Valkyrie Heat (27 page)

“I have seen you dance. You can dance for my warriors and

keep them entertained after. A content warrior is a strong warrior

who will fight hard if I promise the best of my warriors will have

you. Do not worry, they will not kill or beat you; after all, if you

are dead, how could you dance for them?”

Sky shuddered. “When did you see me dance?”

“The night Eirik made you dance nude. You are very good. I

have been watching you, scouting the area, waiting for my chance.”

Sky blushed crimson. “Rolf and Brandr will come looking for

me.”

“Of course they will. It will be too late. My warriors will not

give you up. They will be many—your men only number two.

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Perhaps they will join me. That way they can keep an eye out for

you.”

Sky wondered if the repeated attacks on the woman had made

her delusional. She seemed to worry for her well-being one

moment, then hate her the next. Perhaps she battled herself.

Perhaps she could see herself in Sky’s helpless state. The thought

made Sky sad for her.

Thorvald came into the clearing with a plump half-dead

rabbit. He sliced the head off and gutted it in front of them. He

skinned it and skewered it. Her captor glared at him.

“Fool! Do you want every wolf in the area here tonight? It

takes a big man to frighten a tiny woman with a bunny.”

But Sky wasn’t afraid, a little sick to her stomach but not

fearful. She knew Rolf and Brandr would find her. Her chin rose to

meet Thorvald’s stare.

He licked his lips.

“If you let me have her, I wouldn’t need to use other means of

control,” he snapped.

“I told you that she is mine,” her captor said.

Thorvald smiled a very strange smile and Sky was wary; he

was up to something.

* * * *

When morning came Thorvald pissed on the fire to put it out.

Steam rolled heavenwards.

“Are you stupid?” the woman screeched. “Rolf and Brandr

could have seen that.”

Thorvald looked over his shoulder and smiled at her. “I’m

guessing someone saw it,” he replied.

To Sky’s horror over a dozen warriors came from the bush,

with swords drawn and flanked them.

Her woman captor screamed in rage and began fighting for all

she was worth. It was a losing battle. The men only sported with

her until she became exhausted and beaten. She was soon on her

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knees, with her nose bloodied. Thorvald went to her and

backhanded her; she glared up at him in response.

Sky was surprised he hadn’t knocked her over. The woman

was a formidable adversary. No wonder Thorvald had needed help

to capture her. The man was a snake as well as a coward.

“Stupid slave,” he snapped. “Did you really think I would do

business with a murdering bitch?”

A man strode over to Thorvald when he would have struck

her again. The warrior stopped him. “She’s mine now,” the man

said. He pulled out a leather pouch of coins and tossed them to

Thorvald, who caught them.

The man then centered his gaze onto Sky. She huddled in the

dirt at his feet. There were so many of them. She was terrified they

would all take her. Was this what Thorvald had in mind? Had he

joined with these men now?

“What of her?” the man asked Thorvald.

Sky could see his interest.

“She is mine, a runaway I caught. She will be punished.”

“I would buy her from you,” the man said.

Sky looked way up at him. He was blond, huge, massively

muscled. A handsome man, but so incredibly large. Her pulse

raced, pounding madly within her breast.

“I have other plans for this little slave,” Thorvald said and

grinned.

The blond warrior shrugged, then he tossed the newly captive

woman over his shoulder as though she weighed nothing. “My

thanks, Thorvald,” he said. “This murdering bitch’s husband was

one of the raiders of my village. My wife was killed during the

raid. She will be welcome entertainment until I choose to end her

life.”

Sky watched as the warriors turned and made their way

quietly back into the forest. She began shaking when Thorvald

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approached her. He leaned down and yanked her to her feet by her

hair.

“I’d take you now, but the slave was right. Others could have

seen the smoke, so I haven’t much time. But when I reach my

destination, I’ll have you over and over until you beg for me to

take you.”

Sky gritted her teeth. “Never,” she growled.

Thorvald chuckled and pushed her in a different direction.

“Move, little slave.”

Sky again walked for hours in the heat. She stumbled and

finally accepted a drink from Thorvald’s flask of water. The trees

grew dense and were so high and full, they blocked out much of

the sunlight. She looked up into a gnarled tree that looked familiar.

High on a branch were scratches she had made her first night in the

forest. To keep herself awake and watchful of the wolves, she had

broken a small twig and carved her name and Rolf’s into the tree.

Thorvald was staring where she was.

“Your markings?” he demanded gruffly.

She nodded. “You were right, I am a witch and I’ve cursed

you because you have viewed my sacred markings,” Sky said, lifting

her chin, hoping to frighten him.

Thorvald laughed. “You’re no witch. I never thought you

were.”

He pushed her forward. His words only added to Sky’s

confusion.

Sky began shaking when the cave came into view.

Thorvald whooped triumphantly.

When they went inside, a deep mist settled around them.

Thorvald had her arm gripped tightly. For a brief moment, an odd

glow lit the leather pouch of coins Thorvald had tied to his side,

then the light extinguished. Sky’s hair stood on end.

That was creepy.

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Sky inched ahead wondering what to expect. She had been

told repeatedly there was danger in the mist. A large apparition

was moving toward them. Her eyes widened in shocked surprise.

The mist parted allowing the being entry. It was a man dressed in

modern twenty-first century jeans and a t-shirt.

“Brody?” she whispered in disbelief.

Brody looked at her with unabashed relief and then was

scowling heavily. He strode toward her and pulled her from

Thorvald’s grasp. “This wasn’t supposed to happen!” he shouted.

“You have the wrong one. Damn you. I told you what she looked

like.”

Thorvald shrugged, unconcerned. Brody turned Sky in his

arms.

“Did he hurt you?” he asked.

“If you mean did he rape me the answer is no,” she muttered.

She gazed up at him in confusion.
The
wrong one?
“You did this,” she

whispered, her eyes filled with the pain she felt.

Brody untied her hands and she rubbed at her wrists.

“It wasn’t supposed to be you; this was an awful mistake,”

Brody said with urgency.

“Who? My God, Brody, who would you do this to, and what

is it that was supposed to happen?” she asked.

Brody ran a hand over his face. “Colleen agreed to this.”

“What?” Sky asked, astounded.

“I was the first one in this cavern. I was separated from Rolf

for awhile and got lost. I met Thorvald when the mist swirled and

settled. Right here—it’s sort of a midpoint between times. Sky,

I’m an archeologist. This find is huge. A man from the tenth

century! Can you even begin to imagine what this find would be

worth? But he couldn’t come forward into our time. It was like a

wall stopped him. I even tried going back to his, but it wouldn’t

work,” Brody explained.

“Your Brody looks like our Brandr, a descendent.”

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Sky was amazed when Thorvald replied, because he spoke

English perfectly.

“He told me of your world and all the riches I would acquire,”

Thorvald said. He glared at her. “I was promised a willing woman.

You went back through the wrong exit and I couldn’t find you. Or

you were too early or too late. I waited for so long, I finally went

home and there you were,
my woman
. You found Brandr instead

and he claimed you. You were supposed to be mine and you

spurned me.”

“You speak English? All along you spoke English? Why did you

say nothing?” Sky asked, bewildered. “I wondered what I had done

to make you so angry. Why didn’t you say something?”

“What nonsense are you speaking?” Thorvald demanded. “You

know Rolf and Brandr never let me near you and you are both

speaking Norse.”

Sky shook her head in wonder; he really did think he was

talking in his own language. Although, he was right. Neither man

had ever allowed him to come close to her.

“What do you mean he, this Brandr, claimed her?” Brody

asked tightly.

“He and his friend, Rolf own the woman. I had to steal her

from them to get here. This one is much trouble. She is too willful

and needs to be beaten,” Thorvald snapped.

Brody pulled her behind him and glared at Thorvald with

daggers. “Paws off.”

“Why, Brody? Why would Colleen agree to this?” Sky

demanded.

“I promised her a great deal of money. When I told her I’d

met a huge Viking, she almost swooned in desire; you know what

she’s like. Thorvald told me of the legend of a Valkyrie coming to

his time because she carried the man’s baby. We both thought it

might work backwards if Colleen carried his. You took off too fast

when we pissed you off after we found the coins. Both Rolf and I

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went after you, but you vanished so quickly. When I realized we

had lost you, I panicked, especially after what we discovered. I’ve

been here searching, knowing what Thorvald would do. I’m so

sorry, Sky, I was sick with worry.

“I knew how scared you must have been and I needed to find

you, but the mist wouldn’t let me through. Because you were

gone, I put it together and realized you could go through because

of the coins. But Rolf has the rest of them. We split up to search

for you and Rolf sent Colleen home to wait and see if you called. I

couldn’t explain what happened, since I wasn’t really certain. I

couldn’t just demand he hand the coins over so I could follow you.

What would I have said? The coins are from Thorvald’s era and

won’t let him through to ours, but I think they will let me go back.

I’ve had a few hours to ponder this…”

“Hours?” Sky whispered. It had been months, not hours.

“Yes hours.” His voice trailed off for a moment. “Good God,

Sky, how long has it been for you?” he asked with concern.

“Months, Brody. I’ve been in the tenth century for months,”

she whispered.

Brody actually staggered with her declaration.

“Oh, Sky,” he said on a loud exhale.

He seemed to take real notice of her. His fingers traced her

tanned cheek. He ran his hand over her longer hair.

“Those men had you for months? What did they do to you?”

“I wasn’t hurt, Brody. Not really. But it’s been only hours for

you? Really? This is so strange.”

“Sky, I think there is more to it than just time lapse between

times. I think there needs to be a blood connection for it to work,

for you to go back or maybe even ahead. Thorvald simply holding

an item from our time isn’t enough. He told me how much I

resemble someone from his village; there must be a blood

connection. But it’s all so much speculation. How could I explain

to Rolf that a Viking warrior needed to screw you and get you

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pregnant to come into our time? I swear I thought it had been only

hours or so help me I would have demanded the coins from him

sooner. We both would have gone looking for you; I would have

dragged him into Thorvald’s time,” Brody said with urgency.

Sky began to shake.
Screw her?
Get her pregnant on purpose

with Thorvald’s baby? “No, Brody, don’t let him,” she pleaded.

Brody pulled her into his arms. “I would never let that

happen,” he promised. “Colleen was willing.” He turned to look at

Thorvald. He glared at him. “You will just have to wait until I

return for Colleen. Sky is coming back with me.”

“I can’t wait!” Thorvald howled. “They track me as we speak.

They will be coming for her.”

Sky remained hidden behind Brody when Thorvald pulled his

sword. She knew Brody would die protecting her. She could see

the fine line of sweat drip down his forehead. He was a cad and a

heel, but no rapist…and no killer. Brody didn’t stand a chance.

Thorvald was bigger, he was armed, and he was a trained warrior.

“Back away.”

Thorvald gasped in surprise.

Sky turned and cried out, then raced into Rolf’s arms. It was

Rolf from Brody’s and her time. She clung to him. He looked