Page 21 of Thor

When she put it like that, how could he refuse? Thor inclined his head. "Of course, Miss Sibyl. I have my poleaxe with which to defend you. You may sleep soundly, knowing I will watch over you as you sleep."

"From outside the door. No poleaxes in the bedroom, or the bathroom, okay? And no pretending to be a creepy vampire stalker, watching me while I sleep, either."

She did seem to have a great many rules, but they were not difficult to remember. "It shall be as you wish, Miss Sibyl."

She swallowed. "And about last night..."

Thor grinned. "Do you wish me to warm your bed again tonight? Outside of the confines of that tent, I can give you even greater pleasure. All night, if that is your wish."

For a moment, she looked wistful, like she was about to agree, and Thor's hopes soared.

Then she shook her head. "I think I'll be warm enough by myself tonight, thanks. Yeah. Thanks." She wandered out of the room, leaving her coat behind.

Along with Thor's dashed hopes. He'd looked too high. Last night, she'd needed his warmth, and he'd happily given it to her, but now...she had no need for him, as lover or protector or anything, really.

If only he had his hammer, and he could show her what sort of warrior he truly was. Then perhaps she might value him, if only a little.

Thor sighed. He could wait until morning for that. Better that she be well rested and in a better mood, for then she'd be more appreciative of what he had to offer her.

At least, he hoped so, for after last night...

Was it wrong to lust after the woman he was bound to protect? For he'd been able to think of nothing and no one else, and he feared one night with her had ruined him for all other women.

Just the way she moaned his name at the peak of her pleasure...

It was a memory he would treasure all his days, he promised himself.

TWENTY-FIVE

After a shower, an amazing night's sleep in a real bed, followed by an even longer shower the next morning, Sibyl was ready for work. She carefully stored each and every artefact she and Jakop had brought in yesterday, but still she didn't find the hammer. So she went through the other labs and store rooms, checking everything. She found all sorts of things – including the x-ray machine – but Thor's hammer had vanished as if it had never existed.

Luckily, she didn't have to break the news to him, because her hallucination had disappeared as readily as his hammer. Maybe she only saw him when she was really tired, or her head really hurt. She'd never had hallucinations before, and she hoped this would be the end of it.

Her appointment with the doctor came and went – and she left the clinic with a clean bill of health and a medical certificate she could wave at Karl to tell him she was fit for work again.

She called Jakop, who said he'd be heading back out to the expedition site in a little over a week, which gave her eight days to read some more journal articles, wash all her clothes, and enjoy luxuries like the kitchen, the shower and a real bed, while they lasted.

Her only regret was that she hadn't managed to get naked with imaginary Thor before she recovered. If you were going to hallucinate a hot Norse god, at least you should sample all the goods, so to speak. It wasn't like that loincloth he'd worn had left much to the imagination.

She'd even made a couple of trips up to the little shop in town, to stock up on alcohol and chocolate for Jorunn, as promised. On impulse, she'd bought a bottle of mead, as well. It wasn't as strong as aquavit, but she figured she'd drink as much of it as she could while she was here. It wasn't like there was anything else to do at night.

Tonight, she'd decided to take a leaf out of Tacey's book and try to cook her own dinner, instead of reheating something from the freezer. She'd found a Norwegian recipe for something that resembled tuna mornay, if you made it with cod instead of tuna, and the name roughly translated to fish gratin, so she figured she could manage it. Even better, the store had been able to provide all the ingredients, including the breadcrumbs and cheese to go on top.

As she served up, she wondered what Thor would have said about it. Fish was traditional Viking food, and they'd probably had some sort of cheese, but pasta wouldn't have made it onto the menu until well after the Viking age was over.

Probably a good thing, seeing as the Norse god's hard body had definitely looked like the product of a high protein diet, not one rich in carbs. Maybe the cheese, though...

"FUCK!"

While she'd been daydreaming, the cheese sauce had trickled down the spoon and onto her hand, and it felt like it was just a shade cooler than molten lava.

Sibyl raced to stick her hand under some cold, running water.

"Miss Sibyl, I hope you don't mind me asking, but...in your language, what does FUCK mean?"

Sibyl took a deep breath. That couldn't have been Thor. The doctor had said she was fine, so she couldn't possibly be hallucinating...His Norse Hotness behind her, in the kitchen. Cloak, hard abs, poleaxe and all.

"It's a coarse term for engaging in sexual intercourse, but in the present context, it's a curse word, signifying that I burned myself and am in a lot of pain," Sibyl said. "Which you should know, if you're a figment of my imagination. I mean, you speak and understand English, despite looking like a Viking from the first millennium, before this language even existed."

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