Pride of a Viking (The MacLomain Series: Viking Ancestors' Kin, #5)

by Sky Purington

  Mt. Galdhøpiggen’s peak.

  So he made sure his weapons were intact, put on his hood and headed deeper into the mountains. It would take a few days to get there by foot but if he shifted his kin would likely sense it. As it was, it would only be a matter of time before they figured out he was gone...and where he was headed.

  As he traveled, he thought about the moment he and Erica had touched the blade. The moment he finally saw her.

  All they had shared.

  A glimpse of all they had suffered.

  Kodran clenched his jaw and kept moving, the beauty of her face in his mind every step of the way. Then more than that. How astoundingly beautiful she was inside and out. He ground his jaw and kept moving as memories flashed through his mind. Dwelling on her, on them, wouldn’t do any good. It would not change a thing.

  He could not turn back time.

  He couldn’t undo what was done.

  The only thing he could do now was find a way to learn more and do his best to keep his kin out of it. Even better, find a way to get near Hallstein and end the bastard before he got any closer to those Kodran cared about.

  Unlike the rest of his kin, he might just have the opportunity.

  Later that night, as he sat by a fire in a cave, he skinned meat and contemplated how to act once he arrived at the mountain’s peak. More than anything, he needed to connect with Aunt Aella and possibly even Uncle Kjar. Hopefully, they would be able to lead him in the right direction. Who else could if not for the head seer?

  “Mayhap an arch wizard?” came a reply to his thoughts.

  There was no mistaking the Scottish accent.

  Kodran narrowed his eyes when Grant Hamilton, of all people, appeared out of the darkness.

  “Grant.” He stood. “What are you doing here? Is all well?”

  Grant Hamilton, or Grant MacLomain depending on who you asked, was currently arch wizard of both the Hamilton and MacLomain clans in medieval Scotland.

  “Well enough.” Grant embraced Kodran and patted him on the back. “As long as you continue on your current path with my help.”

  “Your help is always welcome.” He couldn’t help but feel somewhat relieved. Grant was a powerful ally. “I can only assume you know what happened when Erica and I touched that blade?”

  “Aye.” Grant sat down across from him as Kodran put the rabbit on a spit over the fire and handed the Scotsman a skin of mead.

  “I know a great deal more than the enemy thankfully,” Grant continued. “At least for now.” He frowned as his eyes met Kodran’s. “But that isnae going to last for long. Not once Erica joins him here.” He sighed. “Or should I say rejoins him.”

  “What do you mean, rejoins him?” Kodran crossed his arms over his chest and met Grant’s frown. Since he and Erica touched that blade, he knew what she had been up to in the future. He knew she had done the unthinkable and mated with Hallstein. And while he kept meaning to warn his kin, something stopped him.

  Something age old and all about the connection Kodran and Erica had once shared.

  For now, he knew she wasn’t a traitor. She had a plan. One that was clearly foolish. He sensed it deep down and trusted it despite his wariness. Despite that whatever her ultimate move was it meant she ended up in Hallstein’s bed. And from what he had glimpsed in that mere fraction they had touched the blade together, she hadn’t been opposed in the least to the enemy’s dark sexual prowess.

  He couldn’t think about that again though. Not since the moment he learned it until now. No, best to head for the mountain peak and seek answers there. His thoughts and aggravation over Erica kept churning until Grant’s next words made everything inside him come to a screeching halt.

  “Erica has arrived at the house in Winter Harbor, and sold it to Megan,” Grant said. “Now she’s traveling back in time to rejoin Hallstein and find a way to end him before he ends everyone else.”

  She was doing what?

  His inner dragon flared with anger. It was bad enough knowing she was with that monster in the future, now she intended to be with him here? On the land that had once been theirs? Kodran tried to set aside his strong emotions.

  “I don’t understand,” he ground out. “Why did she sell the house to Aunt Megan?”

  “So that ‘tis no longer attached to Erica and her sisters. More so, the tree,” Grant said softly. “And so someone will be there in the future in case other time travelers happen through.”

  Despite his fury and disappointment in Erica, sadness washed over him. He rested his elbows on his knees and stared at the fire. Aunt Megan had no intention of coming home. That was ominous. Telling.

  “What happens when she dies?” he murmured, unable to meet Grant’s eyes because when it came to seeing the truth about Aunt Megan, the finality, he was a coward. “Who will be there then?”

  “Whoever she wills it to.”

  Kodran kept his eyes on the fire as he understood. As fresh pain made his chest tighten. “Naðr Véurr’s not going to awaken because of this, is he? Because of Aunt Megan...”

  When Grant hesitated, Kodran bypassed denial, and his eyes whipped to the wizard. “Now is not the time to be less than truthful.”

  Grant eyed him for a long, heavy moment before he murmured, “’Tis unlikely he will, lad.”

  “Loki’s cock,” Kodran whispered. Things would never be the same without him and Aunt Megan. “Do Bjorn and Svala know?”

  “By now, likely about their mother.” He shook his head. “But nobody needs to know about Naðr. Not until we’ve seen this war through.”

  That made sense. Morale was everything. That didn’t make this any easier though.

  “You’re here helping me for him, aren’t you?” Kodran said. “For Naðr Véurr.”

  “I’m doing it for all of you,” Grant said. “You’re my ancestors. My kin. Family.”

  Kodran nodded. He knew. They didn’t see Grant often, but he had always been around. Not to mention, Naðr’s Vikings had helped Grant’s Highlanders and vice versa. And whether he would admit to as much right now, Grant cared a great deal about Naðr, They had been good friends. Were still good friends.

  “So you intend to go to the top of the mountain with me to speak with Aunt Aella,” Kodran said. “Then we’ll go from there.”

  “Eventually,” Grant allowed. “But first we have to take a detour.”

  Kodran frowned. He didn’t like the sound of that. “What do you mean?”

  “You know precisely what I mean.”

  “Erica,” Kodran murmured as he realized Grant’s plan.

  “Of course, Erica.” Grant’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I would think you would be eager to keep her from coming together with Hallstein.”

  “Coming together with Hallstein again,” Kodran muttered. “And as far as I know she was more than glad to be with him before.”

  Disappointment flashed in Grant’s eyes as he saw right through Kodran. “Are you honestly going to let jealousy get in the way of protecting your dragon mate, lad?”

  “It doesn’t sound like she needs protection,” Kodran countered, ignoring his dragon’s persistent need to go find her. See her again. Touch her. “It sounds like she’s been handling Hallstein just fine.”

  “She’s been handling him by being at his mercy.” Grant’s tone was cutting. “Your mate has shown nothing but courage and done more for this war than all of you combined. Remember that when your jealousy flares. Remember that if she dies by Hallstein’s hands because you let your pride and petty emotions get in the way, dragon.”

  Aggravated, Kodran ground his jaw. He knew Grant was right, but that didn’t make it any easier to swallow. He had lost her to that beast once, and it felt like it was happening all over again. What was worse? She put herself in the line of fire...or had she?

  What if all he sensed was wrong? What if she was exactly where she wanted to be.

  With Hallstein.

  “There you go with petty emotion, lad. Dinnae let it happe
n,” Grant murmured, clearly following his thoughts. “Stand your ground, and dinnae let Hallstein take her away from you again. This time you’re on far more equal ground with a bloody powerful lot of kin behind you.” His voice grew soft. “This time you are not beholden to ancient laws.”

  That was very true. But would it make a difference?

  “Not only that,” Grant continued, “but you have the backing of a tribe of ancient Sigdir’s that will prove a mighty force against the enemy. You saw that when Hallstein battled Vivienne. She was like the plague to him. ‘Tis hard to know if he will respond the same to her and hers here but at the verra least, he’s got to be overly cautious now. Better yet, he doesnae even know for sure if there are more like her. That was never confirmed.” His brows drew together. “So dinnae let Erica go at this alone. She doesnae deserve it.”

  Images flashed through his mind of another life. How much they had loved each other. How much they were willing to sacrifice. The unbelievable pain he had felt losing her not once but twice, one way or another. What if that happened again? More than that, what if them coming together somehow affected their people adversely?

  “I am reincarnated from someone who broke ancient laws to be with her,” Kodran reminded. “I also set her free. And sacrificed much to do it.” He frowned. “Will that not affect this war in Hallstein’s favor? Because if I’ve learned nothing else, it’s that everything happening now is a direct result of what happened so long ago.”

  “’Tis hard to know what will and will not affect the outcome of everything,” Grant replied. “What I can say with assurance is that you and Erica would not have been reborn and found each other again if it were not meant to be. If the gods didnae have a hand in it.” His brows perked. “And that, to my mind, means you two will only be stronger together, and it will be that strength that helps win this war once and for all.”

  “I couldnae agree more, my friend,” came another Scottish burr before a teenage boy appeared. He had black hair and sparkling blue eyes.

  Kodran’s eyes widened. It couldn’t be. “Adlin?”

  “Aye.” Adlin grinned, embraced Grant then looked Kodran over. “My you’ve grown!”

  Adlin MacLomain not only started but was also once the immortal arch wizard of the MacLomain clan. He slowly began aging when he met his one true love. But as far as Kodran knew, Adlin had passed away years ago.

  “So you...” Kodran eyed him over as well. He was tall but gangly. No older than fifteen winters or so. “You traveled here from a time when you were young?”

  “Not quite.” Adlin kept beaming at them both. “More like I’m heading back to life, but I’ve got to become the right size first. I figured while I was transitioning I’d pop in and out and help where I can.” His eyes met Grant’s. “’Tis one hell of a beastie they’re up against.”

  Grant nodded, clearly happy to see Adlin again, such as he was. “Aye.”

  Kodran’s eyebrows slammed together as he looked at Adlin. “Come again? You’re heading back to life? What does that mean?”

  “Just what it sounds like,” Adlin said. “Like you were and so many others, I’m going to be reborn.”

  The great Adlin MacLomain was going to be reborn?

  “Where? When?” He shook his head. “To who?”

  “Medieval Scotland.” Adlin kept grinning, a twinkle in his eyes as they met Grant’s. “To Bradon and Leslie, aye?”

  Grant nodded. “So it appears.”

  “Aye.” Adlin rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “It should be great fun!”

  “And until then you’re...” Kodran looked him up and down again. “A young man.” He shook his head. “I still don’t understand.”

  Adlin cocked his head. “You do realize that I’m a spirit, aye, laddie?”

  Actually, he hadn’t. “You seem so solid.”

  “Aye, the perks of being such a powerful wizard at one time,” Adlin said. “Even so, I willnae be around all the time. Even for me, it takes a wee bit too much energy.”

  “Ah.” Kodran kept eying him. “And why again are you so young?”

  Because the last time he saw Adlin, he was an old man.

  “Well, eventually I need to be a baby.” He held his hands apart. “So though my soul is quite enormous, I’ll still need to be small enough to be reborn. I expect to grow a bit younger before all is said and done but you willnae have to care for a ghostly infant.” He winked at Grant. “Not like that twenty-first century movie about this sort of thing. Not that the babe was a ghost, but you get my meaning.”

  What movie? But that was the least of Kodran’s concerns right now, and it seemed they felt the same because both looked his way expectantly as Adlin said, “So you will get a wee bit o’ rest then we will go save your lass, aye?”

  Kodran nodded and sat. It seemed he had no choice given his current company and how determined they were to drive him in that direction. Hours later as he stared up at the cave ceiling, he felt a mixture of concern and anticipation. So many things could go wrong. Too much of the past haunted him and Erica. But at the same time, the weight he had been carrying on his shoulders seemed to have lessened since he decided to go after her.

  No doubt, because his dragon agreed with his decision.

  Yet he knew it was more than that based on the way he had felt when he finally laid eyes on her again. Things might not have ended the way he wanted for them in another life, but the connection between them was just as strong. And that was something he truly, deep down, was surprised still existed given all that had happened.

  When he awoke the next morning, Adlin was gone, and Grant was preparing to travel.

  “Where is Adlin?” Kodran asked as he sat up.

  “As he said, it requires a great deal of energy to be with us,” Grant said. “But rest assured, we will see him again.”

  Kodran didn’t respond but pulled on his boots then prepared to travel as well. “Which direction are we heading?”

  “Toward Mt. Galdhøpiggen but along the shore,” Grant said. “That’s where Erica will meet Hallstein in order to make it less likely for your kin to track them. As far as I know, he hasn’t crossed back into Helheim since Hel took Maeva. But I expect ‘tis only a matter of time before he not only engages your kin but challenges his mother for the throne.”

  “He will have his tribe with him then?” Kodran said. “If so, should me and mine not be there to engage him?”

  Again, thanks to Kage and his undercover work over the years, the Sigdirs now knew that Hallstein had been stashing the majority of his dragons in the twenty-first century.

  “No, you should not engage him until all of you are at your most powerful,” Grant said. “And the only way to get there is to reunite with Erica and keep her from becoming Hallstein’s again. Because if he finds a way back to the wrong version of Maeva, I’m not sure even Vivienne and her ancient dragons will be able to help. Hallstein will become too powerful.”

  Kodran shook his head as they started on their way. “Has it not occurred to you that Hallstein may be capable of doing what he did in another life in this one? And if that happens, I cannot imagine a good outcome.”

  “It is a different life, and you are a different man,” Grant said. “Amongst other things.”

  While that might be true, Kodran still wondered. Hallstein was not only powerful but unpredictable.

  “Whatever happens,” Grant said. “’Tis imperative that we get to Erica before Hallstein does.”

  On that point, Kodran couldn’t agree more. He would rather have a chance to spend some time with her to see if they could manage through all that haunted them rather than try to steal her away from the enemy. A feat he knew he could not pull off if Hallstein had his tribe along with him. Because according to Kage, the enemy had more male dragons than female, which meant he had a whole lot of brute strength.

  Luckily, Grant’s magic was able to get them close to where Erica should be in record time.

  “She’ll be
here soon,” Grant murmured as they stopped at the edge of a tree line along the shore. “When she arrives, we’ll have to move fast.”

  That’s when it occurred to him what the wizard had in mind.

  “We’re taking her whether or not she wants to come, aren’t we,” Kodran murmured.

  “Well, of course.” Grant eyed him. “Did you think we would try to reason with her when at any moment Hallstein could show up? Because I can assure you, she’ll fight us to accomplish what she came here to do. To save both your people and hers.” He shook his head. “A task she will never be able to accomplish on her own.”

  Kodran crossed his arms over his chest and looked from Grant to the shore. “So how do you expect us to do this? Because I got the impression she’s not only learned to use some of her dragon magic but has that blade. And only Odin knows how much extra power it’s lending her. It is her blade after all.”

  “And yours,” Grant reminded as he headed for the shore. “Come on, lad. We’ve got a small window of opportunity once she arrives and ‘tis best to catch her unaware. You grab her and I will get us to safety.”

  “I’m to grab her?” Kodran sighed, followed, and muttered, “So it’s to be a Gungnir blade in my back then.”

  “It beats the alternative,” Grant said over his shoulder. “Your mate forfeiting her life for the enemy.”

  Grant slowed as he got closer to the shore, almost as if he was sensing something. “She’s coming.” He pointed just to his left. “Right there. Go now!”

  Kodran might be against this, but when Grant gave an order, he listened. Meanwhile, as he bolted in that direction, Grant started chanting. Just as the wizard forecasted Erica materialized. When she did, Kodran yanked the blade from her hand, tossed her over his shoulder then ran before their eyes ever connected.

  “Sonofabitch,” Erica muttered and struggled. “Put me down Kodran. You have no idea what a colossal mistake you’re making!”

  She was strong but not nearly as strong as him, and he kept moving as Grant’s magic twisted around them and the air compressed. The next thing he knew they were standing on the ledge outside of the entrance to Mt. Galdhøpiggen’s peak.