The enemy hadn’t been held back by their combined power. No, he had been held back by the next evolution of a new dragon as it sensed its mother, father, and brother.
The spark of life from a new fetus.
When their daughter’s magic ignited and mixed with her family’s for the first time, the enemy didn’t stand a chance.
Bjorn’s eyes met Samantha’s. They didn’t have to wonder or wait like most people. Life had just grabbed hold and given them what they wanted. What they hoped for.
Samantha was pregnant.
Chapter Eighteen
Tenth-century Scandinavia
A fortnight later
“THIS IS PEACEFUL,” Samantha murmured. “I see why you sat up here so much.”
“It is peaceful,” Bjorn agreed as they rested in one of his favorite spots overlooking the Fortress and bay. “And I would rather stay here.”
“Oh, I know you would.” She shook her head. “But it’s time you stopped staring at your dad’s lodge and got down there.”
Bjorn only grunted a vague response.
“Come on,” she whispered and pulled him after her. “You need to do this.”
She felt his concerns. His worries. His thoughts became hers as he grumbled along. Was it really what he should be doing? He didn’t think so. But unlike a newly appointed king, he skulked through the night after her. And every step of the way it felt like his feet and heart got heavier.
“Bjorn.” She cupped his cheeks outside of his father’s lodge. “Just…”
When she trailed off, her thoughts became his own. She wanted him to fix this. To fully unburden his soul once and for all.
Since he became king and the enemy was once again thwarted, they had been working hard to rebuild his broken kingdom. Samantha spent most of her time getting to know the people and understanding their ways. She hadn’t committed to him and downright refused to be queen for now, but she stood by him. She was always there. Even now.
“You know you need to do this, Bjorn.” She brushed her lips across his. “You need to make things right with your father.”
Bjorn didn’t quite know what that meant as he finally entered his parent’s lodge and yet again watched his father lying in bed. He was gone to the world, even his fellow dragons. A husk of the great man he once was. And it could have been prevented. Though still angered by the helplessness he felt the day this happened, Bjorn finally acknowledged that there was another reason for his discontent.
He was mad his father attacked the enemy when he knew Bjorn could not help him.
“You should never have faced that monster when you knew I could not stand by your side,” he growled under his breath as he paced at the end of his father’s bed. Naðr Véurr remained perfectly still, his face frozen in time as if he were already dead.
Dead.
That word, as it had for so long now, rang over and over in his mind. His father, his king, his hero, had fallen. He was no more. Bjorn stopped, clenched his jaw and eyed him. The luster of his hair was fading. His skin grew gaunt.
Just like Bjorn’s mother.
They were withering away together across time.
But both had chosen to be where they were for the right reasons. Not only because of the love they felt for each other, but for their kin.
Their children.
It felt like a weight lifted as the truth dawned. As he finally, truly, understood the lengths love would go. What a man was willing to do to protect his woman. What a parent was willing to do to protect his child. What dragons would do to find each other…to find their other half. And what their kin might do to make sure that happened.
Bjorn frowned as all the pieces fell into place.
His father must have known Samantha would come when his dragon saw her the day Bjorn lost his family. A woman his father no doubt recognized when he first met her here.
Like Bjorn would have for Sven, Naðr Véurr would do anything for his children. Even engage an enemy dragon more powerful than himself. Not only because he was heartbroken over his daughter being killed but to protect his son who stood so vulnerable on that dock. A son that couldn’t shift. More than that? A son whose mate had finally materialized.
“You didn’t just do it because you were angry,” he whispered. “You did it to protect me…us...love.” Bjorn crouched and took his father’s hand. “You protected your children. You fought and defended. How can I fault you for that?” He bit back emotion as he eyed his father. “Meyla is alive, Father. She was attacked but not defeated.”
Though foolish, he waited for a reaction. Anything. Something to show that his father heard. That perhaps such information might revive him. But of course, nothing happened. There was no response.
More heartbroken than ever, he hung his head.
“Keep talking to him,” Samantha whispered into his mind as she crouched beside him and rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Share everything, Bjorn. Because I’ll bet he can hear you. They say people in coma’s can.”
He inhaled deeply, met her eyes then looked at his father. Did he hear him? Could it be possible?
“It can’t hurt to try,” she murmured.
So he did, surprised by how easily the words came as he sat down. He shared his adventure with Samantha. How good it was to reconnect with his dragon and to find his mate. He told Naðr Véurr about Megan and how she was doing. About Svala’s never ending antics. And even about Sean and his effect on her. He thanked his father for protecting his children so well.
Then he asked for forgiveness.
Because though the enemy was at fault, Bjorn could not shift and help that day.
Samantha stayed by his side the entire time. On occasion, she added to his stories. His proudest moments were when he reconnected with Sven and when he discovered Samantha was pregnant.
Yet when he tried to tell his father about his new position, he hesitated.
“Tell him, Bjorn.” Samantha squeezed his hand. “He’ll be so proud.”
Would he? Or would his father feel Bjorn should do what he had been groomed to do? That he should protect Heidrek at all cost? How would Naðr Véurr truly feel about his son becoming a king of a different tribe? Of those they had once called enemy?
“No.” Bjorn shook his head. “I will tell him if he awakens.”
“Not if but when he awakens.” Samantha searched his eyes. “I know you think otherwise, but he’s not going to think you let him down. He knew what you did for those people. You know how proud he was of you.”
“Even so.” His eyes went to his father. “I will wait until he awakens. Until we can speak like men. I do not want him upset and unable to respond. I do not want—”
“Proud. I’m so damn proud.”
Bjorn froze as his father’s words whispered through his mind.
A distant sound.
Like an echo on the wind.
“Father?” he said aloud and into his mind but got no response. His eyes met Samantha’s. “Did you hear him?”
She shook her head, hope in her eyes. “No, but we both know that means nothing. That your dragon has been places mine hasn’t. Places your father’s dragon might be too.” She squeezed his hand again. “This could be the beginning, Bjorn. Your father might very well be trying to find his way back.”
Bjorn nodded. She was right. He felt it bone deep…soul deep.
His father wasn’t gone yet.
Samantha remained by his side as he held his father’s hand and continued talking. All through the night then throughout the next day. Eventually, they had to leave. He was a king now and needed to return to his people. Still, they lingered in the spot overlooking his father’s lodge and the bay.
He thought of everything that had happened and everything to come.
“You will always have the choice to return to the future,” he murmured to Samantha as they admired the view. “Now that it’s confirmed you can transport my kin back and forth safely between the Fortress and Dragon Lair,
it’s only a matter of time before you return to the twenty-first century.”
“I know,” she whispered and threaded her hands with his. “But I’m in no rush.”
The truth was he would rather she didn’t travel back and forth through time. But he would not fight it. This was her destiny as a Gateway Seer. According to Heidrek and Kjar, their unborn child now protected Samantha’s mind from the enemy. Therefore, they were all safe, and she could focus on mastering her craft.
Like Bjorn, she was part of a bigger picture. One that involved saving their kin and people from evil. Everyone had a role, and she took pride in hers. That was her right. And he would never take it from her or make her feel guilty when she left. She understood time went by differently and that if they wanted to age together, she could never stay in the future for very long. But then time seemed to be going by faster there than here now so who knew if the same rules applied.
“Tait’s a mess,” she murmured, her thoughts on his cousin’s recent behavior. He had only grown more despondent and eager to return to the future. He claimed his soul had been ripped in half by evil, and he wanted it back.
“So is Matthew for that matter,” she added.
Bjorn nodded, just as baffled by Matthew’s growing fury at Tait as everyone else. At first, they thought it was simply his dragon acting up. Now they weren’t so sure. Though he had already distanced himself from Håkon at the Dragon Lair, he typically spent a great deal of time with him at the Fortress. Now he was pushing him away. It made less and less sense.
Yet despite it all, Bjorn and Samantha had found joy in their own lives.
They had let go of the past and now had a future to embrace.
Hope.
***
Later, pleasantly sated, they lay in a grassy clearing about halfway between the two fortresses and gazed up at the moon. She stroked his jaw absently and murmured, “I like the stubble. Are you growing your beard back?”
“Perhaps. Do you want me to?”
“It doesn’t matter. You’re gorgeous either way.” She rested her chin on his chest and eyed his face. “It keeps you warmer to have a beard out on the water during the winter months, though, right?”
“I suppose.” A knowing grin met his lips. “You miss the beard you so disliked before, do you not?”
“I never said I didn’t like it.”
“I’m in your mind, Samantha.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She smiled. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt to grow it out on occasion.” A twinkle lit her flirtatious eyes. “It has its uses.”
Bjorn chuckled and stroked her hair as she rested her cheek on his chest. He couldn’t remember ever being so happy. And he wanted to make sure she felt the same. So though it was hard to say, he needed to make sure she understood how things were between them now. That she was free to do as she wished. “I told you as your friend that you can leave,” he murmured. “You can go home...to stay.”
“But you know I won’t. Not to stay,” she whispered. “Because home’s here now.”
“What about your business?” he murmured. “Your dreams?” When she remained silent, he continued. “Do you feel like you’re giving them up again? Like you’re letting go of them for me?”
Samantha’s eyes connected with his, and she considered him for a moment. “No, because I’m not giving up on my dreams. I intend to help people here as much as I did at home. The only difference now is that I won’t make boat loads of money.” The corner of her mouth inched up. “Instead, I’ll have to settle for being a Viking king’s friend as I make my way in this new world.”
His brows perked. “Just a friend?”
“Hmm.” She narrowed her eyes as she thought about it. “Maybe a Viking king’s girlfriend.”
“What about being my queen?” he murmured yet again. He would always give her space but wanted far more. And he could be stubborn. “You are carrying our child.”
“True,” she conceded. “But where I’m from that doesn’t mean we run out and get married.”
“Not even if I teach you everything I know?” He cupped her cheek. “Even if I prove how good a friend I am? How important your dreams are to me?”
“Maybe.” A small smile crawled onto her face. “If you do all those things.”
Yet she knew he would. And they both knew she would eventually become his wife. But for now, she needed this. Mutual respect. A chance to grow together. To start a life that was as much hers as it was his. A life that would teach their children the true strength of love.
“We need to get back,” she whispered, referring to their new fortress.
“We always will,” he managed to get out before he rolled her beneath him.
They were on a new adventure in more ways than one. Part of two kingdoms. Part of incomparable family lineages. Determined to do their best in an ongoing war. Yet one thing remained true as they returned to their new home several hours later.
Their future was together.
A future he might have once thought he didn’t deserve but now felt he did thanks to Samantha. Though he still sought vengeance for his father, he suspected Samantha’s prophetic warning when they first met had more to do with confronting his past. He still recalled her words. “Vengeance, terrible vengeance. Sought by a Viking King’s son over a broken heart.”
His heart had been broken in more ways than one. Not only by his father’s near annihilation but by having lost his son years before. Now that was behind him. When he finally took revenge on old enemies, his anger had lessened. It no longer clouded his judgment. He could see things more clearly.
He could see a new beginning.
Bjorn and Samantha had found something uniquely theirs.
A connection between worlds. A chance to make things right.
Mistakes had been rectified. Old wounds were healing. Love was stronger than ever.
Life was no longer something to be watched from afar but lived.
He wasn’t running anymore.
He wasn’t trying to stay safe.
No, he was done with all that.
At long last, he was free from his past. Now he was embracing his future…
Sven, Samantha, and their unborn child.
The End
Coming Soon…
Sean and Svala’s Story
As the holidays arrive, Sean struggles to keep peace in what’s become a battleground instead of a festive Winter Harbor home. At his wit’s end, he finally calls on an old friend’s help. Or so he had hoped. Cast beneath the spell of a powerful Scottish wizard determined to protect his Viking Ancestors, Sean and Svala go on an unexpected yuletide journey. As it turns out, there’s only one way to break free from the spell. A life-altering choice that might very well cost him both his sanity and his heart. Find out how everything unravels in A Viking Holiday. Coming November 29th, 2016. Available now for pre-order.
Tait and Lauren’s Story
Desperate to return to the twenty-first century and figure out why he’s cursed, Tait struggles with half a soul. But that’s not all. When he returns to the future, he realizes how unfortunate things really are. Though drawn to Shannon, he can’t seem to stay away from Lauren. And never was there a more difficult woman. Even for a flirt like him. Yet if he’s not around her, he becomes uncharacteristically sullen. Caught in an unraveling hex that steers them closer and closer to the enemy, he realizes the only way to save his kin is to forfeit his soul…or reevaluate his heart. Follow Tait and Lauren as they struggle through a whirlwind of events that will either push them apart or bring them closer together in Soul of a Viking. Coming January 24th, 2017. Available now for pre-order.
The MacLomain Series
Viking Ancestors’ Kin
Rise of Viking (Heidrek’s story)
Vengeance of a Viking (Bjorn’s story)
A Viking Holiday (Svala’s story)
Soul of a Viking (Tait’s story)
Fury of a Viking (Matthew’s story)
Pride of a Vikin
g (Kodran’s story)
Previous Releases
~The MacLomain Series- Early Years~
Highland Defiance- Book One
Highland Persuasion- Book Two
Highland Mystic- Book Three
~The MacLomain Series~
The King’s Druidess- Prelude
Fate’s Monolith- Book One
Destiny’s Denial- Book Two
Sylvan Mist- Book Three
~The MacLomain Series- Next Generation~
Mark of the Highlander- Book One
Vow of the Highlander- Book Two
Wrath of the Highlander- Book Three
Faith of the Highlander- Book Four
Plight of the Highlander- Book Five
~The MacLomain Series- Later Years~
Quest of a Scottish Warrior- Book One
Yule’s Fallen Angel- Spin-off Novella
Honor of a Scottish Warrior- Book Two
Oath of a Scottish Warrior- Book Three
Passion of a Scottish Warrior- Book Four
~The MacLomain Series- Viking Ancestors~
Viking King- Book One
Viking Claim- Book Two
Viking Heart- Book Three
~The MacLomain Series- Viking Ancestors’ Kin~
Rise of a Viking- Book One
Vengeance of a Viking- Book Two
A Viking Holiday- Spin-off Novella
Soul of a Viking- Book Three
Fury of a Viking- Book Four
Pride of a Viking- Book Five
~Calum’s Curse Series~
The Victorian Lure- Book One
The Georgian Embrace- Book Two
The Tudor Revival- Book Three
~Holiday Tales~
Vengeance of a Viking (The MacLomain Series: Viking Ancestors' Kin Book 2) Page 27
