Viking Warrior Rebel (26 page)

As she turned in search of another opponent, the lights went off. Curses went off in her headset, and her heart rate increased. The berserker, however, seemed eerily calm. Astrid slowly expanded her connection with it. In her mind's eye, she could “see” where they were in the room, but there was more. She knew where the wolverines were too.

Slowly she expanded her senses. The berserker had always been able to detect if wolverines were near, but not their exact location.

Now Astrid not only sensed the location of each creature, but if she focused on one of them, it was as if they moved in slow motion. She had time to prepare, block, and countermove. She immediately used her advantage to take down another monster and sever its throat.

“Open your senses,” she shouted over the headset. “Let your inner warrior show you where the fuckers are.”

The other warriors quieted down, but then the first exclamation of wonder came through, and then another. “Odin's ravens,” Leif shouted. “I can work with this.”

Astrid smiled in the darkness and concentrated on the wolverine closest to her. She hit it with a semicircular kick before burying one of her daggers in the nape of its neck. It went down without a sound, and she swiveled to meet the next attack.

All of a sudden, she heard a shot. When did the wolverines start carrying guns? She didn't feel a bullet's impact, but she sank to the floor as an excruciating pain bloomed in her chest and spread.

The connection with the other warriors faded away. She could hear her berserker howling, but that too became muted. Her heart pumped slower and slower until it completely stopped. And then everything went blank.

* * *

When she came to, the warehouse had disappeared, and instead she was lying in the grass with a brilliant sun shining from above. She sat up and looked around her. Silver birches surrounded the clearing, their leaves swaying gently in the wind.

This was Freya's meadow. Astrid had spent plenty of time here, around seven hundred years or so. Time passed differently in Asgard though, so counting in human years was futile. Back then, she'd trained with other Valkyries and the meadow was never empty. Where were Freya's maidens now? And why was she here? Had she died?

“No, my daughter. You are not yet departed,” a voice said, startling Astrid. Freya sat right beside her in the space that had been empty a moment ago. Her long, straight, silver-blond hair cascaded down her shoulders and ended at her waist. Her white dress sparkled in the bright sunlight.

“Then why am I here?” Astrid stammered.

“To make a choice.”

Astrid frowned. “A choice?”

Freya tilted her head. “Of your trust in me.”

That didn't even make sense. “I always trust in you.”

The goddess laughed. It sounded like silver bells playing in the wind. The birch trees seemed to answer her laughter. Their leaves rustled in time with the bell-like chimes. As quickly as it had started, the laughter stopped.

Freya slapped Astrid hard across the cheek. Her head whipped to the side, and she saw stars.

That was new.

“Then why do you doubt my choice of your
själsfrände
?” the goddess barked.

Astrid cradled her cheek and opened her mouth to answer.

“Don't be so insolent as to attempt a reply.” Freya's eyes were deep pools of glittering darkness. “You were always an obstinate Valkyrie. I indulged you because you usually made me proud. Lately, you've done nothing but disappoint me.”

Astrid swallowed hard and kept quiet.

“Think about your choices and your actions. From now on, I expect better of you.” Freya lifted her hand, and Astrid flinched. Instead of the expected slap, a caress trailed down her cheek. In a blink, the goddess disappeared.

Astrid lay back in the grass and closed her eyes. Freya had chosen Luke for her.

She didn't blindly believe in the gods' will, but a direct order from the goddess was not something to argue with. Although, apparently that's exactly what she'd tried to do.

She moved her jaw. It was still sore. The Mother of Valkyries packed quite a punch. Astrid closed her eyes. How would she get back to Midgard?

She yawned and then winced when her jaw ached again. Drowsiness fell over her like a heavy blanket. She tried to open her eyes, but lost the struggle and sleep claimed her.

* * *

Someone was shaking her shoulder. “Wake up, honey. You're safe now.”

She struggled to open her eyes and stared into Irja's face bending over hers. “What happened?” she croaked.

Irja smiled. “You passed out in the warehouse. The others brought you home.”

She pushed herself up to sit against the headboard. “There was a gunshot.” She rubbed her chest, but the pain was gone. “Are the others okay?”

“All the warriors from the warehouse are back in one piece. We had a few claw marks and wounds, but none too serious. I gave everyone antidotes, but except for a slight fever in Torvald, there are no other signs of poison. Sten hit his head and has to be monitored for concussion, but there have been no signs so far. I expect—”

Astrid interrupted. “You're rambling. You only do that when you're nervous or have bad news.”

Irja turned around, her eyes were sad. “It's Holden. He got shot.”

Astrid rubbed her chest again. “I felt it,” she said. “That's why I passed out in the warehouse. I felt his heart stop.” She struggled to get up. “I have to go to him.” She had to connect with his berserker, make him stay alive.

Irja pushed her back down. “He's not here. He lost too much blood, and I wasn't sure what our immortal blood would do to him. We took him to the hospital so he could get a transfusion using mortal blood.”

“Then I'll go there.” Astrid put her feet on the floor and stood. She swayed, and Irja caught her before she went down.

“You're not strong enough yet. You've been unconscious for almost twenty-four hours.”

“I'll be fine. Just help me get dressed.”
Luke had been shot. His heart had stopped.
Her breath hitched. “Irja, I have to go to him.”

“There's nothing you can do for him. He's in intensive care. The doctors operated to repair the damage, and they managed to start his heart again.” She swallowed. “He's in a coma. They don't know if he'll come back to us.”

“He'll come back to me,” Astrid said.

Sadness clouded Irja's face. “We don't know that.”

“I do know,” Astrid insisted. “Freya told me.”

Irja hesitated but then nodded. “I'll drive you.”

* * *

Astrid walked into Luke's room without Irja. The nurse at the station had said only two visitors at a time were allowed, and someone was already in there. The first thing she saw as she stepped through the door was Luke lying motionless in a hospital bed. He was hooked up to a heart monitor and an IV. She blinked furiously to dry the moisture in her eyes. She'd promised herself never to cry over Luke again.

Someone cleared their throat, and she looked up. Rex smiled at her gently from across the room. “They called me when he arrived,” he said. “Apparently, I'm his emergency contact.”

“How is he?”

The tall, dark man shook his head. “They say he could wake up any minute.” He scratched his jaw. “Or never. Basically, they have no idea why he's not waking up.”

Astrid walked up to the bed and put her hand over Luke's, the one that wasn't hooked up to the heart monitor. “It's my fault he got shot,” she said. She tapped into her berserker and tried to get it to connect with Luke's. The beast ignored her but grunted contentedly as she stroked Luke's hand.

“Come again?” Rex asked. “Did you tell him to go meet criminals in the middle of the night without backup?”

“He did have backup.”

“He didn't have me.” His voice was laced with anger. “If he'd told me what he was up to, I could have covered his ass. Instead he left me to babysit the club.”

“He had his reasons for keeping you out of it.”

“Oh please, like I didn't know he was Mr. Undercover Cop. It was obvious his heart wasn't in the money laundering he supposedly used to finance the club. I saw the accounts. He was stupidly happy over making legal money. Anything dirty, he ferreted away and didn't touch. He couldn't pretend to break the law if his life depended on it.”

“He pretended well enough for me,” Astrid said quietly.

Rex rocked back on his heels. “I thought you were undercover too.”

She smiled sadly. “Nope, I was the mark. I had no idea it was all pretend.”

“If you think Luke's feelings for you were fake, you're seriously deluded. Ever since you first stepped into the club, he's never been able to keep his eyes off you.” Rex chuckled. “Took him long enough to make his move, and then you disappeared. He was foul-tempered for months after that.”

Hope rose in Astrid's chest. Freya had told her to trust in the goddess's choice. She'd basically bitch-slapped Astrid for not following her berserker's lead. “He was probably irritated because he didn't know how to find me and he needed to get close to me for his mission.”

“Nope, that's not it. The guy had—has—it bad for you.” Rex walked across the room to a chair in the corner and picked up a jacket. “Now that you're here, I'm going back to the club to make sure it keeps making money for him.” He handed her a card. “Call me if you need me.”

“Thanks, Rex.” Astrid's smile was wobbly.

“Anytime.” He left the room.

Astrid sank down in the chair next to the hospital bed. All she had to do now was will Luke to wake up so she could tell him what a dickhead he was. And then maybe she'd forgive him. She shook her head. No, she wanted them to start over with a clean slate. No forgiveness or guilt. Just the two of them getting to know each other without hidden agendas.

She lowered her head and prayed to Freya for a second chance.

The nurse came in to check Luke's vital signs, startling Astrid from her dozing. She sat up straight. Her neck creaked as she worked out the kinks. Two days in the chair was making her very stiff. The nurse gave her a small sympathetic smile, which Astrid returned. It felt more like a grimace though.

She looked over at Luke, who still looked like he was just sleeping. And maybe he was, but he'd been sleeping since his surgery three days ago. All vital signs were normal. The doctors assured her the operation had been a success, but they still didn't know why he wouldn't wake up.

She tapped into her berserker. The beast was happy and content as long as Astrid remained next to Luke. She tried to reach further, to connect with the other warriors and see if she could find the presence in the web that she thought might be Luke.

Her berserker didn't allow any access beyond the connection between it and Astrid. It remained completely focused on Luke in the real world and didn't give a shit about any of the other warriors. Stubborn beast.

A soft knock on the open door announced Ulf. “Hey.” He smiled carefully.

Astrid hadn't seen him since the fight in the warehouse. Irja and Naya had both visited the hospital and kept her company, but the rest of the warriors had stayed away. They probably thought she was unstable with her
själsfrände
injured. She returned Ulf's smile. “Hey, yourself.”

He held up a duffel bag. “Naya told me to bring you some clean clothes.”

“That's great. Thanks.” She grabbed the bag and put it in the corner.

Ulf wiped his hands on his jeans. “She would have come herself, but she and Leif are prepping Whalert. He testifies tomorrow.” Naya and Ulf had hacked into enough records to figure out that the person who had manipulated DTU to put a kill order on Whalert was a federal prosecutor. They didn't know how deep the corruption went, but they had enough information to clear Whalert.

Unfortunately, that's as far as the trail went. The federal prosecutor had taken money to falsify documents that would get rid of Whalert, but he didn't know anything beyond that. And the person who had paid him was a fake persona no longer used. No leads to who had used the ID could be found.

Kraus was dead, so they couldn't extract any information from him. Per had put a bullet in his head as soon as Kraus shot Luke. Astrid rubbed her chest. “I'm sure Whalert will do well during his hearing.”

Ulf smiled weakly and turned to look at Luke. “How is he?”

“The same. His vital signs are strong. There's no reason why he shouldn't come out of the coma. The doctor says it can happen any time, but also not to have hope, because it may
not
happen.”

“Talk about mixed messages.” Ulf rubbed his jaw. “Listen, I want to apologize for being a complete ass.”

“You already apologized for that,” Astrid said. “In the game room when you told me about Kraus and Luke.”

Ulf grimaced. “About that.” He pointed to the armchairs by the hospital bed. “Can I sit?”

“Sure.” Astrid sat down in the chair closest to the wall, and Ulf took the other.

“I may have been a little overzealous in digging up dirt on Holden. I was very motivated after he showed up at the wedding.”

“If you hadn't found that footage, Naya would have eventually. You did your job. Don't feel bad about it.”

“I still could have handled the whole situation with your
själsfrände
with a little more grace and dignity.” He glanced at Luke in the bed. “I went a little crazy.”

Astrid shrugged. “It happens.” She truly didn't have any hard feelings against Ulf. He'd been reckless and messed up. She'd been in that situation herself several times, especially during the first century she'd spent among the mortals. She had no right to judge.

“Leif is sending help to the Vikings in New Mexico. Scott and Pekka volunteered to go, and I'm joining them.”

“You don't have to leave.” Three warriors gone would seriously deplete their defenses. Plus, as much of a pain in the ass as Ulf was, she'd still miss him. Ulf had been part of her family for eighty years.

“I know, but I want to. I'd like to see more of Midgard than just Pine Rapids.”

“It's going to be weird not having you to bicker with,” she said.

He laughed. “Friends?”

“Friends.” She leaned over and hugged him. Ulf stiffened at first, but then put his arms around her and held on for a while. Something loosened within Astrid. It felt like a click deep inside her body. Her berserker growled loudly. She withdrew from Ulf. He kept his arms around her in a loose embrace.

Astrid looked over at Luke.

He watched them intently, storm clouds brewing in his gunmetal eyes. “Get your hands off her,” he croaked.

Ulf laughed again and squeezed Astrid one last time before letting go. “She's all yours.” He stood and left the room.

Luke's eyes were blazing with anger as he watched him go.

“You're awake,” Astrid whispered.

“Why are you making out with him?”

“That's your first question? You're in a coma for three days, and that's what you want to know first?” She rubbed her forehead. “I am seriously so happy to have two X chromosomes.”

* * *

Even with bags under her eyes, Astrid was the most beautiful woman he'd seen. Luke tried to reach for her, but there were wires in his way. She noticed him struggling and came and sat on the bed next to him.

“What happened?” His throat felt like sandpaper.

Astrid handed him a cup of water with a straw. “You were shot.” He remembered the meeting with Kraus. One of his questions must have tipped the guy, because all of a sudden he had a gun in his hand.

Luke struggled to sit up. Astrid helped, piling a bunch of pillows behind him. “I patted him down,” he said. “He had no gun on him.”

“It was taped under the table.” So maybe the guy had been suspicious from the beginning.

“How long was I out?”

Astrid swallowed. “Your heart stopped, and you lost a lot of blood. The doctors operated on you for ten hours. That was three days ago.”

“I've been an idiot.”

“Yeah, you swept the place before the meeting and didn't check under the table. I'm surprised Irja and Per didn't double-check your sweep.” She fiddled with his pillows again. “Rex is pissed you didn't bring him for backup. He says he would have found the gun.”

“That's not what I meant. Although, I wouldn't let Irja and Per check the diner. I thought bringing strangers would tip Kraus off and told them to stay out of sight.” He cleared his throat. “No, I've been an idiot about us.”

“Yeah, that too.” Astrid caressed his jaw, a small smile on her face. Was it possible that she would give him another chance?

“I will fix it though.” He fingered one of her curls. “I love you. I think I've loved you since I first saw you.”

She snorted. “Lust and love are not the same thing.”

He grinned. If she was joking about the situation, there was still hope. “We can figure this out. Give me a chance to prove that I love you.”

She tapped her index finger to her mouth. “I'll think about it.”

He pulled on the curl he was holding until her lips met his. Calm poured into him from the contact, and something deep inside him purred as if he were a fucking cat. Startled, he let go of Astrid. “What the hell was that?”

Her eyes glittered with laughter. “We're going to have to test this, but I'm pretty sure you've somehow acquired a berserker.”

That would take some time to get used to. “Let's test it right now. Kiss me again.”

She pulled back. “On one condition.”

He'd give her anything she wanted. “What?”

“Tell me why three days of me pleading with you to wake up were completely ineffective, but me hugging Ulf made you perk right up.”

He paused. “I don't know what happened. I was dreaming about you and everything was peaceful, then all of a sudden all my instincts were on alert. It felt like a major threat. I opened my eyes and there he was, making out with you.”

Astrid mumbled something under her breath. It sounded like “testosterone overload,” but he didn't pay attention because she leaned down and kissed him again.