Page 69 of Her Viking Master

“What happened next?” Marmareus asked, his eyes never leaving my face.

“We found these boys,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “We didn’t even know their names. They took us to this corner of the warehouse where… where lots of people were having sex.”

I paused, taking a shuddering breath.

“They… they… you know…”

I felt my cheeks redden as if I were recounting something that had actually happened to me—to the modest but horny virgin I’d been only the previous week. I lowered my voice to an embarrassed whisper.

“They, you know,fuckedus on these old mattresses. It was all happening so fast, I could barely process it.”

The man’s expression remained neutral, but I saw his fingers twitch slightly at his side. “How did it feel?” he asked, his voice low and intense.

I closed my eyes, pretending to recall the invented memory. “It felt… shameful,” I said, opening my eyes to look at him. “When the alcohol started to wear off, I realized what we’d done. I felt so dirty, so used.”

As I spoke, I could feel my arousal growing, much to my horror. My nipples hardened, and I felt the warmth building between my legs. I prayed the Guard agent wouldn’t notice, but part of me knew he probably already had.

“What happened then?” he pressed, taking a step closer.

CHAPTER35

Mary

I had to crane my neck to look up at him. My hands balled into fists atop my thighs and I took a shaky breath, not needing to pretend my inner conflict and my effort to steady myself before continuing.

“We… we fell asleep for a while after that. I’m not sure how long. Maybe an hour? Two? It was hard to tell.”

I let my voice quaver, as if reliving the trauma—and again finding that Iwasreliving it, despite it never having happened. Had something about my training as avölvagiven me some ability to inhabit my cover this way?

“Then these men… they shook us awake. Rough hands, grabbing at us. I was so disoriented, still half-drunk. I remember Camille crying out in French.”

I paused, watching Marmareus’ face carefully. His expression remained impassive, but I sensed an intensity in his gaze that told me he was hanging on my every word. I pressed on.

“They bundled us outside. The cold air hit me like a slap. I remember thinking I should scream, but my throat felt so dry. They shoved us into a van—one of those big white ones with no windows in the back.” I shuddered, the motion barely feigned at all. “They gagged us with those things with the rubber balls. The smell was awful… it made me want to gag. Then they put a hood over my head. Everything went dark.”

I blinked rapidly, fighting back real tears. “The drive felt like it went on forever. I was so scared. I could hear Camille whimpering next to me, but I couldn’t reach her. My hands were tied behind my back.”

Marmareus nodded slightly, encouraging me to continue. I swallowed hard before going on.

“When the van finally stopped, they dragged us out. I could tell we were in some kind of parking garage from the echoes. The concrete was so cold under my bare feet.” I paused, letting a hint of anger creep into my voice. “That’s when they told us. Said we were going to be ‘fuck toys’ for some rich bastard. That he liked… he liked… breaking in fresh meat.”

I fell silent, watching Marmareus carefully. He was still looking down at his handheld, his brow furrowed slightly. I could tell he was looking for any holes in my story, analyzing every detail. My heart raced as I waited for his response, praying that my performance had been convincing.

After what felt like an eternity, Marmareus looked up from his device, his dark eyes meeting mine. “That’s quite a harrowing tale, Mary,” he said, his voice neutral. “Thank you for sharing it with me.”

I nodded, trying to look both relieved and traumatized. “I… I… never… I mean, it’s the first time I’ve, you know… told anyone the story,” I whispered, letting my voice crack slightly. “It’s… it’s really hard to talk about.”

Marmareus took a step backward, as if easing the pressure of his physical presence. I felt an odd, unwelcome warmth of gratitude in my chest.

“I understand,” he said softly. “But I need you to understand something, Mary. We have ways of verifying information. Very sophisticated ways.”

My stomach clenched at his words. I fought to keep my expression neutral, to think clearly even as panic threatened to steal my rationality. Had he seen through my lies? What would happen if he had?

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. “I’m trying to tell you everything,” I said, my voice trembling slightly. “I swear, it’s all true. Every horrible detail.”

As I spoke, I watchedLeoMarmareus’ face, searching for any sign that he believed me. To my immense relief, I saw his expression soften almost imperceptibly. His shoulders relaxed just a fraction, and the intensity in his gaze eased ever so slightly.

A surge of pride welled up in me as I realized he was buying my story. My performance had been convincing enough to fool even this highly trained operative. I felt a flicker of hope that I might actually pull this off, that I might be able to fulfill my mission, and protect both myself and Camille.

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