Under A Viking Moon

by Tami Dee

  Who was this man? A person simply didn't wash up on a beach a thousand years after he was supposed to have been murdered, and in less than twenty-four hours, solve her financial problems and mastermind a plot to remove her archenemies. It simply wasn't possible. Was it?

  Electricity crackled and popped between them as their eyes held. Despite her best efforts, Kat was drawn towards him by some magnetic pull. She struggled to control herself and sort out her thoughts. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Rosie making quite a show of fanning herself.

  "Oh, for havens sake," Rosie burst out. "Kiss him or I will."

  The mood was instantly broken and suspicion raised its ugly head. She had been on the streets for too long to believe that something could be gained for nothing. There had to be a catch.

  "Why?" Kat demanded through narrowed eyes.

  "Why what?" Leif asked with a puzzled frown.

  "Why would you set me up to live in luxury for the rest of my life? I barely know you."

  Rosie rolled her eyes and leaned forward. "I told you so. I've been trying to help her for years and she won't take a single dollar from me. She won't even move in with me, even though I live in a large apartment all by myself. Too much pride, that's her problem."

  Rosie plopped back into her seat and folded her arms across her middle, giving Leif a look that just bordered on smug.

  Katla's blood boiled. She didn't appreciate being her best friend's topic of conversation to what amounted to someone who was, after all, a virtual stranger. Intense psychical attraction and distant relation by marriage aside.

  And look who was talking about pride? Rosie had received an inheritance from her grand-mother five years before -- a small fortune -- and the only things she had used the money for was to buy a great car, a fancy apartment in a high rise, and fully pay for the ridiculously expensive tuition required to earn her masters.

  Yet how did she earn her spending money? By working part time at Big Bob's Diner. And how did she spend her free time? Traveling? Shopping? No. For the last five years, she had hung out with a penniless almost orphan girl who had nothing to offer besides a few laughs and lots of headaches. Pride indeed.

  Katla was scowling so hard her head started to hurt. She rubbed her temples with jerky movements.

  Why did this big shot jarl presume that she needed him to take care of her anyway? Just because she lived in a roach infested one-room apartment, and just because there was a pimp trying to kill her, there was no reason for him to assume that she needed his money. How insulting! She took a steadying breath before zoning in on his last sentence.

  "What do you mean you will take care of Benny?" she said. "You can't just go and kill him, you know." Although she had to admit, that solution did hold some merit.

  "Aye, Kat, I have been informed of how that would be viewed. Pity." He leaned back in the seat as the limo pulled out of the parking lot, apparently relaxed and at home with himself. Kat abstractly watched the lights of the police station slowly pass by. She turned to Rosie.

  "Singlee can drive this thing, can't he?"

  Rosie shrugged. "He's been doing okay up till now."

  Katla nodded, casting a nervous peek outside the window at the buildings that were now passing by at a much faster speed, then turned her attention back to Leif. To his credit, he now seemed passably comfortable in a moving vehicle. She wondered what he would think if he knew his new chauffeur had just spent three years in a state prison for being the best getaway driver this side the West Coast? Bank robbers everywhere used to enlist his services until he got tangled up in a Sting Op that wasn't even about him.

  Then she wondered if they had even had prisons in Leif's time? Probably not. Why would anyone need them when it was perfectly fine to lop off someone's head if they offended him?

  His voice cut through her speculation. The slight edge it held assured her that he noticed her distraction.

  "The reason you can not expose him is because of the threat of retaliation from those who now make a profit from his corruption," he said. "Correct? Because if those who do business with him no longer trust him, they will not be upset that he is no longer in commission."

  Katla remained silent. Of course. Why hadn't she thought of that? It could work. Really work.

  Elation flooded her. She would be free, free of looking over her shoulder for that piece of filth. The realization that she could testify against him for all those years he had stalked and hunted her, trying to use her body to get rich, hit her like a blinding light.

  She could testify! She could see that Annie was compensated for her suffering. And while they were at it, she would love to see Tiny go down, not to mention Moe, Larry and Curly. Her face split into a wide smile. This was going to be fun.

  Propelling herself into Leif's lap, Kat straddled him and wound her arms around his neck. Too caught up in her excitement to feel shy, she rained kisses all over his face until, realizing what she was doing, she pulled away. But his arms, which had wrapped themselves around her waist, didn't loosen. Instead they kept her trapped within them. He searched her face as if looking deep inside her. She caught her breath as his lips descended on hers.

  She was only semi-aware of Rosie flipping the intercom switch and telling Singlee to pull over and let her into the front seat, even less aware of the limo stopping. If it hadn't been for the blast of damp air that whiffed in when Rosie opened the door, Kat doubted she would have notice her exit at all.

  Chapter Ten

  "So it's settled," Leif muttered between kisses, savoring the sweet taste of her.

  "What's settled?" Kat sighed, only half opening her eyes.

  "While I'm in your time, you're my woman," he told her. "I will protect you and provide for you."

  Kat stiffened in his embrace. Removing first one leg, then the other she unwound herself from his lap. Leif had the unfortunate feeling that they would not be kissing one another again any time soon. He watched the play of emotions cross her lovely face.

  Shock, anger, pride.

  Her stubborn little chin went up and her shoulders straightened as she settled herself into the seat across from him -- way across from him, and ran her tongue over her top lip. The small ball piercing her tongue twinkled briefly as it caught the light, reminding him of titillating sensation of heat and lust the smooth ball filled him with when they had kissed.

  He mentally girded his loins in preparation for the tirade that was sure to come. He was not disappointed.

  "Let's get one thing straight, Mr. High and Mighty Jarl," Kat told him. "Although I appreciate your efforts in saving me today, that doesn't mean that you can assume that you can take over my life. I promised to help you try to get home and I will, but that's it. Got it?"

  Leif studied her flushed cheeks and the way her eyes flashed with irritation and felt a flash of irritation of his own. She was stepping on thin ice. To point a fact, he was a high and mighty jarl, and as such, his word was law. Besides he thought, she belonged to him, whether she realized it or not.

  In a moment of blinding clarity that nearly knocked the breath from his lungs, Leif knew from the depths of his soul that she was his life mate.

  When he had first saw her ancestor, an intense feeling of possessiveness had overcome him, as if she were a prized object that was to belong to him and him alone.

  But what he felt for this Katla, since the moment her lips pressed against his in that remarkable life-giving kiss, was much deeper than mere possession. Nay, what he felt for this Katla went past possessiveness directly into soul-piercing need.

  He needed her. He wanted her. He would have her, one way or another.

  She would see reason. He would make sure of it. And when it came time to leave, well, he would face an empty existence without her, a better person for having had her at all. And he would count himself fortune. He would not allow himself to think of how he would leave her alone to pick up the pieces, for if he did so his conscience likely would not allow him to proceed
.

  Her claims broke through his turbulent thoughts. She certainly did need his protection. And she was unquestionably attracted to him. What else mattered?

  "As I was saying," he began again, deliberately speaking slowly and clearly so that she would not misunderstand, "The few things I did not sell are safely locked in a safe deposit box. There are two keys." Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled out the key ring and unwound the second key from the silver clip, willing her to take it.

  Grudgingly, almost as if she couldn't help herself, Kat took the key, making sure not to make contact with his fingers as she did so.

  "I'll hold your spare key for you, just in case you get mugged or something," she said. "But I am not going to be selling any of your things for myself. And I am not your woman. Not now, not ever."

  "We'll see," he muttered, caressing her with his eyes until her cheeks flushed and she turned away. She switched on the dome light and studied the key, frowning.

  "What's the matter?"

  Kat gave him a look he could not read and pushed the button opening the privacy panel.

  Rosie looked over her shoulder. "That was fast."

  Katla blushed and gave Rosie a sharp look. "What bank did you take him to?"

  "Huh?"

  "The safe deposit box, Rosie," she said, holding out the key. "What bank?"

  "I don't believe it," Rosie whispered, her golden eyes wide.

  "I don't think I do, either."

  The fine hairs on the nape of Leif's neck stood on end. "What's going on?" he asked.

  Indecision shadowed Kat's eyes. She and Rosie shared a glance but remained silent.

  "What's going on?" he repeated, striving to control the feeling of dread prickling across his nerve-endings and his rising temper.

  Rosie turned to her cousin. "Pull over, Singlee."

  As soon as the car stopped, Rosie climbed into the back seat and closed the privacy screen.

  Kat cleared her throat and cast him a wary look. "Well, this key. It looks like a key that my Amma gave to me about a week before you turned up under the pier."

  "That would have been yesterday," Leif said dryly.

  She gave him a rather impressive scowl. "Do you want to hear what I have to say or not?"

  "By all means, lady. Continue." He inclined his head.

  "As I was saying, until now, I didn't have a clue where the safe deposit box was located."

  "What makes you believe that you know where it is now?"

  "Look." She held the key to the light again and pointed to a small engraving of what looked like a star placed on ether side of the box number.

  "The key my Amma gave me has the same star engravings. I don't believe that this type of marking is common. I can only hope that, by some miracle, this and my grandmother's box are located in the same bank."

  Leif continued examining the key. When Kat thought he had been paid to play a jest on her, she had mentioned being upset since receiving the key.

  "And why is finding the safe deposit box so urgent?" he asked. "What's in it?"

  Kat cleared her throat before answering. "I don't really know for sure," she told him. "But I think it might have something to do with our family's legend and maybe even with your betrayal."

  Something shifted inside him. He looked at Kat and Rosie hard, both of whom seemed to be awaiting his response with bated breath.

  "How is it that you do not know for certain what is inside the box? Surely if the object were of great consequence, your Amma would have told you what it was."

  Sadness gathered in Kat's eyes. "Ordinarily, that would be true. But my Amma suffers from an aliment that attacks older people in our time, called dementia. Sometimes she can remember things, but most times, well, she doesn't even know who I am. Or who she is. If it were not for the care facility she lives at, she wouldn't even remember to feed herself."

  Her voice flattered. Leif saw that she was having a difficult time controlling her emotions. His heart pounded against his ribs.

  "Dementia," he repeated slowly, testing the word on his tongue. "And this aliment, is there a cure for it in your time?"

  He tried to keep his voice from betraying his turbulent emotions, from exposing the glimmer of hope that now burned within him.

  "No."

  The one word, so sadly given, crushed Leif. The small fraction of hope dashed away as if it had never been. Yet it had been. For a moment, he had hoped...

  As a tear slipped down Kat's cheek, Leif instinctively opened his arms and she fell into them, racked with sobs. He stroked her hair and murmured softly into her ear, tears stinging his own eyes. Tears for her and for himself. As for Rosie, Leif knew that she felt Kat's pain as if it were her own. Rosie was a true sister of the heart.

  Kat pulled away and gave him a ghost of a smile, clearly embarrassed by her emotional display. Leif guessed that she was not in the habit of showing her feelings. Her next words confirmed it.

  "I never cry," she sniffed.

  "There is no shame in showing your feelings, Kat," he told her. "Sometimes weeping can be a balm to your soul."

  She continued to gaze at him, her sea-blue eyes wide and luminous.

  Rosie's crisp voice eased the tension. "The bank is called First National," she said. "It's in the financial district."

  "We should go there first thing in the morning." Leif brushed a strand of hair behind Kat's ear, cupping her cheek within his hand.

  "I would like to meet your Amma," he said haltingly. Rosie had confided that she and Kat were the only ones that knew where Amma was living. It was a matter of great importance that none of Kat's enemies learned of the woman's whereabouts for fear they might harm her. Of course, that was before Leif arrived. No one would dare harm a relative of Kat's and live to tell about it.

  But would she trust him? The answer to that question loomed with importance.

  "I'm sure my Amma would love to meet you, Leif."

  Leif and Rosie let out a collective breath. Leif smiled, surprised to find he had not been the only one to wonder if, in the end, she would trust him. Although Rosie had told him many things about Kat and her grandmother, she had not confided that the woman was ill, or where her shelter was located. Aye, she was a loyal friend.

  "Singlee," Leif said, flipping the intercom switch. "Please take us to Rosie's shelter."

  "Huh?" Singlee answered back.

  Rosie and Katla both laughed as Rosie pressed the button again. "To my house, knucklehead."

  "Why didn't he say that?" came the obstinate reply.

  Rosie rolled her eyes. "Good help is so hard to find."

  Chapter Eleven

  Once at Rosie's, she and Kat disappeared behind a closed door leaving Leif to his own devices. The large apartment glinted with delicate looking white and gold furnishings, artfully arranged on the thick tan floor covering that seemed to stretch to cover the entire floor space. As he wandered around the room, Leif admired the large, colorful paintings of what looked to be warmer climates.

  He stopped in front of the window wall and gazed out. The view of the city from this height was breathtaking and was very much like the view from the dwelling he had purchased this afternoon. The agent had called it a penthouse. Looking up, across the narrow street that separated the dwellings, he saw his own window wall now gleaming with the last rays of sunlight reflecting off of it.

  Leif smiled. Kat would be surprised when she learned that she now lived so close to her best friend. He stroked his chin thoughtfully. Likely, she would express her gratitude with a kiss or two.

  A brightly lit box sitting atop a long marble stand caught his attention as he turned away from the window. The box had a number of knobs and switches attached to it, each calling out to him to touch them. Laughter drifted out from the room Kat and Rosie were changing in just as Leif gave in to the silent invitation to push the switches.

  Sound burst forth from the box, filling the room. Leif grasped his startled ears and stumbled back a pace. He cast
a panicked look towards Rosie's closed door then rushed back to the box, frantically turning and flipping switches in an effort to make the racket stop, but his clumsy efforts only made it worse until the door to Rosie's room burst open and she and Kat rushed into the room, laughing hysterically. With one smooth movement of her hand, Rosie rendered the box silent.

  "What is that thing?" Leif demanded, embarrassed beyond belief.

  "Relax, leafy boy," Rosie said, grinning up at him. "It's just a stereo. It plays music, you know, to relax by or to dance too."

  Leafy boy? Pointing an accusing finger at the stereo, Leif sputtered. "Relax? You expect me to believe that in your time people can relax to that?"

  Rosie giggled but Kat grasped his hand, clearly understanding his confusion.

  "It all depends on what you're listening to," she told him. "For instance--" She let loose his hand and twisted the knob of the box. "Listen to this."

  The sounds that the box emitted were soothing now and Leif rolled his shoulders as he felt himself begin to relax. It had been a very long day, in a very strange world.

  "There now," Kat said. "You see?"

  Leif did not know what was better, the sounds coming out of the box, or Kat's soothing voice.

  "And this," Rosie interrupted, her eyes gleaming wickedly, "Is music to dance by."

  She turned the knob and suddenly the room filled with anything but soothing sounds. In fact, Leif thought as he covered his ears, it sounded as if several children were pounding on cooking pots with sticks, or battle-axes!

  Rosie and Kat both began nodding their heads in rhythm to the harsh sounds coming from the box, flinging their loose hair in every direction. The pounding of the beat captured the soles of his feet and the vibration traveled throughout his body.