Page 79 of The Viking in the Vault
I inhale sharply, my pulse thrumming in my ears. “That’s not fair.”
Kallisto lifts a brow. “Isn’t it?”
I press my lips together, too angry to answer. Too defensive to admit she’s not entirely wrong.
I have let things slip.
I have gotten distracted.
But it’s not just about Ragnar. It’s about what he represents. What he is. He changes everything. And yet all Kallisto sees is that I’m a lovestruck fool ignoring my responsibilities.
“Elena,” she says, softer now. “You’re an exceptional scientist. But if you keep letting your personal life bleed into your professional one, you’re going to lose credibility.” She exhales, glancing ahead. “You need to decide what kind of researcher you want to be.”
She doesn’t wait for me to respond. She just steps ahead, seamlessly falling back into step with Davina.
I let out a slow, shuddering breath, staring at the ice beneath my boots.
What kind of researcher do I want to be?
I already know the answer.
The kind that discovers something. The kind that changes something.
And if she thinks I’m going to back off now, she doesn’t know me at all.
I feel Ragnar’s solid presence again, and I look up to find him beside me, Fenrik with him. He’s peering at me, brow furrowed.
“Fenvarra,” he rumbles. “You are unhappy.”
I exhale, forcing a tight smile as I glance up at him. “I’m fine.”
His brows furrow. “You do not lie well.”
A tremor rolls beneath us, distant but real, and he tenses. His gaze shifts from me to the ice overhead, then down the corridor, his expression darkening.
I’ve seen that look before. It’s the one he gets when he senses danger.
I swallow hard. “Ragnar?”
His fingers twitch at his sides, his whole body going still.
“This place,” he mutters. “Something is wrong.”
The next tremor is harder, rattling the walls, shaking ice loose from above.
And this time, it doesn’t stop.
28
RAGNAR
The ice shifts beneath my feet. The walls tremble. A deep, distant groan reverberates through the frozen corridors of the Eiskammer, and I know—we do not have much time.
“Elena!” I reach for her just as another tremor rolls through, knocking her off balance.
I catch her easily, her body fitting against mine as the others stumble, scrambling for stability. Ice fractures overhead, and Fenrik lets out a sharp bark, ears pinned back, pressing close to my side.
“We need to move,” Dr. Kallisto says, her voice tight. Her comm blinks furiously, scanning the seismic activity. “The collapse is spreading.”
