Viking Warrior Rebel (12 page)

“You know what I mean.” Leif reach out a hand, but she ignored it. “Regular humans, not enhanced.”

“Like my brother?” The queen's words were laced with ice.

Astrid frantically searched her mind for an excuse to leave the room. This was definitely leading up to a fight, and as much as the royal couple loved each other, that passion also spilled into their disagreements. It was not a good idea to be in the fallout zone during one of their nuclear meltdowns.

Leif pulled Naya into his lap, putting his arm around her. “You love your brother. I love you, and so I love your brother.”

The queen's shoulders relaxed, and she curled into her fiancé's embrace. “Okay, but I still want Holden at the wedding.” Astrid took a breath to protest again, but the queen pinned her down with her gaze. “And you owe me for not telling me that Scott was lost.” She stood. “For two days, you were sending me texts as if everything was okay. When you didn't even know where he was. You lied to me.” Naya's voice rose and broke a little on those last words.

Astrid felt lower than the slimiest slug. She looked down at her lap. “I'm so sorry, my queen. Pride and stubbornness got in the way. I wasn't thinking clearly.” She raised her head and felt moisture in her eyes. “I didn't outright lie, but I lied by omission, and for that I apologize most deeply.”

“Don't you trust me?” Naya's brow furrowed. “Is our friendship so unworthy you can't ask for help when you need it?”

Oh shit. Those words caused a stab of guilt to pierce Astrid's heart. “Our friendship means everything. I was weak from blood loss and confused. All I could think was that I would disappoint you and the king again.”

The king had kept very quiet, but now he cleared his voice. “I should gather the others so we can discuss a new strategy for these enhanced wolverines. If they are in Denver, it won't be long before they show up here in Pine Rapids. Especially if they're tracking Scott.” He stood and briefly kissed Naya on her forehead before walking toward the door.

“Holden's coming to the wedding,” the queen shouted after him.

“Never,” the king shot back before the door closed behind him.

Naya turned back to Astrid. “You will invite him for me, since Leif won't let me leave the fortress.” It wasn't a question.

“Why can't you leave the fortress?”

“Leif thinks I might be in danger. There is a lot of chatter on the Darknet. These new wolverines are superintelligent. They are organized and communicating in ways we haven't seen before. Their efforts to get to me and Scott have ramped up.” The wolverines were created on order from Loki by the covert organization behind the lab the siblings grew up in. As an extra bonus of having the creatures, the lab handlers used them to hunt Naya and Scott. They wanted to use the siblings in a breeding program of super soldiers.

The Darknet information was disturbing, but that wasn't what Astrid had meant to ask. She shook her head. “No, I mean why do you want me to deliver the invitation?”

Naya frowned. “Because you know him already,” she said as if that was an obvious reason.

“Don't you think he will find it odd that Daisy is marrying under the name Naya in a pagan Norse ritual?”

The queen paused for a moment, but then dismissed the words with a wave. “Nah, he'll understand why I used an assumed name. I bet a lot of his customers and business associates do the same.” Astrid wanted to ask Naya more questions, but she didn't want to give away her interest. Especially when she didn't know herself why she was so hung up on Holden. “Besides,” Naya continued, “when someone rescues your brother, you thank them in person and you invite them to your wedding. And since I can't go, you'll have to be my proxy.”

Freya's crazy wagon-pulling cats. This was such a bad idea, but Astrid couldn't think of the words necessary to stop it from happening. “Leif is not going to like this,” she tried, already knowing the protest was futile.

“He doesn't like a lot of things I do, but that doesn't mean he won't see reason eventually.” The queen opened the door, but then turned toward Astrid. “Thank you, Astrid, for saving my brother and for bringing him back to me.” She tipped her head in a quick bow. “I owe you for this.” She raised her head and paused for a moment, her eyes dark. “Make this happen. Scott wants Holden at the wedding, which means Holden
will
be at my ceremony. I've made an appointment for you to see him at lunchtime tomorrow.” She strode out into the hallway before Astrid had a chance to say anything else.

Her punishment was to invite Holden to the wedding—in person. That was so not what she had expected. It didn't seem as dire as some of the outcomes she had imagined, and yet cold sweat broke out all over her body at the thought of being near Holden again.

Mine
, whispered the berserker.

Shut up.
Astrid willed the command down her mental connection with the beast, but she could have sworn her inner warrior laughed in response.

Why did this man have such pull over both her and her berserker? Even if she ignored her vow not to fall for another mortal, her battle brothers would despise her dating a human. And the king had already shown how much he disliked Holden.

She had to be strong. She would meet with Holden and invite him to the wedding without as much as touching or kissing him. Surviving a whole wedding without giving away how her body reacted to his would be a challenge, but somehow she would make it through.

A snicker echoed inside Astrid's mind. “Shut up,” she said out loud, but her berserker wasn't listening.

Luke looked up from his laptop when Rex entered the office. He'd been going over accounts and was more than happy to be interrupted. The feds took their undercover operations seriously, and he was expected to not only balance his budgets, but to make it look as if he was running at least a semi-legit business.

The tall African American head of security smiled broadly as he approached the desk. “Your favorite well-armed blond is here to see you.”

“Astrid?” She was Luke's favorite blond, period, but the last time Rex had met her, she'd carried a small arsenal of knives inside her jacket and a large sword strapped to her back. Luke had been talking to Naya about updating his security system when Astrid crashed their meeting. For months after, Rex had talked about how long it took to disarm Astrid before she could enter the club.

“WWA, the one and only,” Rex said. He'd given her the nickname Walking Weapon Arsenal. “You okay seeing her?”

Something suspiciously close to happy anticipation bubbled up inside Luke. He rubbed his chest. “How does she seem?” Naya had left a phone message that someone would meet with him, but she hadn't said who or about what.

The question seemed to puzzle Rex. He frowned and cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean? She appears healthy and strong. Runs her mouth as fast as ever.”

“Does she seem pissed off?” He'd made Astrid give him her cell phone number before they parted ways in Denver. Every day since, he'd had to force himself not to call. He couldn't think of a reason why she'd be here. She'd made it clear she didn't think it was a good idea for them to see each other again. Had Naya and Astrid found out he took the tablet? But how? It took sixteen hours of straight driving time to get to Pine Rapids from Denver. Astrid had been back in town only a day, two tops.

“Oh, so it's like that.” Understanding glinted in Rex's eyes. “You hooked up with the girl and left her hanging.”

“That's not what happened.” That was exactly what had happened the first time they'd met, but then they'd had Denver and a hot night in a gingerbread hotel. And
she'd
left
him
hanging. Luke cleared his throat. “Did she say why she's here?”

“Nope.” Rex grinned. “Just that she needed to see you in person.”

Luke rubbed suddenly damp palms on his pants. “Okay, show her in.” This was ridiculous. There was no reason the woman should make him feel nervous.

Rex threw him a strange look and went to open the door. He paused with his hand on the handle and turned toward Luke. “Want me to stay?”

And witness Astrid asking him about things he couldn't explain? “No, I'll be fine.” He forced a smile.

“She surrendered four throwing knives when I asked for weapons. I frisked her and found two more tucked away in a secret pocket in her jacket. She also had a dagger in her boot.” Rex raised his eyebrows.

“What are you saying?” Luke's words came out harsher than he'd meant them to, but the idea of the other man's hands roaming over Astrid's body brought out dark thoughts. Thoughts like needing to punch his head of security in the face.

“I'm saying, I think she's unarmed.” Rex shrugged. “But with this lady, you never know.”

Luke nodded. “Thanks for the warning, but I think I'll be okay.”

Rex grinned. “I warned you, Boss. Now it's on your head if she stabs you.” He opened the door and spoke to someone—presumably Astrid. “You can go in now.”

Luke stood as the gorgeous blond strode toward him. She walked with the loose limbs of an athlete, lithe and graceful, yet there was power in her movements. He couldn't take his eyes off her. He gestured with his hand toward the couch and chairs set up at one end of the room. “Let's sit over here,” he said.

She quirked an eyebrow but didn't say anything as she changed direction and took a seat in one of the armchairs. Dressed in blue jeans and a plain T-shirt, she should look anything but seductive, and yet she was. She ran a hand through her hair and licked her lips.

His throat ran dry at the sight, and he desperately needed some liquid. He walked over to a sideboard and poured himself a glass of water. “Anything to drink?” Luke asked, holding up the pitcher.

“Sure,” Astrid said, her throaty voice washing over him and waking up his dick. “I'll have a Coke. Regular, not any of that diet crap.”

The lady had strong opinions about soft drinks, it seemed.

Shit, Astrid had strong opinions about everything.

Luke just hoped she wasn't here because she thought ill of him. Her opinion shouldn't matter, but it did. That was one of the perils of working undercover. When he started to like people, what they thought about him mattered, and the closer he got to them, the harder it was to separate his own feelings from those of his undercover persona. Harder to keep the secrets necessary to get the job done.

He retrieved her drink from the fridge next to the sideboard and schooled his face before turning toward her by forcing himself to think of Donovan. This was all for his brother. He couldn't afford to think about anyone else's feelings.

Luke placed the red can on the table in front of Astrid and took the chair next to her, scooting it closer in the process. She frowned as he crowded her but didn't move back. Instead, she squared her shoulders as he invaded her personal space. Standing her ground looked sexy on her. Actually, he found everything about her sexy. Just thinking her name turned him on. He brushed an invisible piece of lint off his pants leg and straightened the crease. “What can I do for you?” he asked as he turned back toward her.

A smirk graced her lips. She apparently found his grooming amusing. “I'm here because Daisy made me come.”

The usage of Naya's assumed identity threw him for a moment, but he nodded and waited for her to continue.

She opened the can of soda and took a deep sip. Watching her swallow made him hard in an instant, and he had to adjust his seat to allow for the extra bulge in his pants. Astrid didn't appear to notice, but she took her time putting the can back on the table. “Her name isn't really Daisy. She uses that as extra protection when she works with clients.”

Luke made a noncommittal sound. He had no idea where Astrid was going with this, which made him feel queasy. If he couldn't predict what was coming next, he couldn't plan for the desired outcome.

“Her real name is Naya.” Astrid's green eyes searched his.

He didn't know what she was looking for, so he made sure his face was neutral as he kept eye contact. “Okay, but why are you telling me this?”

“She's getting married.” Again she scrutinized him, as if looking for some kind of reaction to the news.

“I already knew that. That's why you were in Denver to pick up Scott. To bring him to the wedding.”

She looked down on her lap. “Yes, Naya wants her brother there when she marries Leif.”

“I'm still confused about what this has to do with me.”

“Naya also wants you to come to the wedding.”

Another completely unexpected turn in the conversation. His thoughts pinged in a thousand different directions as he desperately tried to figure out what the catch was. What Naya and Astrid hoped to gain by inviting him. “Why?” he finally asked.

Astrid shrugged but didn't look at him. “She wants to thank you for helping to rescue her brother. And Scott seems to want you there.”

Luke took a measured sip of his water. He hadn't considered Scott in the equation. What game was the brother playing? And what was his relationship with Astrid now? Had the drive from Denver been a cozy one? “Did you have a good trip back from Colorado?” His voice came out louder than necessary.

Her hand stopped midway in reaching for the Coke, and she gave him a startled look. “What?” He couldn't tell if she was surprised by the abrupt change of topic or if she looked guilty. Had she slept with Scott so soon after leaving Luke's bed?

“The drive,” he clarified. “Did you have any trouble? How long were you on the road?”

She grabbed the can and held it in both hands. Her brow furrowed. “No trouble, and we made it back in a little over two days.”

That meant at least one night on the road. “Where did you stay overnight?” He forced his tone to sound casual.

Astrid's frown hadn't let up. “In Bozeman, Montana.” She looked at him like he'd turned crazy. “Why do you want to know?”

He did sound crazy. But it was her fault. She drove him loony. “Just making conversation.”

“Can we get back to whether you'll come to the wedding?”

“Two rooms?” The words slipped out before he could stop them.

Astrid leaned back in the chair and turned slightly toward him. “One room, two beds. I didn't want Scott to bolt again.” Heat blazed in her eyes, but not the good kind. “Why don't you ask what you really want to know?” Anger laced her voice.

Fine. He'd just come right out and say it. “I don't want you sleeping with him.” He had no right to claim her, and yet some caveman part of him couldn't help it. He shouldn't care who she spent her time with. She'd be better off with someone other than him, yet it killed him to think of her in the arms of anyone but him.

She held herself very still. “I sleep wherever and with whomever I want.” Her voice lowered, an edge of darkness slipping in. “You don't own me just because we had sex. Nobody owns me.” Tension crackled between them.

Fine. She refused to acknowledge anything beyond the physical between them. Two could play at that game. “This wedding, when is it? Can I bring a date?”

A tic pulsed in Astrid's jaw. “Five days from now,” she bit out almost in a growl. Her nostrils flared, and something feral glared in her gaze.

Mesmerized, Luke couldn't stop staring at the untamed creature looking at him through Astrid's eyes. Something wild and dangerous deep down in him responded. He felt like howling and beating his chest. He had a raging hard-on, and his breathing grew short and shallow.

Astrid blinked and looked away, breaking whatever crazy, wild connection they'd just shared. “You'll have to ask Naya about bringing a date,” she said without meeting his gaze.

He envied how calm she sounded. He still hadn't caught his breath. “I may be busy,” he stalled, testing to see how much his presence at the wedding meant to Astrid or whatever agenda she and Naya had cooked up, but also to get his breathing under control.

“Unbusy yourself,” she barked out. “Naya and Scott want you there.”

Apparently, it
was
important that he come. “What about you?”

She looked up at him, her green eyes still as a forest lake. “Why would I care if you come to the wedding?”

“Naya's happiness seems to be important to you.” He watched her carefully.

“She's a good friend, and I want her wedding day to be perfect.” A small smile played at the corner of her mouth, as if thinking about her friendship with Naya made her happy.

Luke felt like a creep for taking advantage of that happiness, but the wild part of him that she had awakened wanted more than just being her hookup buddy. He forced himself to think of Donovan, but even that didn't help. Getting closer to Astrid would be good for the mission, he told himself. He couldn't make himself truly believe the words, but mostly he didn't care. He wanted this woman any way he could get her. “I'll go to the wedding if you go out with me.”

Her eyes widened in shock. “You're blackmailing me?” She shook her head and muttered something that sounded like “asshole” under her breath. “Two minutes ago, you were asking if you could bring a date to the wedding.”

Okay, so she had him there. His behavior was not what anyone would call consistent, but that was her fault, damn it. He couldn't think when she was around. All the blood left his brain and rushed straight downstairs. “It was just a request for information. I didn't have anyone specific in mind.”

She rolled her eyes. “When?”

The heat in her eyes had him losing track of the conversation. “What?”

She sighed. “When do I have to go out with you?” She made it sound as though a date with him would be the most unpleasant thing she could imagine.

He grinned. “We don't have much time if the wedding is in five days.” Astrid didn't smile back. She just stared at him, anger still swirling in her eyes, and that feral look was back too. “Tomorrow,” he said and mentioned an upscale restaurant in downtown Pine Rapids.

“Fine.” She stood. “I'll meet you there.”

“Oh no.” Luke stood as well, and heat flared between them. “This is a real date. I come and pick you up.”

Astrid shook her head. “You won't find the…my house. It's in the middle of nowhere.”

Exactly. That's why he needed her to tell him where it was. He'd tried several times to track both her and Naya back to where they lived. Each time, he'd lost the trail in the same vicinity. They lived close to each other, maybe even in the same place. And the area where he'd lost the trail was close to one of the locations marked on the tablet map he'd confiscated from the wolverines. Even if he hadn't known about the creatures targeting Naya and her brother, there were just too many coincidences. “My car navigation system is excellent. All I need is the address to your house.”

A peculiar smile brightened her face, as if she was laughing at an inside joke. “GPS doesn't work where I live. It's too rural.”

He didn't use regular GPS. He used top-secret technology, and the maps he could access had been created using Department of Defense satellites. His trackers should work everywhere. The only way to interfere with them was to use some kind of signal-blocking device, but he could tell from the stubborn tilt of her head that he wasn't going to win the argument. At least not this time. “We'll compromise. Meet me here, and we'll go to the restaurant together.”