Valkyrie Heat (28 page)

beyond relieved to see her. He still wore the same dark t-shirt and

black jeans he had on the last time she had seen him. His short hair

was somewhat askew and damp with sweat.

“I knew you were up to something. Now what the hell did

you get us into?” Rolf demanded of Brody. “Sky, where the hell

have you been? And what the hell are you wearing? You look like

you just stepped off the cover of
Cave Man Magazine
. I’ve been

outta my bloody mind with worry. I’ve scoured every inch of this

damned cave and its caverns for hours. I’ve yelled your name until

I was hoarse. I was ready to call in the calvary. Brody, what the hell

is going on?”

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“It was the chance of a lifetime,” Brody said, never taking his

eyes from Thorvald’s sword. “I never meant for Sky to get

involved. I know how you feel about her, how protective. Hell,

even I feel protective of her when I’m not screwing around. I

would never want to see her hurt. I thought it was all planned,

foolproof. Then I realized I was the fool when she went missing.

The images my mind has been torturing me with have been awful.

This man is from the tenth century, Rolf. A real live actual Viking

warrior and no, I’m not on drugs or smoking anything; it’s the

truth. Sky will back me up on it. Unfortunately, the guy has a

sword and he knows how to use it and he wants Sky.”

“Brody, back away from that man,” Rolf demanded.

“If he moves, he will die,” Thorvald hissed. “Then you will be

next; the woman will be mine and I will find my own way through

the mist. You are no match for me. I’m a warrior skilled in battle;

you are both nothing.”

“I guess we’ll find out,” Rolf said on a snarl.

Sky screamed when Rolf lunged, fearless in any century. He

was unarmed, but was able to smash his fist into Thorvald’s nose

drawing blood. Brody lunged forward to help, but the hilt of

Thorvald’s weapon smashed into his face and Brody went down

hard. Thorvald stalked Rolf who kept Sky behind him. It was only

a matter of time.

“Hand over the woman and live, or fight and die,” Thorvald

threatened.

“Not likely, asshole,” Rolf snapped. “I don’t know exactly

what the hell is going on here, but Sky is my responsibility. She has

been ever since she walked into my office—I knew it the moment I

set eyes on her.”

“Then die,” Thorvald said simply, and raised his sword.

Sky closed her eyes.

“It is just like you to make war on an unarmed man,” growled

a voice.

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Sky’s eyes snapped open.

“Rolf,” Sky whimpered.

Past Thorvald stood her warriors, Rolf and Brandr.

Sky saw Brandr scowl when he gazed down at his lookalike

sprawled on the cave floor motionless. She looked up into modern-

day Rolf’s face and he was astounded. He looked down at her.

“That guy looks just like me,” he stammered.

Her Rolf standing beside Brandr said, “No, you look like me.”

He then turned to Thorvald. His look was grim. “I challenge you.

This time you have no choice but to accept. You will never leave

this cave alive.”

Sky swallowed hard. The dead man’s bones they found were

of a Viking warrior, but were they Thorvald’s or Rolf’s?

Both men were equally matched. Rolf made his stand.

Resigned, Thorvald had no other option but to face him.

Sky winced when swords clashed. Brandr was soon beside

her. He pulled her from Rolf who still stood wide-eyed. Brandr

crushed her to his chest.

“Are you hurt?” he asked with concern. He gazed at her with

such love.

Sky wrapped his arms tighter around her. “I want to go

home.”

“I’ll take you home when this is over,” Rolf said. “I don’t

know what’s going on but I’ll keep you safe, Sky.”

Brandr gazed at him with fury. “Sky is mine and
my
Rolf’s.

Her home is with us.”

“She can decide,” Rolf replied as his lookalike continued to

hammer at Thorvald.

Rolf clashed with the heavily muscled man. Sky knew he

could fight like that for hours. He was strong and determined.

Thorvald was older but well trained. Rolf was younger and equally

well trained. But Sky knew he wasn’t just fighting for his own life;

he battled for her and Brandr. If Rolf fell, Brandr would be next in

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line to challenge the man. Sky knew how much Rolf loved his very

best friend.

“Die!” Thorvald screamed, lunging at Rolf.

Rolf’s sword came crashing down onto Thorvald as Thorvald

slammed his weapon upwards with a vengeance trying to

disembowel him. Both weapons clattered to the ground. Knives

were drawn.

Sky heard a gasp of surprise come from the Rolf beside her; he

said a soft expletive and his eyes shifted to the vacant spot on the

ground where bones had rested only a short time before. She

realized, as did he, that one of these two men was the one they

found, but which one? Both knives were almost identical and the

one they had found was worn with the passage of time.

The men moved back and forth toward the spot where the

body had lain and Sky screamed for Rolf when Thorvald’s blade

sliced through his arm. But Rolf just grinned, as he pulled Thorvald

closer, and with Thorvald’s knife trapped in Rolf’s flesh, Rolf

thrust his own into the man’s chest.

“Die,” Rolf ground out through gritted teeth. He rammed the

blade in higher and harder lifting Thorvald to his toes. He then

released him.

As Thorvald sank to the dirt floor, Sky raced to Rolf. “You’re

hurt,” she sobbed.

Rolf yanked the knife out then reached for his own. “Don’t,”

Sky cried.

Rolf looked up at her in surprise. He straightened and faced

her. Sky rummaged through Thorvald’s things and pulled at the

bag of coins tied to a loop on his hip. She counted them—thirty.

She dropped the bag on the ground by his side. She looked over at

modern day Rolf.

“How many coins do you have?” she asked.

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Rolf rummaged through his jeans. “I have ten…” He felt in his

other pocket. “They’re gone,” he said with surprise. “I’ve been so

worried about you, I never checked to see if I still had them.”

“They must have disappeared when Thorvald and I came into

this cavern area just like the bones and dagger. Everything must

have merged with the others,” Sky mused. “That must have been

the glow to Thorvald’s pouch.” She turned back to look up at her

Rolf. The man she loved.

“Please trust me, Rolf. This is how I came to be with you and

Brandr. Leave him where he is, for me?”

Rolf left the knife and the coins. “I wonder if our coins have

vanished,” he mused.

“Does it matter?” Sky asked.

He smiled and hugged her. “You are the treasure. You are our

great wealth.”

“Sky?”

She turned to face her other Rolf with tears in her eyes. She

went to him and reached out to stroke his face.

“Rolf and Brandr are my home,” she said. She saw Brandr’s

wide grin. “I don’t belong here anymore. Please leave his body and

the coins, please?”

Rolf nodded.

Rolf, the warrior, walked over to face his lookalike. “Seal the

cave when you and your friend leave. I don’t know if you’re a

direct descendent of mine, but I’m thinking it’s possible. Sky is

ours to protect now; she is no longer in your care. She belongs

with us. I promise we will take good care of her; we love her.”

Rolf just shook his head looking thoroughly confused and

dazed.

Brody began to stir; he groaned and held his hand to his head.

“What’d I miss?” He looked over at Thorvald’s body. “Shit, I

missed that much?” He accepted a hand from Brandr and rose to his

feet. Brody gaped from one Rolf to the other and back again at his

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own lookalike. “This is just too damned weird. It’s like looking in a

3D mirror.”

“Next time, keep your guard up,” Brandr said and grinned.

“Well I guess I’ll see you in about, oh, eleven hundred years

or so, more or less,” Sky said to the two men, her old colleagues.

“That is so creepy,” Brody muttered, wide-eyed. He quickly

glanced from the dead Viking to Sky. “What I wouldn’t give to

take you back with us or go with you.”

Sky smiled wryly. “I think one of you in any era is more than

enough. Maybe next time you won’t behave like such a jerk.”

Brody shrugged sheepishly.

“Sky?” Brody said when he watched as Rolf and Brandr turned

to leave with her. “You may not get back through without the

coins. You need a connection of sorts; we know it exists with the

coins in some way, but without them, well The legend says you

must be…”

Sky smiled at him. “I know what the legend says. I’ll get back

through.”

Brody looked at her sheepishly. “I’m sorry I was such a…”

“Jackass?”

“Yeah, that,” he said.

Sky went to him and hugged him. She looked over at Rolf and

Brandr. “I’m not angry anymore that you can be a jackass.” She

went to Rolf. “Thank you for always watching out for me.”

Rolf trailed his fingers down her face. “I’m glad you found

what you want, even if it isn’t me—in a way.”

Sky chuckled. She gripped both Rolf and Brandr tightly, gave

a quick wish, and hearing both men utter a prayer to Odin, she

walked with them back into the mist and into their time.

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Epilogue

They stopped by the ocean on their way back. Saltwater

pounded the numerous rocks dotting the expansive shoreline,

creating a havoc of beautiful spraying bubbles and foamy mist. A

huge fire burned brightly away from the lapping waves. Sky had

just eaten a full meal of the fish Rolf had caught as well as mussels

and crabs, and one wayward lobster Brandr found and cooked over

the heated coals and hot rocks. She stretched leisurely in

contentment on a thick bear fur. A million stars lit the night and

twinkled down on them, as though their audience. The moon’s

glow cast over the water and onto the white sandy beach that

swallowed the remains of their earlier footprints as they had

scoured the sand for their dinner.

“I was so happy to see you both,” Sky said. She devoured them

both with her eyes; she loved them so much.

“We will have you home by tomorrow’s eve,” Rolf replied.

Sky cast a glance at two horses tied to driftwood. It was no wonder

they had found her swiftly. They were already halfway home.

“Eirik is livid you were stolen on his watch. The villagers are

frantic their Valkyrie gift was taken from them. Leif wanted to

wage war along with the other children. It would seem your stories

charm all of them. We found two sets of prints. Eirik and a few

others went in search of one set, Brandr and I the other. It was

apparent you were carried. We met up with the men Thorvald

sold the captive to. They said they had seen you.”

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“Did they kill her?” Sky asked. Though what she really wanted

to know was, did Brandr kill her?

“She lives,” Brandr said grimly.

“The captive is for one man only. It would seem their leader,

Aki, has seen fit to offer her his protection,” Rolf said. “The man

apparently knew her from before. He has been searching for her

for a long time. Her husband killed his wife and he claimed she will

replace her, as is his right. Aki swears he will keep a close eye on

her and she will kill no more. He plans on keeping her busy with

the numerous children he intends to have.”

“That is good news,” Sky muttered. The woman would make

a very overprotective mother, no doubt.

“Did she hurt you?” Brandr asked.

“No. She didn’t let Thorvald near me either.”

Both men looked relieved. Sky glanced up into the full moon.

The stars were brilliant. She was filled with happiness. The waves

sounded like music. The crickets were their private orchestra. Sky

gave both Rolf and Brandr a sultry smile, then rose gracefully to

her feet. She dropped her revealing clothing in a small heap to pool

around her bare ankles. The sand was still warm against her flesh

and squished up between her toes deliciously. There was no flute

that played, but when Sky lifted her hands over her body, she could

hear a tune in her head, accompanied and complimented by the

ocean’s own dance of mysterious, timeless music. She began

moving for them, her two dark lovers, amidst the evening light. A

low cloud moved in as though to watch, covering them with a

shielding blanket of silvery white.

Sky danced of a woman who longed for something she

thought she could never have. She danced of her curious trek

through a cavern, her surprise then forlornness. Then she moved