Viking Claimed (Triad Series Book 4) by Kate Pearce Read Free Book Online Page B

finger on her lips. “I am a man of honor.” He went down on one knee and kissed her hand. “I will never betray you.”
    He rose to his feet and took her hand again, drawing her into the shelter of one of the trees. Bending his head, he gently took her mouth until she moaned his name and kissed him back. He wanted to lift her in his arms and bring her down over his demanding cock, sealing their bargain for all time, but he couldn’t do it in such a public place and with so much to lose.
    “ I am yours, Elli Slavin.” He kissed her again. “ I will be waiting for you at the Temple. I swear it .”
    “Aki?”
    Esca was calling him. With an impatient sound, Aki released Elli and walked over to him.
    “I need to go. I’m leaving you Roberts and Bevan. They are both enhanced super soldiers.” He held Aki’s gaze. “I’m trusting you and your brother to behave yourselves, okay?”
    “We will do your bidding and only that.” Aki nodded. “I wish you well, Esca. And I will send up many prayers to the Gods that your First Male recovers.”
    “Thanks.” Esca saluted. “As they are a mated couple, Einarr should be able to hear Frey clearly despite the distances, so we’ll be able to keep you informed of our progress.”
    “Aye. Take care of Frey and Elli.”
    “Will do.” Esca signaled to the four men carrying Ash’s litter. “Let’s move out.”
    Aki stood with Einarr and watched them go. Frey looked back at his brother for a long time, and Elli had eyes only for him.
    “I feel as if someone has ripped my heart in two,” Einarr growled. “I am looking forward to meeting some of these invaders and expressing my displeasure to them in person.”
    “Me too, brother.”
    Aki turned to Roberts who was busy packing up essentials for their journey. “These Etruscans. Can we kill them?”
    “They are here illegally. We’re supposed to round them up and hand them over to the proper authorities to be dealt with through diplomatic channels.” Roberts winked. “But Major Esca said we have his full permission to destroy the bastards who dared to hurt his First Male.”
    Aki smiled. “Esca is a man after my own heart. What weapons do we have?”
    “Not many conventional ones. This ship isn’t military. But we have you and Einarr who are weapons of a different kind.” He paused. “Bev and I are pretty damn lethal as well.”
    “You are like Rolf?”
    “Way better.”
    “Then we shall easily overcome any assailants.”
    “Can you share the feedback you are getting from the village as we move closer?” Roberts asked Aki as they paused to drink some water.
    “Feedback?” Aki frowned.
    “The impressions you are getting in your mind. Just send them outward to me.”
    “I will do my best. These ‘skills’ elude me.”
    “It will help me pinpoint our enemies’ locations more clearly so that we will be able to kill them and not the innocent villagers.”
    “A worthy cause.”
    Einarr and Bevan had gone forward to scout out the approach to the beleaguered village, leaving Roberts and Aki behind to guard their gear and find a place to reconnoiter.
    The light was fading and they were approaching what appeared to be the outskirts of a settlement. The smell of burning drifted toward them, making Aki’s throat raw. They’d heard sporadically from Frey that the other party had almost reached the medical center without incident and that Ash was still alive.
    Aki focused on the mass of thoughts flowing from the village and pushed them to Roberts who winced.
    “That’s very helpful, but I think I’ve got it covered now,” Roberts said. “I want to be certain we take out the right people.”
    “What do the Etruscans look like?”
    “The same as us,” Roberts said flatly. “But ninety-nine percent of them aren’t telepathic. You’ll notice that even more now that you’re used to being surrounded by telepaths. None of their males are telepathic. They have a few females who work with intrusion