Page 23 of Vikingr
I glared at Njal, only to find him staring at me with a strange expression, something between desire and regret. What was I supposed to make of that?
Pam saved me from having to come up with a greeting - or the absence of one. She pushed past me and planted herself in front of the giant Vikingr, hands on her hips, eyes blazing.
"Have you apologised yet?" she asked him, ice dripping from every word.
"Apologised?" he echoed, clearly not quite sure what to make of the woman in front of him.
Pam was voluptuous but tiny, five feet of condensed energy and wit. Her auburn hair was streaked with grey, and she liked to say that each strand of grey was due to a different silly Albyan. I wondered whether she'd soon start blaming the Vikingar as well.
"For abducting Steff, of course! You will have to apologise before we can start this meeting. I am willing to forget your past transgressions if you apologise and atone for your behaviour. Maybe you should make up for it in some way. Yes, thinking about it, you really should."
Njal blinked at her in disbelief. I doubt anyone ever spoke to him like that. Especially not someone three heads shorter than him.
After a long moment of silence, he turned to me.His midnight blue eyes bored into mine as he folded his hands in front of his chest, as if to pray, then bowed deeply. I watched in shock and surprise as he went so deep that his beard touched the floor. That was some serious yoga skill right there.
"I have wronged you, Steff of Peritus," he said, remaining in that awkward bow. "What do you ask in retribution?"
I exchanged a helpless look with Pam. What was I supposed to answer to that? I was sure this was some Vikingar tradition and there might be a pre-set response, but of course, I had no idea what that might be.
"Uhm... I accept your apology. In retribution, you... will get me a new phone since you caused me to lose mine. And you will promise never to abduct another person ever again, human or otherwise."
"Ask him for money; he's loaded," Pam whispered. "The Albyans told me."
I was tempted for a moment, but no, I didn't want money from him. But I did feel like something was missing, some sort of atonement.
"And you will clean my bathroom," I blurted, thinking of the first thing that I hated doing. That seemed like a good punishment.
"Your...bathroom?" Njal repeated, still bent over. Was I supposed to tell him to get up from that uncomfortable position?
"You wanted retribution. I'm sure you Vikingar have much worse punishments, but here's a chore that I try to avoid, so I doubt you'll enjoy it."
When he still didn't get up, I added, "And you can invite me to dinner. At a fancy, expensive place."
I regretted it immediately. I didn't want to spend more time with him - did I? But it was too late. Njal stood up straight, his intense gaze once more focused on me.
"I accept, Steff of Peritus. You will have your retribution."
"Excellent," Donail hollered. "Now that's sorted, let's sit and talk about mates."
Pam cleared her throat dramatically. "This is still my agency, Donail. I will lead this meeting."
He gave her a polite smile. "Of course. Apologies."
My boss spread out her arms, inviting everyone to take a seat. I was glad we'd moved premises and now had a meeting room big enough for all of us. Although our chairs clearly hadn't been made with aliens in mind. Both Albyans and Vikingar were much larger than the average human. They didn't look comfortable, facing each other across the table, with Pam and me as buffers in between.
Njal sat next to me, and when I turned to him, I realised he was staring at me. Again. And his gaze was blazing with desire.
14
Njal
Being so close to her was torture. Her scent was overwhelming, even with all the Albyan stink in the room.
I combed my fingers through my beard, removing some dust that stuck to it from my traditional atonement bow. I'd only ever done it once before. Steff likely had no idea what a monumental occasion it had been for me. And for my crew. I'd felt their surprise, but hadn't deigned them with an explanation. They were probably suspecting by now. I'd sworn Klav to secrecy, but I was aware that my behaviour had been erratic ever since I'd met Steff. I was showing all the signs of a male in the grip of the fýst.
And now my mate was sitting so close that I could have reached out and touched her. If we'd been alone, I wouldn't have been able to hold back. The presence of the other Peritan and the Albyans was the only reason why we both still had all our clothes on.
Two of the Albyans wore C-suits, making them appear like Peritans, while the others hadn't bothered with a disguise. They must have ported into the basement of this agency, just like us. I'd been grateful for that arrangement. C-suits always made me itchy. And I wanted my mate to see me for who I was. I'd even combed my hair before we'd left the Valkyr.
