Viking King (The MacLomain Series: Viking Ancestors, Book 1) (27 page)

This was so frustrating, but she couldn’t blame them for being less than convinced. If she were in their shoes, she’d feel the same way. It was time to open the cylinder. To see how she could get back to him…because one way or another, the concept of never seeing Naðr again seemed impossible.

So, hand slightly shaking, she removed the top.

For all the build-up to this she truly thought stars would burst over her head. Yes, magical stars. Maybe even little bursts of dragon fire. But no, nothing happened. Nothing at all. Megan couldn’t help but grin. Her grand finale was pretty darn low key save for the others pouring over its innards.

But Megan supposed that was celebration enough and she was thankful for it as she waved their eager eyes away and tried her best to muffle a smile. “See. No fireworks.”

“What’s in it,” Sean prompted.

Megan didn’t hesitate to pull the tube of material out…and out…and out.

“Damn,” she muttered, as far more material than should have fit in the small tube soon lay across the carpet. “What
is
this?”

“A sail,” Sean murmured as he fingered the material. “A really well made one at that.”

“As in for a boat?” Amber said as she helped unroll it.

“Usually what sails are for, sweetheart.” But he shot her a wink before saying, “Help me push back the furniture. Let’s see how big it is.”

Even after couches, chairs, and end tables were pushed into far corners; it barely fit in her living room. Grin blossoming into a smile, Sean looked at Megan. “This is unbelievable.”

Already running the dimensions in her mind as she crouched, Megan fingered the sturdy yet delicate material as she met his eyes. “This is sail material but,” she rubbed her fingers, “different.”

“But it’s a sail.” Sean eyed the square dimensions of what they could manage to lay out. His eyes met hers and he shook his head. “If I didn’t know better…”

Suddenly Megan knew. “It’s meant for the boat we built.”

“Mostly you, Sea Siren,” he murmured as an incredulous but small smile met his lips. “Meant for
you
…to sail back to
him
.”

Two Weeks Later

Bundled up in a down jacket and warm boots, Megan sat on her back deck and stared out over Frenchman Bay. Though her sisters had stayed an extra week, she finally managed to convince them to go home. She’d done her best to keep a brave face and to show them the strength they needed to see. Yet even when they left, both wore concerned expressions. They’d texted and called every day since to check on her.

“Hey,” Sean said as he joined her. “It’s too cold to be sitting out here.”

He’d been over daily and though he said it was to do touch-ups on the boat she knew he was there to make sure she was okay. Unlike with her sisters, she didn’t have to be strong for him which was a relief because she was miserable.

“I’m fine,” she murmured. “Fresh air’s good for me.”

“Mm hmm.” He sounded less than convinced. “You gonna come down to the bar tonight? They’re throwing a Halloween party.”

“Naw.” She shook her head. “Probably just catch a movie with Guardian.”

“It’d do you good to be around people. I hate seeing you so sad. You’re too thin and all you do is sit out here staring at the ocean.”

When she didn’t respond right away, he waited. The weeks since she’d returned had been painfully difficult and even more so once her sisters left. She had no way of knowing if Naðr had survived, but that didn’t keep her from constantly thinking about going back. What if he was alive? If so, was he missing her as much as she missed him? The dull ache, the absolute emptiness in her chest, wouldn’t abate. If anything, her longing grew.

Eventually she murmured, “I just miss him so much. All of them. More than I thought possible.”

“And I miss you,” he said softly and sighed, eyes meeting hers. “You know that whether or not we can truly wrap our heads around it, your sisters and I
do
believe you.”

It was sweet of him to say, but she knew it was a half-truth at best. Time travel, dragon shifters, Vikings, magical ships, it all sounded way too far-fetched.

So she changed the subject. “How are you doing since Amber left?”

“I’m all right.” He shot her a grin. “Wiped out.”

“I’ll bet.” She rolled her eyes and matched his grin. “But she has a funny way of bringing out your charming side, Sean.”

“I didn’t think I had one of those.”

“You don’t. Usually.” Then her grin fell away. It hadn’t felt comfortable anyways. “Seriously though, you’re okay?”

“I am,” he admitted. “Believe it or not it gets easier every time she goes.”

Megan sighed but gave no response.

“You’ve been reading the hell out of that manuscript. Pages are in rough shape,” he commented. “Learn anything new?”

“No, but I’ll admit it all strikes me far more interesting now that I know it actually happened…time-travel, magic…” she trailed off.

Sean stared out over the harbor and grew silent for a time. He genuinely surprised her when he murmured, “Are you in love with him?”

Megan didn’t need to ask who as she met his eyes and whispered, “I think I must be for it to hurt so much.”

“Awe, hell honey.” He stood and pulled her close for a big hug. “I’m so sorry.”

Then he pulled away and studied her. “I’ve got to get some stuff done before the party. You sure you don’t wanna come?”

“Positive.” She plunked down in the chair again. “You go have fun, okay?”

Sean ran a hand through his hair and eyed her warily before nodding. “Yeah, okay. I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Sure thing.”

Megan resumed staring at the sea when Sean paused at the top of the stairs, his words so soft she barely heard them. “My brother is in love with you too, Sea Siren.”

“What?” Her eyes shot to Sean, but he’d vanished.

Then Megan jerked awake. She blinked. What the heck? It was much later in the day. Had Sean even been here? He must’ve been. That last statement had to have been a dream though because it had reminded her too much of…Kol?

A low sound came from nearby and Megan stopped breathing. The large raven was perched on the railing staring at her. Aesa’s Valkyrie. It cried out once, twice, and then launched into the air.

Her eyes followed it as it sailed out over the bay. Thin layers of dark clouds blanketed the horizon. Suddenly, sunlight shot through a small break, casting both the sea and water into an even more brilliant blue.

The exact color of Naðr’s eyes.

Her eyes rounded at what shimmered and flickered as it burst from beneath the water as a ghostly mirage. There was no other way to describe it. It broke the surface like a submarine would. First it was transparent then had more context as it did something no sailing vessel would ever be able to do after being submerged. Whole, sitting comfortably on the calm water, it was turning her way, sail intact.

Naðr’s ship.

Their
ship.

The wind kicked up as Megan stood and grasped the railing. Her heart surged and a tear slid down her cheek.
Please
don’t let this be a dream.
Please
let this be real. Whether or not it was, she knew at that moment that she had to go back.

She
had
to know if he was still alive even if it meant being stuck back in time without him.

Guardian whined and followed her as she raced into the house and grabbed a few sheets of the manuscript and a pen before heading for the garage. When she opened the door, she froze.

Not only was the boat on a trailer attached to her truck, but the sail that had been in the cylinder was now affixed to her little longship. All she had to do was raise it.

Awed, she stumbled forward and snatched up the note left on one of the bench seats.

Opening it, she read.

Hey Sea Siren,

Thought I’d get this set up for you just in case. Don’t have to tell you but keep the extra oars in the boat and stay damn safe. I might be the sort to let love get away but you’re not. Go get him. I’ll keep an eye on your sisters.

Sean

Hell,
really
? God, she adored that man.

Megan made sure the box with the remaining stones was left on her workbench then penned out three quick letters. One for each sister and one for Sean. She poured out her heart and let them know how much she loved them all. As was habit, she’d kept her will updated. Everything she owned went to her sisters save this house and property. They belonged to Sean.

“Well, that’s it then,” she said to Guardian, who smiled up at her.

Megan hit the automatic garage door opener, eyes wide and hopeful as she searched the horizon. The ship wasn’t gone! Not yet. But quickly fading. Hopping in her truck, she pulled out and angled the trailer down into the water alongside her dock. This wasn’t the first time she’d put a boat in the water alone.

By the time she had it tied off and pulled the trailer away, the ship was a scant outline. Flying, she changed into appropriate clothes, waterproof, warm boots, a jacket, gloves and a hat. Stone tucked safely in her pocket; Megan had just made it back to the boat when Guardian barked at her.

Right. Her dog.

“Oh, sweet girl, you’ve got to stay,” Megan murmured as she crouched and hugged her. “I could be sailing straight to my death right now.”

Her throat thickened with emotion as she kissed Guardian’s muzzle then stood, voice firm. “Stay, wolfy girl. Sean will take good care of you.”

Then, unable to look her in the eyes again, Megan got into the boat, untied it then pushed off, scooping the oars to thrust the boat forward. The waters had grown a bit choppier so she rowed hard. Then, against all odds, when waves should have pushed her in, the current propelled her forward.

But not before a loud thunk sounded behind her.

Megan glanced over her shoulder.
Ugh
. “Guardian! Bad girl.” Still she couldn’t help but grin when her dog wagged her tail and woofed. The unnatural shift in tide was carrying them out fast and the sail needed to be opened to allow for better control. “Well, I guess you’re in it for the long haul then.”

Yet the minute the sail was up, the weather shifted. It could change on a dime, but this didn’t fit any criteria she was accustomed to. Though nothing was in the area, it felt more like a system moving down from the great lakes at rapid speed without the benefit of Vermont and New Hampshire’s mountains to break it up some.

Megan pulled the oars in and held onto the rudder the second she saw veins of blue and gold light starting to form in the sail. Wide-eyed, she watched as the same runic symbols that Kjar had carved into Naðr’s ship started to crawl through the entire sail. Then her tattoo started to burn. The Vegvisir, meant to help her navigate back to Naðr.

“It’s really happening. Come here, baby,” she whispered and gestured to Guardian. “We’re going for a ride.”

Her dog crawled over the bench and nestled between Megan’s thighs. Certain that there was no point in holding the rudder anymore, she wrapped her arms around Guardian and started praying as the boat lurched forward. Feet braced, she held on tight as the wind increased and the waves swelled. A low rumble of thunder echoed across the sky and lightning zipped then jumped from cloud to cloud.

Then
whoosh
…the wind whipped them forward faster and faster. So fast that she thought for a moment the sail wouldn’t hold.

But it did.

Cresting ten foot waves head on, it soon became what most would consider a terrifying rollercoaster ride. Not Megan. Perhaps because she knew this storm wasn’t natural but more than likely because she loved being at sea. Rough, unforgiving, she was completely at its mercy. The only downside was that if she went over so did Guardian.

Still, she couldn’t help but grin and shake her head. “I told you not to come, sweet girl.”

Even so, though her dog stayed close, she wasn’t whining. In fact, she didn’t seem all that frightened. But that might be because Megan wasn’t. No, she was too busy being impressed with how well her and Sean’s boat was doing. She bit her lip and wished he could have been here. He would have
loved
this. 

The runic symbols in the sail glowed brighter as the skies darkened and the seas grew rougher. Chuckling, Megan didn’t look back once as the boat plowed on, cresting waves that might soon grow too tall. Some might think she’d lost it, who knows, maybe she had, but
this
was living.

Then something happened.

Shifted.

Megan couldn’t explain it save the temperature changed by a few degrees and the wind howled and whipped differently than it had moments before. Sea spray thrashed at her face and she closed her eyes. Leaning forward, she grasped Guardian tightly as the boat climbed a wave larger than all the rest.

Up, up…up.

Salt stung her eyes so badly she couldn’t open them.

However, she
could
laugh insanely when the boat crested the wave and they started flying down. What else was she supposed to do? She must have lost her mind when she set out like this.

Then another mild gush of seawater sprayed over her as a loud grinding noise met her ears and the boat dragged alongside something. Laughter died on her lips.

Then everything went still.

Too still.

Even the water beneath the boat.

Were they dead? Had they drowned and didn’t know it?

But everything felt
so
real. The chill. The wetness. Everything. Still holding onto Guardian, she spit water from her mouth and rubbed it out of her eyes. Blinking rapidly, struggling to see, she peered around. Everything was blurry.

Until it wasn’t.

But even then she had barely a moment to process anything before someone jumped into the boat.

And she was pulled into his arms.

Naðr Véurr.

“You came back to me,” he murmured. “Thank the gods you came back.”

Megan didn’t have a chance to respond before his lips closed over hers. Desperate, she wrapped her arms around him, petrified she’d wake up just like she had the numerous times she’d dreamt about him these last few weeks.

But no.

She didn’t wake up. And she knew she wouldn’t.

He was
real
.

This
was real.

At last, she broke the kiss, needed to look into his eyes. And they were right there. As gorgeous as ever as he stroked her cheeks, obviously making sure she was real as well.

“I’ve missed the
hel
out of you, beautiful,” he said hoarsely, emotion ravaging his handsome face. “Not a moment went by that I didn’t think of you, always praying to the gods for your safe return.” He shook his head. “I even came damn close to breaking the pact with the seers and allowing my dragon to find you so that I might convince you to return.”