Viking Heart (The MacLomain Series: Viking Ancestors Book 3) Read online

  Before Kjar could respond, Kol met Amber’s eyes. “I will keep you safe. Sleep next to me.”

  “Yeah right.” Amber chuckled. “I know damn well you won’t keep your hands off me.”

  “I will if you ask me to.”

  “That’s sort of the problem.” Amber gestured between the dancing crowd and the chair. “I don’t even know how or when we got here.” She shook her head. “I might say no to you, but evidently I have trouble sticking to my guns.”

  Kol smirked before a frown settled on his face. “My word is as good as Kjar’s. If you don’t want me to touch you, I won’t.” He took her hand. “Please. Stay with me.”

  Amber stared at him for a long moment and his nostrils flared when he once more smelled her arousal.

  Her eyes widened. “Sorry, but no.” She pulled her hand away. “You’re nothing but trouble, sweetie.”

  “Even if we did end up having sex, did we not agree that it didn’t have to come with a commitment? That we could enjoy one another but still remain available?”

  “We did,” she concurred, rubbing her forehead. “But I don’t typically have sex with a guy the same day I meet him.”

  Typically? That sounded promising. When he stood, she took a step back. There was no mistaking the lust in her eyes. But there was no mistaking her determination either.

  “Kol,” a woman murmured, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Come dance with me.”

  Amber stared at him for a long moment before she shrugged. “See, you have plenty of women to keep you busy.”

  Kol watched her until she left the building. Even after she vanished, he stared at where she had been standing. When he realized the woman by his side was running her hand toward his groin, he pulled away and shook his head.

  “No.” He kissed her cheek before he sent her on her way. Then he plunked down and waved for a horn of ale. It was time to drink and contemplate his next move.

  Because Amber would not be spending the night in Kjar’s arms.

  Chapter Ten

  “So do you think it’ll work?” Amber said. “Do you think Kol and I can act as though we’re together long enough to fulfill the pact, and then afterward be free of it?”

  Kjar had his hands crossed under his head and eyes trained on the ceiling as they lay in bed. “I think it’s unlikely.” He shook his head. “Besides, I have yet to see a woman be with Kol then want to be with others.”

  If she hadn’t been in Kol’s arms a few times tonight and experienced just how compelling he was, she might have thought Kjar was exaggerating. But she had. And knew he wasn’t.

  “Well, I’m not really the average woman in case you hadn’t noticed.”

  “I’ve noticed,” Kjar grunted. His eyes went to hers. “But I’ve also noticed that though you seem to enjoy men, you’re reluctant to betray the memory of Sean.”

  “I don’t know. I had no trouble kissing Kol earlier.” She sighed. “Then there was that whole make out fest while we were dancing.”

  And Lord, had that been something else. She had never come so close to having sex without actually kissing. Well, mouth to mouth that is. He kept busy kissing everywhere else he could find above her waist. Amber immediately shoved aside the memory just in case Kjar could sense desire like Kol seemed to be able to.

  “You mourn a lost love.” Kjar’s eyes stayed with hers. “That doesn’t mean that love cannot find you again.”

  “Love for Kol?” She snorted. “That’s about as likely to happen as the planet no longer spinning.”

  “Sometimes the planet does stop spinning. Just for a flicker of the stars,” Kjar murmured.

  Amber frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “When I access Bifröst, the Rainbow Bridge, it can speed up time, as I did for Veronica and Raknar. Or, in the case of Megan and Naðr’s longship, I froze or split time for a moment. When that happens, the planet no longer turns. Space and time become singular.”

  “Holy Einstein talk,” Amber said. “That sounds intense.”

  “Albert Einstein?”

  “Yeah, how do you know his name?”

  Kjar chuckled. “I believe his great-great-grandfather was a Norse god.” He arched a brow at her. “No need to wonder if he tapped into the power of Bifröst because he did.”

  Amber sat up. “You’re kidding me.”

  “I don’t kid…mostly.”

  “So you knew Albert Einstein?”

  “No. But all of us who possess even a drop of the blood of the gods know of all others who share the same.”

  “Oh, wow.” She flopped back down. “That’s seriously intense.”

  “Then there are those simply touched by the gods,” he said softly.

  “Touched by the gods?” Amber grinned. “Like immaculate conception?”

  “No.” Kjar appeared a little nostalgic. “There are those who are touched by a god before or shortly after their birth. Those people are entirely human but usually possess something that sets them apart from all others. It doesn’t make them better. Just different. Gifted.”

  A chill went through her when she thought of her sister’s words earlier about her sketches. She nearly snorted. Like a god had ever touched her. “Why would a god do that?”

  “To share thoughts and ideas with humanity that might not otherwise reach them.”

  “Well, how do they know which people to touch?”

  “Some souls are more open and receptive than others,” Kjar said. “Their Wyrd, or destiny, can affect that. Or sometimes what they took from a previous life. Lessons learned.”

  Amazed, she eyed him. “So you’re saying reincarnation really exists.”

  “Of course,” he said. “Who told you it didn’t?”

  “Um, I dunno.” She couldn’t get over this. “A lot of religions, most actually, don’t believe in it.”

  “Do you?”

  “Honestly, I’ve never given it much thought.”

  But now she would.

  “Souls are always being reborn. Some stay in Valhalla while new ones come to Middle Earth. It’s a very complicated weave but remarkably beautiful.”

  “I was raised Christian so it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around it,” she admitted.

  “That’s all right,” Kjar said. “There is an amount of truth in every religion. Always commit to whatever you are most comfortable with.”

  “But it sort of sounds like you’re saying my God doesn’t exist.”

  “No.” Kjar squeezed her hand. “Many gods outside of mine exist. I just speak of and follow my own.” He winked. “After all, I’m related.”

  What a mind-blowing concept. But she liked how non-judgmental he was and said as much. Amber pulled the fur blanket tighter around her neck as she stared at the fire. “You give me a lot of food for thought, Kjar.”

  “Are you hungry then?”

  She grinned. “Just a saying. I’m not hungry in the least.”

  As she sensed from the beginning, staying here with Kjar was a good move. They had been chatting for hours and besides holding her hand now, he hadn’t touched her.

  Silence fell as she fingered the satchel around her neck. Long minutes passed while she mulled over everything he had shared. Could it be he was no demi-god at all? Sure. But if her sisters said he was, she tended to believe it. Besides, there was something about Kjar she couldn’t put her finger on. He might look the part of a savage, fierce Viking, but she sensed he was much more.

  When her eyes returned to him, he was sound asleep. While most people softened when they rested, Kjar didn’t. His features remained set and just as intense. As if sleep could be fleeting and his next battle was right around the corner. But then she supposed most men here slept that way.

  Amber curled onto her side and closed her eyes, determined to rest. Yet it wasn’t easy. It was hard to say how long she tossed and turned before she fell into a fitful sleep. Images of first Sean then Kol standing in her living room kept flickering on and off. Sometimes the French
doors were open, sometimes they were closed, but always the man was sopping wet and standing in a puddle. And he always stared out at the ocean, so heartbreakingly lost.

  Then it changed.

  She had just walked out of her bedroom. This time Kol wasn’t looking out at the ocean but facing her. When he spoke, it was with Sean’s voice.

  “Save me.”

  Trembling, her eyes shot open. Not to her living room but Kjar’s holding.

  He was no longer in the bed.

  Amber sat up and looked around.

  It was still night and not only the fire but torches burned brightly. Kjar sat in the center of the room with his head bent. While that was odd enough, the shiny shields hanging around his room caught her attention.

  Something wasn’t right.

  They didn’t just reflect the firelight but almost seemed to be…mirrors? Concerned, she walked over and stood in front of him. When she did, his head slowly rose. “Shhh.”

  His eyes glowed, fluctuating between green, gold and brown. Both frightened and confused, her gaze drifted back to the shields. First one, then the next, then the next. The image of a veiled figure with a draping cloak shimmered in and out of them.

  “Go. Now,” Kjar said.

  When she looked at him, his eyes glowed even brighter

  “You do not belong in Kjar’s bed,” he said.

  Why was he talking about himself in the third person? Blinking rapidly, she took a few steps back. “Kjar, are you okay?”

  The fire flared brighter and he roared, “Go!”

  Terrified, she bolted out into the driving snow. Though it was probably the last place she should head, she raced into Kol’s lodge. The second she entered, he sat up in bed, alarmed. “What is it?”

  “Kjar,” she cried. “Something’s really wrong with him.”

  Kol leaped from the bed, his eyes sweeping over her with concern. “Are you all right. Did he hurt you?”

  “No. Of course not.” She tried to get a grip. “His eyes aren’t right and he yelled at me.”

  “Come. Sit.” He wrapped a fur around her, sat her in a seat then poured some mead into a cup before handing it to her. “Drink.”

  He yanked on pants and boots, grabbed a sword off the wall then strode for the door. “Stay here.”

  Amber nodded and though she shook, she managed a few deep gulps of mead. The minutes seemed to stretch as she stared at the door. Why did Kol bring a sword? She told him Kjar hadn't hurt her. Worried that he might mean his cousin harm; she stood then stopped when Kol returned.

  “Is he okay? What’s going on?”

  “All is well. Kjar is sound asleep in bed.” He set aside the sword and frowned at her feet. “Sit.” When she hesitated, he repeated, “Sit, Amber.”

  Though still worried, she sunk into the chair. Kol knelt in front of her and cupped her feet. “Foolish woman, running through the snow in bare feet,” he muttered then nodded at her mug. “Keep drinking. Warm yourself.”

  “Alcohol doesn’t really warm you. It’s deceptive. It just expands your capillaries so that you feel warmer,” she murmured.

  His eyes narrowed as he pressed his warm hands over her red feet. “Hel, Amber. Just drink.”

  Unfamiliar with this stern side of him, she listened, overly aware of the pins and needles stinging her feet as he gently continued to warm them.

  After a few more sips, she frowned. “So he’s really just sleeping?”

  “Yes.”

  How is that possible? Was I dreaming? She must have been. But it seemed so real. “You’re sure?”

  Kol nodded, but he seemed less upset as her feet warmed. “Yes, I’m sure.” His eyes met hers. “Tell me what happened.”

  So she did. From the dream she was having prior, to the moment she fled Kjar’s place. “It all seemed so incredibly real. You. Sean. Kjar. The hooded person in the shields.”

  By the time she was finished, Kol appeared troubled. “Tell me more about the hooded figure.”

  “Based on the slender build, I got the impression it was a woman. She wore a black drooping hood with a veil over her face.”

  “The Unnamed One,” he whispered.

  Her sisters had filled her in on everything. “One of the seers that made the pact with you and your brothers? Why would I have seen her?”

  “I think the better question is, why was she speaking through my cousin.”

  “Right, because she usually only speaks through Helga, the other seer who remains on Galdhøpiggen Mountain.”

  “That’s right.” Before she knew it, he scooped her up then sat, wrapping the cloak more securely around her. Kol took a hearty gulp of her drink then handed it back. “Though it’s never been said, we assume the Unnamed One is the more powerful of the two.”

  Kol continued to stroke her fur-covered feet as he stared at the fire. Though Amber knew she should get off his lap, especially considering his tempting bare chest, the comfort he offered felt too good. “Does anyone know what she looks like?”

  “No, at least not my brothers and I.”

  “What about Helga? What’s her story? Megan and Veronica said she’s gorgeous. Why does she hang out up there alone on a mountain with her sister?”

  Kol seemed a little uncomfortable but shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “You’ve obviously met Helga. What are your thoughts on her?”

  “You’ll meet her soon enough,” he grumbled. “Then you can tell me.”

  Okay. If she wasn’t mistaken, he seemed defensive. Then it occurred to her why and her eyes rounded. “Did you sleep with her?”

  “No.”

  Amber twisted her lips. She hadn’t phrased that correctly. So she spoke what she now called ‘Viking male.’ “Did you have sex with her?”

  Kol sighed and slanted her a look. “Would it upset you if I had?”

  Would it? Amber hated that it would. She wasn’t that girl. She didn’t fault anyone for enjoying themselves. “No.” Then surprisingly pitiful words tumbled from her mouth. “Unless you’re hoping to again.”

  Jesus. What was the matter with her? She’d tell a guy to go screw himself if he said that to her about a man she had been with previously.

  Kol didn’t seem all that offended though. Instead, he seemed to be fighting a small grin as he casually brushed the hair away from her face. “This coming from the woman who went to Kjar’s bed when I asked her not to.”

  Ah, well. He had her there. “But I told you straight out that I wouldn’t be having sex with him. So now I’m asking the same of you.”

  “Then no.” He chuckled. “I will never be having sex with Kjar.”

  Amber snorted then took a sip of mead, her eyes on him the whole time. “Just answer the original question.”

  Kol’s grin dropped, but he didn’t look away. “I can say from my heart that I hope never to have sex with Helga again.”

  “From your heart,” she echoed, ensnared by the flare of unease and sadness she saw in his eyes. “Pretty powerful words.”

  “Helga is not the woman I thought she was.” His eyes grew distant. “There is something…different about her.”

  “Different?”

  “Yes.” He continued to massage her feet. “The longer I was with her, the sadder I became.”

  “How long were you with her?”

  “One night.” He looked a little sheepish. “More recently that is.”

  “Oh,” she whispered, not concerned with how many times he slept with her. “Is she like her sister, Yrsa, then?”

  “Raknar’s former wife was evil.” Kol shook his head. “I didn’t exactly sense that off of Helga. And if she were evil, my brothers would have known.”

  “What about you?”

  Kol shrugged. “Hard to know. I usually go off what my brothers think.”

  Amber understood that well because she had been doing the same thing her whole life. “Did you tell Naðr and Raknar how you felt about Helga?”

  “Yes. I tell them everything.
”

  “And what’d they say?”

  Kol took another swig from her mug, troubled. “That my cock has a way of muddling my impression of women.”

  “They did not.”

  “They did.” Though clearly forced, he grinned and made light of it. “And they’re probably right.”

  “No, I’d say they’re complete jackasses,” she shot and polished off the mead. “But then I suppose siblings can be that way on occasion, eh?”

  This time his grin was less forced. “I suppose they can be.” His eyes studied hers. "I'm curious about something."

  "What's that?"

  "Why did you tell your sisters we had sex?"

  Amber blushed, embarrassed. "Ugh, they told you that?"

  "No, my brothers did."

  Lovely. "Sorry, I only said that to keep my sisters off my back. I think they're a little anxious about seeing the pact fulfilled."

  Kol nodded, expression thoughtful. While she figured he'd make a wisecrack about how he could turn her lie to truth, he didn't.

  Amber leaned forward to refill their mug, but Kol shook his head. “You need rest.”

  When she protested, he lifted her and headed for the bed. “We both need rest.”

  “I guess.” She eyed him as he laid her down. “F.Y.I., the same rules apply to you that applied to Kjar.”

  “F.Y.I.?”

  “For your information.”

  “Ah.” He laid down next to her and pulled several furs over them. “I told you I wouldn’t touch you if you said no, Amber.”

  She groaned inwardly. There was no more dangerous place on Earth for a sexually frustrated woman to be than in Kol’s bed. “You did. And I expect you to stand by your word.”

  “Until you say otherwise,” he promised.

  They lay on their sides facing one another. No touching. “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings earlier.”

  “My feelings don’t get hurt, woman.” Kol yawned, but his eyes never left her face. “But I’m glad you didn’t have sex with Kjar.”

  A sensation of warmth totally unrelated to sex curled through her. In fact, she had no idea what it was save that she really liked it. “I told you we wouldn’t.”