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  Betraying Her Vikings

  Norsemen Academy, Volume 5

  Skye MacKinnon

  Published by Peryton Press, 2019.

  Betraying her Vikings © Copyright 2019 Skye MacKinnon

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organisations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Basically, please don’t pirate this book.

  Cover by Peryton Covers.

  Published by Peryton Press.

  Perytonpress.com

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Betraying Her Vikings (Norsemen Academy, #5)

  ᚴᛅᛒᛁᛏᚢᛚᛁ 1

  ᚴᛅᛒᛁᛏᚢᛚᛁ 2

  ᚴᛅᛒᛁᛏᚢᛚᛁ 3

  ᚴᛅᛒᛁᛏᚢᛚᛁ 4

  ᚴᛅᛒᛁᛏᚢᛚᛁ 5

  Epilogue

  Resources

  Also By

  About the Author

  Af góðu upphafi vonast góður endir.

  A good beginning makes a good ending.

  ᚴᛅᛒᛁᛏᚢᛚᛁ 1

  The Archivist's kiss was hot and scalding. Nothing remained of the cold demeanour he'd shown all day. Maybe I should have stopped him, protested that he couldn't treat me like a thief and then change his mind and kiss me, but I wasn't able to fight the urge to kiss him back, to give myself to him. I needed him, wanted him.

  His kiss was more than just a simple lips-on-lips. He claimed me, made sure I knew that he wasn't going to let the two Vikings have me to themselves. Just like he'd said, he was staking his claim. And I was happy to let him. While I knew Asger and Hjalmar so much better than the Archivist, I'd felt a strange attraction to him ever since I bumped into him in the corridor. He was strange and unusual and exotic. The mystery surrounding him only increased the pull I felt towards him.

  He pressed me against the wall, his body hard against mine. For someone who spent every day in an underground archive, he was surprisingly fit. Not that I was complaining. He put his hands on my hips and jerked me towards him. I let out a small moan when I felt his erection rub against me. Were we really doing this? While Asger and Heather were next door?

  His tongue swiped across my lip and decided that yes, we were doing this.

  He pulled me closer until every inch of my skin was touching him. And still it didn't feel like enough. A strange greed filled me, a desperate need for more. I wrapped my hands around his head, making sure he couldn't escape me. His hair was soft, perfect for tangling my fingers in. His hands were still on my hips, gripping me tight, just as I did to him. It was a strange, passionate kiss, through which both of us showed the other that we weren't going to let them go. Just like he was claiming me, I was claiming him. I wasn't the passive one in this relationship, and I never would be. This was me deciding that I didn't care about convention. I was going to be with all three men, if they would have me. It didn't matter if we called it frille or something else. What mattered was that I'd never have to be without them. Mine. All mine. I was one greedy woman and I didn't care.

  The thought of making all three men mine turned me on even more. Kissing the Archivist was no longer enough. I craved them all; wanted them touching me, kissing me, becoming one with me. Would they even agree to that? Sharing me? Maybe I should make it my condition. If they wanted to be with me, they had to share me at least once.

  Sandwiched between the two Vikings, the Archivist running his hands over my naked skin...

  No, that wasn't just my imagination. He'd actually slipped his hands underneath my shirt. Luckily, he'd given me ordinary clothes, not the restrictive Academy jumpsuit. This made it far easier for him to run his fingers over my back, playing with the clasp of my bra.

  It took all my willpower to break the kiss and push him back.

  "Not now," I whispered, licking my lips, wishing I hadn't stopped him.

  His expression darkened as he watched me move away from him. Not because I didn't want to be near him, but because I had to stop myself from throwing myself at him.

  "I see," he said slowly, his voice without any emotion. "I should have known."

  "I..."

  He didn't let me finish. "Vikings are more exciting, aren't they," he muttered, more to himself than to me, even though his eyes were still focused on my face. "How could a simple Archivist compare to them. I don't have battle scars, no exotic accent, no home in the past. I don't even have a name to offer you." He sighed and smiled sadly. "Go on then. Go to your Vikings and forget this ever happened."

  He turned to leave. I was shaking with anger. How dare he think like that?

  "Stop," I shouted and he turned, staring at me in surprise. "What the hell are you thinking? Didn't I just kiss you?"

  "Yes, but then you stopped." His voice was just a whisper. There was nothing left of the arrogant, gruff Archivist. Was this the man behind the mask? Vulnerable, insecure?

  "I said 'not now'," I exclaimed loudly, still almost shouting. Maybe that would get it into his thick skull. "I didn't say 'never'. Right now, in this very moment, we have other things to worry about than how best to get my clothes off. Once we've got Hjalmar back, once this is all settled, then we can continue."

  "Continue?" he repeated.

  I sighed. "And here I thought that you're clever. I quite liked that kiss and I would like to do it again. There you go. Is that easier to understand?"

  "But..."

  I gave up. "Not now. Later. Then the three of you can have a chat and decide who of you is going to be the first. Don't make me choose."

  "The first?"

  Seriously, why did I ever think that he was intelligent? He was turning into a blabbering buffoon.

  I pointed at my crotch. "The first. And as much fun as it would be to say that a Viking took my virginity, a 'mysterious man without a name' does have a nice ring to it too." I chuckled. "Although maybe I should make that a condition. That you tell me your name before we go any further."

  His eyes widened. "I can't do that."

  "Why not? If you want to be with me, there can't be secrets between us. Especially not something as important as your name."

  "I-"

  Before he could say more, a loud bang made both of us jump. We exchanged a look, then ran back outside to the Archive. Hjalmar was there, standing in the centre of a group of men in black suits. His eyes met mine and the sun seemed to come out from behind thick grey clouds, even though we were underground. He pushed past the men and then I was in his arms, being lifted and pressed to his chest.

  I snuggled against him, breathing in his scent.

  "I've missed you," he whispered, his voice hoarse.

  "I've missed you too." I leaned back a little so that I could look at him. "Are you alright?"

  There were lines around his eyes that I was sure hadn't been there before, but the joy in his gaze made up for those.

  "Never better now that I've got you in my arms again."

  I chuckled. "Cheesy. And romantic."

  "I was going for the latter," he muttered with a smirk, but he quickly turned serious. "I was worried about you. Stuck in the past... But I should have known that you can handle yourself."

  "Your brother and mother helped."

  I
realised then that he didn't know about Asger and me. Nor about the Archivist. That was going to be an interesting conversation. For now, though, we had more important things to deal with. Like the men in black surrounding us.

  Hjalmar gently lowered me to the floor, his eyes never breaking contact with mine. There was so much emotion in his gaze. So many words that he wanted to say; so many things I wanted to tell him. We'd not known each other for long, but somehow, our separation had made my feelings for him even more intense.

  The Archivist cleared his throat.

  "Touching," he drawled. He didn't fool me though. I saw through his abrasive demeanour now, no longer deceived by his acting. "Why are you still in my Archive?"

  The question was directed at the men in suits.

  One of them stepped forward, addressing me. "Madam Priest sends her regards and sees her dealings with you as complete. She trusts you will keep your end of the bargain, or she shall see herself forced to take action."

  I sighed. "We've got a contract and I gave her my word. What's done is done, you can leave now."

  He gave me a sharp look, then turned to Hjalmar. "I recommend you don't linger for too long."

  Hjalmar gave him a nod, but didn't meet my questioning glance. A bad feeling was rising in my stomach. Maybe it had all been too easy. Breaking Hjalmar out of prison at a moment's notice.

  The men walked towards the door without another word, but rather than step through it and walk upstairs to the main part of the Academy, they ported, disappearing in a flash of light.

  Hjalmar stared at where they'd stood a second ago, then sighed deeply, his shoulders drooping.

  "We need to talk."

  The Archivist nodded. "Let's go into the room over there. Shall I order us some drinks? Food?"

  Hjalmar shook his head. "Better not, we don't want to draw any attention to us. To me, mostly. Although it may be too late for that."

  "What's going on?" I asked before we'd even reached the room with the battered leather sofas.

  Heather was just as impatient as me. "How did she manage to get you released?"

  Hjalmar waited until we were in the room and the door was closed behind us, then wrapped an arm around me and pulled me onto his lap. I leaned against his chest, both happy to have him back and anxious about what was going to happen next.

  “A technicality,” Hjalmar finally replied. “There are recordings of how they arrested me. They were a little overenthusiastic and used more force than necessary.”

  I turned on his lap to look at him. “They hurt you?”

  Anger was making my cheeks burn. I was going to hurt them in return. Nobody got to touch my Vikings.

  He grimaced. I thought it was supposed to be a smile, but it didn’t quite reach that level. “Nothing to worry about, but enough for the people in charge to get a little worried. If it’s made public how they deal with suspects who’ve not yet been prosecuted and found guilty, people might not be happy. After all, I’m a teacher at the Academy and usually, we’re respected by other agencies, including the enforcers.”

  “Does that mean they could still come and arrest you again?” Heather asked, voicing my question.

  “Aye. I’m free right now because the case could collapse if the video was shown. However, as soon as they get more proof or something else changes, they could come back and put me back in jail.” He blinked several times, the only sign how much he hated that thought. “I doubt Mrs Priest would let that happen, but I’m not willing to take the chance.”

  “She told us she’d get you out of there,” I said, my anger still boiling inside my stomach. “Guess I shouldn’t have believed her that easily.”

  “She got me out,” he muttered reassuringly. “Even with all her money, she can’t work miracles. This is my chance to get away from here and set up a new life before they come for me once more.”

  Heather had been standing, but now sat down on his son’s side and took his hand.

  “You know you’re always welcome in my home.”

  Hjalmar smiled at her. “I don’t think that’s possible. If they somehow manage to track me, I’ll put Lucas in danger. No, I need to travel to a new place, a new time. Set up a new life for myself. And I’ll have to destroy my bracelet as soon as I get there. I don’t want them to be able to pull me back again, or track me. If I disappear, they might simply decide to drop the case, making it easier for them. But if there’s even a chance that they could get me back, there are people who will continue to pursue me, no matter how far back in time I go.”

  The anger inside of me was giving way to fear. Black, cold despair. Hjalmar was going to leave. Lose himself in time. There would be no coming back.

  Hjalmar noticed my unease and wrapped his arms around me again, pulling me so close that my chest moved with every breath he took. His beard tickles the nape of my neck. In any other situation, I would have laughed and pushed him away, told him to take his beard off me, but this wasn’t the time for joking.

  “I can stay,” he whispered so low only I could hear. “Without a body to prove that I killed Lucas, I might get ten years at most. If I get a good lawyer and behave well, I might get out soon after you’re done with your studies.”

  I shook my head, glaring at him. “You’re not going to prison for something you haven’t done. You might act like it’s nothing, but I can see you. I can see how you dread the idea. I can see what the two weeks in jail did to you. I won’t let you go there again.”

  I took a deep breath. “I’m coming with you. Wherever you go.”

  “No.”

  He stared me down, his expression hardening. “I’m not letting you throw away your life for me. You’re young, you’ve only just started to explore your options. You need to finish your training, make friends, learn what it means to be a time agent. And what about your mother? Are you going to leave her alone?”

  His grasp around me loosened, telling me what I was refusing to hear.

  He was going to leave me.

  Leave me.

  Something in me snapped.

  ᚴᛅᛒᛁᛏᚢᛚᛁ 2

  I was running faster than I’d ever run before. Out of the Archive, up the stairs, along endless empty corridors. I didn’t know where I was running until I arrived in front of the door to my room, the dorm I shared with Kaycee. I almost didn’t expect the door to open when I pressed my thumb against the fingerprint sensor, but it did.

  Kaycee looked up in surprise. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, watching something on her tablet.

  “You,” she said, staring at me.

  I didn’t reply and walked to my part of the room. Except that it wasn’t mine anymore. Kaycee’s stuff was littered all over my bed, the floor, and I bet the wardrobe no longer contained my own things either. Not that I’d had a lot, but in the two weeks I’d been away, she had acquired a lot of new belongings. Maybe they’d been allowed to go shopping away from the Academy.

  Lacking the energy to clear her stuff from my bed, I sank to the floor in front of it. I hugged my legs, the tears I’d held back now threatening to run freely. The shelves in the centre of the room hid me from Kaycee, but the nosy bitch got up and walked around it until she was standing right in front of me.

  “Where the hell were you?” she asked, her voice quivering. “Nobody would tell me.”

  I didn’t look up at her. Didn’t reply. If I started speaking, I’d choke on my tears.

  “I thought you and Hjalmar were dead,” she muttered and this time, I looked up in surprise. She actually sounded relieved. I didn’t expect that from her.

  “Why?” I croaked, just about managing to keep my tears from flowing.

  “Both of you just disappeared,” she said accusingly. “We were waiting in the classroom and neither of you turned up. First we thought you might have had a quickie in his office, but when Maryam checked, there was no trace of either of you. When you still hadn’t turned up by dinner time, we reported it to Sue, who then went to Headmistress
Tape. They never told us anything, but their expressions seemed really serious. And then two days later Sue told me that you weren’t coming back and that I was going to have the room to myself.” She took a deep breath after speaking so quickly. “Are you back for good? Are you going to stay?”

  I sighed. “I wish I knew.”

  And then my eyes betrayed me, and tears began to flow in thick, fast streams.

  Kaycee crouched in front of me, but I refused to look at her. It had been a mistake to go back here. I should have found an empty storage room rather than come here where I was running the risk of meeting people I knew. Maryam would have been alright, but this was Kaycee. I couldn’t think of a worse person to see me cry.

  “Is he dead?” she whispered. “Hjalmar?”

  I shook my head.

  She sighed in relief. “Thank goodness. They put us in a class on Scottish history instead and I can’t stand the teacher. He’s not a looker like Hjalmar, and while he talks about kilts all the time, he never bothers to wear one. Not that I’d need to see his knobbly knees.”

  My tears only increased at her words. She was assuming that he’d come back. That everything would be as before.

  It wasn’t going to be. Hjalmar would be either in prison or trapped in the past. Either way, he’d be gone. Lost.

  I didn’t see a way to fix this. If I followed him to the past, what would happen to my mother? The Archivist? Would Asger join his brother or would he want to stay with Heather? There were too many people in this equation. Before I came to TTA, the only person I’d had to think about was my mum. Now, there were so many others. I’d got used to the idea of not seeing my mother for four years while I was at the Academy, but I wasn’t prepared to say goodbye to her for good. Besides, me being at the Academy paid for her healthcare. If I wasn’t here anymore, I doubted the TTA would continue to pay for her carers. She’d be on her own. Not even Hjalmar could make me do that to her. She was my mother, she’d taken me in when I’d needed a home and I wouldn’t abandon her now. Not for a man. Or three.