Page 46 of Ragnar

When he bites my mark, I am lost. He strikes hard and fast and just like that, I come. His growl is muffled against my shoulder, but I feel him tense, his thrusts picking up speed. Right before he comes, he pulls out. I bite back my cry of denial when his come hits the dirt at our feet. We are not safe here. To be locked together for hours isn't an option. Even my desire fogged mind understands this.

For a few moments we catch our breath, living within the bubble of our love before it is burst by the growing chaos. We escaped the warehouse, but we haven’t made it to safety yet. Our lovemaking was quick but even still, the men can be heard moving closer. Searching. Never one to skirt danger, Ragnar gives me a few more licks and kisses before running off into the dark, to keep me safe.

While Ragnar scouts around, I quickly pull my clothes back on. The shouts are getting louder, spreading throughout the compound. Sam and his men are on our trail and the last thing I want is to be found with my ass out. Sadness pulls at my heart, that we can’t be allies. His hatred of my mate for being different puts us at odds. I will always side with Ragnar.

As if my thoughts have summoned him, he appears out the night like a wraith. His big arms wrap me up tightly, holding me to his chest. It is a short embrace, but I bask in his love and devotion, squeezing him back before stepping away.

“The men aren’t close, but they are looking for us. We need to leave.” The worry in his voice is enough for me not to argue, but then I remember Sutton. My earlier worry for her baby rushes back now that lust isn’t fogging my brain. Blanching, I wonder how I can possibly broach the subject with Ragnar. Opting for honesty, I just spit it out.

“Wait! We need find someone! A human woman with a child. I promised her we would take her away from here.” My mate’s eyes are sharp with disapproval.

“You are my priority. I will not risk your safety for another’s.” His head swivels to scan the darkness. A darkness that is even now lightening, the threat of discovery growing.

“Please! She was so scared! She has a little baby that is in danger here. We can’t leave her.” I’m not above begging, using her baby as a bargaining chip, especially after our earlier conversation. It is Ragnar’s weakness. As expected, he folds like a house of cards.

“Where will we find her? We must be quick.” My breath wooshes out of me when I realize I do not know where she is. Despair threatens to overwhelm me, but I take deep breaths to steady myself, thinking back to what she told me earlier. If she helps in the warehouse, she must live close by.

“Can you go back to the warehouse? See if you can scent her?” Frustration twists his face but he only nods.

“Stay here, I will be back if I cannot. We will not wait any longer than a few more minutes.” I don’t argue because I get my way, but the wait is agonizing. It seems like hours before Ragnar returns. The sun is starting to rise in the sky, pink fingers of light spiderwebbing in the strips visible between the buildings. When I see that he isn’t alone, I want to cry with relief.

Rushing forward, I gather Sutton up in my arms, careful not to crush the sleeping baby that is secured in a sling across her chest. She returns my gesture before moving back a few steps.

“You lived.” She remarks, a smirk on her face.

“We did. Are you going to come with us?” When she nods, I feel a rush of relief. We can finally leave this hell hole.

“You mean she wasn’t sure she was coming?” Ragnar asks, annoyed. For just a moment I feel guilty but then I see his eyes covertly staring at the baby and all my worry and fear is gone. For some reason, I think that this tiny little girl just gained herself an entire pack of protectors.

Chapter Thirty

*Reggie*

As much as I love babies, the trip back to the bunker is long and stressful. Trying to fly below the radar of massive monsters is hard when you have an infant crying whenever it is hungry, sad or mad. My mate has to fight several more monsters, but he never complains. Whenever he looks into her little face, I can see the growing love there. His devotion to keeping us safe is unfailing despite his own wounds.

Morning on the third day marks the last day of travel and I can’t say I’m sad. The journey was long and hard. The constant need to defend us has slowed Ragnar down, sometimes hiding us until the threats pass. We are now hunkered down in the little storage shed where my journey first began. Sutton and Angel, her little girl, slept inside the building while Ragnar and I slept outside. Or rather I slept, and he kept watch.

I am as happy to be done traveling for my own sake as I am my mate’s. He is exhausted, running on fumes at this point. His body is magnificent but even he has his limits. For the thousandth time, I curse my lack of weapons. Both my guns were lost along the way, which means I can’t provide cover for him to rest. It is driving me bonkers. So, to say I am grumpy this morning is an understatement.

Climbing onto Ragnar’s back, I hold on tight as he kneels so that Sutton can hand me Angel before she climbs up behind me. Once we are all on and secure, Ragnar takes off at a lope. The trees begin to thin and my heart soars as the sights become more and more familiar. The clearing with the fence in it comes up fast and I can’t help but look around for the damn cat-gator-coon monsters.

Sure enough, a snuffling cry from the woods sends a shiver down my spine. The remembered chase is enough to traumatize me for life. Thankfully, they aren’t brave enough to attack Ragnar. They hang back, the occasional flash of movement the only sign that they are even there. Sutton looks around us curiously, spying one of the beasts for just a moment.

“What are those?” She asks, fear tingeing her voice. She hasn’t completely freaked out at any of the monsters we’ve encountered, but she isn’t exactly comfortable either. Not that I can blame her. Another Gersil tried to eat us yesterday, fucking soccer balls from hell.

“Those are Jintas.” Ragnar responds, his voice gravelly with exhaustion.

“I call them Cat-Gator-Coon beasts. Or sometimes Cat-Coon-Gator. Regardless, they have a nasty bite. A whole pack of them chased me into a barbed wire fence.” Ragnar tenses beneath us, his gaze swinging angrily to the trees. A laugh bubbles up, easing some of my grumpiness. “Calm down baby, you can kill them when you aren’t about to fall over.” He tenses more, offended.

“I would never dream of falling over while you are upon my back. I would rather eat my own paws than harm you.” He defends, making my heart swell.

“Of course you wouldn’t. You are the strongest male I know.” Leaning down, I hug his neck to placate him. Mollified, he keeps walking. Sutton can barely contain her giggles from behind me.

“You two are so sweet I am getting cavities.” She giggles out and I can’t disagree. The love I feel for him is terrifyingly strong. So strong that I’m pretty sure I’d fist fight the devil if it meant Ragnar would be safe.

Only a few more minutes pass before I see the first sign of our property. The fence that is broken down surrounding the main house comes into view and my heart stops when I am confronted by the lifeless shell of my former life. The ghosts of memories and shared laughter is like a physical ache.

Ragnar keeps moving though, coming around the house and it feels like a weight is lifted off of me at the sight of our warehouse. It is still standing, no obvious damage to be seen. It is almost identical to when I left it if it weren’t for the twins standing guard outside.

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