Free Viking Warrior Rebel by Asa Maria Bradley Page A

to the human realm by instead sending wolverines seemed like a lot to lay on Holden all in one go. Plus, describing herself as an immortal sentinel fighting for Odin and Freya to keep humanity safe from Loki and his deranged plans might make Holden put her in a straitjacket.
    She drank from the juice bottle again and took her time swallowing. The tic in Holden’s jaw pulsed faster. Maybe he was able to control his physical reaction to her—which she so obviously struggled with, her nipples still hard—but she definitely got to him on some level.
    She looked down and fiddled with the cap on the bottle to hide the small smile tugging at her lips. “That’s a complicated story. I’m not sure if they wanted to kill me as much as capture me. I’m just good at fighting back.” She looked up.
    Holden met her gaze with an intense stare. He didn’t blink before firing the next question. “Why do they want to capture you?”
    â€œThey want information.” She held up her hand when it looked like he was about to explode out of the chair. “Information I can’t give them and I can’t give you. It would endanger people I care about.”
    He sat back and studied her. “If these people are so concerned about keeping their secrets, why are you here on your own? Why aren’t they protecting you?”
    Good question. Although a better question would be: Why was she such a stubborn dumbass that she didn’t take someone with her instead of endangering herself and the queen’s brother? “They wanted to, but I…screwed up a few weeks ago, and I had to prove to them and myself that I could do this on my own.”
    His eyebrows shot up. Obviously he hadn’t expected her to admit to that weakness. She hadn’t expected to either, but it slipped out before she could stop it, and it was very much the truth. Somehow it was easier to admit this flaw to Holden than to her Norse brothers and sisters. Although she was pretty sure they were aware not only of her stubbornness, but also of how tightly she held on to her pride.
    â€œIs Daisy Driscoll one of those people?” He used the name of Naya’s fake identity. The one he’d known her by when she worked as his security consultant.
    â€œShe’s a friend. That’s all you need to know.” Astrid kept her voice flat so no emotion would slip out. Let him interpret that statement as he wanted to. She would not betray her queen.
    He seemed to sense that questions about Naya were off-limits because he nodded. “Fair enough. But then tell me what your business here in Denver is.” She hesitated, and he leaned forward, putting his hand on top of hers. “Astrid, they almost killed you. Let me help you.”
    She shook her head and looked away in case the sudden burst of tears welling up in her eyes escaped. The blood loss had made her into an emotional mess.
    Trust whispered through her mind. The berserker again, but it didn’t come out of its slumber.
    â€œI have great resources.” Holden squeezed her hand. “Please, let me help you.”
    Could she risk taking him up on his offer? He seemed awfully eager to help. “What’s in it for you?” she asked.
    He looked away. “What do you mean?”
    â€œWhy do you want to help so badly? What do you get out of this?”
    Holden stood and paced the room. “I care about you.”
    Her heart fluttered, but she ignored it. She already knew she couldn’t trust her hormones around Holden. Apparently other parts of her body were now betraying her too. “Bullshit. You hardly know me.”
    He turned, a wicked smile on his lips. “I would say I know you quite intimately.”
    Her whole body tingled, and heat pooled in her stomach before moving lower. She was glad she was under the covers so she could hide her body’s reaction. She forced her breathing to remain steady and quirked an eyebrow.