Viking Warrior Rebel (9 page)

Her words pissed him off more than they should. Of course they couldn't have any kind of relationship, but did she have to state it so bluntly? What was wrong with just enjoying the sex but still planning for the next occasion they'd get together? He turned around and kept walking toward the bathroom, pretending to be indifferent when inside he seethed with anger. An anger he had no right to feel.

“We'll keep it casual,” he threw over his shoulder. He closed the bathroom door behind him and leaned against the sink. Shit, there was nothing casual about what happened between him and Astrid in bed.
Explosive
was a better word for it.

He turned on the faucets, washed his hands, and rinsed his face. As he reached for the hand towel, a thought struck him and he stared his reflection in the mirror, water dripping down his face.
How the fuck had her gash healed already?
It had only been two days since the injury.

The only way she could undergo such rapid healing was if she'd been given some kind of accelerant, or if she'd been genetically altered. And the only place either of those things happened was in labs like the one where he and his brother had been raised.

The almost-full moon illuminated the farm buildings but still allowed plenty of shadows in which to hide. Astrid glanced at Holden, who was crouched five meters to the side of her. Just like her face, his had been darkened with camouflage paint, another surprise Holden had dug out of his trunk. That's also where he'd found the communication sets currently hooked over their ears. Technically, his eyes glittering in the darkness could betray their position, but she noticed them only because she knew where to look. His body radiated tension, a supercharged mass of muscles ready to spring into action. How had she never noticed his warrior nature before? Out here it was so obvious.

Of course, she'd never seen him naked before. If she had, she'd have noticed that his muscular body had been shaped by fighting and weapons training, not by running on a treadmill or using resistance machines. The letters
USMC
tattooed above his heart were also a big clue. She hadn't noticed his United States Marine Corps brand during their hookup in his apartment months ago. That had been a desperate, hurried affair. Not like this afternoon, when they'd explored each other's bodies completely. The memory of how thoroughly he had explored every inch of her skin with his hands and mouth caused heat to flood through her entire body.

Holden had been quiet as they ate their pizza and insisted on rest after. Satiated by sex, she didn't complain, but she was surprised when he'd lain down on the edge of the bed, as far away from her as possible. Maybe she'd somehow offended him with her comment about a relationship between them not being possible, but when the alarm on her phone woke them up, Holden's body had been curled around hers. He'd been terse as they prepared for their operation, but she didn't think anything of it. She didn't like chitchatting while preparing for a mission either.

Astrid focused her attention back on the buildings. They'd crossed the ridge before the moon rose and found a surveillance spot high enough up that it offered a clear view of the courtyard between the buildings while keeping them hidden in the shadows. They still didn't know how many wolverines were in the main house or the buildings surrounding it, but their plan was to get Scott out before any of the creatures were alerted to their presence. And if they did notice, Holden had a surprise for them in the form of the long-range Remington sniper rifle slung over his shoulder.

She'd worried about how to keep him out of the immediate action, but Holden's plan had taken care of that for her. He'd dug the rifle out of the treasure trove that was his trunk and said he'd find a spot close enough to cover her but far enough to keep an eye on every building. The rifle had a range of 1,500 meters. She was secretly pleased that he trusted her to take care of the close-range fighting, but also pissed that he thought he was in charge. It made sense that she would be the one to go in though. She knew what Scott looked like.

Holden set up the rifle and checked the scope. It pointed straight at the door of the main house from which the wolverine with the food tray had appeared. He signaled for her to move out, and she took off in a wide-arced path that would eventually end at the back of the barn. She hugged the shadows created by the trees, her eyes focused on the large building while she kept her footsteps quiet.

When she reached the barn, Astrid clicked her mic twice to signal Holden that she'd arrived. Double doors high up on the wall probably led to a hayloft. The only other opening was a small door at ground level. There were no windows. She smeared Vaseline on the hinges of the door, just in case they hadn't been opened for a while. The door handle twisted easily in her hand, and she swung the door open with minimal squeaking. Slipping inside, she paused while she listened for movement and allowed her eyes to adjust to the darker interior.

Slivers of moonlight filtered in between the wooden slats of the wall, painting everything in stripes. Large shadows of abandoned farm equipment loomed around her. None of it looked like it had been used in the last fifty years. Dust and grit covered the outdated machinery. She moved deeper into the barn, checking the ground carefully so she wouldn't step on anything that could make a noise and give her away.

After ten meters, the building opened up into a large space with a high ceiling. A cloud moved in front of the moon, but she could still see the man sitting in a chair close to one of the roof's support poles. His hands were tied to the arms of the chair, his feet twisted and fastened to the chair's legs. A rag stuffed in his mouth and tied around his head served as a gag. His face was dirty and streaked with sweat, but she didn't see any bruises or blood. She'd seen a picture of him, but even without it she'd recognize Scott. His curly hair was the same midnight black as Naya's and the eyes staring straight at Astrid had the same dark-indigo hue as his sister's.

Astrid sidestepped to get a better view of the closed front door. The man watched her without blinking. She approached him with caution, keeping a hand on one of the throwing knives stored in her over-the-shoulder harness. Although she was certain it was the queen's brother sitting before her, he could be bait for an ambush.

Suddenly, he shook his head quickly and dipped his head toward a spot right in front of her feet.

Astrid looked down but couldn't immediately see what he was warning her about. The cloud obscuring the moon moved away, and pale light illuminated a glittering thin thread of fishing wire by her foot. She gingerly stepped over the almost-invisible trip wire and proceeded to Scott. He flinched when she unsheathed her knife, and his eyes widened as she brought it close to his head. In one quick draw, she severed the gag.

He spit it out on the floor, and she crouched in front of him, holding out an opened water bottle. He raised his eyebrows and nodded toward his bound wrists. Astrid shook her head. She wiggled the bottle in a silent question. The man nodded and she tipped the bottle to his lips. He drank several long draws before tilting his head back down. “Who are you?” he asked in a low voice.

“Your sister sent me.” Astrid watched his eyes carefully, but all she saw in them was surprise.

“Neyney knew I was here?” He used the childhood nickname Naya had told Astrid about.

“No, she doesn't know you were taken,” Astrid said, ignoring the stab of guilt she felt over not telling Naya about her brother's disappearance. “It was a hell of a thing to find you. Why did you leave the clinic?”

A shadow crossed his face. “I saw a monster outside the clinic grounds and thought I was going crazy. There is so much darkness in me. I couldn't bear to go to my sister with a broken mind. I've put her through so much already.”

Astrid frowned. “What kind of monster?” She cut the restraints fettering him to the chair.

Scott rubbed his wrists. “I thought it was all in my imagination, but then when I got to the Denver train station, there were several more monsters. They drugged me with something, and I woke up here.”

Two rapid clicks sounded in Astrid's earpiece. Holden was silently listening to their conversation through her mic and had just signaled for her to hurry things up. She'd have to ask Scott what he meant about the darkness inside him when they weren't under immediate threat. “They're real, all right,” she said. One of the wolverines must have scouted the clinic but somehow not discovered Scott. “Do you know how many of your captors there are?” She ushered him toward the back door, careful to help him step over the fishing wire.

He stumbled along. His legs and arms were probably on pins and needles after being in one position so long. It would be a while before his blood circulation returned to normal. “I don't know exactly. Two different ones bring me food, and I've counted another four voices outside the barn.”

Holden clicked once in Astrid's ear to show he'd heard the number. They were almost at the back door of the barn when his voice crackled in the earpiece. “Incoming. Unfriendlies,” he said. Four rapid pops from the Remington transmitted clearly as well, and then Holden cursed. “Lost track of two. I can't tell where they went.”

Astrid opened the door and darted a quick look outside. “Clear here,” she said for Holden's benefit. She grabbed Scott's arm and hurried outside. He stumbled behind her but didn't complain. They rounded the corner of the building and ran straight into one of the wolverines Holden had missed. The creature hissed.

Astrid shoved Scott behind her to shield him from the monster's view. Its nostrils flared, and it sniffed the air. “Valkyrie,” it sneered. “Do you think you can save the queen's brother? Such a fool. Now we'll have two prisoners. Two bargaining chips.”

“You'll have to catch me first,” Astrid said. She widened her stance and unsheathed a second knife.

The creature's claws popped out.

“Fuck,” Scott whispered behind Astrid. That was pretty much what she thought every time she had to put up with one of these nightmares. Not letting the talons distract her, she kept her focus on the creature's torso. A split second before he charged her, his body leaned left. She pushed Scott in that direction and parried to the other side, correctly judging that the creature was trying to fake her out.

She raised her right knife and arched it downward. The creature ducked out of the way at the last minute, but she made contact with his shoulder. A large gash appeared in his shirt and skin. Astrid grinned and the wolverine snarled back.

When another shot from the Remington echoed through the trees, the wolverine's head turned toward the sound. Astrid immediately charged and thrust her knife upward just below the rib. Her blade slid in easily, its steel long enough to pierce the heart.

The creature's eyes widened in surprise as its vital muscle stopped pumping blood. He sank to the ground, and Astrid's knife automatically slid out of him with a wet sound. She leaned down and wiped it on his shirt.

“Are you okay?” she asked Scott.

He pushed himself off the ground and stood. “Yeah,” he said. “I see why you and Neyney are friends. Same bloodthirsty nature and mad fighting skills.”

Astrid smiled. “I'll take that as a compliment.”

He brushed off his pants. “I should know your name.”

“Astrid,” she said.

A rustle in the bushes behind him had her stepping between him and the potential threat.

Holden stepped out, holding the rifle with the barrel pointing upward. “You okay?” he asked Astrid, eyes roaming over her body as if searching for injuries.

“Just fine.” She gestured toward Scott. “Meet Daisy's brother.”

Scott shot her a look but didn't say anything about her using his sister's alter ego. He took a step forward and shook hands with Holden. “A pleasure,” he said. “I'm an immediate fan of anyone coming to my rescue.”

Holden returned the shake and nodded once before turning to Astrid again. “That's six dead. I searched the main house and had a quick peek in the other buildings. There's no one else here.”

“Did you find anything else in the house?” Astrid asked.

“Some food, but no weapons.” Luke looked around the buildings. “It's as if this was a temporary camp.”

Scott nodded. “That's what I got from the way they talked. They were waiting for someone to arrive and tell them where to go next.”

Who were the wolverines waiting for? Astrid shook her head. She'd worry about that later. Right now, she needed to get Scott back to his sister. “Phones?” she asked Holden.

“Two burner phones, but no outgoing calls on them. Incoming calls were all from blocked numbers.”

“I'd still like to collect them, just in case I can get something from them,” Astrid said.

Holden grinned and threw her a small plastic bag. “Figured you'd say that. I've disabled the GPS and removed the batteries. Nobody will be able to track them.”

She caught the bag and turned to Scott. “We'll analyze all of this later. Right now, I need to let your sister know you're okay and that we'll be heading her way soon.”

Scott frowned. “I'm not sure this is a good idea. I know she wants me there for the wedding, but—” He stopped when Astrid held up a hand to keep him from spilling more in front of Holden.

“No buts,” she said, covering up the real reason she wanted him to stop talking. “Your sister sent me to retrieve you, and that's what I'm going to do. I'm taking you to see her. What happens after that is up to you and her.” Scott shot her an obstinate look but didn't say anything.

Holden paid close attention to their exchange, his eyes gleaming with interest. That man was too observant and his mind way too sharp. Astrid worried about what he was thinking or, worse, what he might ask her. She had trouble outright lying to him, which was not a problem she'd ever had with mortal men before. “Let's head out,” Holden said. “We have a way to drive before we get back to Denver, and we should probably wash some of this camo paint off before we return to the hotel.” He looked at the wolverine body on the ground. “But we need to do some clean up before we head back.”

“This is going to sound strange,” Astrid said, “but the bodies will disintegrate as soon as sunlight hits them.”

Holden's eyes widened. “If you say so. You're the expert on these freaks.”

They dragged the bodies to the southwest side of the main house to maximize the sun exposure and then made their way back to the car. Astrid kept the pace slower to accommodate Scott. He stumbled a few times as they descended the ridge, but in general kept up fairly well. At least she wouldn't be bringing back her queen's brother injured. She still didn't want to think about how much shit she was in by not telling Naya and Leif about the abduction.

Holden dug a container of baby wipes out of his magic trunk and pulled out a few before handing the box over to Astrid. She used the wet squares to clear her face of the greasy paint they'd smeared on earlier.