Valkyrie Heat (4 page)

The pants, also too long, sported the same hard leather over her

crotch area. Sky was in too much shock to really think about it.

Her own sense of self-preservation was guiding her mechanical

actions. She put on a pair of moccasins she found in a corner.

On the dirt floor was a small loaf of bread. Sky snatched it up

and ran from the hut. She fled from the village death scene as the

sky grew darker. On and on she sped until she felt her lungs would

burst, racing through the forest until she stumbled and fell. She

could go no further. She lay on the ground howling in terror at the

sights she had witnessed.

* * * *

Sky woke and unfolded herself from the tight ball she had

been in. She stuffed the coin pouch into one of her moccasins.

Feeling her stomach growl, she nibbled on the stale bread she had

found and refused to think about how she acquired it and from

where. Sky staggered to her feet and once more began her aimless

wandering, only now she was cautious. The people who had killed

those in the village could still be near. No doubt they would kill

her as well if they came across her. The image of a deceased

woman holding her lifeless child to her breast rose up in Sky’s

mind. A tear slipped from her eye.
Who could be so evil?

Hours dragged by. Memories of the witnessed atrocities were

her companions no matter how hard she tried to quash the images.

Aloneness ate at her—then fear of being discovered. Both

emotions battled. Part of her rational mind screamed at her to find

shelter. She needed fire. But if she made fire, who would find her?

The heat of the sun beat down upon her and Sky was parched,

adding to her temperamental state. She ignored the hungry rumble

in her belly and it eventually went away. Sky hummed a silly tune

as she droned on through the massive trees of nothingness. The

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Viking Warriors Book 3: Valkyrie Heat

bark beneath her hands had no feel as she moved from tree to tree,

keeping herself upright. Mechanics of motion kept her going.

A branch snapped to her right; she jumped and then froze in

panic. Images of brutal death crashed within her thoughts and a

whimper slipped from her throat unbidden. Ever so slowly her

head turned in the direction of the sound and her eyes widened.

“Brody!” she screamed.

She ran to him. She never in a million years thought she

would be this excited to see him, but when she was close enough,

she flung herself against him and wrapped her arms around him in

relief and squeezed, hanging on for dear life. She was sobbing

uncontrollably and she didn’t care if he teased her later. Finally,

she was safe. The wonderful warmth of his skin against her face

was heavenly. She felt his large hands wrap around her upper arms

and he held her at arm’s length. Her hands splayed across his bare,

tanned, powerful chest. Stupidly, she wondered what happened to

his shirt. She never realized before he was so huge; he was more

muscular than she had thought. His biceps bulged impressively and

only yesterday she had thought he wasn’t nearly as broad as Rolf—

she was mistaken. His facial expression was odd. He said

something to her that she didn’t understand. Her head cocked to

the side.

“Brody, please, no games. Where is Rolf?” she asked in

desperation.

“Rolf?” he questioned.

“Please, I want Rolf. I saw something horrible. We need to

call the police; people were murdered. It was so awful.”

Again he spoke to her in a language she didn’t understand. Sky

was growing angry as her frustration rose.
Damn the man.
Why is he

acting this way?
Can’t he see how distressed I am, how disheveled? For just

once, couldn’t it be about someone other than himself?
She took a step

back from him in her annoyance and noticed his clothes. Sky

cleared her thoughts and studied, really studied, the man before

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Viking Warriors Book 3: Valkyrie Heat

her. His pants were leather hide with fur at the sides.
What on earth

is he wearing?
He had a strap at his chest and she could see the hilt of

a sword behind his shoulder.
When did he find that? Had it been near

the skeleton too? How did his hair get so long?
He kept it neat and short

around his ears, now his hair hung almost to his shoulders. He also

had a few days’ beard growth.
What is up with that?
Colleen liked

him clean-shaven. Ceaselessly, she complained he chafed her

tender skin with stubble.

“Brody, what’s going on?” Sky asked, her confusion rising. He

was also in leather moccasins; they were strapped up almost under

his knees. They were almost flat to the ground and yet he appeared

taller than normal.

He pointed to himself and said, “Brandr.”

“Brandr?” she whispered.
What game is he playing at now?

He looked her over from head to toe as though he didn’t

know who she was. His assessment was almost critical in her

opinion. Finally, his eyes narrowed and he thrust her from him and

he pulled his sword. The weapon was massive.

Sky’s eyes widened fearfully. She hastened an unsteady step

back.

“Brody?”

“Brandr!” he shouted.

He reached over to grab her hair and pull her head back. The

image of the woman with the slit throat came to mind and she

howled in terror.
This isn’t Brody.
He looked identical to him but

her Brody had never harmed her the way this man was. Brody liked

to tease, but he never got physical with her. Her hands splayed

across his chest and she pushed at him weakly.

“Stop,” she cried.

To her horror another man appeared, then another. They

were as powerfully built as this man; both were blond and bare-

chested. They were also armed with huge swords.

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Viking Warriors Book 3: Valkyrie Heat

All three began speaking in a strange language. The argument

became heated. The one who claimed to be Brandr gripped her

throat in one huge hand, lifting her to her tiptoes effortlessly and

said something. Her hands, hidden in the cuffs, gripped his

powerful forearm. The other men seemed to think, then smiled,

the oldest of the three chuckled and nodded. Brandr clutched her

sleeve from his arm, releasing her throat and she settled back onto

her feet. Next he shook her arm up and down like a limp piece of

spaghetti. That had both of the men laughing and slapping their

thighs with amusement.

Sky realized they were making fun of her size. Always touchy

about her small stature, she stopped being afraid and struck at

Brandr’s chest with a semiclosed fist in outrage. She hit as hard as

she could with her material-covered palm against solid muscle. Sky

had never in her life struck anyone in anger. It hurt her hand, and

sent a wave of shock through her body and she winced.

Brandr was no longer laughing. He handed his sword to

another man and he gripped both of her arms and shook her until

her teeth rattled. Her entire body was jerked back and forth with

awesome pressure.

“Stop, please,” she cried out in new terror.

Her eyes squeezed shut and she cried out again begging him to

listen. He was hurting her. Why would he hurt her? She was no

threat to him or the others. When he released her, she slumped to

the ground, sobbing. The men were laughing again. Brandr knelt

before her, scowling. His next words and tone were a definite

warning. Her fear was overwhelming. She ached from head to toe.

She crawled into his arms wanting to hide. Brandr picked her up

and slung her over his shoulder with ease. He retrieved his sword

and began walking.

* * * *

For the rest of the day Sky gathered armloads of sticks and

twigs for the large fire at the men’s small campsite. She had a

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Viking Warriors Book 3: Valkyrie Heat

massive pile, but Brandr kept instructing her to get more. She

knew they wouldn’t possibly use it all, but when she had argued

with him, he had raised his hand as though to strike her. Sky had

raced into the woods from the little clearing to do his bidding with

the men laughing behind her. She was cautious not to stray too far.

Because she hadn’t been killed, her anxiety had lowered,

somewhat. She was still unsure and fearful, yet she felt if they were

going to cause her undue harm they would have already. Though

they seemed to take pleasure in ordering her to do menial tasks

repetitively. She had come to the conclusion they were bullies. She

didn’t think they were responsible for the brutal murders. If they

had been, no doubt she would be dead. Bullies or not, she felt she

was safer with them than alone.

Next Brandr had her hauling large rocks from the riverbank to

place around the fire, containing it. Each time Brandr sent her back

for larger rocks until she was gasping for breath lugging

cantaloupe-sized miniboulders. She filled each man’s leather flask

with water. She shook out Brandr’s large fur and placed it over soft

pine boughs she collected, yanking them from trees or using a

sharp rock to cut them down. Her arms and legs were aching and

her feet were sore. Her hands shook from all the cutting and

tugging she had done. When her body trembled she stopped and

stood still for a moment, feeling woozy from lack of sleep and little

food. They had allowed her to drink water from her hands at the

river but had given her nothing else. Tears burned the back of her

eyes.

Brandr approached. She didn’t argue this time, just gazed up

at him solemnly. She wasn’t certain she could run if he lifted his

hand to her. She couldn’t go on. Brandr studied her for a moment

and looked at her huge pile of wood; he checked the rocks at the

fire and hefted his full flask. Finally, he nodded his approval and

Sky collapsed at his feet in relief. He gripped her arm and dragged

her up then he propelled her to his large fur under the tree,

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Viking Warriors Book 3: Valkyrie Heat

shoving her onto it. Terrified, she thought he meant to rape her.

But he walked away. Sky curled into a small ball with weariness.

Before long, she slept.

Sky was awakened when Brandr kicked her belly. It wasn’t a

cruel blow, but enough to have her on her feet. It was growing

dark and he led her to the fire. She sat down beside him, trying to

make herself smaller. A large roast of meat was spitted near the

flames and her belly rumbled. The other men were watching her.

One was eying her intently. Sky could tell by the look on his face

what he wanted and moved even closer to Brandr.

The man said something to Brandr that made him scowl.

Brandr snapped a few words at him and the man shrugged. Feeling

her hand nudged, she was handed some flatbread that she accepted

gratefully. Brandr said a word to her and she repeated it. When he

handed her a skewered chunk of the heavenly smelling meat, he

said the same word which had her to believe she was thanking him

for what he was giving her. When he offered her a drink from his

leather flask, she said the word without prompting and he nodded

in approval.

Sky dove hungrily into the meat, practically pouncing into it.

The juices slipped down her chin. Eyes squeezed closed in delight,

she hadn’t thought there was a more wonderful flavor. When she

was done she sucked on her fingers enthusiastically. She looked at

Brandr with hope, still famished from days of going without. He

shook his head with his eyes raised, but handed her more meat. Sky

wolfed down that as well as more flatbread until finally her hunger

was satisfied.

When they were finished eating, Brandr looked her over, then

looked at the man who had been watching her so intently

throughout the meal. He was motioning toward Brandr

enthusiastically. The man held up a small fur and indicated Sky.

Brandr scoffed and shook his head. Sky felt her panic rise. The man

shrugged and held up a deadly looking knife. Brandr looked at her

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Viking Warriors Book 3: Valkyrie Heat

and then at the knife. It was apparent the man wanted to make a

trade. Brandr looked interested in the well-crafted weapon. He

took it into his hands and studied it closely. Sky could see he was

considering giving her to the man. She gripped Brandr’s arm.

“Please, no,” she pleaded, her eyes settling onto him in terror,

and her belly rolling.

The man said something to Brandr. Brandr laughed and then

shrugged as if what the man said was of no consequence.

Sky slunk back as the man approached and reached for her. He

pulled Sky into his arms and pinned her easily. Sky struggled and

screamed when she felt her pants slip over her hips a short way.

She cried out when the man’s finger tried to push into her behind.

She began sobbing and wiggling and pleaded with him to stop.