Page 39 of The Viking in the Vault
RAGNAR
Elena…I need to protect her…need to protect–
I wake to a splitting headache and the sound of voices, sharp and urgent. Those voices overlap, arguing…angry. It creates a constant hum that feels like needles pressing into my skull.
And there’s a rhythmic beeping–a heartbeat, accompanied by the hiss of breath somewhere else in the room…a soft whine underneath it.
“Fenrik,” I groan, opening my eyes.
Everything is white, bright, and all too much. But the sound of Fenrik’s whine is enough to push me into full awareness, senses sharpening even as my head throbs in protest. I shift slightly, but I find myself restrained, cuffs biting into my wrists and attached to the bed I’ve been placed in. A growl rises in my throat, low and instinctive, and I struggle against the restraints.
I turn my head, my vision swimming, and see my loyal skarnhound on a table nearby. He’s still unconscious, his massive body rising and falling in slow, shallow breaths. A strange, clear tube is attached to his foreleg, feeding him some kind of fluid.
The sight makes my blood boil.
“Elena!” I call out, my voice rough but louder this time. “Help!”
The voices outside the room pause, and then I hear footsteps approaching. Whoever is out there is still arguing, Elena’s voice joining them. I hear a commotion outside, raised voices–then the door slides open and Elena appears.
Her dark hair is disheveled and her face flushed with anger, clothes put on in haste. Ves is behind her, their expression tight and cautious. Elena rushes to my side, her eyes scanning me with a mix of relief and worry.
“Ragnar,” she breathes, her hand hovering over my arm as if unsure whether to touch me.
“I’m bound,” I growl, tugging at the restraints to make my point clear. “Why?”
Her eyes flash with fury, and she turns to Ves, speaking quickly. Ves nods and steps closer, their brow furrowed as they address me in Ancient Skoll.
“Elena fight for you,” Ves says, their words slow and deliberate. “She told them you are not dangerous.”
I frown, my eyes flicking between them. “Why am I here? Why is Fenrik like that?” I nod toward my skarnhound, the sight of him tethered to machines making my stomach churn.
Ves hesitates, glancing at Elena, then back at me. “Doctors fear old sickness. Test you.”
“Test?” I snarl, my voice rising. “I am not ill!”
Elena places a hand on my arm, her touch grounding me if only for a moment. She locks eyes with me, then says something to Ves. Ves nods and translates for me: “She going to talk them,” Ves says. “Get you out of restraints.”
Elena gives me one more look, nodding along–then she whirls around and storms out of the room, her voice rising again as she confronts whoever is waiting outside.
I watch through a window by the door as she gestures emphatically, her tone growing sharper with each word. She points back toward me, then at Fenrik, her face flushed with frustration. The doctors standing opposite her shift uncomfortably, their eyes darting toward the room and then back to her. One of them—a tall woman with a no-nonsense expression—tries to argue, but Elena cuts her off, stepping closer as if daring her to push back.
My fenvarra can be fearsome when she chooses to be.
I can’t hear everything, but her tone leaves no room for argument. Ves glances at me, their expression cautious. “She is strong,” they say, their lips quirking into a faint smile. “She cares for you.”
“She is strong,” Ves says again, leaning closer to me with a faint smile pulling at their lips. “She cares for you.”
I let out a huff, equal parts frustration and smug satisfaction. “Of course she does,” I say, my voice low but dripping with confidence. “She has accepted me as her fenvarra. She knows we are bound.”
Ves raises an eyebrow at me, their expression skeptical. “Accepted you?” they repeat, cocking an eyebrow.
I shift slightly, testing the restraints again with a growl of irritation before looking back at them. “Last night,” I begin, my voice softening as I think of her. “She let me stay with her. She let me hold her as she cried. She trusted me with her pain, her vulnerability. And this morning…” My lips twitch upward in a smug grin. “She kissed me.”
Ves sighs, shaking their head. All they do is look back to the door, exasperated.
“You worry for her,” I murmur. “I swore to you I wouldn’t hurt her. I haven’t. She desires me as only ones fated one could. I will learn her ways, and she mine. This is fate.”
Ves snorts. “Anyone ever say you drama queen?”
