Viking Warrior Rebel (17 page)

Fantastic. Another male who hadn't progressed past the emotional state of a twelve-year-old boy. “That's not what I meant,” she said but couldn't help returning his grin. “Do you remember waking up with a fever?”

Luke shook his head. “I'm not sure. I heard voices, but it's all blurry.”

“I had to call my…friends. The wolverine claws must have been poisoned, and I brought you here to get an antidote.”

He frowned. “How long have I been out?”

“Almost twenty-four hours.”

He patted the mattress. “Come sit next to me again. You look exhausted. Have you been awake this whole time?”

Astrid leaned against the headboard next to Luke. He put his arm around her and she sank into him, her head resting on his chest. “There was another fight.” She ignored how good it felt to be this close to him or how the berserker curled up and purred.

Luke's body stilled beneath her. “Are you hurt?”

“No. Torvald got shot, but it's superficial. He'll limp for a while and complain about it, but he'll be fine.”

“I have no idea who you're talking about, but I'm glad the guy's going to be okay. What happened?” He caressed her hair. “By the way, where the hell am I?”

Astrid sat up so she could see Luke's face. She decided to start with the easier of the two questions. “You're at my house, which is also where my friend who has the antidote to the poison lives. Naya and my…other friends live here too. It's where we all live…” On second thought, maybe this was not the easy question. She shook her head. “I'm not sure I can explain this.”

“Okay. Take a deep breath.” Luke captured her hands in his. “So you have a lot of roommates.”

“You already know Naya. Her fiancé, Leif, lives here, as does Irja, our medical officer.”

“Officer? You are some kind of military unit?”

Shit, she shouldn't have let that slip out. Why hadn't she just called Irja a doctor? “This is a little hard to explain, but basically there are a whole bunch of Scandinavians living here. Well, plus Naya. And Irja, she's from Finland and technically that's not part of Scandinavia. Maybe I should have said the Nordic countries.” She stopped her rambling and took a deep breath. “We do operate kind of like a military unit, with Leif as our leader.”

“I'm not sure I understand. Are you in some kind of law enforcement?”

Yes
, she wanted to say. They enforced the law of Odin and Freya, but how would she phrase that without sounding like a religious nut? “Not in any official capacity. We basically fight the wolverines—and other creatures like them—but stay under the radar and try not to attract the attention of the actual police.” She searched for the words to explain their off-grid status. “We're like a sovereign nation with diplomatic immunity.” The diplomatic immunity was recognized only by the Norse warriors themselves, but hopefully Luke wouldn't pick up on that.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “This is a little much to take in.” He lowered his hand and looked at her, his eyes shining with concern. “Could we go back to why you were in another fight? Are you sure you're okay?”

Astrid nodded. “I really am fine. Not a scratch on me.” She thought about the bruises on the women they'd rescued, and the more permanent scars they were hiding on the inside. “It was just a tough mission. It brought up some bad memories.”

“Tell me.”

“The wolverines had taken hostages. Five women from Mexico were kept at a farmhouse on the Idaho border. The monsters are now involved in human trafficking.”

Luke reared back. “You have proof of this?” He gripped her hand hard, his eyes intense.

“Yes. We brought the women back here.”

His jaw set. “This is much bigger than I thought,” he mumbled.

“What's bigger than you thought?” Unease spread through Astrid's body. Luke's reaction showed an interest level she didn't expect from him, even after fighting the wolverines twice.

He startled and then caught himself, his eyes changing from troubled to guileless. “I'm just thinking out loud.” He caressed her cheek. “Tell me about the hard memories that resurfaced.”

Astrid wasn't buying it. What wasn't Luke telling her? “It's nothing I like to talk about.” She pulled away to create some distance between them and tried to pull her hand out of his.

Luke held on. “Hey, don't shut me out.” He squeezed her fingers. “We may have skipped a few steps before ending up in bed together, and I still owe you a proper date.” He grinned. “But you can trust me with anything from your past. It won't change the way I feel about you.”

He had feelings for her? Warmth spread through her chest as alarm bells still rang in her mind. Talk about conflicted. What was his agenda? How much of what he was saying could she trust? Astrid hesitated, but if the
själsfrände
bond was real, she might as well find out now if her past repulsed him. That way, she could prepare for never being able to complete the bond. “I was once in the girls' situation.”

Luke tried to pull her closer, but she resisted. “You were kidnapped?” he asked.

“No,” she said. “But I grew up in a situation where a man had complete power over me. He owned me.” She had to look away. “Owned my body.”

Luke's jaw clenched, but he cradled her face and made her look at him. “Hey, none of that was your fault.”

Astrid nodded. “I know that now, but it took a long time to get to a point where I didn't think I had somehow caused some of the things that happened to me.”

His jaw tightened further. “Were you…” He swallowed. “Did this man hurt you?” His eyes burned with anger.

“I had a benevolent master. He didn't abuse his property, human or cattle.” She realized Luke thought she was talking about sexual slavery and didn't have the historical context. But revealing her true age—close to a thousand years old—would probably be too overwhelming for him right now. That conversation would have to wait until later, and maybe then she could explain that having thralls—slaves captured during raids and later sold to landowners—was a common practice during the Viking era.

“It wasn't that he cared for me, but I was an investment.” Astrid looked away again. “He didn't abuse me, but some of his men could get over-familiar. I learned how to fight, and after I cracked a few ribs and broke a few noses, they left me alone.”

“Are these men still around?” Luke's voice burned with a dark intensity.

She shook her head. “No, they've been dead a long time.”

He raised his eyebrows.

“I didn't do it,” she said in answer to his silent question. “Some of them died a natural death, but most of them were killed while fighting.” Her master had been a rich landowner, and many other Viking chieftains had tried to gain his lands by warfare. She'd left as soon as she earned her freedom and never did find out what happened to her former owner. The only person she'd cared about was the weapons master, and he'd passed away in his sleep by then. The man had lived to a very old age, which by that century's standard was into his fifties.

Luke tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and placed a light kiss on her lips. “You're so amazingly strong, both mentally and physically.” He paused and traced her lips with his thumb. “You're a true warrior. I would have been honored to serve with you in my unit. I am honored to have fought with you.”

Tears welled up in Astrid's eyes. She'd had many compliments in her life, but always about her looks. Luke's words warmed corners of her heart that had been cold for a long time. And of course the berserker was purring with pleasure, firing up Astrid's libido. She told the beast and her hormones to stand down, but it was no use. The berserker howled its approval as Astrid reached for Luke and claimed his mouth with her own. He growled, grabbed her shoulders, and pulled her closer.

A knock on the door startled them both. Astrid cleared her throat. “Come in,” she said, straightening her shirt and hair.

Naya poked her head around the door. “You guys decent?” She grinned and entered the room holding a phone. “Mr. Holden, Rex has been trying to get ahold of you. When you and Astrid didn't answer your phones, he tried mine.”

“I didn't think to bring your phone on the way over here,” Astrid said to Luke. “And mine is charging in my bedroom. Sorry.”

“No apology necessary. I care more about my life than my phone.” Luke smiled and gestured for Naya to hand over the phone.

“How did he know to call me?” Naya asked.

“He knows Astrid and I were going on a date. And he knows you know Astrid.”

As Luke talked with his head of security, Naya turned to Astrid. “Everything okay?”

How much had Irja told the queen? Astrid pulled on the cuff of her shirt. An unfortunate gesture, since it drew Naya's eyes exactly where Astrid did not want them. The small woman moved lightning quick and sat down on the bed next to Astrid. Naya grabbed Astrid's hand and pulled up the sleeve. Her eyes widened. “Him?” she asked in a low voice, slanting her eyes toward Luke.

Astrid nodded, watching the queen carefully to see what her reaction would be.

To her surprise, the queen grinned widely and shook her head. “Oh, Leif is going to love this.” She gave Luke's bare chest a slow once-over and hummed her approval.

The berserker growled, but Astrid told it to stand down. She grabbed Naya's hand. “Don't tell him. Not yet.”

“Okay, but I can't keep it a secret for long.”

Luke hung up and looked between Astrid and Naya. “What did I miss?”

“Girl talk,” Naya said and jumped up from the bed. She held out her hand for her phone.

Luke handed it over and turned to Astrid. “I have to go.”

“I'll find you some pants and drive you back into town,” Astrid said as she scooted off the bed and stood.

“Actually,” Naya said. “Leif wants to drive Luke home. Irja and I could use your help with the young women.”

Oh shit. Luke and the king in the same car. “Did you just now decide that Leif would be the chauffeur?” Astrid asked her friend but kept her voice respectful. Naya was, after all, also her queen.

The smaller woman practically bounced with excitement. “Nope. Leif made that request before I came in here.”

Astrid grimaced.

“What am I missing?” Luke asked. “You two look like there's something going on beyond just a ride home.”

Naya walked toward the door. “Nothing going on here except an opportunity for you and Leif to get to know each other better. It's going to be great.” She grinned and then left the room.

Yeah, super great. Not awkward at all to have the king interrogate Astrid's
själsfrände
.

The silence in the Escalade was thick with tension. Luke fidgeted in his borrowed clothes. He sat in the front passenger seat next to Leif, who was driving. Naya's fiancé didn't have to try hard to be intimidating. At six foot four and with broad shoulders, the dude appeared threatening just by sheer presence. A sphere of danger surrounded him, as if it slowly seeped out of his pores. Add a square jaw, cold, ice-blue eyes, and blond hair tied back with a scrap of leather, and the alpha male picture was complete.

The other guy in the car had joined them at the last minute and worked much harder on his aggressive vibe. Ulf—weird name—sat in the back. Luke could feel the dude's gaze trying to burn a hole in his neck. He was the same height as Luke, but his shoulders and biceps were massive. His blond hair was sheared into a crew cut, and he held himself with the posture of a soldier.

So did Leif.

Every instinct Luke had honed while in the service screamed at him to get out of the car. And yet the alpha in him wanted to fight the two guys to see how they would measure up. He was pretty sure he could take Ulf. Fighting Leif would mean bruises and pain, but he'd probably be able to get in a few good punches and leave his mark before he was crushed to death by those massive arms.

He shook himself. He should be concentrating on his mission, not on picking a fight just because he needed to prove himself. Rex had called because Whalert had tried to reach Luke. His boss had left a message to get back to him ASAP.

As they'd left Astrid's house, Luke had tried to pay attention to his surroundings. With the two guys flanking him, he'd only glimpsed the huge mansion's interior of wood panels and old paintings. The outside had been equally impressive. Basalt rocks were incorporated into the landscaping, and the house itself was covered in rocks that made it blend in with the surrounding nature. Now, he concentrated on learning where the road joined the main arterial so he'd be able to find it again.

It was so hard to concentrate though. His head swirled with what Astrid had told him. He couldn't get a grip on what she meant by a sovereign nation and fighting wolverines. And her description of how she grew up made him want to punch someone.

Ulf would do. The guy's silent glowering was getting on Luke's nerves.

Ten minutes in, the forest thinned out and Luke figured the turn onto the main road would soon appear. He paid attention to the landmarks, creating a mental map.

“Let's talk about you and Astrid.” Leif's voice was like a sonic boom in the uncomfortable silence. Luke jerked, hitting his elbow on the side window.

Ulf sniggered. Luke wanted to smash his other elbow in the dude's face.

Instead, he turned to Leif. “Astrid and I are not your business.” He rubbed the sore spot on his arm.

Leif shot him a chilly look. “Anything or anyone interacting with my people is my business.”

What the fuck?
His people?
“Well, I'm the exception.”

Leif laughed, but not in a good way. The sound sent chills down Luke's spine. “You've been my business ever since you worked with Naya. I know a lot about you already, Luke Holden.” He bared his teeth in what was probably supposed to be a smile but looked more like what lions did before they attacked. “And now that you've hooked up with Astrid, I intend to find out a lot more.”

Ulf growled.

Enough.
Luke turned around and glared at the dude in the backseat. “What the fuck is your problem?”

“You're my problem. Have been ever since you decided to stick your dick where it doesn't belong.” So that was what this was all about. Ulf wanted Astrid. The thought brought out something ugly and possessive in Luke. Did the two have a history? They'd make a striking couple, both tall and fair.

Luke plastered his most condescending smile on his face. “I see now. You made a move but struck out. You're pouting because she obviously figured out I'm the better man.”

Ulf lunged forward, placing his face a fraction of an inch from Luke's. “I'll show you who's the better man.”

“Looking forward to it,” Luke hissed, refusing to move his head.

Suddenly, the car swerved and he hit the window again, striking the same tender spot on the elbow. Ulf fared worse. His head smacked into the back side door.

“Knock it off,” Leif said as he straightened the steering wheel. “If Astrid finds out you're having this pissing contest, she'll beat the shit out of both of you.” He paused. “And then she'll come after me for putting you both in a small enclosed space together,” he mumbled.

Luke turned around for another glare at Ulf. The other man returned one of his own but didn't say anything. Luke faced forward again and then cursed under his breath. They were on the main road, and there was no sign of where they'd turned from the smaller country road. He'd missed it. He slanted a look Leif's way. Had the guy distracted him on purpose? From the pleased smile on Leif's face, it was very possible.

“Look,” Leif said. “Let's try to talk like adults.” He looked at Luke for a second before focusing on the road again. “What's going on with you and Astrid? I'm asking because I care about her.”

Luke wanted to tell the guy to fuck off again, but Leif obviously was looking out for Astrid. “We're still figuring that out,” he offered instead, ignoring the hitch in his chest that reminded him their relationship had a predestined ending.

Ulf muttered something from the backseat, but both Leif and Luke ignored him.

“She's family,” Leif said. “If you hurt her, I'll kill you.” He smiled as if they were talking about the weather or some equally benign shit.

“You don't have to worry about that, my king,” Ulf said. “If he hurts Astrid, she'll kill him herself.”

Luke ignored the guffaw from the other two and focused on the peculiar way Ulf had addressed Leif. “Why did he just call you
king
?”

Leif shot Ulf a warning look through the rearview mirror. “Because that is what I am.”

“Is your title related to this whole sovereign nation status?”

“So Astrid told you about that.” Leif made it a statement. “We operate within U.S. laws as much as we possibly can, but sometimes we have to step outside those limits.” He looked at Luke again. “You've seen what the wolverines can do. We can't just call the cops to come and stop them.”

Okay, that made sense in a really warped way. Luke's own division was created so its agents could work outside the limits of the FBI, but he was a U.S. citizen. “But how can you operate within our country's borders if you're from a different country? What international agency oversees your operations, and how do they work with U.S. law enforcement?”

“None of your business—”

Leif interrupted Ulf's outburst with a small shake of his head. “Our superiors have global jurisdiction,” he said. “It allows us to operate under a kind of diplomatic immunity.”

“What is the name of your agency?”

“I can't tell you that.” Leif turned to look at him and cocked his head. “Why so interested in who we work with in your government?”

Fuck.
The cop in Luke had automatically tried to work out the web of jurisdiction. Leif would figure out Luke's true identity if he wasn't careful. He couldn't blow his cover. “I'm just interested in who I should look out for. Hazard of the trade, I guess. The club attracts people from the shady side of the law sometimes.”

“From what I've heard, you walk the shady side too,” Ulf interjected.

Luke ignored him but filed away that they'd obviously researched both him and his business. “Let's talk about these wolverines. What are they?”

A line appeared between Leif's brows. “We don't know for sure, but Irja's figured out they're made through genetic manipulation and cross breeding.”

“By whom?”

Leif paused for a while. “We don't have concrete evidence.”

“But you have a suspect?” Shit, he sounded like a cop again. For that matter, so did Leif. Was it possible that Astrid and everyone else at the big house in the forest were part of some kind of international policing effort?

Leif just nodded.

Luke waited for more details, but the silence stretched on. He changed tack. “And why did they kidnap the women?”

Ulf leaned forward. “Astrid told you about them?” Leif shot him a surprised look too.

Luke frowned. “Yeah. She was pretty shook up. Seeing them so powerless brought up bad memories.”

Leif's eyebrows shot up, and Ulf made a noise of surprise.

Shit, they hadn't known about Astrid's background. “Don't tell her I said anything,” he begged, but two others weren't paying attention.

“It makes sense,” Ulf said. “She was a shield maiden. If she was born a thrall, that could be how she earned her freedom. I had battle brothers who became free men that way. Sign up for a few years of raiding without pay, and you'd be your own man eventually.”

“Shut up,” Leif warned him. “We'll talk about this later.”

Luke stored away the words they'd used. He'd figure out what
shield maiden
and
thrall
meant later. “I thought you already knew,” he said.

Ulf smirked, but Leif nodded. “If Astrid wanted us to know her history, she would have told us.” He shot another warning look Ulf's way through the rearview mirror.

The guy grumbled but finally nodded his head. “I'll keep quiet.”

Luke let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. “I owe you guys.”

Leif's feral grin made Luke regret the words as soon as they left his lips. “I'm sure I'll collect at some point,” Leif said. “Meanwhile, brush off your formal wear. Naya wants you at our wedding.”

“You can't be serious,” Ulf stuttered, but Leif interrupted him by holding up his hand.

“I'm not pleased about it, but my
själsfrände
wants him there so her brother won't feel like the only outsider.” He pulled up in front of Luke's apartment building and turned halfway in his seat, facing Luke full-on. “Naya says I still have a lot to learn about the art of compromise, which is the only reason you are allowed at my wedding. I and the rest of my warriors will be monitoring you carefully. Not just at the wedding.”

“Understood.” Luke got out of the car. At the same time, Ulf opened the back door and exited. He made sure to bump Luke with his shoulder as he moved to take the front seat.

“Not here and not now,” Ulf hissed. “But soon.”

“Looking forward to it,” Luke said in the same low voice as he walked toward the building entrance.

* * *

Back in his apartment, Luke took a quick shower and dressed in his own clothes before he called Whalert. The number in Rex's message was not one Luke had used before. His boss answered on the first ring.

“That you, Holden?” Whalert asked. There were myriad voices in the background, and someone laughed loudly.

“Where are you?” Luke asked.

“I can't use the office anymore. We've been compromised.”

Luke straightened. “Okay.”

“The fucked-up part is that I triggered it myself.” Frustration laced his boss's tone. “I should have known better. You've warned me several times. Instead, I acted like an overconfident rookie.”

Luke interrupted the self-flagellation. “Slow down and tell me what's going on.”

Whalert swallowed loudly. “This morning, I checked to see if the lab had finished the analysis of the blood sample you had me enter.” Luke had sent Astrid's blood-soaked scarf to his boss so his own identity wouldn't be associated with any records. It was standard when an operative was undercover, but also a way for Luke to be extra careful. “I couldn't even see the lab request entry,” his boss continued.

“It's been locked for higher clearance?” Luke had suspected the case would trigger something like this, but he'd thought it might only move beyond his own security clearance. He'd never imagined it would get ripped out of Whalert's hands. The guy was way above Luke's pay grade.

“No, the record is completely gone. It's as if I never sent the request. Even the confirmation email has been deleted from my inbox. Someone really wants that sample to disappear.”

Luke pinched the bridge of his nose. This was way worse than he'd thought. What the fuck were Astrid and her band of Scandinavians involved in? “Are you safe?” he asked his boss.

“For now. I grabbed my files and got the hell out of the office. Luckily it was early and not many people had arrived yet. No one saw me there, so the cleanup crew will probably go to my house first.”
Cleanup crew
was code for the assassins used when an agent went rogue.

“This is bad,” Luke said. “Do you have a safe house?”

Whalert paused. “Nice try, but you know I won't tell you.” A hint of suspicion had crept into his voice.

“Fuck, man. You're thinking I'm out to get you now?”

“I think I've earned the right to be paranoid.”

He was right. Luke apologized. “What do we do next?”

“I'm going off grid. It will take me a little while to get situated. Once I know I'm safe, I'll work on figuring out how far up the chain this corruption goes. I think I know some people I can trust to look into this, but I need to make sure they're not susceptible to manipulation before I contact them.”

“Makes sense. I'll cover my tracks as well.”

“No need.”

“What do you mean?”

Whalert paused for a moment. “Look, I should apologize for not taking you seriously when you were trying to tell me something weird was going on with this case.”

“I never said it straight out.” Luke had hinted to his boss that he suspected an unusual number of their supervisors were invested in the case, but he'd never actually told him he thought the covert labs had been operating as long as they had because someone within the agency—shit, within the government—was supporting them.