Page 15 of Stolen By the Berserker

What the fuck?“You’re going to have to explain that one.” Cassie sunk down on the coach. Sten sat down next to her, and she scooted away from him.

Hurt briefly flashed in his eyes. “I died almost a thousand years ago, and the gods sent me to Valhalla—a kind of heaven.”

“I know what Valhalla is.” Grandmother had loved Norse mythology. “But that’s a myth. You can’t possibly mean….” But then again, she’d just visited with the Goddess Freya in her dream. Or had that been a hallucination? But what about the dagger? Her brain hurt.

Sten interrupted her ruminations. “It’s probably better if I just tell you in one go, and you hold off on asking questions until later.”

Cassie nodded and started tallying up all the questions she’d throw his way later, but when Sten finished telling his story, she just stared at him. He’d spun a tale about immortal Vikings and Valkyries being sent back down to earth to protect humanity from Loki’s evil creatures. It was too fantastic to be true, but Sten was so earnest in his telling she didn’t think he was lying. He believed all of this was true.

She wasn’t sure what to think, but she’d seen the wolverines, and those fuckers were definitely not human. And then there was the dream. And the dagger.

Plus, Sten’s accelerated healing abilities were just as freaky. “I don’t know how to process this,” she croaked.

Sten moved closer and grabbed her hand. “I understand. It’s a lot to take in. Just know that I will make this right. I will make sure the wolverines will never hurt you.”

Cassie drew back. “You think they’ll target me?”

A tick pulsed along his jawline. “They saw us together and will think you belong to me. You need to come with me so I can keep you safe.”

“Belong to you? Keepmesafe?” She stood, pulling her hand out of his. “I’m the one who saved your ass. Without me, you’d be shish kabob by now.”

“I expressed that poorly. What I meant was that you should leave in case they come back. You’ll put everyone in town in danger if you stay. And I have to get back to my… boss.”

Cassie studied him for a beat. There was something he wasn’t telling her. And then she realized. “You live with a bunch of immortal Vikings, don’t you?”

He nodded. “Not just Vikings. We have Valkyrie warriors in our unit, too.” He stood and pulled her hand into his again. “Cassie, I have put you in danger, so it is my duty to ensure you’re safe.” She sputtered, but Sten put his index finger over her lips. “The truth is. I’ve come to care for you.” He cradled her chin.

“That’s a bunch of hogwash, and you know it.” She pulled her face out of his grip. “Ten minutes ago, okay, a little longer than that, you thought I’d betrayed you.”

“Freya’s dagger proves my mistake about that,” he said. “I apologize.” He bowed to her.

She shook her head. “Your emotions are all over the place. I think you need to sort that out before you decide to be in a relationship. Or declare yourself responsible for someone else’s wellbeing.”

He stared at her. “You're rejecting me? But the gods have blessed us as each other’ssjälsfrände.” The incredulity in his voice would have made him laugh if this whole thing wasn’t so bonkers, but also so sad. Granted, she hadn’t expected a relationship from him. She’d mostly been looking for some fun for a few days, maybe. So why did this feel so rotten?

“I don’t even know how to pronounce that word,” she said, not looking at him. “You need to go.”

He stood there for a while, but then she heard him walk outside. The sound of the closing door pinched her heart, and a tear slowly ran down her cheek.

She furiously wiped it off.

CHAPTER 9

One month later.

Cassie hurried across the Eastern Washington University campus toward her dorm, tugging her hat lower. It was the day before the Thanksgiving break, and the crisp November wind tried to find its way through her clothes, but her Montana winter coat kept her body nice and warm. Her hands were another matter. She’d forgotten her gloves when she dashed off to class that morning and was paying for it now.

She yanked open the door to her building and stomped the snow off her boots on the mat inside. Cutting through the common room, Cassie nodded to a few people she recognized and received greetings in return. As the oldest freshman in the dorm, she stood out, but the other students all treated her well, and she formed study groups with a few of them.

She started up the stairs to her floor, unbuttoned her coat, blew on her hands, and then jammed them under her arms to capture as much heat as possible. Eastern Washington State’s winters weren’t as bad as the ones in Montana, but forgetting her gloves was still a bonehead move.

Thinking about home made her miss her old house for a second.

After the wolverine massacre, and Sten had left. She’d packed up the house and hit the road early. Cassie kept only her grandmother’s photo album and a few other mementos, including the weird dagger from Freya. At some point, she’d dig into her grandmother supposedly being a Valkyrie and having conversations with the goddess in Valhalla. Her mind wasn’t ready to sort out all of that. Thinking about it hurt her brain. So she didn’t.

Instead, she’d sold the house and anything else she could and headed to college a little earlier than she’d planned. Miraculously, she’d even found a buyer for the truck. Some guy who collected and restored old vehicles.

She loved her new life, except she felt tired all the time. More exhausted than what could be explained by lack of sleep because of late-night study sessions and lack of sleep. As if she constantly battled a low-grade fever.

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