“I WON’T ALLOW it,” Kodran ground out as he paced between the shields. “And you shouldn’t want me to, Erica.”

“But I do,” she replied, determination in her eyes as she looked around the room. “It makes perfect sense. Fill me up with all of your power...Eluf’s from this life...and just imagine the possibilities?”

“I am.” Kodran stopped, frowned and shook his head. “Your grand plan is to do what you’ve been doing all along but far worse. You want to sacrifice yourself to Hallstein until there is nothing left.” He couldn’t stop the rise of his voice any more than the red that skirted his vision as he thought about what she had endured. “Because he will take it all, Erica. He’s already got a hold on you. He’s already calling half of you to him.” He closed the distance and gripped her arms. “But I won’t let him.”

“And how do you intend to stop him, Kodran?” she managed, her breathing as heavy as his. “Because you can’t any more than those of us across time and generations have been able to.” She jutted out her chin. “But now we just might have a chance.”

“And how is that?” He shook his head. “On some whim that we can harness my power in another life and give it to Maeva? How would that even work?”

When her eyes held his for a long moment, he knew he wasn’t going to like her answer. “By tapping into that power, giving it to me, then letting me go.”

Kodran narrowed his eyes. Was she saying what he thought she was?

“Let’s start at the first part of what you just said,” he growled as he resumed pacing. “How do you intend to tap into Eluf’s power?”

When Erica remained quiet, and images filled the shields around them, he knew he had directed his question at the wrong person...or thing. His own magic in another time was providing all the possible scenarios to his question or idea.

And every last one had Kodran between Erica’s legs and her groaning with pleasure.

“No.” He shook his head and looked at her with disappointment. “I won’t have you lay with me out of duty and obligation like you did with Hallstein.”

“I never actually laid with Hallstein. At least not mentally,” she countered. “And nothing about having sex with you would be duty or obligation, Kodran.”

“No, just a means to an end that neither of us would enjoy,” he said. “Because, like everything you’ve done for years, it would be out of devotion to our people.”

“And what’s so wrong with that?”

“Everything,” he roared and kept pacing. He should apologize for his outburst, his anger, considering all she had gone through but Loki’s cock, she was asking for more of that. More brutality and suffering.

Right up until the day she died and left him yet again.

“I’m not giving it to you.” He shook his head. “No sex. No Trojan horse.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at him. “So when I don’t want sex, you’re gentleman enough to stay away, but the moment I want it, you turn into a coward?”

Kodran clenched his hands and shook his head. She knew how to get to him.

“I think we both know I’m not a coward.”

“We do,” she said softly as she sat on a rock and shook her head. “For a second there, I had all sorts of things to say. All sorts of things that would make you feel horrible and guilt you into doing what I want.” She sighed and looked at him. “But in the end, all I can hope is that you see reason. Because this is the one and only way we can save our families and if you push past your emotions, you’ll see it too.”

“All I see is a spontaneous plan that’s no different than what you’ve been doing all along,” he said. “Putting yourself in harm’s way and taking the fall for everyone.”

“Wouldn’t you?” she asked.

“In a heartbeat,” he responded. “But not unless I knew for certain it would only mean my own death. And only if I knew for sure it would destroy my enemy.” He crouched in front of her. “Can you be certain of that, Erica?” He frowned at the shields. “Because I’m not interested in testing your theory on the mere premise of how powerful Eluf might have been in another life. How powerful I might have been.” Kodran searched her eyes. “And when you decide to lay with me it will be because you want to and for no other reason.” He shook his head. “No ulterior motive.”

“But what if—” she started to say, but he put a finger to her lips.

“There is no what if, Erica.” He pulled his finger away, kissed her cheek and stood. “I know what you’ve been through, what you suffered, and I won’t add to that.” His eyes stayed with hers. “When the time’s right, I’ll show you I’m no Hallstein, and we’ll lay together. Once that happens, you’ll find your Trojan horse scheme impossible to see through.”

“Will I?” she bit out. Though there was anger in her eyes, there was something else as well. Respect? “And how will you stop me if you’re wrong, Kodran?”

“I won’t be,” he murmured. “Because you won’t let me be.”

Erica narrowed her eyes. “I’m not a big fan of cryptic.”

“Och, but I am,” came a chipper voice as Adlin appeared in front of one of the shields admiring himself. “Bloody hell, I was a good looking lad, aye?” He readjusted his tartan. “A fine cut to be sure.”

“Now’s not a good time, Adlin,” Kodran ground out.

“Aye, I know.” The Scotsman kept eyeballing his plaid. “You’re still working on unlocking  the mystery.” He started strolling from shield to shield, pleased by how each offered a different perspective. “But somehow I get the feeling that you’re trying to sail past the mystery straight on to the finish line.”

When Kodran frowned at Erica, she merely shrugged.

“Once upon a time,” Adlin murmured, his eyes still on himself as he passed another shield. “I loved a very beautiful woman. My one true love.”

Erica said nothing but narrowed her eyes at the ghost that appeared closer to around twelve winters now.

“Are you not curious about what happened?” Adlin asked.

“No,” Erica said at the same time Kodran said, “Yes.”

“Yes, it is,” Adlin declared, dismissing Erica’s frown. “The truth was our connection was brief, but it was everything. She was the love of my life.” He stopped, locked his hands behind his back and rocked back on his heels as he looked at them. “I walked away from her to protect my people. To keep them safe.” Pain flickered in his eyes. “Looking back, I will always regret it. Do you want to know why?”

“Yes,” Kodran said as Erica grunted, “No.”

“Because I dinnae think that although I thought I was right, that I actually was, Erica,” Adlin said as he resumed eyeing the shields. “I think I became blinded with this all-consuming knowledge that things were supposed to go a certain way and sacrificing myself was just second nature. ‘Tis what I did. Those were my people. My clan.”

“It sounds like you knew what you were doing,” Erica said.

“Did I?” Adlin shook his head then shrugged. “I suppose in some ways I did, but in the long run I sometimes wonder if my kin and their offspring could have handled it just fine for the most part without me.”

“Are you trying to tell me that my family would have been fine without me?” Erica said. “Because I’m pretty sure that’s not true.”

“Nay.” Adlin leaned against a rock as his wise eyes met hers. “I’m trying to tell you that you willnae be fine without your family in the end.” He gestured at Kodran. “And you certainly won’t be fine without him, lass.”

“But my idea is a damn good one,” she complained. “And seems more dependable than the alternative...”

When she trailed off, Kodran frowned and tried not to be insulted. “You mean a plan based on pure speculation is more dependable than the strength of love that can form between you and me?”

“I didn’t say that,” she murmured. “I just know Hallstein and the other Maeva have had a whole lot more time to connect. I know how strongly they’re capable of feeling about each other.” She shook her head and didn’t quite meet his eyes. “And you and I aren’t going to have that kind of time.”

“We don’t need it,” he said, aggravated. “Because unlike them we’ve had more than enough time already. Several lives worth.”

“He makes a good point,” Adlin murmured but snapped his mouth shut when Erica glared at him.

She shook her head. “While your reasoning is sound enough, Kodran, it’s this life that’s going to matter the most in the end. The power of mating.”

“And I agree.” He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. “But I won’t do it for your Trojan horse.” He shook his head. “And now I’ll never know if and when the time comes if you’re lying with me for the right reasons.”

“That is a conundrum to be sure,” Adlin agreed and again snapped his mouth shut when they both scowled at him. 

“So no sex between us,” Erica spat at Kodran.

“Agreed,” he shot back.

“Well that decision will get you nowhere fast,” Adlin commented, ignoring them when they glared at him again. “Mayhap you will change your minds as you continue your journey.”

“Doubtful,” they said simultaneously as their eyes met.

By the time they looked back, Adlin had vanished.

Kodran needed a moment to cool off, so he returned to the cave’s entrance and stared out over the mountains. What he wouldn’t do to spread his wings and get lost in the freedom of flight. But he knew that would be unwise. Not only leaving her side but using magic to shift. Who knew if it might somehow alert everyone that they were here.

He remained hurt that Erica thought they wouldn’t be able to find a strong enough connection once they lay together. That she questioned the strength of their potential love against Hallstein’s and Maeva’s. How was he supposed to prove otherwise? Worse yet, what if she was right? He shook his head. He couldn’t think that way. Could not even entertain the idea.

Yet it seemed he must have because he heard Erica gasp. When he turned, she was looking from shield to shield. It appeared they had been processing his thoughts and providing multiple outcomes.

Some showed what he assumed were the possible results of his first thought. How was he supposed to prove to her she was wrong? Some showed them in intimate, sensual positions. Others, simply laughing together. Some were white which must symbolize their ongoing journey.

Others showed the possible scenarios if she was right about Hallstein and Maeva’s connection being stronger. And those were gruesome. Midgard was different. Dark, destroyed, eaten alive by evil. He got the sense all of their people were gone, and only Hallstein’s people remained. Humans were enslaved, used for hard labor and sexual entertainment. They were treated so inhumanely the species would likely only survive a few generations.

Hallstein and Maeva’s world would be a horrible one.

“We can’t let that happen, Kodran,” Erica murmured.

“No, we cannot,” he agreed and tried to ignore the crushing pressure on his chest. He might hate it, but she was right. It was too risky allowing Hallstein and Maeva to come together. They couldn’t take that chance.

“We will lie together,” he finally managed as he eyed the shields. “Soon.”

Erica nodded, clearly relieved. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me,” he grumbled, not pleased about any of this.

“So...how soon?” she murmured.

He hated that this felt more like an obligation on both their parts. That’s not how this was supposed to go. “Some of the shields showed us more positive things.” His eyes met hers. “Laughter, affection, love.” He glanced at the shields again. “And more journeying.”

“Okay,” she said slowly. “So?”

“So I think that means we still have a little time. Some more to see and feel first.” His eyes returned to hers. “While I understand your reasoning, I don’t want things to be forced between us, Erica. Because how different, really, would that be than what you experienced with Hallstein?”

“Remarkably different,” she returned. “And you know it.”

“I hope so,” he said as their eyes held for a long moment before she finally spoke.

“All right,” Erica murmured. “You were willing to see things my way, so I’ll see them yours. We’ll give it a little more time.” She shook her head. “But not long. It’s too risky.”

He nodded and glanced around, eager to leave this subject behind. “I suppose the next thing we should focus on is food.”

She nodded in agreement. “I can help you hunt.”

“You remember how to hunt then?”

“I do.” She glanced around. “I just need something to hunt with.”

“Easy enough.”

He proceeded to carve spears out of sticks then they hunted before they made their way back to the hidden cave at the base of the Gungnir blade. Though some tension still remained between them, he had found the process of her hunting so entertaining he couldn’t help chuckling as he lit a fire and worked on a spit.

“What’s so funny?” Yet her lips were twisted in amusement as she eyed the sad little mouse she’d managed to catch. “I know it’s not much, but in my defense, it’s been a lifetime or so since I hunted. I’m allowed to be a little rusty.”

Kodran kept grinning as he recalled her endless attempts to spearhead that mouse. It had given her a good chase. He glanced at the pitiful thing again and couldn’t stop another chuckle as he conceded, “It was a bounty well earned. It should fill you right up.”

Erica narrowed her eyes before she gave in to a chuckle as well. “I’m sure it will.”

He grinned. “It’s a good thing I caught far more.” He enjoyed teasing her. More specifically how she met it with humor. “Just in case you’re eager for more than one bite.”

“Ha. Funny.” But not far from the truth.

She sat across from him, watched him skin the rodents and commented, “Gotta say, sometimes I wonder why we twenty-first century women are always traveling back in time to you men. It seems it would be the other way around. The food is so much better in the future.”

“That you know of,” he replied. “When seasoned, freshly hunted game and fish are quite good. You might like it more than you think.” His eyes met hers. “You’ll see when you try it at the Fortress once this is all over.”

She nodded but said nothing as her eyes dropped to the fire. The truth was if they saw her plan through she would never get the chance. But he was hoping that wouldn’t be the case. He prayed that something would happen first to deem her plan unnecessary.

“I wonder how it went for Maeva and Eluf after they vanished last time. Did they convince the court to start making changes?” she said a while later as they ate. “I assume it couldn’t have gone all that bad if she and Eluf had so many years together. He seemed pretty intent on getting the backing of the court before they started seeing each other.”

“True,” he said. “But that was before he realized she was his long lost soul mate.” He shook his head. “Who knows how many rules he was willing to break after that.”

“Right,” she murmured. “The look on his face when he realized who she was...” Her eyes went to his. “It was a pretty powerful moment, wasn’t it?”

“Very.” Their eyes held. “It looked to me like there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for her.”

And he understood because he felt the same way about Erica.

“Tell me about yourself, Kodran,” she said, genuine curiosity in her eyes. “I have a pretty good idea about who you were in our previous life. Tell me about this one.”

He knew she could sense a lot about who he was through the mind but like him, she wanted the process of getting to know one another to seem normal.

“As you likely already know, Kol and Amber are my parents,” he began. “Tait and Kadlin are my older brother and sister. Runa is my little sister.”

“Big family like mine,” she remarked then grinned. “But then it makes sense considering who your parents are.”

He smiled. “Yes, they are infamous for certain things.”

Lust mostly.

“The apple didn’t fall too far from the tree, eh?” She was still grinning. “I have it on good authority you’re just as flirtatious as your brother.”

He shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Maybe my ass,” she replied then waved it away. “It’s all good. Doesn’t bother me.”

“I wish it would,” he said bluntly, humored by her line of questioning. “Though I think it probably does.”

“Did you love any of the women you were with?”

“No.” He decided to be absolutely truthful. “Though I have befriended every woman I’ve laid with I did not want more with them. I was waiting for...something else.”

She perked her brows. “Something else?”

“Someone, I suppose,” he said. “I have always wanted to experience love with a fellow dragon rather than with a human.”

“I see.” She frowned. “That sounds sort of close minded. You miss out on good things when you think that way.”

“So I’ve been told many times by my mother and aunts,” he said. “They say love has nothing to do with species.”

“I tend to agree.” She gave him a pointed look. “All things considered.”

“I’m starting to see the error of my ways,” he allowed. “But then I’m also thankful I didn’t lose my heart along the way so that it’s still available.”

Her lips curled up slowly, and she appeared a little disbelieving. “I had no idea you were such a romantic, Kodran.”

He chuckled. “Neither did I.”

“I haven’t dealt with a lot of romance,” she said. “So bear with me.”

“Bear with you how?”

“While I figure out how to respond to it.” She shrugged. “When my sisters were reading romances, I was reading law books. I guess I’ve just always been more the practical sort.”

“So you don’t believe in romance?” he said. “Love?”

“To a degree, thanks to watching my parents but even their love seemed rocky with all the fighting at the end so who knows,” she said. “I guess I never really put much stake in love lasting. So with that in mind, what’s the point of all the romance?”

What a dismal outlook. But he understood why she might have come to that conclusion. He knew her parents had fought a lot before her mother passed away.

“So you went to school to become a lawyer very young, yes?” he asked, redirecting the conversation.

“Very,” she said. “I was classified a genius before my tenth birthday and became the youngest American to do a lot of things. I graduated Harvard Law School when others my age were still enjoying Junior prom in high school. I became an associate at a corporate law firm in Boston and then became the youngest Junior Partner ever. Had I continued on my current path I would have made Senior Partner and very likely Named Partner in no time.”

“That sounds...confusing.”

“And it should to a tenth century Viking,” she conceded with a soft smile. “Now tell me more about you...besides the women.”

“You’re the one who got started on the women,” he reminded, matching her smile. “I can’t say that I’m as accomplished as you nor that I am a genius, but I’m a valued member of my society.” He shrugged. “I can outfight and outthink most.”

Her brows shot up. “Outthink? How so?”

“I have always been good at coming up with innovative ideas I suppose.” He cocked the corner of his mouth. “Perhaps something I got from Eluf?”

“Sounds like it might have been.”

“I enjoy solving puzzles,” he continued. “And spend ample time with Aunt Veronica to help with various things.”

“Veronica.” The same grin stayed on her face. “Once a lawyer herself.”

“That’s right,” he said. “And has made a great difference in our tribe over the years.”

“I imagine she would have,” she murmured. “With your help of course.”

“At times,” he conceded.

“So you really are as intelligent as I guessed you were,” she continued softly.

He shrugged. “Intelligent enough.”

“And humble,” she complimented. “All good traits.”

“Thank you.”

“Anytime. I look forward to hearing about how you helped Veronica over the years at what you Vikings call The Thing. Or court.” She considered him and refocused on other things. “I’d like to fight you sometime. Sharpen my battle skills.”

“Have you had a lot of practice then?”

“Quite a bit actually,” she said. “I’ve made a point of educating myself as much as I could and training back home. But I know it’s different than the kind of fighting I can expect here. My reflexes seemed good when you threw the blade earlier, but I’d like to test that again. I’d like to figure out how much of the woman I once was is going to help me out now.”

“All right.” They were finished eating, so he handed her the Gungnir blade and stood. “Try to stab me with that.”

“Oh, I don’t think that’s the best idea,” she started, but he cut her off.

“You won’t be able to do it,” he said bluntly. “But it will give me an idea of what we need to work on.”

She snorted. “You’re pretty confident, eh?”

“Very.” He made a come hither motion. “Show me what you can do, Erica.”

“If you insist.” She headed his way. “But be careful.”

“You as well,” he said. “And remember, do not use dragon magic no matter how tempted.”

“I won’t,” she assured and came at him fast. Faster than he expected. He dodged right, left, ducked then spun. All the while she was a slice behind.

“You are better than I expected,” he allowed as she spun and pursued. “You have a natural talent.”

“Thanks.” She grinned, a little winded as she continued to come at him. Left. Right. Spin. Duck. And all without an ounce of magic.

“Yet I see your weakness,” he murmured as he dodged another thrust.

“Care to share? Because as far as I can see, I’m damn close to nicking you.”

“Nicking me,” he allowed. “But certainly not stabbing me.”

“How do you know?”

“Because you’re only trying to wear me down right now,” he said. “Something you best not do when up against the enemy.”

“But pretty smart considering your size,” she said. “And that you’re a seasoned fighter.”

“Yes, but the chances the enemy will come at you one at a time is very unlikely,” he said and leapt to the right of her thrust. “You need to plan on many attackers coming from multiple directions. Then there are two more things.”

“What?”

He waited for another one of her cocky thrusts before he moved fast and bumped her wrist in just the right spot that her hand released the blade. Seconds later he snatched it out of the air and held it inches from her neck. “Always be confident but beware of being overconfident unless you have every right to be. It will get you killed.”

“Noted,” she whispered, breathing heavily. “What’s the other thing?”

“Remember that while you’re wearing down your opponent by not wounding him right away, you’re also wearing yourself down,” he said. “Notice how I am barely out of breath? It’s because I made small, calculated moves that didn’t require much energy. You did not wear me down at all.”

“Good point.” She put her hand over his on the blade. “Another round then?”

He was about to reply when the blade warmed, and the water began to glow. This time they didn’t get sucked toward the waterfall, but it seemed to warp toward them before everything turned white and they were somewhere else again.

This time they were standing on a shore and as far as the eye could see dragons and seers were battling.