“Neptune. Ulf said that was where King Jurzed was from.” Raine tried to slide the sheet higher around her breasts, but Skars was holding her too tightly.
“It was before Jurzed’s time. It was his grandfather and many like him who were rescued from Neptune. As it was my great-grandfather who had started the revolt on Mars, and who had found the planet we called home. My great-grandfather offered the Vikings from Neptune land on Raum because their species required extreme cold. We required warmer climates, so we stayed on the same planet yet led different lives. It was the same with the Vikings who my grandfather rescued from Saturn. They needed extreme heat that not even we could survive. They made it their home.
“The first few years we lived on Raum, it became contentious between us. Forced to stay in the areas designated to us because of our physical differences, we began to resent each other because food was more plentiful in our area while the water was in the other, and the metals we needed to trade with other planets were in another.
My great-grandfather was able to come to an agreement to supply the others what they needed, and the rest would be traded to other planets, and all three of the Viking cousins would share in the bounty. Raum flourished, and so did each the Viking cousins. My great-grandfather was a great man. My grandfather took over overseeing the agreement when he died.
“We lived in harmony and grew wealthy so much that other planets grew jealous. Our wealth and the technology we could trade for made us nearly invincible.
“My grandfather gifted Thorsen with a ship of his own, as he had our father before him. Our grandfather gave Thorsen permission to take his ship out on his first trading mission without our father’s guidance. Most of our men wanted to go along for the journey. A large quantity of Neptune Vikings had been called on for help in dealing with the Sorn that were destroying the Olggans’ planets. The Saturn male Vikings celebrated a festival, and many of the males had gone to take part of the competition in which they crown the victor as the High Archuru.
“We arrogantly left Raum undefended. We had put faith in our security measures. They were broken by the betrayal of a Viking woman from Jurzed’s household, who had lowered the shields to allow her lover inside while Jurzed and his warriors were gone.”
“Xio.” Raine pressed her lips together tightly to stop them from trembling. Heartache was plainly visible on Skars’ face.
Skars nodded grimly. “Xioarius was allowed to land his ship to wait for Jurzed’s arrival. He told the woman he wanted his permission to marry her. Minutes before his arrival, Xioarius snuck away in a light ship when the shields were again lowered for Jurzed, Thorsen’s, and the high chieftain of Archuru.
“Xioarius miscalculated the explosion. The bomb went off, destroying every man, woman, and child on Raum. What he didn’t count on was that our three ships carrying the majority of our warriors hadn’t docked. We’ve been chasing him from planet to planet, until now. Xioarius came to Earth before the war hit. He hasn’t been able to escape, and he won’t be allowed to this time,” he swore grimly.
“That’s why you, your brother, and King Jurzed are here? Not to take control of Earth? Not to raid like Ulf said you wanted to do?”
“There is nothing left on Earth I desire …” He tightened his arms around her until she was standing on her tiptoes. “Except you.”
Chapter 14
Raine
Raine felt her insides melt as if she were a marshmallow set under a broiler. She had never expected a man to look at her the way Skars was looking at her now … unless she was on the dinner menu.
Still unable to get Milly’s warnings out of her head, she looked up at Skars warily. “Uh … Skars”—the last thing she wanted was him getting angry like the last time she had asked, but the fear wouldn’t go away—“you swear you aren’t thinking about eating me?”
His gaze scorched her, but not in anger. “It isn’t wise to ask a Viking male if they’re thinking about eating you. The answer will be já every time.”
From the way Skars was looking at her, she didn’t need to go under a broiler. His eyes were lighting her on fire from the inside out. Even in her wildest imaginings, she had never dreamed a man would look at her the way he was, and certainly not one who looked like Skars.
As her breathing escalated, the sheet knotted around her breasts started slipping down. She wiggled her hands to adjust it. Skars gave a hungry growl, which froze her.
“Um … Skars?”
Whatever she was about to say was blasted from her mind when his mouth landed on the cleft between her breasts as if he was starving. Stiffening, she waited for his teeth to start tearing into her flesh.