Page 13 of Vicar
She also thought she’d be proving to Loki how wrong his Forge was about her and Vicar.
Pleased, Loki nodded before it seemed he’d had enough of the conversation and stood. “Come, ladies. I could use some entertainment.” He swaggered down one of the various tunnels, his godly voice echoing off the walls. “From all four of you.”
Torc scowled, and Tor chuckled when all four scurried after him in anticipation.
“He could have left me one,” Torc grumbled, frowning at Vicar. “Come back to the Keep now, friend.” He gestured loosely at the others. “You need not suffer this place. Let them keep her company overnight.”
“Her name is Trinity,” Vicar reminded, doing his best not to stare at her so openly anymore because he knew it made her uncomfortable. “And I won’t be leaving her.”
Torc’s scowl deepened. “Why, when—”
“I won’t,” he reiterated calmly when usually, not a fan of others arguing with him, he’d growl or snap his response. “Go back to the Keep and see a chamber prepared for her.”
Torc seemed both put-off and taken aback that Vicar would order something like that before, assuming he jested, he issued a slow grin. “It already is, my friend.Yourchamber.”
Torc might be an alpha in his own right, but he knew better than to push his limits with Vicar.
“Go.” He inflected just the right amount of warning in his request. “See it done, Torc.”
Realizing he might have more to worry about when it came to Trinity than he’d initially thought, Torc’s eyes narrowed on her before he departed, muttering his disgust the whole way.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you talk to him like that, brother.” Thorulf nodded at Vicar with approval before eyeing the cave and Trinity. “I think this place might be good for you after all.”
Whether it was or wasn’t, leaving Trinity alone wasn’t an option. Not until he understood their connection and especially until he retrieved the dagger.
Though the conversation continued on, he contributed very little, more content to watch Trinity discreetly and listen to her. Not that she talked much. Like him, she seemed to prefer observing everyone. Then again, outside of Jade, he supposed most in her position would. Jade had been an enigma upon arrival, and Vicar could admit he felt guilty about kissing and lusting after her.
When,“Good, you should,”whispered through his mind, he glanced at Trinity, caught off guard by the feel of her voice in his mind. How kindred it seemed. Did she even know she spoke to him, though? She wasn’t looking his way but appeared focused on the conversation. A lively one in which the other three filled her in on everyday life here. What to expect. Who to avoid.
“Should I feel guilty, then?”He watched Trinity closely for a reaction that she had heard him. If she did, she hid it well because she showed no response. It had definitely been her who'd spoken telepathically to him. He was positive. Yet why hide it?
Foolish question. As the evening wore on, it occurred to him just how much Trinity disliked the situation. To be expected, when her first introduction had been to sorts like Torc and Loki.
Something he pointed out the next morning when they were preparing to leave.
“They’re fine,” she lied, at least looking at him now. “Just different than what I’m used to.”
Without a doubt, they were. Just wait until she met his Múspellsheimr side. He cringed to think of it.
“Itisa different era,” he reminded, actually wishing they could stay on here longer. That he could spend time talking with her. Get to know her better before his other side took over, and everything was out of his hands. His alternate personality had never been a man of talk but of action. Taking the time to get close to a woman wasn’t his way. He enjoyed her flesh then moved on to the next.
“Not everyone is like Loki and Torc,” he continued, unsure what else to say. “Especially not at the Sigdir Fortress.”
She knew because everyone had discussed it last night.
“I look forward to going there.” She shifted away when he got a little too close. “It’ll be cool seeing an actual Viking community.”
Right, because the Keep was nowhere near that. From its architecture to the various types of dragons that called it home, the Keep was something else altogether.
As was he when there.
Maybe it would be different now, he reasoned, as they left the Alfheim cave behind and entered the thick forest of the Realm. Perhaps spending the night here, influenced by how she affected him in this place, would make a difference. Would make his alternate personality more manageable.
“Do you feel any different?” Tor asked, falling in beside him when Trinity joined Jade and Thorulf. He glanced at Vicar with concern. “Typically, the moment you step foot in the Realm lately, you shift to your Múspellsheimr side.”
He did. Almost instantly. So this was good.
“No, all is well,” he replied, more surprised than he let on. He couldn’t remember the last time he walked this forest without an agenda. Without scoping out his next kill or relishing the chase when a female wanted to play. He grinned at Tor, relieved. “I feel good.” He outright smiled. “Wholly Sigdir.”
Or he did until Trinity took matters into her own hands.
Better yet, until she showed everyone just how much trouble she and Vicar were really in.
