“What? Drogan!” I cried. I could smell him, the scent of the three of them very distinguishable, even in total darkness.
“Quiet,” he hissed in my ear. The tone wasn’t gentle, but commanding and I stilled.
I heard fighting, the sound of heavy feet moving across the wood floor. Not just Tor and Lev, but others too.
“Find her and kill them,” the voice said. It was dark, deep and menacing.
I saw the sharp glint of Drogan’s sword, held in the hand that crossed over me, shielding me and the baby from harm.
The sound of flesh hitting flesh, groans, the slide of metal out of a sheath filled the air. Drogan pushed me under the bed further, his body blocking me. The only way someone was going to get me was through Drogan, or crawling under the far side of the bed.
I saw the dark shadows of legs from my new position, one set coming closer. A grunt, then a painful, wheezing sound was emitted, then the body fell to the floor. All I could see was a black shape and I panicked, thinking it might be either Lev or Tor. Pushing against Drogan, I tried to get out from under the bed and help, but he was unmovable. I began to shimmy across the floor instead, further under the bed to go out the other side, but a strong, unbreakable grip on my hip kept me in place.
“Find her,” I heard.
“Why take her alive? Why don’t we just kill them all?”
I held my breath at the coldly logical question as my heart raced in panic. These invaders wanted to murder my mates and take me prisoner? Why? And where were Tor and Lev? Were they safe? Were they outside with a dagger through their necks or an arrow in their chest? I closed my eyes as pain washed through me in a wave so fierce and filled with rage I never would have believed myself possible of such intensity after just a few days with my mates.
But they were mine. Mine. And I could not bear the idea of them being killed.
“I need the child. Find her. Kill the men. Once she gives me what I need, I’ll take care of her, too. No woman will run Viken. There will be no unification.”
I wasn’t going to lead Viken anyway! What was this crazy man thinking? I didn’t understand that at all, but I was very clear about the dying part. He wanted to kill my mates, take my child, and kill me after I gave birth.
I would have panicked, but this traitor had to get through my mates first and I had faith in them, in their strength and their intellect. Surely they could outsmart these traitors? They had to. They couldn’t leave me. Not now. Not ever. My heart wouldn’t survive losing one of them.
More fighting, tussling, men grunting, cursing. I tensed but Drogan’s steady hand kept me sane as we listened to the sounds of the fighting and the door slamming against the wall. I could see the brightening sky through the now open doorway, and a man’s legs as he ran away.
Then another body fell to the floor a few feet from me. I turned my head away at the vision of his sightless eyes, the blood gurgling from his mouth and the spear protruding from his chest. I bit my lip and concentrated on the comforting touch of Drogan’s firm hand on my hip, and his cold steel ready to kill anyone who came near us.
I tried not to breathe, afraid my shuddering would give us away in the sudden silence that filled the cabin.
“Shoot him down, Lev! Don’t let him escape.” I heard the rich, dark growl of Tor’s voice and relaxed for the first time beneath Drogan’s fierce hold. Relief poured through my body as I realized all three of my mates were unharmed.
“He’s mine,” Lev growled. I heard the whistling of an arrow, then a cry of pain, a thud as the running man’s body struck the hard ground.
“Nice shot. All clear, Drogan. Is Leah safe?’ Tor’s boots walked to the edge of the bed and I reached out with trembling fingers to wrap my hand around his ankle, grateful to be touching him, to know he was alive and safe.
Drogan slid across the floor, pulled on my hip, and forced me to give up my hold on Tor as Drogan tugged me out from beneath the bed. He stood, then picked me up and settled me on my feet.
“Light!” Drogan called out. “Turn on a fucking light.”
Footsteps, then the room brightened beyond the pale dawn and I took the opportunity to study my mates. Lev and Tor were both splattered with blood, but otherwise unharmed. Their eyes, however, were filled with a quiet rage I’d never seen before. That fire would have frightened me, but I knew it was on my behalf. That fierce anger protected me and kept me safe.
Drogan looked down at me as Tor came to stand beside him, his breathing ragged. Both ran their hands over me but it was Tor who demanded I speak. “Are you hurt?”
I wasn’t paying them any attention, but looking for Lev, who stood silhouetted in the doorway. I wanted all of my mates close. I needed to feel their touch, to know they were all alive, and well, and mine. Lev must have sensed my need because he walked to me and ran his hand along my cheek as the other two continued to inspect me for injury. I leaned into his hand for a brief moment and our gazes locked. I let my longing for him, my trust in him shine up in my eyes. There was no hiding anything, not from these men with their fierce loving and dominant hands.