Viking Heart (The MacLomain Series: Viking Ancestors Book 3) (4 page)

“Easy for him to say,” Veronica muttered. “He doesn’t have a creature who can breathe fire inside of him.”

Megan rolled her eyes. “No, he
is
a creature that can breathe fire.”

Amber downed the rest of her mead. “Hey, has anyone seen my stone?”

“I’ll send one of my girls back in to look for it.” Megan snorted. “They’re always looking for a chance to poke around in Kol’s lodge.”

Amber could only imagine. “Your
girls
?”

“Vikings call them slaves.” Megan wrapped a fur cloak around Amber's shoulders and nudged her along. “But I call them my girls, or friends because they are. I set aside treasure for them and they’re free to go whenever they like.”

Veronica pulled off her cloak and wrapped it over her arm. “The poor king has had to find at least three dozen new slaves since she arrived. Megan just lets them all go.”

Megan snapped her fingers and turned back. “Wait a sec. I’ve gotta find that stone after all or Amber won’t be able to understand them.”

That’s right. The stone apparently had some magical ability to help them understand Old Norse and for the Vikings to understand modern English. Amber was amazed when Megan returned in a flash, stone in hand. She grinned. “It was wrapped up in Kol’s blankets.”

Amber thanked her and tucked the stone in a pocket before stepping out into what looked to be a large courtyard surrounded by endless lodgings. All had slanted roofs that nearly ended at the ground. Her eyes went to the largest of them. A behemoth, it was clearly the heart of the village.

Veronica pointed at several other large holdings alongside the one they’d exited. “Those are the brothers’ places as well as immediate family.”

Amber’s mouth dropped as her eyes rose above them to the monstrous mountains beyond. Whitewashed and jagged, steeped in milky, curling clouds, she could spend hours sketching them. So many angles, so much stark beauty and
life
. Shaking her head, she turned slowly and tried to take in everything. The community. The clothing. The smells. Right now, it was all a vast inundation of sensory overload. But she intended to spend plenty of time later investigating and truly immersing herself in everything this place had to offer.

Except Kol.

There would be no immersing herself in him.

Amber stopped short when her eyes locked on three tall men approaching. Huge, with fur cloaks draped over their broad shoulders, how the hell was a woman to look at anything else? Yet she couldn’t seem to drag her eyes from Kol. Lord, she must’ve been truly out of it to think he was only ‘handsome.’ His chiseled face was made of something out of her best fantasies…the kind that included a damn good orgasm.

As soon as she thought it guilt flared.

Sean.

How easily she turned eyes to another man and it didn’t seem right. Sure, she might have done it plenty of times before when they were casually dating but somehow this felt more intense, just
wrong
in a way she couldn’t explain. Frustrated but determined to keep a cordial smile on her face, she turned her attention to the other men.

No introductions were needed. The classically handsome blond with Nordic features and pale blue eyes was definitely Raknar. Eyes narrowed on Veronica, he pulled the fur out of her arms and wrapped it around her shoulders. He and her sister made a striking pair what with Veronica’s tall, willowy model looks. Okay, so maybe not so much her belly now but everything else had stayed lithe. Amber could see them being the couple on the cover of a magazine. The headline would read: Come Behold the Ripe Beauty of Stunning Scandinavia. Ripe being the descriptive word for little unborn Matthew that is.

Even if she hadn’t guessed Raknar’s identity, there was no mistaking which was Megan’s, Naðr Véurr, the infamous Viking king. She had read about him in The MacLomain Series Next Generation manuscript and he was every inch the man portrayed. With jet black hair, sharp cobalt blue eyes and a natural fierceness about him, she could understand why he was in charge. When next to Megan with her head full of wild, long blond curls and tiger eyes, they were definitely the couple that nobody screwed with.

Naðr gently squeezed Amber’s hand, his intense eyes softening as they met hers. “Welcome, Amber. I’m King Naðr Véurr. It’s good to finally meet you.”

“You as well, King Naðr Véurr,” she managed and offered a small smile. It was going to take a bit of time to get used to this man’s undivided attention.

“Please, call me Naðr…or brother.”

Brother?

“Too much too soon,” Megan mumbled and pulled him back.

“Amber.” Raknar came alongside and lifted the back of her hand to his lips. “I’m Raknar. Good to finally meet you.”

Caught off guard by the dashing gesture, she blushed. “You too, Raknar.” Her eyes went to Veronica’s belly then back to him. “And congratulations.”

A warm, loving smile curled his lips as his gaze followed hers. “Thank you.”

That only left one more brother who hadn’t yet properly greeted her. Clad in black leather, Kol was about the sexiest thing she had ever seen. She about lost her balance when a wide smile blossomed on his face. Jesus, look at those dimples.

“Amber,” he drawled, eyes sultry, words soft and promising. Before she guessed his intentions, he closed the distance with a few long-legged strides and swung her up into his arms. “My apologies for the blade to your neck upon meeting.” Then, as if they’d known each other for centuries, he winked. “I think it’s past time you and I get to know each other
much
better.”

“Put her down, Kol,” Megan ordered. “
Way
too soon.”

Kol couldn’t manage a frown if he wanted to. Not with a woman like Amber tucked in his arms.
Hel
, she was the most beautiful little thing he had ever laid eyes on and his cock entirely agreed. He’d come so close to sinking into her welcoming, lush body. A breath away. If that. He still wasn’t sure why she landed in his bed when she traveled back in time, but he could only be grateful. That’s where he wanted her.

Right now.

When he started in that direction, Naðr grabbed his arm and shook his head. “Listen to your queen, Brother.”

Kol met Amber’s wide, shimmering eyes. He had never seen so many layers of brown. Cedar, Chestnut, deep bronze and even specks of copper. The color of freshly tilled Earth after a summer rain, her dark lashes were so thick he was surprised they didn’t tangle at the corners. “Do you want me to set you down or would you prefer to come to my bed, woman?”

Amber’s eyes grew wide and the corner of her lip shot up. “You’re serious?”

“Yes. You were ready for me when you arrived.” He inhaled deeply, taken with the smell of her arousal. “And you’re ready again.”

“
Kol
,” Veronica groaned in disbelief. “How many times did we talk about what it would be like for Amber when she got here? Heck man, you remember how scared Megan and I were.”

“I’m not scared,” Amber said softly and wrapped her arm around his neck.

“She’s not scared,” he murmured and again ran his eyes over her face. From her full, plush, kissable lips to the soft curve of her cheeks, Amber didn’t possess Veronica’s startling beauty or the brazen beauty of Megan. No, hers was an eye-drawing, lovely beauty that must have been created by Odin’s beloved wife, Jörð. A face so breathtaking it rivaled the incredible wonders of nature, of Middle Earth herself. 

“Set her down, Brother,” Raknar said. “The celebrations begin soon. She should be part of them.”

“And she will be,” he assured, still smiling at her. “Later.”

When Megan sighed heavily, Amber gave a reluctant shrug. “Sorry, Kol. That’s the sigh that means if you don’t put me down things are gonna get ugly real fast.”

“Are you sure?” he said softly, words promising. “I can assure you that revisiting where we left off in my bed would be far more enjoyable than the beginning of the Winternights celebration.”

Her pupils flared and the scent of her arousal grew stronger, drawing a low growl from his chest.

“Awe hell, Kol, enough.” Megan shook her head. “Naðr, Raknar, one of you close his damned cloak and hide his erect—”

“Loki’s balls,” Naðr muttered. “Put her down
now
, little brother.”

“Not Loki’s balls but mine. And they’re tight as
hel
right now,” Kol said, but knew Naðr was growing exasperated. In no mood to test his brother at the moment, he released Amber’s legs and let her slowly slide down his body. That was a damn near fatal mistake because the feel of her curves almost made him drag her to his bed, regardless of what the others had said.

Still, he wasn’t one to go against orders, especially when they came from his king. But this time it might just kill him because if the feel of her sliding against his arousal wasn’t enough, her small pink tongue wetting her lips about did him in. He wanted to suck that tongue into his mouth. Better yet he wanted both it and her lips wrapped around him in the best way possible.

As though she knew exactly what he was thinking or felt the same, Amber choked back a small groan, shook her head and put a hand against his chest. She might have done it to keep him back or maybe even to keep him close, but it didn’t much matter.

He wanted to be inside this woman. Immediately.

After all, if his long-standing theory held true, they were both the type to lust then leave. That meant they could enjoy one another’s bodies then move on to the next without all the emotions, or the tiring devotion Naðr and Raknar seemed to have with Megan and Veronica. Not to say he didn’t appreciate what they had found. He did. Because he loved them so much.

But him?

One woman for the rest of his life?

It just didn’t make sense for anyone…especially him.

Likely having the same thoughts, Amber stepped back. His eyes trailed hungrily down her body, glad her cloak didn’t completely hide it. Veronica had been right when she once told him he favored a certain type. Odin knew Raknar’s woman was every man’s type, but she wasn’t Amber. Though the shortest of the three sisters, she wasn’t the smallest. No, that was wrong. Her waist was tiny, her legs slender, but her breasts and ass…they had curve.

Kol remembered how her nearly nude body had looked. He had yet to lay his hands on them, but her breasts were more than a handful and his hands were large. Then there was the flare of her hips. Not too much, just enough, supporting the firm globes of her backside. When saliva pooled on his tongue, he clenched his fists and kept eyeing her.

“I think I’m gonna have to hire Kjar to protect Amber.” Megan stepped between them, glaring up at him. “From
you
.”

“No need for protection.” Kol arched a brow. “All’s well, Sea Siren.”

Amber flinched and for the first time since he had lifted her into his arms, she tore her eyes from him. Kol flinched as well because it felt like the air had been torn from his lungs when he was no longer the center of her attention.

But he deserved it.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly to Megan.

Kol knew ‘Sea Siren’ was what her best friend, Sean, had called her. Though he meant no harm with the words and had only said them out of habit, he also knew Sean and Amber apparently had some sort of relationship.

He hitched his jaw and looked away when the red haze of the dragon swamped his vision. Frustration. Need. Jealousy. Appalled, irritated that the dragon already seemed so possessive of Amber, he responded the only way he knew how. “I’m going to gather up some of my women. I’ll meet you all in the main holding later.”

He stopped short as Megan’s dog, Guardian bounded by him and about knocked Amber over in greeting. That made sense. He’d just about done the same thing, one way or another.

The moment he stepped into his lodge, Kol stopped short and inhaled sharply. His dragon scent sifted past Veronica, Megan, and all the endless women that had been here and focused on the flowery sweet odor Amber had left behind.

A steaming tub of water awaited him, but instead of crawling in, he strode to his bed, seized his fur blanket, brought it to his nose and inhaled deeply. Amber…and the women that had been here before. He tore it and the others from his bed and spoke to the slaves always waiting just beyond. “Please get rid of these. Burn them. I’ll be needing new ones.”

Kol wanted to say it was because he needed Amber’s scent gone, but he knew better. He needed her scent. And
only
hers. This was what he had hoped to avoid since Megan first traveled back in time and fell in love with Naðr. This is what he again convinced himself he would skirt around when Veronica and Raknar fell in love.

This unavoidable, undeniable, powerful force that drove the couples together.

Raking a hand through his hair, he tore off his clothes and sunk into the bath.

“Brother,” Raknar said as he entered.

Kol narrowed his eyes. “The king sent you to do his bidding, then?”

“He’s best suited to introduce Amber to our people,” Raknar reminded. Standing in front of the fire, he crossed his arms over his chest and watched the slaves remove Kol’s beddings. His wise gaze landed on Kol, but he said nothing until they left. “So your dragon has already made a decision.”

“My dragon has nothing to do with it,” Kol muttered and made quick work of bathing. Anything to free himself of deep talk. “Things needed to be washed.”

“Or burned,” Raknar said under his breath.

“Say what you’ve come to say.”

Raknar stared at him for a long moment before nodding. “Unlike the rest of us when our women traveled back in time, you know which sister you are meant to be with. Yet you’re determined to rush this thing with you two then be finished with her. She deserves better.”

Kol chuckled and shook his head. “Lying with me has yet to harm a woman.” He cast his brother a wry glance before he stood and dried off. “As to me seeing her finished, we’ve yet to begin anything. So you need not worry.”

Raknar locked his hands behind his back, remained silent and continued eying Kol. A method his brother had developed years ago when he realized Naðr would always have the first word. Trained to watch and wait, his middle brother contemplated patiently before he volunteered his opinion. “Why is the concept of being with one woman so difficult for you? Do you still let the actions of our mother reflect on what…who you want from this life?”

The last thing he wanted to speak of was the betrayal of their parents so he ignored the question and yanked on pants, boots, and a tunic. “Let us join the festivities, Brother.”

Raknar caught his arm in passing, eyes unexpectedly compassionate. “Naðr and I fell in love with our women because it was true. It was real. If you do not feel the same with Amber, set her aside without causing her harm of the heart. The seers will find another of their bloodline to fulfill this pact. It need not be her.” His eyes went to the stripped down bed, the evidence of Kol’s need to eliminate the room of scents that no longer agreed with him. “Unless you
want
it to be her.”

Kol held his eyes. “Though you speak of another of their bloodline, we both know none are as desired by the seers as the bloodline of sisters. To match the potency of the bloodline of three brothers.”

“Regardless.” Raknar sighed. “Neither Naðr or I want you to feel forced into anything.” He clasped Kol’s shoulder and squeezed. “That is the truth, Brother.”

There was no mistaking the heartfelt meaning in Raknar’s eyes. His brothers cared about him. Yet it was easy enough for them to be supportive when they had already found such prizes, such deep relationships. Did he think he could find that with Amber? He had no idea. His method, his very way of living, had everything to do with lusting after a woman. Never loving her. Love was set aside for his brothers, his closest kin, and now Megan and Veronica. That was the kind of love he knew.

The only other kind he had seen ripped lives apart.

Kol nodded his thanks for Raknar’s support then swung his cloak over his shoulders as he strode out. For too long he’d been in his brothers’ shadows, doing as they asked. Now? He wasn’t so sure. Odin knew how much he had rolled over and over in his mind his obligation to this pact with the seers. How much he did not want to let his brothers or his people down. It was at the heart of why he hadn’t once embraced his dragon.

Everything he
was
.

Because the man beneath was but a shell.

A shadow.

But damn if anyone would see that as he sauntered into the hall with a woman on either arm. It was easier when Veronica first arrived. He could pretend to want her and shove a girl or two aside. All right, not the total truth. Kol had wanted both her and Megan at one point or another. Yet not as much as he could have. They were amazing women but not quite…whatever he was looking for. Which, typically speaking, was any woman with a pretty enough face. Sometimes that didn’t matter either. If she had a nice personality and a sweet soul, she was well worth bedding.

Women appealed to him on every level. Tall, short, thin, curvy, all had a little something special to offer and he was very good at finding out what that was.

Still, as he plunked down at the head table next to Naðr, he knew the women he pulled onto his lap were nothing less than armor. And that bothered him. For them more than anything. They deserved better. Then again, he wasn’t a cruel man or an indecent lap to sit upon. So he clasped their hips and instead of kissing them as he would normally do, he sat back and avidly watched the crowd.

Eying him, Naðr handed Kol a horn of ale and crossed his arms over his chest. “Megan wishes you to be free of women this eve, Brother.”

“Does she,” he murmured, downing half the horn before he spoke. “And here Raknar just assured me you wouldn’t push me toward Amber.”

The king sighed. “Do as Megan asks out of respect not only for my wife but her sister.”

Kol scowled and turned his attention to drink rather than women. When they nuzzled their asses against him, he stopped them with a sharp shake of his head.

Amber and Megan had just walked into the room.

Naðr leaned close and nodded in Amber’s direction. “You should have her on your lap instead of them. Then you might not suffer a flaccid cock.”

If Amber was on his lap, it wouldn’t just be rigid but inside her for all to see. He was about to respond how that might not be seen as
respectful
when Naðr spoke to the women on Kol’s lap. “Leave. Now.”

The king’s request would not be denied. So though they pouted and brushed theirs backsides against Kol invitingly one more time, they complied. Lap uncomfortably empty, Kol cocked a brow at his older brother. “What’s your next request then? Invite Amber onto my lap or pull up a chair beside me?” Naðr was about to respond, but Kol interrupted. “Because though I was told otherwise, it seems I have no choice in my own fate.”