Page 42 of The Viking in the Vault
Her brow furrows slightly, her tone shifting to that quiet, probing concern only older sisters can manage. “What’s going on?”
I hesitate, my words caught in my throat. Where do I even start? How do I explain Ragnar and Fenrik and the whole chaotic mess of the Eiskammer? Up until now, I’ve kept it vague—just a story about an earthquake delaying my research, nothing more. But now…now I need someone to know.
I need someone to understand what’s happening. Someone outside of it, someone who can tell me what I’m supposed to do.
“I didn’t tell you everything about the earthquake,” I say finally, my voice low and careful. “About why I’ve been so…distracted.”
Marcy’s gaze sharpens, and she adjusts her son slightly on her lap, giving me her full attention. “Okay,” she says. “Start from the beginning.”
I glance around the clinic lobby, making sure no one is within earshot. It’s late, and most of the other visitors have cleared out, leaving just the faint hum of machinery and the quiet murmur of the night shift staff in the distance. Still, I lower my voice. “When I was down there, in the Eiskammer, I…I found something. Someone, actually.”
Her brows shoot up. “Someone?”
I nod, my heart pounding as I try to find the words. “This is going to sound crazy, but…his name is Ragnar Stormborne. He’s—he was trapped down there, frozen in cryostasis. For like…a long time.”
“How long is a long time?”
“Um…more than four thousand years?”
Marcy’s jaw drops, eyes wide. I can tell she wants to get loud, but she checks herself when her son sighs and shifts in her arms.
“El, what the heck?” she whispers. “How long has this been going on?”
“A few days,” I say. “He’s been staying with me since we got back.”
“Does anyone else know?”
I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head. “Oh, they know. That’s the problem. The team here—they’re terrified. They think he could be carrying ancient pathogens or something, so they’ve quarantined him. And Fenrik, too.”
“Who’s Fenrik?”
“His…skarnhound. Like a massive alien dog, but smarter and more loyal than any dog you’ve ever met.”
Marcy blinks, absorbing the information. “Okay, so…wait. Let me get this straight. You found an ancient warrior and his alien dog frozen in ice, brought them back, and now they’re quarantined because the scientists think they’re…what, dangerous?”
“Exactly,” I say, my frustration spilling out. “But they’re not dangerous, Marcy. Ragnar’s not some wild animal—they’re treating him like a threat, but he’s just…he’s lost. He doesn’t understand this world, and they’re acting like he’s some kind of ticking time bomb.”
“Well, is he?” she asks. “If it isn’t safe…Elena, I’m worried about you–”
“Yeah, everyone seems to be,” I mutter, raking my hand through my hair. “But I’m fine. He would never hurt me. We were just hanging out the whole day before the university wentcrazy and basically forced him into quarantine. I’ve already been through a whole bunch of tests and I guess he was totally clean.”
Her brow furrows at that. “Wait a hot second,” she says. “Clean? Like…”
Her voice gets even quieter.
“Did you have sex with him?”
I blush, which I’m sure betrays the fact that, even though I haven’t had sex with him, I sure would like to. “No,” I blurt. “Just…he didn’t give me any ancient diseases or anything.”
Understanding spreads across her face, though.
I’m caught.
“You like him, though,” she says, and when I react–even subtly–she grins. “You really like him.”
“Yeah, that’s making it even more complicated,” I murmur. “He thinks I’m his soulmate.”
Marcy’s eyes widen, and then her jaw drops in disbelief. “Soulmate?” she whispers, as if she’s afraid saying it louder will somehow make it even more real. “Like…Skoll soulmate? That’s a thing?”
