Possession (The Mate Games 3)

Kingston growled, crouching low and ready to pounce while Noah put himself directly in front of me, his posture tensed for a fight.

“We’re not—”

“Sunday, don’t speak. They mean to kill us.” Noah turned to face me, and I barely recognized the man before my eyes. Fangs fully extended, eyes blazing an eerie amber, skin pale as death. He looked every bit the vicious vampire I’d learned about. “I’ll kill them all if they touch a hair on your head.”

“You can try, vampire. You will fail.” The scary Viking aimed his crossbow at Noah, and my heart nearly stopped.

Kingston padded backward, placing his wolfy body between the man with the weapon and me. Things were spiraling out of control quickly. I needed to diffuse this situation and fast before one or all of us got hurt.

Tor’s words echoed in my mind.

“Nord!” I shouted.

Those dual-colored eyes landed on me, and I knew my breaths were numbered if I didn’t play this right.

“I demand—”

“You demand? You make no demands on our land, trespasser.”

Facing down a demon was less terrifying than this. Swallowing, I raised my chin and tried again. “I demand to be taken to your jarl, Nord.”

“Is that so, hóra?”

Kingston let out a low growl, his hackles raising. I placed my hand on his back, silently begging him to stand down.

“You dare insult my mate?” Noah said, his fury permeating the air. He was about a second away from losing his shit.

“You speak the old tongue?” the Viking asked, head canting to the side as he studied Noah with more interest.

“I don’t need to understand Norse to know you just called my woman a whore.”

That had my spine stiffening. Why did men always toss that word around when they were threatened by a woman? Apparently not even Vikings had imagination when it came to insults. How disappointing.

Rustling in the trees had my eyes darting from side to side as several more armed men and women came out of hiding.

The scary fucker lifted his weapon, this time leveling it on me. “It’s time for you to tell me why you’re here. And I should warn you, if I don’t like your answer, Iwillkill you.”

I swallowed, my body going both hot and cold as a tinny ringing started up in my ears.

“Alek.” His eyes narrowed, so I repeated myself. “I’m here for Aleksandr Alistair Nordson. My true mate.”

Shucking my coat, I pulled up my sleeve and bared the runes tattooed into my arm. The group of Vikings gasped and shuffled, their expressions laced with suspicion and curiosity.

“Bind them. We will take them to the jarl.” He trained his terrifying gaze on me. “Your wolf can either return to human form, or we will muzzle him and string him up by his feet. His choice.”