Page 24 of Victoria's Embrace

Vi’kail searched her face. Seeing she meant it, and not catching any interest in her eyes for the male, he relaxed. “Good. Three mates are plenty. No more strays for you.”

The giants each voiced their agreement, but Vee just chuckled and shook her head.

When she walked away to speak with people, offering words of encouragement and support, as was her way, Vi’kail exchanged a look with Thegan and Thorn.

They nodded at each other in silent agreement.

They’d be keeping an eye on the males to make sure none of them got any bright crikking ideas to try and woo their female.

Chapter 16

Victoria braced herself as Vi’kail raised the tag extractor to her arm. She’d watched as he, Thegan, and Thorn took their turns, so she knew this was going to hurt like hell.

The extractor, from what she understood, disabled the tag then literally ripped it out, taking a chunk of arm with it. Why the hell people with such advanced technological capabilities had something so barbaric was entirely beyond her. Assholes probably just couldn’t be bothered to care about the pain they were causing the people they deemed below them.

“Just do it,” she urged through clenched teeth when Vi’kail just stared at her arm with a vaguely nauseated look on his face.

He didn’t want to hurt her. She knew that, but she wanted the damn thing out, and the suspense wasn’t doing her any favors. There was no way out of this so best to just get it over with.

She followed his gaze when he glanced at Thegan and Thorn, taking in the reluctance on their faces, then peered back up at Vi’kail.

He couldn’t do it, and judging by the giants’ expressions they couldn’t, either. Scanning the room, she found Sindri and waved her over.

“Can’t do it, can they? Males. So crikking sensitive. Give it here,” she demanded with an amused smile, waving her hand for the extractor.

As reluctant as Vi’kail had been to do it himself, he looked equally reluctant to hand the device over and let someone else rip her arm open.

“It’s okay,” she whispered, taking it from his hand with a soft look and handing it to Sindri.

The brusque woman moved so she was facing Victoria, pulled her forward so her face was buried against her chest, then held her there firmly as she set the extractor against her arm.

“Don’t scream.”

That was the only warning she got before fiery pain exploded in her arm. She screamed. Thankfully, Sindri was ready for that, because she countered Victoria’s struggles and kept her face buried against her chest to muffle her sharp cry.

Before the pain had time to really sink in, Thegan was there, pulling her away from Sindri and setting her into the expanded RegenBand hovering above the ground. When it finished its pass, the pain was gone, but she was left feeling more than a little shaky, and her arm was covered in blood.

Moving away so the next person could take a turn with the extractor, Victoria kept her gaze averted as Thorn cleaned her up.

“That sucked,” she breathed.

“You did well,mín værling,” he rumbled tightly, adjusting her shirt and cloak back into place once he’d finished cleaning off the blood.

Peering up at his face at the odd note in his voice, she took in the pale cast to his blue skin, his too-wide eyes, and the muscle ticking in his jaw. Stilling his fidgeting hands, she caught his gaze and offered a soft smile.

“I’m okay. Really.”

Thorn blew out a hard breath then pulled her against his chest for a tight hug, almost lifting her off her feet.

“Gods’ wrath, female!” He pulled back just far enough to give her narrowed eyes. “After this is done, I am sorely tempted to lock you up somewhere. No more adventures for you! My heart cannot handle the stress.”

It was entirely inappropriate, because she could see he was genuinely distressed, but Victoria couldn’t quite stop a snicker. He just looked so… harried and put upon. The incongruity of seeing that expression on a giant, seven and a half feet tall, gruff, alien Viking just hit her as funny. Or maybe the stress had just built to a point where it needed an outlet and laughing was better than crying?

Yeah, it was likely the latter.

The cross look he gave her when she snickered only made her laugh harder until she was doubled over, clutching her stomach with one hand and covering her mouth with the other.

“What is it? Is she hurt?” Vi’kail barked just as she felt his hands patting her down, looking for the injury that had sent her into hysterics.

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