Page 19 of The Devil's Viking

Holt ran his hand through his blond hair. “Yeah, fair enough. Zoe did ask her if she needed a doctor to look at her and she said no, but who the hell knows if that’s true.” He waved his hand at the last door on the left. “Go ahead, doc. It’s unlocked. Wolf said to only lock it at night after the bar closes, and only if we have to leave for a bathroom break.”

“Thanks.”

He knocked on the door, waited. When nobody answered he knocked again, then opened the door a crack. “Hello?” When it was still silent and still, he opened the door wider and poked his head in. “Hello?”

The woman was lying fully clothed on top of the bedspread, fast asleep. Viking paused, his expert eye running over her to see if she was breathing steadily with good lung function, if she seemed to be cradling or protecting any part of her body unconsciously, if any bruising had come up on her face or hands. He really wanted to do a proper look-over, but he doubted very much that she’d just strip off in front of him. He’d have to gain her trust first, then maybe she’d let him help her.

He was standing there, staring across the small room at her, when she suddenly opened her eyes and spotted him. Immediately, she shot off to bed to her feet, then backed up.

“Hi,” Viking said quietly, happy to see that she had zero mobility issues. “I’m Viking. How are you doing up here?”

She gazed at him and that awful, terrible fear was back.

“I’m sorry I woke you up. I didn’t mean to. I just wanted to see if you needed any medical attention.”

The fear was now being replaced with suspicion.

“I’m a trained doctor,” he told her. “I know that I don’t look like your average family doctor and I get that, but I promise it’s true, even though I don’t actually practice formally anymore. Are you hurt anywhere? I can help if you are.”

She shook her head, that amazing hair cascading down her shoulders like a midnight river.

“OK, well.” He shut the door. “Maybe I’ll just visit with you a bit? Stay here and get to know you?”

She went rock-still now, she just froze in place. Her face was now blank and emotionless, her eyes were unfocused and unblinking, and for some reason all of that freaked Viking out worse than seeing her fear.

What on earth could she possibly be thinking?

**

Iris stared at the giant closing the door, and she did so with resignation. She was surprised that it had taken this long for one of them to make his way up to her, but she’d known it was coming. They were low-life scum, so she shouldn’t be shocked when they acted like it.

When this bearded creature said that he was staying right where he was and would be getting to know her, her mind and body went straight into that state that they always did when she was called to perform the Ritual with Gideon. She just zoned out, she left her body, she floated away high above whatever was happening to her below. It was the only way that she could cope with and protect herself from Gideon’s degradation and humiliation, the only way that she got through the horrible pain of being fucked by him without any consideration for her readiness or pleasure.

She’d known that these MC pricks would think of sex as a transaction of sorts: she was, after all, sitting in their bedroom, running a shower in their ensuite bathroom, wearing clothes and eating food provided by them, using heat and light they paid for.

They’d held up their end of the bargain – not a deal that she’d entered voluntarily, but still – and now it was her turn to pay up. It’s not like she had a choice, and anyway, men (all men, every man she’d ever met) only understood one form of currency when it came to women. The stolen money was still in her coat pocket but she needed it for when she got the hell out of here and anyway, she knew that a few hundred dollars wasn’t going to be anywhere near enough to buy her freedom. Or save her from fucking her way to it.

So it appeared that she was to start paying her way on her back with this absolutely massive, broad-shouldered, tattooed, aptly-named wild warrior. Gideon was a large man, but this modern viking put him to serious physical shame; if Gideon’s dick had split her in half in agony, Iris could onlyimaginewhat this monster’s cock would do to her.

She just hoped that he left her able to walk… and able to fuck the rest of the boys downstairs, because of course they’d be close behind. She knew there would be blood soaking and staining her thighs before things were done,longbefore they decided that they’d used her up.

Stopping her jumbled thoughts, staring blankly at a spot on the wall behind this beast, Iris slowly lowered herself to her knees.

The man started. “Ummmm…”

Before her courage could desert her, she crossed her arms in front of her, yanked the sweater up and over her head, dropped her arms again and clasped her hands in front of her body. Automatically, she lowered her head in submission and her long hair brushed her nipples, covering them so that just the rose-pink tips peeped out. Zoe hadn’t brought her a bra and she was so small that she didn’t really need one, but right now, she’d do a lot for that tiny, extra barrier of protection before the inevitable.

She waited.

“Hey,” Viking said, sounding shocked. “Listen, I didn’t come up here – I don’t – I’m not –”

Despite herself, Iris glanced up. He didn’t sound like a man about to fling her on the bed and fuck her while she did everything possible to disengage from her body. In fact, he was standing as far from her as he could without actually being outside the room. Puzzled, she blinked up at him.

“Listen, honey,” he said quietly. “Get dressed. Please.”

“I –” she said. “I don’t understand. You don’t want payment?”

“Payment?” he echoed. “For what?”

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