Page 64 of The Heir
I felt all eyes on me as Nora protested. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
With a polite smile, I cut through her bullshit. “It’s clear that you enjoy drama and have been egging Bjorn on to get a strong reaction from him. Whatever toxic mind game you’re playing, do it with someone who is French. Bjorn and his colleagues are here to clean the earth for future generations of Europeans. You’re being selfish.”
Nora’s lips flattened into a thin line. I concluded that she hadn’t thought through the consequences of her agenda.
“Your government has been clear that there’s zero tolerance on jealous behavior from the Explorers’ side. It’s possible that this unfortunate episode will shut down the Explorer program. If it does, you two are to blame.”
“He’s the one banging on my door,” Nora said with a blameful glance in Bjorn’s direction.
“You told me to come and tie you up.”
“That was just fun dirty talk,” Nora defended herself.
Thor was starting to catch on and frowned at Nora. “You gotta stop that shit. Any man would knock down your door if you make invitations like that.”
“See, I told you she’s a bitch,” Bjorn said with a slur.
Thor pushed Bjorn. “Apologize!”
With a groan Bjorn rubbed his face. “I shouldn’t have called you a bitch to your face. I’m sorry.”
“Nora, do we have your word that you’ll leave Bjorn alone?” Freya asked.
Nora stood for a while before she inhaled deeply and gave a curt nod.
“And you, Bjorn, do we have your word that you’ll stay away from Nora?”
Bjorn looked miserable. “What choice do I have? I don’t want to be banned from the Northlands.”
“Good. Then this is settled.” I squeezed his shoulder. “We’ll watch as you two delete each other’s contact information.”
We waited a minute and watched Nora find and delete his information.
“You too, Bjorn. Delete Nora’s information.”
He did it fast. “All done.”
With a last polite smile to Nora, I said. “We wish you a pleasant night. May peace surround you.”
Her last words were in French and didn’t sound cordial. With a grimace of irritation, she slammed the door.
As soon as we walked away, I began feeling better. “Bjorn.”
“Yes?”
“You need to pick some less dramatic women. The way Nora was playing with your emotions was mean.”
“It’s how they are. All of them,” he insisted.
“Belle isn’t like that,” Thor interjected.
“It’s not just the women. You saw that French fella you arrived with.”
“Who, Victor?” I asked.
“Yes, people here adore him. I’ve slept with women who had pictures of him in their homes. He’s some kind of national hero but every time he talks to us Explorers he’s cold and arrogant. They all treat us like we’re their personal toys. Aubri said that we would be treasured here, but it’s the opposite. They want to fuck with us, but not be friends with us. As if we’re below them in some weird way.”
“Yeah, Banni said as much, but that’s the French for you. Just look at Victor walking off and leaving us here,” Thor scoffed, but I tried to see it from the locals’ point of view: “Victor walked off because Freya told him to shut up in public. He’s not used to being disrespected. He was seriously pissed off when he left.”
