitchen.
Viking took one last deep breath before dragging himself off the couch and into the kitchen. Mia was tapping his foot to some song she was humming. She was standing in front of her espresso machine again but this time she was putting water in some compartment.
On the table sat bacon, sausage, and a box of muffins from Costco. Viking checked the time. It was already after ten. He didn't usually sleep in late. He also wasn't use to being served this hearty a breakfast from a woman. Shaking his head Viking looked up as Mia sat do
wn to the table.
"You go ahead and eat. No need to wait for me. I didn't have any juice or anything. Just coffee and water." Once she finished she took the fork that was sitting next her plate and stabbed several pieces of bacon and sausage before ripping up the muffin container and getting out at jumbo sized blueberry muffin.
Viking forced himself to follow her lead and eat. He didn't feel like eating. All he wanted was her. To push hard inside her and make her gasp.
That last thought was so vivid and so strong Viking pushed away from the table and was standing up without realizing what he'd done. There was no way of hiding his hard on. Mia's shocked expression told him to try anyway.
"I'll be right back."
"Okay."
Viking strode straight down the hall to the bathroom. He shut the door behind him and turned on the light. He stared at his reflection. He looked exhausted. He stared at himself aggravated. What on earth happened during the night? He thought he may have another two days. His symptoms have not been as strong as they had been for Cesar.
Now suddenly he was almost out of his mind. He needed to get away from Mia. He wasn't sure how best to do that though. He wasn't sure he trusted anyone else to protect her. It wasn't exactly true. There were people he could trust. His Warrior instincts just didn't want him to.
Growling, he dug his phone out of his pocket.
Poet picked up after the second ring. "Well this is new. Normally you don't call me unless I've done something wrong."
Viking closed his eyes in an effort to seem less growly as he answered. "I do not think it is wise for me to stay with Mia any longer than necessary. I am finding it difficult to be in the same room as her."
"Text me the address. I'll be right there." Then Poet hung up.
It wasn't often that Poet took things seriously. But for whatever reason the Maddening was something he seemed to take very seriously. He knew Poet could protect Mia and maybe even identify whatever this being was, should it reappear. If he could trust Poet with Mia he could meet with Gwen and Raider. Maybe get something done with making sure this thing left his mate alone. It was the least he could do. He needed to look out for his mate.
Viking splashed water on his face. He needed to get a hold of himself. This was insane. He watched water drip down his face.
"Get on hold of yourself. You controlled yourself for centuries. Now is not the time to lose it. That woman out there needs you. She needs you to find this thing stalking her. If you let yourself go to the Maddening you will be no help at all."
His pep talk barely registered. Taking another deep breath he concentrated his thoughts all on finding this thing chasing Mia. If he could concentrate the anger than he could bypass the lust until Poet got there. He texted the address before walking back into the kitchen.
Mia had a worried and anxious expression on her face. "Are you all right?"
Part of him wanted to lie. Part of him wanted to tell her it wasn't a big deal. That it was a Warrior thing. But he knew, especially in light of Gwen and the issues with Cesar's Maddening, telling the truth would be the best bet.
"It's the Maddening. I had better control of it last night and early this morning than I do now. It is barely controllable. I want nothing more than to ravage you. Even the idea of eating holds no interest. So I called Poet. He is a strong and old Warrior. He will be able to protect you in my absence. I will be in no danger of pressuring you and maybe I'll get the chance to kick the crap out of something and tone down the anger."
Mia look shocked. There was a flash on her face that reminded him of the small animal being locked in a cage with a predator. But that quickly faded. Luckily she knew he wouldn't hurt her.
"Okay, so this is the best course of action at this time?" Her voice was calm and soothing like the tone someone would use on a wild animal.
"I think it best if we try to stay in two separate rooms until Poet gets here. I am hoping the lack of proximity will help my level of control."
She stood with her plate of food in her hand. "All right, if you need something to help with the excess energy. I'm digging the hole in the backyard for fountain. You'll see where it is. The shovels are in the small shed that is connected to the backside of the house. That might help relieve some of your stress." She gave him one last look before leaving the room. He could hear her walking upstairs to her bedroom.
She wasn't even frightened. She just seemed worried for him. That only made Viking feel worse. He didn't want to be a burden. Growling to himself he grabbed a muffin from the package and headed out to the backyard. If he could be useful and burn off some of this energy that would be better.
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He didn't know how long he'd been digging when he heard his phone go off. More like he felt it vibrating in his pocket. Planting the shovel, Viking pulled out his phone and tapped it to answer Poet's call.
"Yeah?" He didn't have much more response than that.
"I'm outside. Let me in?"
Viking hung up and headed inside. He was sure to pat down his clothes and stomp his feet before coming inside. He walked through the kitchen and out to the front door. He swung it open to find Poet's smiling face.
Poet walked in. "How are you doing?"
Viking did a mental check-in. He actually felt better now that he had been completing manual labor. His mind was slightly clearer. There was still a pale red fog in his brain, however, it was thin enough he could see through it.
He made eye contact with the other Warrior. "Better than it was when I called. It turns out she's building some sort of fountain in the backyard. So between then and now I've been digging a giant hole. That's calmed me down some."
Poet was looking him up and down. "Good, whatever can be done is good. Do you want to finish digging the hole?" He smirked at Viking.
Viking snorted. "Hell no. I wanted to catch whoever the hell is causing all these problems for her."
"Fair enough. Would you mind telling me where the fair lady is before you leave?"
Viking pointed upstairs. "She's in the master bedroom. Just let her know you're here. Thank you for doing this."
The other man's expression went serious." Of course."
They looked at each other for second. Neither had anything to say. Viking nodded to the other man before heading out. He needed to talk to Gwen. And see if she had any information. Then he would plan his next step.
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When Viking reached the shop Raider informed him Gwen was not to be disturbed. At first that bothered him. Then he started to get angry. But Raider quickly added it was because she was out in the Spirit World hunting down the being that who chased Mia.
Viking waited anxiously for almost an hour before heading up to Gwen's apartment deciding to wait in her living room. Raider insisted on going with him. So now the two of them were pacing back and forth in the front room waiting for Gwen to finish.
When she finally emerged she looks surprised at Viking. "What are you doing here?"
Viking snarled. "The Maddening is too strong to be in close proximity alone with Mia."
Gwen's eyes showed her understanding as she nodded. "I take it that is why Poet isn't here?
Since no answer was truly needed Viking didn't respond. Yawning, Gwen curled up in one of her oversized chairs. Viking couldn’t bring himself to sit so he leaned against the back of the couch. Raider followed suit.
"Okay, so I did some investigating and I have to say things are a wee bit strange over there. But I know in your current state you probably don't care. So we can revisit that in a day or two. From what I could gather there is a type of being that can work like a puppet master. They do not just influence a person's actions but can out right control them. Unlike other beings that hitch a ride with humans, this being can catch multiple rides. The more they catch though the weaker their hold. But I was told about a legend about one puppet master type that was strong enough to control a legion. Which does not really help us much."
Viking knew then that hi
s and Gwen's hunch about this being's involvement in the rebellion just became more likely. Why else would it be collecting people? Viking knew it could be just a coincidence but his gut told him that it wasn't.
Raider folded his arms over his chest. "So, what does that mean for us? How are we supposed to stop it? Or send it back into the Spirit World so it can't control everybody?"
Gwen's fidgeting told Viking he and Raider were not going to like her answer. "Well some of the beings I spoke to have no idea how to stop it. I did however speak to one group that said they knew how to stop it but it would cost me. And honestly since I didn't know what the price was going to be I didn't make the deal. That being said I think I might know someone outside of the Spirit World who can help us."
Viking exchanged glances with Raider. As far as either of them knew Gwen was the only one with strong ties to the Spirit World. The idea that someone else who might know was something to be worried about. The only other thing he could think of was a very strong MP. And one of them wouldn't help them without a price.
Gwen seemed to have read their expressions and known what they were thinking. "You're going to have to trust me." She looked directly at Viking. "This is going to be a little bit unconventional. And you're going to have to promise me that you're not going to get upset about the method."
That did not sound like a good idea to Viking. "Tell me exactly what you have in mind, Little One." Viking knew there was an edge to his voice and it wasn't just because of the Maddening. Anytime Gwen had some unorthodox plan it always ended up pissing him off in some way or another. The last thing he needed was something like this when he was going through the Maddening.
"Well for starters, I will have Barrett come over and make something to calm your nerves down a bit, as the last thing we need is you to be getting more agitated. Once that's done I'm going to have him give both you and I a sleeping spell. We'll set you up in one of my extra bedrooms so Raider does not worry about trying to go to multiple places in case something happens.
Viking Sensitivity (Night World Series Book 2) Page 12
