Read Online In the Company of Vampires by Katie MacAlister - Free Book Online
Authors: Katie MacAlister
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slay,” Eirik said with a frown. “Although I dislike you binding us to such an oath, virgin goddess. It makes us feel helpless.”
“You guys are anything but helpless, and you know it. Is Imogen up yet, do you know?”
Kurt blinked. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen her this morning. Did he say virgin goddess?”
“No, he didn’t,” I said loudly, narrowing my eyes at each and every one of the Vikings. They grinned at me, the rats. “She knows I was coming, so I’ll just go say hi and get my Vikingahärta from her.” And get the meeting with Ben out of the way.
Inner Fran could not help but wonder if he missed me.
I hurried toward the gold and white trailer decorated with scarlet hands and runes that was Imogen’s home when she was traveling with the GothFaire, ignoring both Inner Fran and my suddenly rapidly beating heart.
Kurt called something after us, but I was suddenly frantic to see Ben. Imogen! Not Ben, but Imogen! I didn’t want to see Ben at all. In fact, I’d pay good money to have someone haul him away so I wouldn’t accidentally run into him.
Inner Fran told me it was the purest folly to lie to oneself. I gritted my teeth and told her to go do something rude to herself. As we walked to Imogen’s trailer, I stopped and turned to the Vikings. “Uh . . . guys, would you give me a few minutes alone with Be . . . er . . . Imogen?”
Eirik looked suspicious. “If you command it, virgin goddess. What should we do while we are waiting for you?”
“It would be really helpful if you could scout around the area and see if there are any signs Loki was here.”
His suspicion turned darker. “We are not scouts! Vikings do not scout! We are above such things!”
“Well . . . what do you do?” I asked.
“We pillage,” he answered quickly. “We plunder.”
“We kill,” added Finnvid. “A lot.”
“Don’t forget drinking. We drink a lot, as well.”
The other two nodded.
“It’s too early to drink, I don’t want anyone killed, there will be no pillaging, and since I know one or the other of you is bound to add this to your list, no oiling of breasts, either. At least not out in public. What you do in private is thankfully your own business.” I filled my expression with as much pathos as I could pack into it. “But if you don’t want to look around for signs of Loki, and where he might have gone, I’ll have to find someone else to do it.”
Eirik’s nostrils flared. “We were assigned by the goddess Freya to aid you! You will have no others. If you desire us to scout . . .” He shuddered. “Then we will lower ourselves to scouting.”
“Think of it as being Viking ninjas.” I leaned in and lowered my voice to a conspiratorial level. “Stealthy and covert.”
“Stealthy,” Finnvid said thoughtfully.
“Covert?” Eirik glanced at the others. “Have we ever been covert?”
Isleif shook his head. “No, but I watched a movie about ninjas. They were most deadly and feared by all. Just like us. We will be ninjas, virgin goddess. Viking ninjas.”
“The best kind,” Eirik agreed.
“Sounds good. You go be stealthy, covert Viking ninjas”—really, I deserve an award for being able to say that without so much as one titter or a twitch of my lips—“and I’ll meet you guys back here in a couple of hours, okay? You remember which trailer is my mom’s?”
They nodded.
“We must go shopping again,” Isleif commented as they headed off. “The ninjas in the movie had special armor. We will need the same.”
“Aye.” Eirik’s voice drifted back to me. “We will find the local ninja store, and use the weasel gold to buy everything they have. . . .”
“Heaven help the local shops,” I murmured before eyeing Imogen’s trailer and taking a deep breath.
I was ready. I knew this day would have to come sometime. I lifted my chin and reminded myself that my mother needed me to be strong, and by the goddess, strong is what I would be.
Chapter 5
No sound
“You guys are anything but helpless, and you know it. Is Imogen up yet, do you know?”
Kurt blinked. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen her this morning. Did he say virgin goddess?”
“No, he didn’t,” I said loudly, narrowing my eyes at each and every one of the Vikings. They grinned at me, the rats. “She knows I was coming, so I’ll just go say hi and get my Vikingahärta from her.” And get the meeting with Ben out of the way.
Inner Fran could not help but wonder if he missed me.
I hurried toward the gold and white trailer decorated with scarlet hands and runes that was Imogen’s home when she was traveling with the GothFaire, ignoring both Inner Fran and my suddenly rapidly beating heart.
Kurt called something after us, but I was suddenly frantic to see Ben. Imogen! Not Ben, but Imogen! I didn’t want to see Ben at all. In fact, I’d pay good money to have someone haul him away so I wouldn’t accidentally run into him.
Inner Fran told me it was the purest folly to lie to oneself. I gritted my teeth and told her to go do something rude to herself. As we walked to Imogen’s trailer, I stopped and turned to the Vikings. “Uh . . . guys, would you give me a few minutes alone with Be . . . er . . . Imogen?”
Eirik looked suspicious. “If you command it, virgin goddess. What should we do while we are waiting for you?”
“It would be really helpful if you could scout around the area and see if there are any signs Loki was here.”
His suspicion turned darker. “We are not scouts! Vikings do not scout! We are above such things!”
“Well . . . what do you do?” I asked.
“We pillage,” he answered quickly. “We plunder.”
“We kill,” added Finnvid. “A lot.”
“Don’t forget drinking. We drink a lot, as well.”
The other two nodded.
“It’s too early to drink, I don’t want anyone killed, there will be no pillaging, and since I know one or the other of you is bound to add this to your list, no oiling of breasts, either. At least not out in public. What you do in private is thankfully your own business.” I filled my expression with as much pathos as I could pack into it. “But if you don’t want to look around for signs of Loki, and where he might have gone, I’ll have to find someone else to do it.”
Eirik’s nostrils flared. “We were assigned by the goddess Freya to aid you! You will have no others. If you desire us to scout . . .” He shuddered. “Then we will lower ourselves to scouting.”
“Think of it as being Viking ninjas.” I leaned in and lowered my voice to a conspiratorial level. “Stealthy and covert.”
“Stealthy,” Finnvid said thoughtfully.
“Covert?” Eirik glanced at the others. “Have we ever been covert?”
Isleif shook his head. “No, but I watched a movie about ninjas. They were most deadly and feared by all. Just like us. We will be ninjas, virgin goddess. Viking ninjas.”
“The best kind,” Eirik agreed.
“Sounds good. You go be stealthy, covert Viking ninjas”—really, I deserve an award for being able to say that without so much as one titter or a twitch of my lips—“and I’ll meet you guys back here in a couple of hours, okay? You remember which trailer is my mom’s?”
They nodded.
“We must go shopping again,” Isleif commented as they headed off. “The ninjas in the movie had special armor. We will need the same.”
“Aye.” Eirik’s voice drifted back to me. “We will find the local ninja store, and use the weasel gold to buy everything they have. . . .”
“Heaven help the local shops,” I murmured before eyeing Imogen’s trailer and taking a deep breath.
I was ready. I knew this day would have to come sometime. I lifted my chin and reminded myself that my mother needed me to be strong, and by the goddess, strong is what I would be.
Chapter 5
No sound
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