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Kiss of Ice

Copyright © 2017 by Kayleigh Malcolm

**ALL RIGHTS RESERVED:** This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

Alice Booke loves life as a geothermal engineer, searching the globe for her next adrenaline thrill. Falling down a crevice into a glacier and finding a frozen Viking of a man was an adventure she never saw coming.

Erik Volsung pissed off the wrong witch and she cursed him. Every living thing he touches...freezes. His only escape was to hide away and hope the curse died with the witch. The gorgeous woman who finds him is everything he's ever craved, but he can never have.

Can Alice and Erik learn how to break the curse before it's too late or will the ice freeze their chance for love?

## Kiss of Ice

Chapter One

Alice swung her arms wildly, digging her pick axe into the walls of ice surrounding her in a frantic attempt to slow her decent. Small chips of ice pelted her face, the grinding sound of the metal edge gouging strips in the glass like surface echoed around her. There wasn't any time to think of life or living, the simple basic need for survival overrode every thought and filled her soul. If she didn't stop she was going to die. Above her, the daylight dimmed through the ice the farther she slid, every split second drew her deeper into the black hole at her feet. She had no idea how far this went or when it would come to a sudden bone crunching stop.

A heartbeat later, she was weightless. The firm surface beneath her disappeared and the mental image of the cartoon Coyote hovering over a bottomless crevice flashed past her inner eye. Gravity asserted its power as her stomach lurched and she dropped. Thoughts ripped through her brain faster than light.

_I'm not going to survive this. They will never find my body. I should have kissed Jason when I had the chance._ Bemoaning her high school crush was short lived when the ground decided to make an appearance. A moment of relief, before white hot pain blasted through her hip and shoulder as they impacted first. She slid sedately down an angled edge before coming to a stop. Surrounded by darkness, completely blind she lay there terrified, she'd stopped precariously balanced on another ledge. Adrenaline pumped through her system, drowning out the pain radiating from her body. All she could hear was the pounding of her heart and the sound of blood rushing through her ears.

_Fear and panic is what will kill me right now. Think first, freak out later._ Chanting the five words she inched her fingers along the surface next to her, carefully feeling for any potential dangers. The black cavern robbed her of any ability to see things, but it allowed her to focus more on her surroundings. Meticulously, she felt around until she was as certain as she could be that she was on a wide solid surface. Next she took stock of her own injuries, _better than I expected_. Her hip and shoulder throbbed with a deep seated pain. She moved every limb and finger, one at a time, cataloguing her possible injuries. Dislocated shoulder or hip was a possibility, no broken bones that she could tell at the moment. Her head had survived any blunt force trauma thanks to her well-padded hood and tuque.

_Next logical step...move._ Fear gripped her as if the ice had seeped into her clothes and frozen her. If she couldn't move, she'd die here. Probably from starvation, as she'd be able to stave off dehydration by all the ice around her. _Hypothermia will get me first._ At least that will be faster than slowly starving to death over a week or more.

The harsh sound of her breathing echoed around her, loud enough that she figured she had to be in an enclosed space but couldn't be sure until she moved. With a deep fortifying breath and a quick prayer she hadn't landed in an icy tomb, she rolled slightly onto her good hip and attempted to sit up. Pain radiated along her left side, sharp but bearable. Lifting her left arm she eased it up and moved it around, testing her endurance. It hurt like a bitch but she didn't believe she'd dislocated anything.

Pushing into a sitting position, she groaned as her left hip ached with every move, "Let's see where I've ended up and I hope to God I can get myself back out." There were spare spikes and ropes in her backpack, maybe she'd be able to _MacGyver_ her way back up.

Fighting the urge to panic she untangled her arms from her heavy backpack and released the flashlight from a side pocket. When it turned on without a hitch she promised herself she'd write a glowing review of it everywhere it was sold. Light went a long way to easing some of her anxiety, the beam reflected off the shiny surface and illuminated the area much more than she'd expected.

She could see a jagged hole in the wall about seven feet above her, that must have been where she fell through. There was a wide drop off on either side of the steep slide. She might be able to crawl back up it but reaching the crack would be a challenge, made more dangerous knowing that she could drop even farther. "Fuck" the curse echoed off the walls around her. Her hip ached as she moved and tried to get to her feet, pausing on her knees to catch her breath. She wouldn't be climbing anywhere until she could be sure her body could withstand the strain.

The cavern was much warmer than she would have expected, her face didn't feel burnt by the cold. _The lack of wind certainly played a part in that._ Swinging the flashlight around, the light continued to reflect around, illuminating the pristine untouched beauty of her surroundings. Ice stalagmites and stalactites stretched from floor to ceiling. Some had connected, creating pillars of frozen beauty. _They looked like flowing water, caught frozen in time._

The wide beam of light illuminated icy fingers stretching from the ceiling turning them into a dangerous, sparkling, chandelier above her head. _If any of them dropped_... Shifting the light to the floor she scanned for shattered ice, but the ground was a glass sheet broken up by more ice spikes. Glaciers moved and surged over the landscape, kind of like the blob moving over and through a movie theater. Alice had no idea how old this ice cave was but it could have been here for centuries.

Her movements echoed around the cave, an eerie sound as there wasn't any other noise. She leaned on her right hip, taking some of the pressure off her left and continued to look around. Bracing her flashlight on her leg, she dug into her backpack for her thermos. A quick snack of trail-mix, M&M's and a couple sips of water did a lot for her optimism. This wasn't the tightest spot she'd gotten herself into. Getting lost for two days in the amazon had her concerned at the time. But, this time it wasn't just the elements she had to worry about. Glaciers and this spot she'd landed in could be gone as quickly as a couple days. This meant she needed to find an alternative exit because at this point she wasn't going to be able to get her ass back up the hole she slid down.

Brushing away the morbid thoughts that threatened to take over, she pushed to her feet and took a couple tentative steps. The spikes attached to her boots helped her keep herself steady but her hip throbbed with each step. _Crap, this sucks._ She knew the odds of there being an easy way out was slim to none, even if she knew where she was, which she definitely didn't at the moment. Looking at the compass strapped to her arm, the directional hand spun in useless circles. "What the hell, I didn't just drop into middle earth." She tapped it with her other hand but it was broken or there was some sort of magnetic material in the ice and rocks around her.

Bracing herself against the wall she tentatively swung the flashlight around, making note of the cracks and openings in the walls around her. In addition to the one she fell through, there was the drop-off behind her, and small tunnel that she _might_ fit through. _If I had the hips of a ten year old girl._ Alice's figure leaned more towards Marilyn Monroe than Kate Moss. _I don't relish the idea of being trapped in an icy coffin if that suddenly angles downward._ Which left a narrow crack between the boulders she slid over.

Flicking the beam of light into the crack, wide enough for her to easily fit through and it appeared as though it passed into another open space about 6 feet away. Leaving her backpack behind in case this turned into a dead end, she braced her hands on both sides of the entrance and slowly moved into it. Her senses on high alert, she listened for any sounds of cracking, grinding or anything else that might indicate she needed to get out of there quickly.

The path opened up into a cave like room that looked like it had been carved out from the inside of the boulder. She swung the beam of light around but she couldn't find any other exits. There wasn't any ice in here at all except for one corner where it bulged out. "That's probably what started the crack."

Where her voice had echoed in the other cavern, in here it sounded as though it didn't travel at all. Goosebumps rose up over her arms and an eerie cold tickle danced along her spine when the light hit the mass of ice. _There's something not right about that ice pillar._ Stepping closer she swung the beam of light over the walls. _If the ice had caused the opening then why isn't there any at the crack I came through, or nothing inside this space?_

As her eyes grew used to the reflections of the light on the ice, she began to pick out strange details... "Holy shit!"

For the second time, Alice found herself on her ass, only this time she wildly crab walked back until her back hit the opposite wall. Once her eyes figured out what she'd been looking at, she couldn't un-see _him_. Her heart pounded wildly, the cold air burned her lungs as she gasped for air. The cave had felt like a void before, now the entire space vibrated with energy, pulling her towards the figure in the corner. Aches forgotten, she pushed to her feet and tentatively moved closer. "Who the hell are you, buddy?"

Taking each step painfully slow, she moved closer, wary that she was trapped underground with this massive guy who may or may not be a popsicle. Her brain ticked through possible, logical, explanations for him. _Pranked? Punked? Fantasy movie? I'm dead too and now my spirit is moving through the glaciers for eternity?_ That last one was a bit of a stretch. The figure in the ice had to be about six seven or eight. _God, his shoulders are massive._ Wide and tall, his face was obscured by what might be hair or a beard. It was hard to tell through the thick layer the ice. "How did you end up in there?"

Intrigued she lifted her flashlight and tried to get a better look at him but the reflection made it almost impossible. "If I ever get out of here, I'll come back for you. They better let me name you too." She patted the ice in front of her. The glass like smoothness grabbing her attention, it lacked the normal dips and imperfections found in natural creations. Pulling her mitten off she ran her fingers over the surface, it wasn't as icy as she'd expected. Pressing her palm against it, the cold crept up her wrist and arm like a snake. The sensation unnerved her and stopped the moment she pulled her hand away.

A low snap sound echoed around the cave as a distinct crack bisected the flawless surface. "Oh, wow. That's bizarre." She glanced at the palm of her hand feeling like a superhero for a moment. But, there wasn't any magical markings appearing on her skin. "It must have been my natural body heat that caused that to happen."

Intrigued, she placed her hand back on the surface and followed the crack with her fingertips, going up on her tiptoes to reach the top. This time the snap and crackle was louder, causing her to stumble back a couple steps as the surface splintered like a spider's web. Cracks widened and shards slid off, shattering on the floor in front of him. "Oh, no! Oh, shit!" Visions of the massive man shattering and falling apart chilled her blood.

The ice continued to break creating a massive racket in the enclosed space. Afraid she might have set off a chain reaction; she hobbled back along the wall and shone her flashlight down the narrow passage she'd entered through. Assured that her exit was still safe, she swung the beam of light back to the ice man. The ice continued to crack and break off until his entire body was exposed. Deafening silence fell around her again, broken by the odd shard that pinged off the floor.

"Oh, my god. Please don't be cursed and come back to haunt me okay. It was an accident." Alice kept up her talking simply because the sound was comforting in light of what was happening. Curiosity dragged her closer to him, now that the ice was gone, she could see details the ice hid.

Thankfully the massive man didn't tip towards her like she feared he might. She had a flash of him falling to the ground and shattering into a thousand pieces... _eeewww._ His skin was mottled a bluish white, ice crystals sparkled in his hair and in the beard that hid most of his face. His clothes didn't look as ancient as she expected. Her earlier Viking theory didn't hold up under the obvious zipper running up the front of his coat. A large wood medallion hung around his neck, runic symbols carved around the outside edge but the inside looked like a stone might have been mounted there at some point.

"Dude, how did you get here? Were you murdered? Did you slide down the same hole I did?" Angling her head she peered up under the hair in his face. A dark beard covered his jaw and cheeks, ice crystals clinging to the strands. He fascinated her. "I wish I knew your story, if...when...I get out of here I'm going to figure out who you are." She wouldn't allow herself to believe anything other than she _would_ find a way out. Then she'd write an article about her discovery, and go on another adventure.

She leaned closer, sliding her fingers over the edges of the large pendant resting against his chest. The angle of her light shifted, and her eyes focused on the pattern the glare had hidden. "Holy shit," pulling off her mitten again she stood up and dug into her pocket looking for her good luck charm. There were distinctive similarities between the odd shaped stone and the indentations in the pendant.

Once the idea took root, crazy as it was, she had to check. Sliding the crystal over the wood medallion she gently twisted and turned it looking to see if it would actually match up. Her fingers felt chilled but it wasn't enough to stop her, especially when she felt the piece slide into place. It was like a Meerschaum Pipe, but how had the stone found its way into a dormant volcano in Hawaii when it belonged on the pendant of a man frozen in the Arctic? _Fate? Destiny?_ Alice had been lucky enough to experience a few mystical things while she travelled through the amazon, but this topped every experience to date. Her mind boggled at all the possible paths these objects had travelled.

Despite the Serendipitous of the situation...Nothing happened.

"Shit, that's anticlimactic." Her words echoed around her in the room, "and it doesn't help me solve a single thing." As her last word bounced around the space, she realized that something had changed. The insulated vacuum surrounding her had dissipated. Her heart rate increased, and she stepped away from the large figure in front of her. "As if you had something to do with the echo in here, my ears must have popped or something."

_I wonder what colour his eyes were._ She stared at his face, the beard covered a lot but she could make out high cheekbones and his nose had a slight crook to it as if it had been broken. The fabric of his coat was frozen stiff, and she wondered what his skin would feel like. He looked so real and perfectly preserved. _It was almost as if his eyes would open at any moment._ He reminded her a lot of the hot _man bun_ guy she'd seen pop up on her facebook feed. Before her fingers touched the strands of hair on his face, something gripped her arm. Between heartbeats, she flicked her gaze down to the hand gripping her wrist over her coat and back up to a pair of incredible emerald green eyes.

"Rør mig ikke." The not so frozen dude snarled as he pulled her hand away from his face.

"Fuck!" Alice's high pitched screech reverberated around the room. She scrambled back away from him, swinging the flashlight in front her like a weapon. Only in her panic she'd moved away from the entrance and to the opposite side. She could feel her mouth moving but her throat was seized in panic. Gasping for air was hard enough, she couldn't have spoke if her life depended on it.

"Hvad hedder du?"

His deep voice rumbled around the room, part of her brain registered that his words sounded Nordic. As the moments passed, he became more animated. _As if his body was thawing out?_

"Hvor kommer du fra?"

"I have no idea what the fuck you are saying but you are freaking me out even more." Because the low gravel tone to his voice made her insides liquefy, and a needy ache pulsed deep in her core. A twisted fact, considering he was frozen solid a minute ago.

"Do. You. Speak. English?" Enunciating her words slowly, she hoped maybe he'd realize she didn't understand what he said to her.

He braced his arm against the side of the ice coffin, and took a step out of it. "Go to hell."

"Okay, that I understood, and it's a bit harsh considering I just saved you... I think. You were dead. Frozen. Popsicle man. If this turns out to be some elaborate hoax or trick I swear I'll knee your balls right into your throat." _Because that is the only logical answer, I've fallen into some massive practical joke, in the middle of the arctic, at the bottom of an ice cave I accidently fell into._

"Who are you?"

"Alice."

"What is the year?"

"Huh?"

His beard hid most of his facial expression but the dark look in his eyes was enough to make her heart beat kick up a bit. She'd thought he was good looking frozen, he was gorgeous alive and pissed off. "What. Is. The. Year?" He repeated, taking another step he appeared to be getting used to walking again. His piercing gaze never left hers and she wondered if she could move faster than him.

"2016."

Confusion clouded his eyes and he shook his head a bit. "2016? Can't be. It's not long enough"

"Not long enough? What do you mean?" Intrigued she lifted her flashlight to get a better look at his expression, maybe tell if he was lying. "Are you part of some elaborate cryogenics experiment? Shouldn't you be in a hospital or medical facility of some kind?

Chapter Two

"2016"

_Shit._ "Not long enough." _I'm still in danger and now she is too._

The woman babbled questions as she shone her flashlight into Erik's face again sending shards of pain ripping through is skull. The incredibly bright light hurt his eyes and increased the massive throbbing in his head. His ears were ultra-sensitive and he wouldn't be surprised if they were bleeding from her scream. "Get that out of my face before I break it."

The beam of light dropped away and he rubbed his eyes with his fingers. He was so freaking cold his bones ached. _Nothing different so far._ His thoughts felt sluggish and the fear that followed into his frozen state still clung to his emotions. His memories of what happened _before_ were sketchy at best. He knew that he'd been hiding and she could easily be a follower of the bitch that cursed him.

"What do you mean not long enough?" A soft voice drew his attention back to the woman across the room from him.

He stared at her, looking for familiar characteristics that would prove she was part of the bitch's family. _She said it was 2016. Only forty years, this puts her in danger if she's not a part of them._

"You said not long enough. What did you mean?"

"None of your business," if she was an innocent bystander then he didn't want her involved. But he'd been so careful with his calculations. He shouldn't have been woken up until well into the 22nd century. He'd chosen this place specifically after months of research; it took another two weeks of digging and crawling through caves to find the perfect spot. "How did you get here?" he asked.

"I fell down a hole." She crossed her arms over her chest. Curiosity blended with distrust flittered across her expression as she stared at him. "How did you get here?"

_Fell down a hole?_ "I dug a hole."

She pushed herself to her feet, but didn't come any closer. She was tall for a woman, damn perfect height if he had any say in the matter. Some of his friends might have preferred petite woman but he'd never truly enjoyed folding himself in half for a kiss. A sharp pain radiated through his chest at the thought of his friends. _Were they still alive?_

"This isn't an elaborate joke is it?"

Erik pulled his thoughts back to the present. He had more problems to deal with than his emotions. "No."

"You were frozen."

"Yes."

"Dead?"

"Yes, but not exactly," _how can I explain something I don't completely understand,_ "more like cursed."

"That's just not possible...I mean it's not probable. How were you cursed?" The dim light prevented him from seeing her clearly but her face kept turning to the wall at his right. The entrance to the cave had collapsed at some point but the small fissure must have been how she got in.

"I pissed off a very powerful witch."

She flicked the beam of light up a bit, but thankfully not into his face again. "Did you drop a house on her sister?"

He laughed, a short bark that sounded completely foreign but helped ease the tension pulling at his shoulders. _When was the last time someone made me laugh?_

"No, but I did sleep with her sister. You're handling this better than I would expect you to." For all he knew this was one of the witch's daughters sent to finish him off. "Who are you?"

"Alice Booke. I'm a geothermal engineer, well if I was working I would be. I took some time off to focus on my PhD." She shrugged one shoulder and he got the distinct impression there was more to that story. _Or she's lying._

"What about you?"

He had no proof that she wasn't here to kill him, or that she wasn't related to the bitch witch in any way. Her dry humour and obvious intelligence intrigued him. He couldn't tell a single thing about her body under all her layers of clothes but a couple dark curls had escaped her knit hat, and she had vibrant blue eyes. He nodded his head at her, "Erik Volsung, I'm just a simple guy who pissed off the wrong woman."

"A simple kind of guy who digs a hole and freezes...almost dead?" Her eyebrow twitched and then arched, as if she didn't really believe him. "And then wakes up speaking another language."

"Norwegian...I speak a couple languages but I still think in the language I grew up with."

"My family originated in Norway, but none of us speak the language any more. My _Mormor_ tried to teach me and I've often regretted not paying more attention."

If her grandmother had tried to teach her their native language, he wondered if she shared any more information about their gods. "For a scientist, you're very open to the idea of magic."

"I've seen things in my life that can't always be easily explained. You were an ice cube ten minutes ago, and now you're speaking to me. Just because my only rational conclusion is that I'm insane...which I know I'm not, that means that there is something outside scientific knowledge going on... _aka_ magic. Which is what the unexplained is always referred to until science catches up enough to explain it." She shrugged again, "But, to be honest you might wish you were still frozen because I haven't figured out an exit strategy here."

A low rumble echoed around them, vibrating the ice around them. He could feel the tremors through his body as if part of him was still made of ice. Shock blasted through his skepticism and he quickly looked away from her as he processed the implications. That wasn't an earthquake, it was Thor's approval. A sound he'd only heard twice in his lifetime, never in relation to himself. The goddess Frigg, who had a soft spot for the Volsung descendants, and used her gift of foresight to alert them when in the presence of a Valkyrie destined to be theirs.

He'd given up the idea of ever finding the woman meant to be his, centuries of fighting in wars had jaded him into believing that it was a promise made to keep them in line. He was sick of the fighting, the constant death around the never ending cycle of battles, instead turning his attention to the frequency of conquests in his bed. Choosing to run, instead of fight, when he was cursed, Frigg had decided to punish him by placing a woman created for him at his fingertips knowing his touch would kill her.

"Shit, that's bad. There shouldn't be any glacial earthquakes around here and that's the second one. I'm getting out of here, you coming?" Her words might have sounded brave and confident but she'd kept her back against the wall as she moved, keeping him in her sights at all times. Her movements were still and hitched, either from an injury or fright he wasn't sure, but both were a cause of concern.

He didn't take offense, given the situation and what she would have to try to understand. Even he was having a hard time getting his thoughts in order and deciding on the best course of action. "Do you know how to teleport?"

She stopped, her jaw dropping open for a moment. "What? That's real too?"

It took a great deal of effort not to laugh at the shocked look on her face, but his absurd question appeared to help distract her thoughts. "No, not that I know of but it would come in handy right now." He took a couple steps closer to her, thankful that his leg muscles decided to work properly. "I was hoping science had figured it out by now."

She gave him a disgusted look, "you're giving me a headache."

Considering the pain still piercing his skull, from her flashlight, it seemed fair. "You said you fell down a hole, Alice?"

A frown crossed her expression a heartbeat before it lightened into humour. "Glacial retreat in the area, climate changes, global warming, I was stupid and didn't pay attention." She edged closer to the crevice again, but she didn't appear as guarded. "One minute I'm trying to measure the distance between rock formations, the next I dropped down the most terrifying slide ever. But, no white rabbits to be seen."

He moved closer to her, keeping one hand on the wall for balance. He didn't feel as strong as did before his icy sleep but it was quickly coming back. When her foot slipped on a rock and she grunted in pain, grabbing her hip he closed the distance. The crevice was small enough that he filled it and didn't have to worry as much about slipping. Bracing one arm against the wall, he slipped his hand around her waist to support her, careful not to touch any of her skin. "You're hurt." He said when her head whipped around to look at him.

"I landed on my hip and shoulder when I fell. Nothing broken, I don't think but I ache."

"How long have you been down here?"

"I think about an hour or so." She pulled out of his grasp, "Not long enough for anyone to come looking for me. I had a sat-phone but it must have dropped out of my pack at some point during the fall."

Erik had no idea what a _satphone_ was but he imagined that a few things would have changed by now. _Forty years_ It was an unnerving thought, that would have been more exciting if he didn't know he'd be better off never been found or woken up. _How did she do that?_ It suddenly hit him that she must know more than what she said because how else would she have woken him up.

His palm still tingled from where he'd touched her, his curse wouldn't affect the artificial material in her clothes, but he wanted more. He wanted to run his hand over the generous curve of her ass, and peel off the layers of material hiding her body from him.

"Hello, I know it's big but I don't think it's that fascinating."

Erik jerked his imagination back from envisioning the possibility of some luscious curves hidden beneath her thermal clothes, and up to her face. "What's big?"

"My ass." Alice turned away, "Stop staring at it."

"Unless you're willing to show it to me, then I'll have to stare and imagine." He grinned when she gasped and turned around to glare at him again.

"Your brain must still be frostbitten."

Memories of woman's styles slowly filtered back to his brain, "don't tell me your one of these woman who aspires to have a body like Twiggy?"

"Twiggy? Are you shitting me? She was popular in the sixties and probably considered overweight by the Kate Mosses of the world." Alice didn't turn around again but Erik prided himself on his ability to get past a woman's guard. If his Valkyrie thought she was unattractive, then it was up to him to correct her. Touching her physically was impossible, but he needed to connect with her in some way.

The craving for her felt like sandpaper against the inside of his skin. The need to touch her, claim her rose up fast and hot within him. She stepped out of the tunnel, leaving his view as she stepped away from the entrance.

Panic flooded his system at her disappearance. "Alice!"

Her head came into view when she looked into the opening. "What?"

"Thought you fell," he muttered feeling like an idiot for his overreaction. A couple more steps and he exited the crevice. "This is much different from what I remembered."

Alice knelt down and he saw an oversized backpack leaning against the side of a boulder. She dug around in a side pocket and produced a black flashlight. "Here, you have this one. I have extra batteries in here for both of them. We might need to conserve power. Grunting, she rubbed her hip as she pushed herself to her feet.

"You okay?'

"Sore, scared, and I feel like I should be more freaked out about you." She lifted the backpack, "but I'm too sore and scared to worry about that right now."

Erik lifted the heavy pack from her hands. "Let me carry this, you're hurt."

She looked defiant, as if she was going to argue for a moment, but then conceded. "Alright, but not because you're a man, it's just because I hurt."

He wasn't going to argue with her, as long as he got his way. "Any ideas how to get out of here?"

"I slid down a hole and popped out through there." She pointed up at a jagged crack in the ice wall with her flashlight. Erik flicked on his light, illuminating the area even more. The space was about five feet above an icy incline that she must have landed on and carried her safely away from the ledge.

"Sweet Frigg, you're lucky you didn't break something." He turned his attention to the drop off. Moving close to the edge he pointed the beam into the depths, but the blackness swallowed up the light.

"It makes my stomach flip when I think how lucky I was. If I had landed an inch either way, I would have fallen off and died down there."

"This is a little too coincidental to be luck." Frigg's gift of foresight would have alerted her to one of her Valkyrie's life being cut short because of an accident. A few centuries allowing a perfect slide to build up to save Alice's life wasn't that much of a stretch.

"Well, if someone created that just for me to land on, an exit sign would have been a nice addition." Alice rubbed her arms; her flashlight tucked under one arm. "We better get moving because it doesn't seem to be getting any warmer down here."

"The Gods don't often hand out solutions to those who stand around and freeze to death. Come on, we'll find a way out. Do you have any idea how far down we are?"

Alice's nose scrunched up a bit when she started thinking, it was adorable and sexy and Erik wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her shoulders and press his face against her neck. _She'd be so warm there._ His bones ached from the deep seated cold in his body, ever since the curse he'd felt dead inside, but from the moment he grabbed Alice's arm to stop her from touching him, he'd felt a thawing in his soul.

"Twenty...thirty feet maybe?" Alice shrugged her shoulder, a quirk Erik had noticed her do a couple times. "I can't be sure because I was panicking so my sense of time is off. But we're deep enough that the light isn't penetrating, and the fastest I could have been sliding was sixty miles an hour..." she muttered a series of numbers "Best guess, say one hundred and fifty to two hundred feet down. In other words, we're seriously fucked."

She leaned back against the stone wall, her breathing shallower than a moment ago. She looked down, the furred edge to her hood blocking his view of her face. "I'm going to die down here."

Before he realized it, he'd moved closer to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, careful not to touch her skin, as he lifted her away from the frozen rock. "No, you're not." Her body warmth radiated out from her jacket, calling to him like a siren to a sailor. "I'll get us out of here, Alice." Erik knew he should step back away from her, but he wanted to bathe in her warmth, undo her jacket and press his hands under her clothes, feel her silky skin under his fingers. _It's been so long since someone touched me._

"Are you okay, Erik?" The panic in Alice's tone snapped him out of the spiral his thoughts were taking. "Your eyes got a little wild looking there. Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

"You have no idea." He hadn't felt thirsty or hungry since the bitch witch cursed him. It was like she'd frozen every natural urge in him. _Until Alice found me._ He was waking up, and part of him wondered if she could break the curse. "But, I'm not ready to eat yet. Let's get moving and fight off the cold. Maybe we'll find a way out of here."

"I have a homing beacon, I turned on but I'm not sure it's transmitting this deep. If we get to a shallower space then we might have a better chance."

"Who does it alert?"

"Home base. There are other researchers and scientists there working on projects, but we all keep an eye on each other."

Erik remembered she said she'd injured her hip in the fall, fighting through the incessant hunger for her warmth. He slipped his arm around her waist to support her. "Let me help you."

"You're going to hurt your back, stand up and let me wrap my arm around your waist. "

"Don't touch my skin, Alice. Even accidently."

"Why not?"

"Because, it'll kill you."

Chapter Three

"Wow, that's a little extreme," Alice ignored the little voice protesting in her head and lifted her arm from Erik. "I can walk on my own."

"Not for long you won't." He pressed her arm against him. "Let me help you."

They started walking, shuffling really as Alice gingerly moved along beside him, his warning ringing in her ears. "Is it because of the curse?"

"Yes, if your skin touches mine, deliberately or not. You will start to freeze. Within a minute or two I can turn your body into a solid piece of ice."

He waved the beam of light around ahead of them, there was a tunnel entrance ahead of them and that was as good a place to start. "Let's try this one. If we sense we're going down then we can reassess."

"Sounds as good a plan as any." Alice's brain spun with curiosity. _An ice curse? Is that even possible?_ What Erik said sunk in, raising another question. "How do you know you can freeze an entire human so quickly?" Much of Erik's face was hidden by his beard and long hair but he had incredibly expressive eyes. The devastation and sadness that flashed across them made Alice sorry she asked.

"Don't ask that." He looked away and his hair fell forward blocking her view of his face.

"I'm sorry, Erik. I didn't mean..." She reached for his hand but then stopped remembering his warning. The realization of how much she relied on touch to connect with people was a surprise but the knowledge that the curse denied him that was heartbreaking.

"The blame doesn't lie with you. It was my arrogance and conceit that landed me in this situation, I'm sorry you were pulled into it as well."

"You didn't push me down here, Erik. I fell down a hole created by shifting glaciers and global warming."

"So you said." He glanced over but it was too quick for her to gage his expression. "Let's find a way out of here and worry about the rest of it later."

They moved through the icy channel, choosing their steps carefully on the surface. Thankfully it wasn't a smooth sheet of ice, the ground had caused small bumps and irregularities, and left large exposed areas of stone. Her hip ached but using him as a crutch, helped. Neither of them said anything, instead concentrating on their footsteps. Some areas of ice were pitted and rough while others were like a treacherous sheet of pristine glass. Alice's calves started to ache as well and she hoped that was because they were moving uphill.

The silence around them had been broken only by the sounds of their boots on the ice. At first she didn't mind, it gave her time to process everything that had happened, but an hour later she couldn't stand it. Her hip ached, and despite the layers of clothes she wore and their constant movement; it wasn't enough to battle the cold that was pressing and seeping through her. She wanted to curl up somewhere and go to sleep.

"Erik, I'm tired and hungry, this trudging along is making me crazy. Tell me something, anything about yourself."

He lifted the pendant from around his neck, running his thumb over the crystal she'd placed in the middle of it. "Who gave the crystal to you?"

"What my lucky charm?" Alice stared as his large hand, and thick, strong fingers caressed the delicate crystal. For a moment she imagined what his strong fingers would feel like against her skin. _For the few minutes before I turned into an icecube?_ The mental reminder helped to rein in her libido which had kicked into high gear the moment she'd heard his low growly voice. "I guess it's really your lucky charm. I met an old woman on the side of a volcano in South America. She gave it to me and said that it was the key I'd been looking for. I didn't have any clue what she was talking about since I hadn't been looking for anything of the sort. But I guess now it kind of makes sense."

"What do you know about the Norse Gods, Alice?"

Erik's question echoed off the ice covered walls, and as if in response she heard a louder rumble. _Earthquake? Glacial collapse? Both?_ The longer they were down here the more possibility of danger they faced.

"Alice?"

"Oh, yea, sorry my brain was drifting. I think it's the cold. I don't know a whole lot, other than Thor of course. My mother's family was originally from Norway. My _Mormor_ used to tell me stories about Valkyries and when I was little I used to believe they were my ancestors." Alice loved her grandmother so much and still felt a hole in her heart from when Alzheimer's disease stole the strong vibrant woman from them.

"What made you stop believing?"

"Real life, I grew up and learned that my value in life was directly related to who I married. For all the talk of a progressive culture, we're still very much in the dark ages at times. My mother believes that family lines and old money are more important than love and respect."

"You're married?" His voice echoed off the walls around them, a gravelly edge to his tone sent a primal thrill through her body. His eyes narrowed, an inhuman shadow drifted over his expression.

"Hell no. I'm not stupid."

Five simple words appeared to take the heat out of his rage and his expression cleared as quickly. "Good." He nodded. Anyone else and she would have taken offense over his chest thumping action, but deep down she feared he had a wife somewhere...waiting.

"I went to college, got an education and did everything I could to stay out of my mother's shallow, materialistic world. What about you? I've been answering all your questions but you haven't shared anything with me."

"What would you like to know?"

"How did all this happen? I found that crystal thousands of miles from here, on another continent, it's been in my pocket for three years. Do you have a wife waiting for you somewhere?" The last question unintentionally slipped from her lips, but she needed to know.

"No, no wife. I'm a descendant of the god Odin, through the warrior, Volsung."

"Seriously? You're going to tell me you're a what? A demigod of some kind?"

Erik shrugged, "Immortal too. Remember, you're the one who rescued me from the ice a few hours age."

That comment took a great deal of wind out of her sails, for a moment she had forgotten. Part of her still couldn't believe it really happened.

"It happens every few generations," Erik continued. "The descendants of men who earned the respect of the gods are tapped for service and charged with keeping the stories and belief in the gods alive to avoid Ragnarӧk."

"Ragnarӧk?"

"The End of times, Death of the gods, Armageddon, however you want to perceive it. There is a delicate balance between your world and mine. If mortals stop believing, then the gods have no power to maintain the worlds they created."

"So you're storytellers?"

"We're warriors protecting those who hold the truth." Erik paused and let her go for a moment. "After so many wars, and the horrors I saw that men could so easily inflict on each other, I didn't want to fight anymore. I ignored Frigg's call when she needed me and instead chose to indulge any woman's attentions."

""Odon's Frigg? You blew off the First Lady of Nordic gods?" Alice darted a glance up at him, and a heartbeat later she lost her footing on the ice. Grabbing for his coat, her foot slammed into his leg. The world tilted and she dropped, Erik falling over top of her. _He's going to crush me._

For the second time that day, pain sliced through her hip and down her thigh. Erik landed hard on his knees straddling her legs, one hand wrapped around the back of her head, preventing her skull from cracking back against the ground. He watched helpless as the stark pain exploded over her features when she hit the ground.

"Alice?" Her hood blocked his view of her face and he fought the urge to touch her. Fearful he might brush her skin with his hand. "Alice, talk to me."

"That really fucking hurt." She groaned as she tried to move, he scrambled off her and did he best to support her body as she moved. Keeping his hands on her clothing and never touching any live skin, he sat down on the frozen ground and tried to cuddle her as best he could.

"God that hurts," Alice rubbed her mittened hand along her thigh, "I need a break Erik. I can't walk anymore."

"We can stop for a bit, but I'm concerned you'll get too cold."

"I have mylar thermal blankets in my backpack. They look like big pieces of tin foil."

Erik slipped her backpack off his shoulders and unzipped it. Digging through he pulled out one of the blankets and laid it out, helping her to move onto it before wrapping the second one around her shoulders. "What about you?"

"The cold doesn't really bother me, Alice. I'm already frozen inside."

* * * *

"That's the saddest thing I've ever heard." Alice muttered as she pulled the blanket around her shoulders.

Erik wasn't certain she'd meant to say that out loud. He'd noticed her movements slowing, not only because of her injury but because of the cold getting to her. _It could be my proximity to her as well._ He knew that his direct touch could freeze her within a minute, but could the curse seep through her clothes if given enough time?

"I'll get you out of here, Alice. I promise."

"Am I just another woman in your long list of conquests?"

"You're no conquest, Alice. If it helps, I never thought of anyone as a simple conquest." _Tired of death and dying, I'd been searching for proof of life._

"You're stuck down here because you couldn't keep your dick in your pants."

"I'm not proud of it." _No one cared enough to get to know me either, nor did I bother getting to know them._

"That's good...since you obviously think with it."

"Never had any complaint, until that last one. I shouldn't have chosen one sister over the other." He kept his tone light trying to tease her anger to the surface. Perhaps some righteous fury would heat her up.

Alice shook her head, and smacked her mittened hand against his chest. "You're a Neanderthal."

"I wasn't frozen that long."

She snorted and relaxed back against him. He shifted his weight back against the rock wall behind him. The silver blanket offered a great barrier from the cold rock and he tried not to think about what would have happened if she hadn't freed him from the ice. Would he have woken up in a hundred years and found her frozen body outside his tomb. Because, if there was one thing he was certain of, he and this woman were meant to find each other. _If only I'd been more patient._

"What was it like?"

"Freezing?"

She nodded.

Erik wanted to tell her everything, convince her that the rumbling noise that unnerved her earlier was a sign that she was meant to be his. Trapped away in this icy world, just the two of them was too intimate, too tempting, and too easy to pretend that they could find a way to be together.

He'd sealed his fate when he chose not to respect the women in his bed. Now, he'd grab his own cock and freeze it off before touching her and risking her life. He never wanted her to experience the claustrophobic sensation of the ice closing in on her, freezing her lungs and body, leaving her screaming inside her own body until her thoughts blissfully went black.

"I don't remember." He pressed his hand against her hood, encouraging her to lean on him "Rest Alice, dream of white rabbits and red roses."

"Very funny," She rocked her body back against his, her ass rubbed against his groin, stirring his cock to life. "Aside from the genuine threat to life, this place is like a wonderland."

Erik grunted in response, what else could he say? He had no interest in looking around at his prison, especially when the woman in his arms was far more fascinating. Building a fire would be preferable to trying to sleep on the cold ground but down here the chances of that were impossible. Building a fire out in the ice cave was a dangerous prospect with the stalactites overhead. If they were to drop, neither of them would have to worry about freezing to death.

Raven coloured curls had escaped her knitted cap and framed her face, lying against her delicate cheek. She looked like a porcelain doll and perhaps she was as fragile. The cynical bitterness that had coloured his thoughts faded as he watched her drift off to sleep.

Alice might be the strongest, bravest woman he'd ever met and his earlier assumption that she'd been a part of the forces to enslave him seemed paranoid now. _Of course that might be what she wanted you to believe, she could be luring me into a false sense of security._ The dark thought lingered before he dismissed it. She'd been completely honest with him, he would have sensed a lie in her words, seen it in the delicate flush of her skin.

_The witch might be dead. Maybe the curse is broken already._ Moving slowly, he lifted himself up so he could look over her. He lifted his left hand which still retained its pale grey colour. Experimenting he brushed his fingers over her shoulder fingering the soft fabric, but nothing happened. Moving higher he rested his fingers on the bare skin of her neck. She frowned and muttered. A shiver danced along her skin but he couldn't have lifted his fingers if he'd wanted too. Fascinated, he watched the colour return to his hand, starting where his fingers touched her skin and then radiated out along the back of his hand to his wrist.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he felt warm. He felt her and the craving for more grew. She shivered under his touch and he lifted his hand away. The skin where he'd touched her had reddened with a small pale waxy strip the same length of his fingers. _Frostbite._ The curse hadn't left him.

He'd give anything to turn back the hands of time.

Chapter Four

"Alice, wake up."

She could hear Erik's voice but it felt like there were hundred pound sandbags weighing down her eyelids. It didn't seem worth the effort, the cold was gone and she didn't relish the idea of trudging through anymore ice.

"Come on. You can do this."

Nope I don't wanna.

"You're too cold, Alice. We have to get moving or you're going to die."

Die?

"Yes, that's right. You heard me, _Die_. I saw your face move, fight back."

Part of her wanted to let the wave of warmth carry her away, but something in Erik's voice pulled at her. He didn't sound as cold and detached as he had before. She clawed her way up through the layers of exhaustion, following the frantic sound of his voice. The cold seeped into her consciousness, as well and the realization that her body was shaking.... _no I'm being shaken._ She forced her eyes open and the violent movement stopped.

"Thank Frigg," Her vision cleared and Erik's face came into focus, above her.

"Dude, I'm going to get whiplash, knock it off."

"You wouldn't wake up. I didn't mean to let you sleep that long but I went looking for a way out and when I got back you were still...too still."

"And you thought shaking me hard enough to snap my neck would help?"

"I wasn't that rough. I've been trying to get you to wake the entire time I carried you."

"Carried me?" Alice pushed up and looked around. "Where the hell are we?"

They were in a massive cave but the ice covered walls were gone, solid rock surrounded them, glittering from who knew what minerals or crystals imbedded in them. _Why do they look wet?_

"I found a hot spring."

"In the middle of a fucking glacier?" Alice felt like her head was still wrapped in cotton wool and moving took greater concentration than it should. _God, I need a coffee._ When Erik helped her to her feet, she almost fell down again. "You weren't lying."

"I'd never lie to you." He responded but she was too enraptured by the site in front of her to question him.

Three feet away was an actual hot spring, thick mist floated up around it, spiraling around the rocks. She pulled the mitts off her hands and touched the water with her fingertips. "Shit, that's hot."

"Your temperature is lower than it should be so it'll feel hotter, but you need to get in there."

"You need to come in too."

"I won't put you in that kind of danger."

Alice understood the dangerous chance she was taking. Every time Erik had touched her coat, or hat or taken her hand, the need to feel his skin on hers grew. He didn't want to hurt her. She got that and admired him for his restraint and control. But, she had a gut feeling about this idea. The same gnawing in her gut that had her carry that tugtupite sculpture everywhere she went for the last three years.

He watched her like a hawk watched its prey. His green eyes almost looked luminescent in the dim reflected light. The steam around them clung to her eyelashes and she blinked away the tiny droplets. Peeling each layer off, slower and slower, teasing him. A small thought shimmered through her brain that she might not look as good as she thought all things considered.

"Alice, I refuse to do anything that might hurt you. Don't make me do this." The way Erik's hands were clenched into tight fists at his side as he continued to fight his own craving gave her the belief that he wanted her.

"I'm not making you do anything."

She bent over and untied her boots, slipping out of her socks before tucking them back in. He tracked her hands as she stood up and lifted her arms out of the overalls and let the snow pants drop around her ankles.

That had been the last of the bulky clothing, leaving her in a tight t-shirt and long johns. Erik's breathing grew laboured as if he was fighting to inhale. Spurred on by the devil that had taken on permanent residence on her shoulder, she stepped out of the mound of clothing.

Looking over her shoulder she saw the flash of relief in his gaze. _Nope, not going to make this easy for you big guy._ "It might be a better idea if I keep every layer as dry as possible." She muttered as if she was speaking to herself. Grabbing the hem of her t-shirt she pulled it over her head, and pushed the long johns off her hips. A long low groan sounded behind her, looking back at Erik, she slid her hand over her hip and ass, than blew him a kiss.

The first step into the water took her breath away and she quickly pulled her foot out. "Holy shit that was hotter than I expected." _There goes my plan for sinking seductively into the water. I'm going to freeze my ass off before I get used to it._ She placed her other foot for a moment but then had to take it out again. "I'm not sure if we'll be able to get in here. It might be too hot."

She thought she heard a muttered curse or two before Erik appeared behind her. He wrapped his coat around her body trapping her inside with him. He radiated a chill that should have had her pulling away but she wanted nothing more than to get closer. Instinctively, she arched her back reached up to wrap her arms around his neck but he blocked with his arms. "I'm not worth the risk. Now slowly, one foot at a time, let yourself get used to it."

"I think I'd rather stand here with you. You feel hotter than the water." She rocked her body against his, feeling the impressive ridge of his erection pressing against her lower back. The need to risk everything burned through her, she wanted more than anything to be held but when she tried to turn he tightened his hold.

"Do not touch my bare skin." The words, whispered into her hair, sent a thrill of accomplishment through her. He moved forward and she stepped onto a shallower rock this time. The water lapped at her feet, burning hot at first but then slowly the heat warmed her.

It wasn't that she had a death wish, but the need to feel him surround her, caressing had driven her to the point of distraction. There was always a way to circumvent curses in all the books. Accepting that for some reason his touch reacted with living tissue by slowing down the cellular movement causing freezing, then being submerged in hot water would have to counter act that.

"Come in with me, please. I'll stay on my side of the pool. I swear." She stepped onto a lower ledge, but stayed close enough that he could still hug her shoulders. The warmth from the water radiated up from her calves and she wanted to sink her aching muscles into it. To go lower in the water she had to step out of the circle of warmth his arms created.

"It's not you I'm worried about. I don't trust myself."

Another step and the water rose up over her thighs, the longer she stayed in the easier it got and quickly she acclimatized to it. Sinking past her groin took a couple deep breaths but she made it. Moving through the water made it feel hotter so she slowly turned around. Erik squatted at the water's edge. His coat lay on the ground next to him, muscles stretched the arms of the long sleeve shirt he wore. "I trust you not to hurt me, Erik. Come in, it's so warm."

Erik dipped his fingers into the pool, swirling them around. A blissful smile curled his lips and she watched his facial expression relax, "god that feels good." He met her eyes for a moment before his gaze dropped to her breasts.

If any other man had ogled her like that she would have smacked him, but in this case she welcomed it. "I highly recommend it." Alice braced against the rock and dropped down until she'd sunk in to her neck, hiding her breasts under the water. _If he wants to see them again he can get his ass over here._ Her skin felt like it was on fire but that was nothing compared to the intense look on Erik's face.

He stayed there, still as a stone staring at her looking every bit the Viking she'd first thought him being. His long hair fell down on either side of his face and framed his gorgeous eyes. Her body reacted under the weight of his gaze. She lifted her hands and cupped her own breasts, gently rolling her nipples between her fingers. There was more than one way to get him in here and right now she was too damn turned on to bother being anything but direct.

"Do you like to watch Erik?" She had no idea what he could and couldn't see under the water but he must have recognised her body movement for what it was. She understood the dangerous game she was playing but had a good feeling that she was right on her theory. "Come a little closer, if you dare."

It was cheesy and corny line but beautifully effective. Erik snapped up to his feet and started pulling off clothes, tossing them behind him. When he turned and walked away clad only in a pair of long johns she feared she'd lost him, but he pulled a thermal space blanket out her backpack and quickly wrapped their clothes in it.

Turning back he pointed at her, "If something goes wrong, I want you out of this pool right away."

She would have answered but he took that moment to hook his thumbs into his thermals and tug them down over his hips. Anticipation poured through her like a sweet drug, as he bent and took out each foot and then tossed them behind him. His cock stood proud and thick between his legs and Alice couldn't help but stare.

"Have a good look. It's only fair after I stared at your delicious body."

"I'm not going to be embarrassed by that," thankful that the water was so hot it would hide her blush. She let go of her breasts and waved her arms in the water, enjoying the burning feeling from the water rushing over her skin.

Erik eased into the water, but lowered himself much faster than she had. "You have no reason to be embarrassed, you're gorgeous."

"Beauty trends have changed in the last few decades." Alice mentally ticked off all the points that would have sent any man screaming. Leg stubble, bikini growth, at least she'd shaved her underarms a couple days before.

Erik snorted and then groaned as he eased his hips and chest into the water. "Never gave a shit about that before, not going to start now. Oh, yeah, Fuck this feels good."

The rough timber of his voice made her nipples tight and she toyed with the idea of really teasing him to the point of letting her try to touch him under the water. The more she thought about it the more logical her theory sounded. Or it was the worst idea ever fueled by her massively neglected sex drive and hunger to feel his hands on her.

"How are you feeling?" a nice pink tone had settled into his skin, making her realize that his pallor had been paler than normal before.

"It feels like I have been packed in ice and then a beautiful princess rescued me and warmed me up."

"I'll give you the rescue part, but a princess rescuing a Viking. I like the sound of that story. Think it might have a happy ending?"

"I hope so, but it's not looking good."

"How much are you willing to risk?"

"Alice I'm not willing to risk one single cell on your body so whatever it is your thinking of. Don't."

"I guess this is going to come down to trust."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you trust me not to let you hurt me and do you trust yourself not to let that happen?"

"I'm cursed Alice. I've hurt people before."

"On purpose?" the rocks were warm under her hands as she moved closer to him. The water felt like silk against her skin. She bobbed up and down, giving him a teasing glimpse of her breasts.

"Never," he breathed out the word in a rush fixated on the water's surface. "Alice, this is a bad idea."

"I'm a scientist. How else will we figure out how to reverse this curse you say you have."

He crossed his arms over his torso blocking her view of his delicious looking chest muscles. "Not by experimenting on you."

"I don't see anyone else here. Why not me?" She edged closer still lifting her hand she reached for his hair.

He jerked his head back out of her reach. "No."

"Technically hair is not a living object. It's dead, like nails or old skin cells. You didn't freeze your clothes, so logically your hair would be safe."

The wrinkle between his eyes deepened and she watched his jaw muscles clench as he decided for himself if she was right. She wouldn't force him, but the idea of him living without any human contact made her heart hurt. Human's needed touch, and being starved of it could kill him like a cancer.

"All right, but on my terms," he gathered up a small chunk of hair and held it up so that both of them could see it. "One finger and if I suspect you have even a hint of frost on your skin you go back to your side."

"Deal" Alice leaned closer but kept her body far enough away so that she didn't accidently touch him. Slowly she lifted her hand from the water and shook off any excess water. While she was trying to act brave for Erik, she wasn't as sure of her theory as she tried to make it sound.

Erik looked like he was ready to bolt and the low hum of arousal that had encouraged her to this point faded. If she was wrong... _think positive. Nothing good has ever come from expecting the bad to happen._ Before he could do anything she wrapped her hand around his hair and let it run through her hand. There wasn't a single reaction on her skin and she smiled when she held up her palm. "It's all good."

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You were supposed to touch with one finger."

"God Erik, we could be at this for hours if we go that slowly."

"Then we don't do it at all."

"Fuck this," she muttered, dropping her hand in the water and stroking the top of his thigh. Her hand tingled for a brief moment but then the sensation faded back to warm.

"Show me your hand." Erik's tone betrayed the anger that was written all over his face.

"I know it was a dumb idea," she said lifting her palm. "But, I was right."

Erik stared at her hand and she kept it there letting him see that nothing was wrong. Her theory was sound. The heat from the water negated whatever the supposed curse did to him.

"Touch me, Erik." She eased up next to him, "keep your hand under the water and touch where ever you want."

"I can't hurt you, Alice."

"You won't." The temptation to take the choice out of his hands rode her hand. She wanted to straddle his legs and press her body against his. _Had anyone ever been more concerned about my wellbeing than him?_ "I trust you."

"Promise me you'll speak if something doesn't feel right."

She nodded.

"No, say it. Alice. Promise me that you will tell me if you feel cold."

Staring into his eyes she gave him what he needed. "I promise."

A heartbeat later, his fingers traced a line down the outside of her hip. The touch she'd been craving, but not like she'd imagined. He'd kept the contact feather light and brief. "Again,"

This time his wrapped his hands around her hips, flexing his fingers on her skin as he caressed her. She lifted her arms out of the water and grabbed handfuls of his hair, careful not to touch anything else. "More, I want to feel you everywhere."

"Come here." He tugged on her hips pulling her over his lap. She straddled his body, his cock felt like hot marble against her pussy as she slid along his length. "Fuck woman, you feel like a goddess." He tilted her back in his arms and bent his face close to her breasts. His breath against her nipples teased them into tight nubs but he didn't make contact.

Ice was the last thing on Alice's mind as Erik ran his hands over her body, stroking every inch of skin he could reach except for the one place she wanted him to. Her blood moved like liquid lava through her veins, as her brain tried to come up with a final solution to their dilemma. But, Alice's grey matter was consumed by every nuance of the man touching her. He was so careful above the water, but underneath the surface, he boldly caressed. She gripped his hips with her knees and used the angle to grind against his abs. With every downward stroke the tip of his cock butted up against her vagina, teasing the opening.

"I won't risk you, Alice." He grabbed her waist and stopped her from following through with the idea of dropping down on his length. You're theory works when we're surrounded by hot water.

"But I'm so goddamn hot for you. That's got to count for something."

"There isn't anything I want more then to feel you surrounding every inch of me. But not yet, not until I'm certain that I won't hurt you."

There weren't words to describe how much she loved his concern for her, but Alice wanted to scream with frustration, to be so close. When the broad pad of his thumb brushed past her pussy lips to rub her clit she almost jerked right out of his lap. "Easy princess."

He cupped her ass and spun them around until her back pressed against the smooth rocks. "Lift your feet and brace them on either side of the ledge." He whispered the words above her, "I have an idea."

Curious she did as he asked, feeling vulnerable even though most of her was underwater, it left her body open to any invasion. "Pull my hair if you feel anything cold."

With that he dropped below the water's surface, his hair teased her breasts, floating around as he moved. His lips caressing a path down her inner thigh, Alice lifted her pelvis to meet his mouth. Aware she should be apprehensive, but too desperate to care if she got frostbite on her pussy. His tongue swiped a path along her pussy lips and then he paused before doing it again. The bristles of his beard tickling her sensitive skin as she arched her back and tilted her pelvis. Alice gripped the ledge behind her afraid to touch him in case he stopped.

A moment later Erik came up for air, a decadent smile on his face, "that's hot in every sense of the word." His fingers took up where his lips had been a second before.

"Yes," Alice tried to think of something to say but her body had gone past rational statements and straight to animal need. He strummed her core and she rotated her hips to the rhythm he created. The intimacy between them felt breathtaking, especially since they'd never kissed or touched before. It felt like she'd waited her entire life for this moment.

Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back against the ledge as the building pleasure rocked through her. "Look at me, Alice." She opened her eyes and met Erik's gaze. "I want to see everything. Watch you cum on my fingers, knowing you trust me to take care of you."

Alice's body hummed under the intensity of his gaze. She'd never been a prude and he wasn't the first man she'd ever been with but there was something more naked, more intimate here. It scared the hell out of her and made her want him more at the same time. Lifting herself up she tucked her feet under her and balanced her butt on her heels. Letting her knees fall apart gave him access to every inch of her as she leaned back against the ridge behind her.

Reaching out she grabbed a handful of his hair and tugged his face closer. His body blocked the light and wrapped a shadow around them. "I want to touch you."

"But, you can't." His words echoed around them, "You have to lay there and let me take care of you. This is crazy and insane but I can't keep my hands off you."

Their faces a few inches apart and the danger behind that added another layer to the excitement to the moment. His fingers played her clit, long slow strokes, followed by quick circles had her panting. He didn't enter her but instead circled her entrance, teasing her while his thumb continued to rub the tight button of nerves above it. Their panting and moans ricocheted off the low ceiling growing in volume as he pushed her closer to the edge. Her hips rocked against his hand, searching for more, needing more friction to reach that final peak."

"Look at me."

She hadn't realized that she'd closed her eyes until his demand registered with her scattered thoughts. She blinked open, meeting his gaze. The green of his eyes was almost luminescent in the light behind him. A single teasing finger pushed into her and retreated as quickly, the warm penetration ramped up her desires to a frantic peak. She grabbed handfuls of hair on either side of his head and he pressed a hand against her lower back to help stabilize her precarious balance.

Erik remained careful, playing her body like a musician plucking a bass, creating a deeper throbbing in her soul. The vibrating arousal pulsing through her didn't blind her to the caution in his expression.

"Again dammit, fuck me."

He plunged two fingers into her body, pushing deep and stretching her inner muscles enough to tease. She closed the distance between them, a split second brush of her lips against his. The icy cold tingled against her lips like a blast of artic air, but the contact was too brief for it to burn.

Erik jerked his head back with a curse that echoed around them and narrowed his eyes at her. "Hold onto the edge, Alice. Don't. Let. Go."

She let go of his hair as he gripped her hips, and reached back to grip the eroded edge. He lifted her, keeping her lower body underwater but her breasts peaked above the surface. She wrapped her legs around his hips as he pushed into her in a single smooth movement. The moment his cock pressed inside her, unrelenting in its power and heat, burning her inner muscles, branding her soul. An orgasm slammed into her like a rampaging avalanche, demanding it pulled her under its spell.

"You're hot, Alice." He withdrew until the crown of his cock kissed her opening and then plunged deep into her again. "So goddamn hot." Water splashed up and around them as he thrust in and out of her body. Alice wanted to feel his lips on her, but didn't dare let go of the edge, knowing she'd sink at this angle. Her only option was to dig her heels into the small of his back and roll her hips with every thrust. The combined movements was like throwing gasoline on a forest fire and she followed him into a ecstasy fueled spiral that ended with him shouting out her name as she screamed his.

He lowered her back down to the stone seat and then caged her in by gripping the ledge on either side of her shoulders and resting his lips against her hair while she rested her hands on his hips under the water. He scooped her up and took a couple steps back, pulling her with him.

Chapter Five

Sinking low into the hot pool, Erik rested her head against his cheek, being careful not to touch anything but her hair above the water. Under the water she clung to him, feeling her lush body against his was a gift he'd never thought he'd have again. Too many years alone, and that was before he'd discovered the way to put himself into a frozen coma. There was no way they could live in this hot spring, and he knew there was no going back now. After a single taste of her, he craved more, hungered for her like a man starved for decades. Already his cock was stirring to life, hungering for another taste of her.

But the reality was. He couldn't stay. That kiss was proof enough that she would try and try again. Maybe they could skirt around his curse, find loopholes like touching in a natural hot spring. But sooner or later an accident was going to happen and he couldn't live with taking another life, especially hers.

"Are you mad that I kissed you?" her voice was soft enough that it didn't echo in the room. The condensation dripped and the hot spring bubbled around them, so much noise compared to the silence of the room he's slept in.

"No, how could I be." He'd craved the connection too, and couldn't be certain he wouldn't have made the same decision himself. "But, it was a foolish decision."

"I just hoped that maybe it would break the spell. A kiss is usually the strongest magic in every fairy-tale out there." She leaned back and gently lifted his hair from where it had drifted over one eye.

_Love's first kiss._ That's was she was thinking of. Lust at first sight, but love? No, that took time and trust. They weren't in love but one day he knew they could've been, if circumstances were different. "We can't stay in here much longer. I don't want to risk your health by overheating."

"When we get out, nothing has changed."

Erik shook his head. "As far as I know the curse stays as long as she lives. If there is a way to break it, then only she would know."

"What are the odds that she'll figure out a way to avoid death." Alice untangled her limbs from him and gently floated back to her seat. "We could wait."

"We have two choices,"

"Staying together is too dangerous, so either you put me back where you found me and go on with your life. Or we separate and if I ever figure out a way to break the curse I'll come for you."

Alice started shaking her head the moment half way through his first sentence. "No, I don't accept either of your suggestions. There has to be a way."

Erik lifted himself from the pool and the cooler air felt like ice against his warm skin. Using his shirt he dried himself off and started dressing. Alice sat in the water and chewed on the side of her thumbnail, muttering to herself, occasionally shaking her head as if she didn't like the thought that crossed it.

Once Erik was dressed he dug around in her backpack and found some clean dry clothes. "Come on. Get dressed before you get chilled and I'll hug you all you want."

She didn't meet his eyes as he helped her out, her hand looked so small and pale in his black glove. _I can't curse her to a life like mine, especially when I can give her a chance at love with someone else._ Except, the idea of someone else capturing her love irritated the hell out of him. He pulled on his boots and tried not to ogle her curvaceous hips and ass as she dried herself off, dressing as quickly as he had. An uncomfortable silence descended between them as she repacked her bag and avoided eye contact with him.

This wasn't the first time he'd sex with a woman shortly after meeting her, hell that's how I ended up cursed. But, this time it was different. The last thing he wanted was anything negative floating around Alice's thoughts. Before he could second guess himself he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her. She was tall enough to rest her face in the crook of his neck but remembered the danger because she chose to rest her head on his shoulder.

As the moments passed he felt the tension ease from her muscles, much the same way his own shoulders relaxed. _This felt right, like she was made for me._

"Maybe, it's because I rescued you."

"What?" He pulled his thoughts back to reality.

"This thing between us," she waved a finger back and forth between them. "I've never had sex with a man I've only known for less than a day."

"If it makes you feel any better, I've never had sex with a man after knowing him less than a day either."

She thumped his chest with her fist with a chuckle. "That's not what I meant. We can't have a future can we?"

Her skin looked so pink and warm, tempting him to strip and jump back into the pool rode him hard. He didn't want to think of the reality of their situation. "I will forever be thankful for you releasing me. I want to touch every inch of you. Lay you out under a summer sun and run my tongue over every single inch of you, being denied that..."

"I feel it too." She fingered his hair where it hung against his face. "I want to touch you too. There has to be a solution to this. Something..." Her stomach growled and she pressed her hand against it, a blush colouring her cheeks. "Okay I know I still have some snacks in my bag. We can eat and decide at the same time."

Neither of them wanted to crawl back out into the ice cave and its freezing temperatures. Not when the hot spring kept them comfortable. She dug out more trail mix and her water bottle. He settled down on the ground by the wall, tucking her between his legs much the same as when she'd slept in his arms. There was enough food to settle their immediate hunger but he knew it wasn't enough to last more than a day, especially with both of them eating.

"You need to keep the rest." He gently pushed against her arm when she raised the bag for him to take a handful. "We're still not sure how we'll get you out of here."

"Us, I'm not leaving you."

"Alice, if I froze myself again..."

"No, no, no" shaking her head she twisted around so they were facing each other. "Forget it. It's a stupid idea. I got lucky when I found you and there is no guarantee that I could find you again. We leave together or not at all."

"You'll die down here with me if you don't try."

"I'd rather die with you than without you."

"Don't ever say that. I'd rather you live a full wonderful life than to waste it by freezing to death wishing for the impossible."

Alice pushed to her feet, her anger simmering in the air around her. _She's beautiful when she's pissed._ "You're not as smart as you like to think."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, stop trying to manipulate me. I'm not going to get angry enough to leave your tight ass behind."

The denial sat on his lips but he didn't want to lie. While he hadn't started out with that thought it certainly had crept into his subconscious. "What do you suggest?"

"We go back out there and spend a few hours exploring some of the crevices and see if there is a way up. Or, we could spend the same amount of time figuring out a way to get back up the tunnel I slid down."

"Alright, let's look at the obvious first. Going out the way you came in might be easiest."

"It's getting to the opening that might be tricky. Maybe we could rig up a pulley system that would support both our weight, none of this one at a time crap. That always turns out bad in the movies."

"Hold on, before we get ahead of ourselves let's take a good look at how you got here." Erik got to his feet and pulled her back into his arms for another hug. Part of him didn't want to leave, outside was cold, dangerous and held the distinct possibility everything could go wrong.

* * * *

The cold bit Alice's cheeks the moment after she crawled up out of the grotto. Following Erik's ass hadn't been a hardship. Even in padded snow pants his ass was incredible, and she'd been lucky enough to wrap her legs around it. She tamped down the shame that threatened to follow that thought. So what if she had sex with a gorgeous man hours after meeting him. _I'm a consenting adult with a less than stellar chance of getting out of here alive._

"What was that?" Erik gripped her upper arm and helped lift her up the last couple feet.

"Oh nothing worth repeating."

"How's your hip feeling?" He ran his hand over her hip and thigh, the layers of insulation prevented her from really feeling his touch but she like to pretend the heat from his hand penetrated through. His concern touched her heart too.

"Honestly, I haven't really noticed. I think the hot water and exercise helped it." She pointed at the hole they just crawled out of, "maybe we should go back down before it starts to hurt again."

"That is a temptation we both need to resist right now, even if I do agree it's an excellent idea. It's freezing up here." He pulled his hood up over his damp hair. Ice crystals were already starting to form in his beard. "We need to get moving."

"You're right," she nodded, icy tendrils of fear stretched along her spine. There were only two ways this was going to work out. Good or bad and she feared the odds weren't in her favour.

He took her hand and the flashlight, leading them back through the tunnels to where they started. The ice crunched under their steps, the silence was almost deafening.

"You mentioned ice thunder before," Erik's voice soothed her raddled nerves. Almost as if she believed the nothing bad could happen if he was around. A ridiculous thought because she was a strong, independent, woman, perfectly capable of handling her own problems. _But, it's nice to share the weight of coming up with a solution._

"Usually, it's caused by the shifting of the ice or alterations in temperature. The hot springs could be the main cause and we don't have to worry or the ice is moving in which case our time could be dangerously short.

"What do you mean the ice is moving? Glaciers take thousands of years to move inches."

"A lot has happened in the last few decades. Global warming and the greenhouse effect have been devastating on the north and south poles. The earth's crust warms up and creates a layer of water under the ice and they slide along that. We're seeing ancient glaciers moving faster than ever, breaking off into the sea and melting."

"And the world moves on and pretends nothing is wrong." He shook his head, "That would explain why I was found sooner than I anticipated. I'd been working the math based on the glacial conditions in the 60's and 70's.

"What year were you born in?"

"1944 in a village outside of Nuuk."

"Holy shit, you're a dirty old man. I was born in 1985."

His laugh bounced around the cavern as he tugged her close, so close, she felt the whiskers of his beard brush a cold swath against her cheek. For a brief moment, they were simply two people acting on their mutual arousal with a whimsical kiss, but both of them jumped apart a split second before their lips touched. Erik cursed and she pushed away from him so quickly she slipped on a small edge.

Her body lurched but before she hit the ice, he'd jumped forward and caught her and pulled her against his chest. This time he didn't let go right away, instead she stood there with her cheek pressed against his wide chest, his arms tight bands around her shoulders. "I can't do this Alice. Pretending like this is nothing but a flirtation or something casual is dangerous to both of us."

"We'll get back up to the surface and find a cure. The advancements in the scientific world over my lifetime are mind boggling. We can do this."

"So you want me to become a scientific experiment?" Erik eased his grip on her, "that's not anything I'm interested in either."

Alice balled up her fist and thumped him on the chest. "That's not what I mean and you know it. I want a chance at a life with you Erik. Curses were made to be broken, there has to be a way."

"No, no you silly girl. I wasn't about to let him off that easy."

Chapter Six

A woman's voice was a shock but completely welcome when Alice turned and saw her boss standing a few feet away from them. Her vibrant red snow gear practically glowed in the dim light. She wasn't alone, a man stood just behind her holding a backpack. Relief coursed through her veins. _We're not going to die after all._ "Thank god you found me, Beth. How did you know where to look? My equipment is going haywire, I was afraid the GPS tracking devices weren't even working down here."

"Did Erik give you some sob story about running away from a curse or evil woman hunting him?"

"What?" Alice whipped her gaze back and forth between Erik, her boss. The bright warm relief she'd felt rushing through her iced over as the tension in the air permeated her awareness.

"Hello, Bethina."

"You know each other?"

"Oh, Erik is and old...friend of my sister and I." Beth's lip curled up as she spoke, baring her teeth. "My sister couldn't be here today thanks to Erik. She died giving birth to his son, Sig."

"Truth is, he got my mother pregnant and then took off." The man next to Beth spoke. He pulled off his hood and goggles. "Hiding away from his responsibility so his life wasn't hindered at all."

Alice didn't think he looked anything like Erik, but she was one more surprise away from losing her shit. _My boss is the bitch who cursed him?_

"There is only one woman I'd ever be able to have children with and your mother wasn't her."

"Then explain my presence?" Sig threw his goggles to the side, as he yelled.

"Easy," Erik shrugged, "I'm not your father."

"Oh, yes you are." Bethina shrill voice echoed off the ice around them. "I raised myself a little godling, who's going to kick your ass."

"He's no warrior."

Alice fought the urge to roll her eyes at the blatant arrogance of Erik's tone. When he looked down at her, the easy arrogance in his expression morphed into concern. He stood up straight and clasped his hands behind his back. Hidden from view of the couple in front of them, he flicked his fingers in a motion encouraging her to hide behind him.

_Fuck that buddy, I've spent my life taking the easy way out. I'm not cowering this time._ Besides, she already knew her chances of survival had been slim, how much worse could it be now?

She stepped up next to Erik and ignored the low frustrated growl emanating from his throat. "Kid or not, why fight it out down here? Let's get to the surface before we all freeze and you all can book an interview on Maury Povich or something."

"Oh, aren't you a clever girl." Bethina looked Alice from top to bottom, "Your bleeding heart will break nicely. Erik here can't touch you because he'll turn you into a little smartass-sicle. I on the other hand," she reached up and pushed Erik's hood off his head.

She smirked, sliding her hand up the front of his coat.

"Go ahead, I'm begging you to." Erik held out his bare hand.

"I always loved to hear you beg for me."

Jealously burned hot in Alice's chest as her boss slid her fingers over Erik's forehead and caressed him from temple and around to the skin between his eye and beard. "If you weren't such an unfaithful bastard, I would have had time to tell you...instead of you finding out the hard way."

Erik grabbed Bethina's wrist and pulled her hand away from his face. "I already killed someone."

"But you didn't care about her any more than you care about poor Alice."

* * * *

"It was a harsh lesson about keeping your hands to yourself, but then I see you managed to figure out a way to save your own skin. I'm curious where you got that pendant."

"A friend made it." Erik wasn't about to tell her any more than that. He was having hard time calming his racing heart. When Bethina touched him, for that brief moment he'd thought the curse was broken. Knowing he'd be free to touch Alice filled him with more joy then he had a right to feel, only to be crushed a moment later. _I should have known that psychotic bitch would have a loophole for herself._

"It's pretty. Will you ice up if I take it off you?" Alice's posture stiffened, drawing Bethina's notice. "What about her? How about you give into that kiss you're craving. Get her out of your system and then when she's solid we could stick her out in my backyard, in the snow, so you can visit her whenever you think about leaving me again."

"You can put her where ever you want, but I won't be in your bedroom."

"See," Bethina turned her attention to Alice while she waved a hand at him. "He'll never change. Erik is a whore to the core and finding out he was immortal meant he could fill his headboard with notches."

Erik sensed more than saw Alice retreat from him. She stepped away placing more space between them, he wanted to argue but her safety was more important. "She means no more to me than you did, Bethina. Alice had food and equipment that could help me get out of here quicker. She was a means to an end." The lie burned like acid in the back of Erik's throat. But getting her out of there alive was his goal and if it meant Alice hated him for a while then so be it. _If we survive this, I'll spend eternity making it up to her._

Because, there was no doubt in his mind that she was his. The stolen hours in the hot spring was proof enough. He knew before but the moment he touched her skin, felt her energy sink into his body, heard that damn rumbling of Thor's approval. Now all he needed to do was break this curse so he didn't kill the one woman who'd stolen his heart. She was smart, tenacious and brave. The spirit of a Valkyrie, he'd be proud to spend eternity with.

"You're an asshole, Erik." The venom in Alice's tone made him wince, but he expected to feel a certain amount of malice vibrating off her. But, he didn't feel anything that negative through the tenuous bond they'd formed. He wanted to look at her face, gage her expression for himself, but he knew if he looked at her Bethina would see it was all a lie. He cared about Alice with every fiber of his being.

"Can we get on with this?" Sig waved his gun around before pointing it at Alice. "She can tell everything to the authorities and have us arrested."

Erik clenched every muscle in his body to stop himself from lunging in front of her. Instead he imagined the horrible ways he would dismember Sig for threatening his Valkyrie.

Alice put up both hands in a defensive position, "I won't say anything and who would believe any of this anyways."

"Don't be an idiot Sig. Put the gun down. We need her for insurance. If she's alive, then Erik won't try anything stupid."

"He just said that he doesn't give a shit about her."

"And it goes to prove once again how stupid you are. I know his kind and the fact that he hasn't touched her is more than enough proof for me. If he wanted her dead he would have killed her by now and broken the curse."

"What?" Erik snapped his gaze to Bethina. "I have to kill someone to break the curse?"

"Not just anyone, Erik." The smile that crossed her face was so evil; even he felt its chill. "An innocent. Someone who knows who you are and who trusts you. Her death at your hands."

"Are you sure that's _exactly_ what the curse said?"

Alice's voice sounded far calmer than Erik would have expected and it took a few heartbeats before he understood why she emphasized one word so much. _Thank you for blessing me with a woman far smarter than I._ He kept his mouth shut and waited to see if Alice had it right.

"Of course that's exactly what I said. I'm not about to forget my own spells." Bethina stroked her hand down his chest and Erik fought the urge to shove her across the ice. "What a moronic question. No wonder you left your job to continue researching because you're not that smart."

"And the size of death?" Alice took a step closer, to her. "Did you specify that in your curse?"

"What do you mean size? Dead is dead, you stupid human."

"That's what I thought. I had absolutely nothing to do with Erik's curse or your vengeance, which made me the _innocent_ in all of this. As for Erik's hands, I felt La Petit Morte a number of times in the last couple hours. I'd say that breaks your curse."

Between one heartbeat and the next Erik realized he had to choose. Sig lifted his gun and pointed it at Alice, at the same moment Bethina attacked. He dove for the weapon and knocked it from Sig's hand just as the deafening roar of a gunshot echoed in the space around them. Panicked he'd been too late he turned in time to see the witch drop to the ground and Alice looking up at the ice above them in horror. Thunder shook the ground under his feet as he ran for her. She snapped out of her frozen state when he grabbed her hand and the two of them ran across the rocks in the direction that Bethina and Sig and emerged.

There was a terrified scream behind them, before the sound of smashing ice drowned it out. Erik scooped Alice up in his arms and ran as fast as his body could go, following the long rocky tunnel that curved and exposed a bright light at the end.

Diving out into the snow beyond the entrance, he turned his body and cushioned Alice's impact. The snow was freezing cold and dropped down the back of his neck and pants as they slid. The both watched in awe as dust and snow billowed out from the cave entrance.

"There's no way she survived that is there?" Alice whispered.

Erik cupped her cheek with his hand, her skin felt warm under his fingertips, a sharp contrast to the icy drips melting down his spine. Not that he cared because it all proved that he was alive.

"You're touching me." Alice's smiled warmed his heart and soul.

"You're mine." He'd explain the signs to her...later. For now he wanted to feel.

Alice lowered her head and their lips met, an electricity lit up his entire body and angled straight to his cock. Lightening streaked through the sky above them, the thunder rumbling overhead.

"There's more to that than you've told me, isn't there?" Alice spoke against his lips as if she was afraid to be parted even for a moment.

"Yes, it means I'm yours for eternity."

"Good. Let's find somewhere warm to celebrate." She looked up and pointed at a large vehicle parked a few meters away. "I don't think they are going to need that any more. Let's go home."

Epilogue

"Hey ice man, you coming in?"

Erik looked up from the tablet he'd been reading. Forty years of history wasn't that much to catch up on, but so much had happened in the three and a half short decades. So much right and wrong, he wondered if the world had any idea what was really going on. The battle of good and evil raged wildly among the general public and very few actually saw anything past the surface.

"Erik?" Alice had propped herself on her arms at the edge of the pool and pushed her sunglasses on top if her head. Her raven hair glistened with wet and the blue and purple streaks running though it practically glowed in the sunshine.

"You are the most beautiful woman in the universe."

The smile she gifted him with warmed his heart more than a hundred hot springs and a thousand suns. She hoisted herself out of the water and strode over to him. Clad in a black bikini that showed off her body more than he liked anyone else to see, but he wasn't about to make her cover up. A decree like that that would have her stripping down and streaking through Times Square just to prove she could.

Alice plucked the tablet from his hands and then stepped over his legs, straddling the lounger he'd been relaxing on. Cool droplets of water coated him from chest to knee as she leaned over him, bracing her arms on his shoulders. "Come closer," he wrapped his hands over her ass and encouraged her to sit down on him, partially to hide the growing erection he sported. "I love you."

"I love you too, iceman." She wriggled her hips, grinding her soft pussy against the ridge of his cock. "You're always so happy to see me."

"Every moment of every day," sliding his hands from her ass to her hips and then along her thighs, he loved the silky feel of her skin. Again the thought of her dying outside of his frozen tomb felt like ice feathering over his soul.

"Hey, stop it." Alice pinched his beard and tugged. It was much shorter now than before but she'd said she liked it so he wasn't about to shave it off. "You're thinking bad thoughts."

She stroked her thumb between his eyebrows. "You're getting a wrinkle."

"At my age, I think I'm allowed a couple." He grabbed her hand and pulled it closer, kissing the crystal ring he'd slipped on her finger the previous night. He'd had part of her "good luck charm" made into an engagement ring for her.

Erik wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck and pulled her closer to him. Capturing her lips he licked and nibbled until he felt her melt against him. Over the last few weeks, He'd learned that Alice's family were filled with people more concerned with stature than love. But, he was happy to be able to give her both, knowing that Alice only cared about him. Thanks to his immortal brothers, his assets had been kept safe during his exile allowing him the freedom of not having to worry about finances for a long while.

"I got a text from my mom this morning." She twisted her finger around a chunk of his hair. "She and my sisters are flying in tonight. They want to meet us for dinner and drinks."

"If you are alright with them coming then I don't care. I only want what makes Alice happy."

"I want to go zip lining....in the amazon." She rubbed her nose against his. "Can we leave tonight?"

Erik gripped her hips and pressed his cock up against the soft damp and always hot pussy. "How about you text your family and tell them we have plans tonight and I'll get us flights in the morning."

"To the amazon?" She rocked her hips in time with his easy thrusts.

"How about I surprise you?"

"You were the biggest surprise of my life." Alice's smile shone brighter than the sun. "I do love surprises."

"I know," Erik slipped his fingers under the leg of her bathing suit, rubbing a fingertip against her clit. Her shocked gasp turned into laughter when he scooped her up into his arms and carried her inside. Life was filled with surprises and he wanted to experience every single one with her.

The End

Enjoy the first two chapters of Haunted Hearts!

# Haunted Hearts

In the wake of a horrific accident, Gwen was left with a terrifying ability. Now, she's on the run with her little brother. Fleeing the iron fist of her father and his organization, she can't escape her visions of the ghosts who haunt her.

When Mac lost his passion for his career in the coast guard, life holds little pleasure anymore, until a beautiful woman crashes into his life and he is forced to live up to his code of protection.

Gwen needs a hero and Mac needs to be one.

When the ghosts of the past catch up with them, will their love protect them or will the truth destroy their future?

## Chapter One

I _had no_ _idea the destructive capability of four year olds._ Gwendolyn scrubbed at the sticky crimson spill before wiping the worn linoleum tabletop clean. Streamers and balloons hung haphazardly around the room while bits of ribbon and wrapping paper littered the floor amongst more streaks of red. These old tables had seen a lot of birthday parties, but all this red icing from the Nelson twins' birthday cake made the place look more like a scene from a horror movie.

She straightened the napkin holder and condiments before flipping the silver chairs, resting their worn green vinyl-padded seats on the tables. The room almost echoed with the high-pitched squeals when she brought out the red heart-shaped cake their mother had baked for them. Gwen made quick work on the rest and then began to sweep up the crumbs and sprinkles coating the floor.

A small shimmer glimmered in the corner of her eye, trying to catch her attention, but she ignored it. Old diners like this attracted spirits like a moth to a warm flame. Thankfully, the ones who tended to appear around here were gentle and inquisitive. So far, they were happy to revisit their own fond memories of the place and then move on. By ignoring them, Gwen could keep up the illusion of being nothing but a small town girl working to take care of her ten year old brother. No one knew of her violent past, or of what she'd done to try to keep herself and her brother safe for the last five years. Nothing frightened her more than someone discovering her penchant for seeing ghosts, and losing the small control she had over her life.

Her little brother Joey kept busy doing dishes in the kitchen by hand because earlier in the day he'd decided to take apart the kitchen's dishwasher. Gwen was terrified she would have to pay for it or, worse, lose her job. Mrs. Brown simply laughed and said she expected something like this to happen. Kids like Joey had a natural curiosity that had to be sated, she said, and they learned best when they could dig into the middle of something themselves. Of course, he wasn't getting off scot-free. Washing dishes by hand was his punishment until he put the machine back together.

As if her thoughts had called him, Joey slipped into the room and, contrary to his habit of slamming things, quietly eased the swinging doors closed. He ran to her and wrapped his arms around her waist in a tight squeeze. Shivers shook his small body, frightening her faster than any ghost could have.

"Wendy, you have to be quiet, Ma Brown says." Joey had started calling her Wendy after she read _Peter Pan_ to him.

"Why? Joey, what exactly happened?"

"So, I'm washing dishes for–e–ver, and I start thinking about the dishwasher. There is a spring in there I don't recognize, and I think that must be the problem. I bet if I put in a new one and clean out all the spouts and replace a couple tubes it will work better now than it did before. Do you know how old it is?" Joey took a deep breath, and Gwen knew he was on the verge of a long explanation on the inner workings of the antique washer.

She constantly worried about her brother. His natural abilities seemed to be stunted by his lack of social skills and immaturity. After the dishwasher incident, Mrs. Brown tried to assure Gwen. She thought one day all the parts of Joey's brain would catch up with each other and he would end up being a great surgeon or lawyer or president. While Gwen wanted to believe her, she understood it wouldn't happen without some specialized help. Right now though, she needed to get him focus to answer her question.

Cupping Joey's face with her hands, she tilted his face up, and made eye contact. "No, Joey. Listen to me. What did Mrs. Brown say?"

"Oh, yeah. Ma Brown came in and whispered to me. She said to hide back here and to tell you to be silent. If we hear her yell, we are to go out the back door and go hide in the woods out back until we hear her ring the bell."

The party room had its own entrance so the diner's customers wouldn't be too disturbed by large groups of people coming and going. Gwen clutched Joey closer to her and moved toward the door. Twitching aside the teahouse curtains, she looked out. Parked to the side of the building sat a brand new Mercedes. The amount of dust covering the hood proved it had been driving a long while on back roads.

Her heart thudded hard in her chest and she clenched her teeth together. A metallic taste flooded her mouth from where she caught the inside of her cheek. She had tried so hard to stay hidden. She stopped straightening her hair, dyed it black, changed her name, and tried to hide in a small town.

"Joey, you stay here by the door. Don't make a sound."

He nodded, his eyes reflecting the fear she tried to hide. "Do we have to run?"

"Not yet, stay here while I look."

Gwen moved over to the swinging doors. Staying beneath the circular window, she pressed her ear to the small crack between them. She could hear the normal sounds of the diner. Jack rattled dishware as he cooked up something in the kitchen, and Mrs. Brown laughed while she served someone. Nothing sounded amiss until she heard a couple of men's voices. She couldn't make out the words, but their rich Latino accent stuck out among the Southern drawl she'd grown accustomed to. Memories of why she ran away flooded her system like adrenaline. The instinct to run vibrated along her limbs. God, if these men were whom she suspected and they had arrived an hour ago? All those precious children would have been in danger, along with their moms and family. _If they'd been hurt, it would have been on me._ Gwen slowly tiptoed back to where Joey stood by the door.

"I'm not going to get to go to school here, am I?"

His whispered voice wrapped around her heart like a vice. He loved it here and continually reminded her that she promised he could go to school in a few weeks with the locals.

"Let's not worry about that yet."

_How did they keep finding them?_ If they knew about all the bank accounts, then they'd know she'd never used a penny. Gwen had taken great lengths to make sure she didn't use anything traceable. They left with the clothes on their backs and a few packed essentials. If one thing set them out from the crowd, it was her Shelby. She earned the money for it, and it saved her and Joey from traveling on buses and trains. Could they have found out about it? She loved that car, but if that was why they found them then it would have to go.

Joey shifted his weight back and forth against her side. "Wendy, I'm bored."

"I know, kiddo. Not too long now." They sat on the floor with their backs to the wall under the window. If anyone walked by, they wouldn't see them. She heard the deep purr of an expensive car and fought the urge to look through the window and watch them leave. Instead, they sat there and waited.

Finally, Mrs. Brown opened the door to the room and stuck her head in. "You two okay?"

"Yes, ma'am." Gwen nodded and hugged her brother closer to her. She fought the urge to cry with relief. The illusion of safety she deluded herself into believing for the past few months dissipated.

"Mr. Brown wasn't always a good boy either. Those boys were trouble through and through. They've got an old picture of you, Gwennie." Ma Brown looked over her shoulder to the front of the restaurant and then focused back on them. "I think they believed me when I said I'd never seen ya. They're passing through and it sounded like they're in the habit of asking but used to hearing no."

Gwen opened her mouth to offer an explanation but shut it when Mrs. Brown held up her hand. "No, I don't want to know. You're a good girl, and I know you and Joey are in some trouble. It's good to know when you're hiding out, where you stand. Now you know. Whoever they are, they're still looking for you."

Mrs. Brown flipped one of the chairs back to the floor and sat down. "Don't you worry. No one around here is going to tell them anything. We keep to ourselves and don't like strangers poking around our business.

Gwen hoped life might be different here, that she and Joey could live a normal life. They got lucky today, but what if next time someone else caught her out front?

"The dinner rush will be starting in an hour or two. Becky should be feeling a bit better by then. Poor thing is suffering terribly with morning sickness."

"I'll be finished up here in a second, and then I'll come help you get ready out front. I don't mind staying if she doesn't feel like coming in." The extra tips would come in handy now.

"You're a kind girl, Gwen. Why don't you have a bit of a rest and something to eat? Go in and tell Jack what you're in the mood for. He's sweet on you. I'm certain he'll happily make whatever you want."

Mrs. Brown ruffled her brother's hair. "Young Joey, you still have some pots to finish up."

Joey rolled his eyes with an added sigh. "Can't I have something to eat, too?"

"I happen to know Jack has been making you snacks all day, young man. I told you, until my dishwasher is fixed, you will be helping out with the dishes."

"What if I delay doing more dishes and work on getting all the pieces back into the dishwashing machine?"

"Will you put them in the proper spots?"

Joey looked at her as if she was insane. "Of course I will. It would fail to work properly if I didn't."

Gwen tried to smile at such simple logic but even that failed her. The weight of the entire universe sat on her shoulders, perhaps because she had placed so many innocent people in danger. Joey slipped out from under her arm and dashed toward the kitchen. Mrs. Brown didn't leave but instead stood there. Gwen could feel her gaze on her but couldn't meet her eyes.

"I have to quit. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Now don't be doing anything rash." The older woman placed her hands on Gwen's shoulders, and Gwen's gaze met hers. She expected to see pity or anger but not understanding in the expression on Mrs. Brown's face. "Honey, how long have you been hiding?"

"Five years."

"Now, I'd say that's a very long time for someone to be looking for you."

"They'll never stop looking. I'm going to have to make sure I have nothing they have interest in. Until then, I will never be free."

"Is the solution really that simple?"

"No but I can't live like this. I can't expect Joey to live like this. He will never get the help he needs if I have to worry about our past hunting us down."

"You have a good idea, but I don't want you to rush off anytime soon. Mistakes are made that way. If you're certain this is what needs to be done, then do what you need to, but plan it out. Without a plan you'll make a mistake, and they'll be waiting to catch you."

"I'm so sorry I brought this here."

"You didn't bring anything here, little girl. Some good force out there is reminding you not to let down your guard. You're obviously still in danger."

_If I go home we'd be in more danger but that's the only way I can finally put an end to all this._ It wasn't much of a plan, but sometimes the simple solutions worked better than complex ones. Someone must have taken up the reins of her father's organization. An organization she often compared to a Hydra. She once tried to cut off its head, but like the mythical beast, it grew another. Only the one that grew back had it out for her.

* * *

Three Weeks Later

Gwen tiptoed her way through the obstacle course of fun strewn across the ratty, old, dingy hotel carpet in her brother's bedroom. Joey had decided the threadbare patches were dangerous and had created bridges and ramps over them for his trains and cars. Twisting trails curved around, back, and under in beautiful complexity that reflected his thought patterns.

She worried about him so much and wished she could do more. He was a complete genius at mechanics, but struggled to read at his age level. Joey never stopped observing life in his brilliant and quirky way. He absorbed videos on YouTube and everything he watched got filed away in that amazing brain of his. She suspected he belonged somewhere on the Autism spectrum but they never stayed anywhere long enough to have him diagnosed. Not that she could afford the doctors or therapists. _Not now, maybe not ever._ Had she never run away with him, their father might have coughed up the money, but at what cost? The emotional and physical abuse they would have suffered wasn't worth it.

She still remembered the day her mom brought him home from the hospital. Her father raved about his son and how her mother finally gifted him with the most precious of gifts. He never hid his disgust at his firstborn being a girl, but she never held it against her brother. She adored him from the moment she saw him.

As the years went by, it became more and more obvious Joey wasn't developing like other kids his age. Her mother started reminding Gwen on a regular basis that if anything happened, Gwen would be the one to keep him safe. Looking back, Gwen wondered if her mother realized Alphonse would kill her one day with those beatings. _Why didn't she take us and run? Why didn't she ever come and see me._

For years after her mother's death, she wondered why her ghost never came to see her. Not once, even when she'd prayed and called out to her in the dark of night. _Nothing._

A sharp needle like pain stabbed into the arch of her foot ripping her back to the present. Wincing, she bit back a curse and hopped on one foot. _Stupid blocks. Damn, those corners are sharp._ She flicked the bright red plastic brick with her toe and out of her way. It bounced a couple inches on the carpet before coming to rest near the forgotten pile. A cold breeze danced across the back of her neck, the little hairs stood up in response. _Evil_ She whipped around, certain to see someone or something standing there. _Nothing._ But, in the back of her mind she could feel it again. The same icy fury, she'd felt when she picked up the duffle bag earlier in the day.

_Oh, please, not now_. Her emotions couldn't handle any kind of spirit coming at her right now. Head throbbing and heart pounding she tiptoed back out leaving Joey's door open in case he needed her. Eyeing the cause for her sleepless nights, she flopped down on her makeshift bed and thumped the rolled up excuse for a pillow while she tried to get comfortable. _Another night of infomercials_ , she grabbed the remote from the coffee table. _Just once I'd like to sleep all night uninterrupted._ Glancing at the TV, her breath caught in her throat making her choke.

BITCH.

The word, drawn in angry slashes across the dust on the TV screen, sent fear spiking through her system. The remote fell from her fingers and hit the floor with a soft thump. Her heart fluttered, and she closed her eyes, not wanting to look around in case she saw something. _Just my luck, we get the room with the pissed off ghost. Knowing my luck he probably killed himself in here._ She had gotten used to the gentle presence of spirits in Lowville. She'd forgotten how locations like the one they were staying in attracted negativity.

_It can't hurt me, only scare me._ The reminder helped her push past her fear. "Go away," she forced the words out past her tense vocal cords, "Go away. Go away."

A simple incantation said three times, that spirits usually obeyed. Icy fingers pressed against her throat for a heartbeat before vanishing like it was all in her imagination. A lone cricket outside played its call to its friends, a warm, muggy, breeze lifted the stained curtains. Out in the parking lot a car door slammed while a couple in the next room screamed at each other.

She reached up and stroked her fingers over the smooth stone sitting just below her collar bones, her mother's pendant. _Mom? Please help us. We need you._ But, just like every other time Gwen asked, her mother didn't make an appearance. She'd hoped that by having her mother's necklace back, it would help her make a connection to the other side. Wasted hope.

Pushing up, she staggered across the room and used her sleeve to swipe at the screen, clearing the remaining dust away. _So much for sleeping tonight,_ she forgo laying down and sat up, stretching her legs out on the coffee table. Whatever spirit invaded her space had left, but the lingering fear it caused would keep her heart beating hard in her chest for hours. This wasn't the first negative spirit to try and scare her, but it certainly did a good job. Another fight broke out in the alley behind the motel and sirens wailed in the distance.

She'd underestimated the bone deep terror she'd feel returning to her hometown. Her only thought was to get in and get out as quickly as possible. Joey had spent the entire trip to St. Petersburgh, Florida underneath his favorite blanket. He never reacted well when he felt his security threatened or his routine upended and this time had affected him the hardest. _I don't blame him, if hiding under a blanket could ease my concerns, I'd crawl under there with him._

Earlier that day she'd gone to the train station to retrieve the black leather duffle bag she'd stashed in there five years before. Waiting till rush hour to ensure that the bustling crowd of people hid her from anyone that might be watching, she went inside to the lockers. Everything she'd stolen from her father, in hopes to use as a kind of insurance, lay hidden in that bag. It's why her father had wanted her back and why she was still being hunted. Whoever took over Alphonse Reghetti's business knew his secrets and must have figured out what she'd taken. Even she hadn't really looked at what she grabbed the night she emptied the drawer in her father's desk. Choosing instead to take everything she could and sort it out later. She did grab one thing, her mother's necklace. It had been in the drawer with everything else and Gwen had wanted something of her mother's.

Keeping Joey occupied, she'd watched the station for two hours before being certain no one knew they'd returned. She'd left Joey hiding under his blanket in the car and rushed to the lockers. It had taken four tries to get the key to unlock it and retrieve the small duffel bag because of the bone deep trembling in her hands. Once back in the car she'd sat there for thirty minutes before leaving. Had anyone tried to approach the car or looked dangerous, she'd planned to drive away and never return. It took her two hours before she stopped at the seedy hotel they were hiding out in. The small hotel room she paid cash for was the cheapest she could get with a separate bedroom and a small kitchenette. Gwen gave Joey the bedroom while she slept on the lumpy sofa in the living room.

She was fully aware her actions were borderline paranoid but she didn't care. No amount of paranoia was too much when it came to her brother's safety. Hyper-vigilant, in case the nasty spirit decided to make another appearance, the dark sky lightened to charcoal before her body forced her to sleep.

Obnoxious sunshine woke her up the next morning with a crick in her neck from using the arm of the sofa as a pillow and a sharp throbbing pain pulsed behind her left eye. It took three deep breaths before she worked up the courage to look at the TV screen. Dust collected in the corners and there were streaks from where she wiped her sleeve across it but no words.

Maybe I was just overtired last night and my imagination got the better of me? Anxiety could have created the malicious presence.

Her first instinct was to find a new place to hide today, but she hated the idea of upsetting Joey by moving him so soon. He needed structure and order in his life. Having his routine upset always set him off. Not that is mattered when her sweet brother woke up almost as grumpy as her.

"No, I don't like that." Joey pushed away the bowl of granola she'd poured for him. "Mrs Brown makes me pancakes for breakfast."

"But, Mrs Brown isn't here and you have to eat." Gwen pushed the bowl closer to him. "You said last night that you would eat granola instead of pancakes."

"No, it has to be pancakes." Joey crossed his arms and stuck his chin up, turning his face away from the bowl.

Tired and agitated, Gwen wasn't in the mood for this crap as he continued to tap dance on her last nerve. Snapping at him wouldn't help anything but thankfully she still knew how to manipulate a stubborn ten year old boy.

"How about we go on a quest?" The idea of an adventure caught his attention quick enough. Nothing like a bit of wild and wonder to distract him.

"What kind?" He pushed the cereal bowl a couple inches further away from him.

"This is like those choose-your-own adventure stories." Reaching out Gwen pushed the bowl an inch toward him. "We won't know what is going to happen until we get there and make the choice."

Joey loved those stories and she'd read and reread them until he had them memorized. He could read them on his own now, but he still begged her to do it.

"Where does it start?"

"It all starts with breakfast. You have to eat granola so that your brain wakes up and allows you to make the best decisions."

He stared at her for a good minute before reaching out and pulling the bowl back in front of him.

Gwen mentally cheered her win. "You're first choice is the beach or the boardwalk."

"Beach!" he shouted the moment she stopped speaking and resumed shoveling the granola into his mouth.

"Chew slowly and swallow so you don't choke. Once you're done, put your dish in the sink, put on your shoes and we'll walk there."

"If we're going to the beach, I don't believe I'll need shoes."

"Your feet will hurt on the pavement if you walk barefoot." _Broken glass, syringes, nails, garbage._ "You can take them off on the sand."

"We should bring towels. What if our adventure takes us swimming?"

_Oh, that's not going to happen._ Her skin itched and she feared breaking out in hives just at the thought of going to the beach. The idea of Joey swimming out in the sea, and her not being able to save him, frightened her to no end. "I don't believe this is a swimming story."

"I thought I got to choose my own adventure? How can you tell what is going to happen when we aren't there yet?"

_Damn young logic._ "I can't, but if the story leads to the water, then perhaps we can find a splash pad."

A sigh and eye roll was his only response to her suggestion. Joey loved the water, and she enjoyed taking him swimming at the community pools where there were lifeguards to watch and rescue him when he took too many chances. The ocean carried too many risks for her to feel safe and secure.

Joey swirled the spoon around in his bowl, and tried to push the grains under the milk.

"Hey, the longer you play with your food the shorter our beach adventure we'll be." Gwen got up to get dressed and take some ibuprofen before they went out. _This was a bad idea._

## Chapter Two

Mac sat on the back of a bench, his feet on the seat, the sun on his face and shit hawks in the air above him as he watched the world go by. He'd been undergoing treatment for PTSD and wasn't back to full duties at work with the Coast Guard yet. It was a long process and he hated what felt like a never ending barrage of psych evaluations. To be truthful, all he'd done the last few weeks was watch the world go by, _until she showed up._

A gorgeous woman straight from his dirtiest fantasies had appeared out of nowhere and captured his attention. Long black hair curled wildly around her head, lifting with the breeze. Her T-shirt hugged the curves of her breasts and hips. He had no idea what the color of her eyes were because she wore a large pair of dark sunglasses. _What color are they?_ A burning question circled obsessively in his mind. There was something about her that struck him as familiar but he couldn't nail down exactly what nagged at his memory. Her looks caught his attention but her behavior is what captivated him.

She was laughing and running down the pier with a kid, who seemed a little too excited for his age. He had short black hair almost the same shade as hers, built rail thin but didn't look undernourished. He ran like a new born giraffe with awkward, careful steps like he wasn't sure of the strength of his legs. _Kid might have special needs of some sort. She could be a support person... she's too young to be his mom._ No purse, no car keys only a bottle of water in her hand and a single towel tucked under her arm. _She must live around here, but how have I never seen her before?_

The boy pulled his shoes off as soon as they reached the sand, throwing them over his shoulders as he ran along the beach. Thankful for dark sunglasses, Mac continued to watch the pair. The two of them would come together to discuss something and then scour the sand around them. She laughed when the kid started digging around in the sand, encouraging him by the looks of it. There wasn't anything overtly strange about their behavior, but Mac couldn't take his eyes off them. Knowing that he'd come off as seriously creepy if they noticed him still didn't stop him. _How am I going to meet them without coming off as a weirdo?_ There was a time when meeting women came as easy to him as breathing, but the last few years had taken their toll on his self-confidence.

She bent over to look at something, in the sand and Mac's mouth dried. From this angle, she gifted him with a beautiful view down her shirt and her perky breasts cupped by a pink bra. Her body looked a little on the thin side. _I can fix that._ His palms itched to trace the curves he envisioned on her. She glanced up and looked around as if she could sense his focused attention on her. She straightened when she noticed him looking directly at her. He could almost see the tension settle around her shoulders and posture. She looked like a bunny that just noticed the wolf. Fight or Flight. Her entire body radiated that core response to a perceived threat, exactly the opposite reaction he wanted. _What happened to you to make you so frightened?_

A squeal of pure joy ripped through the air, breaking their connection when she spun around. The kid had taken advantage of her distracted state and had made a break for the water's edge. Mac couldn't help but laugh at the pure excitement in the boy's shrieks as he ran ahead of her. His humor died when he realized the woman had dropped the water and towel to run after the boy. "Joey! No!" the sheer panic edging her tone had Mac off the bench and running toward them. The kid had enough of a head start; he'd be at the water before she caught up.

_Oh, hell, this isn't good._ The kid must not know how to swim. He moved at a better angle and made it to the boy before the kid hit the water. He grabbed the boy by the arms, careful not to grip too hard. "Hey there, sport. Slow up, looks like someone's after you."

The kid looked up at him with as disgusted look, no doubt for spoiling his fun. Mac loosened his hold turned to see if the kid's guardian had caught up. The fireball launched herself at him, all fists and kicks.

"Let go of him!"

"Whoa! Whoa, lady." Mac tried to fend off the attack as best as he could without hurting her. _She's no helpless bunny._ He managed to capture her wrist in his hand, stopping her from swinging another punch at his face. "Stop! I'm trying to help." Thankfully, he had longer arms and could avoid her kicks to his more sensitive spots. "Hey, damn it. I'm not trying to hurt him. I thought the kid couldn't swim and stopped him for you."

She paused in mid swing with her other hand, deciding to clutch the kid to her side instead. Mac let go of her wrist and took a step back while holding both his hands up.

The boy looked up at her in wide-eyed wonder.

"Wow, Wendy, you really could protect me."

"You know it, little man."

She smiled down at the boy, and Mac wanted to be on the receiving end of such a look. He always did have a soft spot for wildcats, especially the kind that instinctively protected those they cared about. He understood the feeling as he tended to be a bit overprotective of his younger sisters. _Not that you've shown it in the last few years._

He pushed her sunglasses on top of her head when she looked back at him granting him his deepest wish. She had the biggest milk chocolate eyes he had ever seen, and they didn't tell him a single thing about her. He'd seen similar expressions on people in witness protection or protective custody. His instincts told him she would do anything to protect the kid she held on to and she didn't trust easily.

"I'm sorry for attacking you." A slight suspicion edged her gaze, and she angled Joey farther behind her.

"No biggie, I only wanted to help. These days, you can't be too careful when it comes to kids." The uncertainty in her eyes rooted him to the spot. _She doesn't believe me._ His attraction battled with self-preservation. This woman was trouble with a capital T. _Walk away, Mac. Don't get involved._ But he could no more walk away from her then his dad could walk away from anyone in danger. "Don't worry about it. If someone grabbed one of my sisters at his age, I would have reacted the same way."

Mac looked down at the boy, who appeared oblivious to either of them as he gazed out at the water. "Wendy, please can I swim? Please. Please."

She darted a quick glance up at him, and her cheeks turned bright pink. "Joey, I promise I'll find a local pool with lifeguards, and you can swim there. Okay?"

"The water here is safe. There isn't any undertow," Mac offered.

"Um, I'm sure it's fine, but I'd prefer trained lifeguards there to watch him." She stepped back, leading the boy back with her.

"If it helps you feel better, I'm part of the Coast Guard." Keeping his tone light, he teased her a bit. "We get a bit more training than lifeguards."

"Wendy can't swim." Joey sounded completely dejected, hanging his head like a kicked puppy.

Mac couldn't help but be surprised at the kid's announcement. "Everyone should know how to swim."

"I can swim," she quickly added. Her cheeks turned a cute shade of red again. "I just don't like to."

"She's afraid of the water. I try to tell her there isn't anything to worry about, but she doesn't listen to me. I believe she has a phobia due to a past traumatic episode."

"Joey, that's enough."

"Uh, well, it happens sometimes." Mac tried his best not to smile. Her cheeks looked sunburned they were so red. _Mac, you need to get away from her._ The little panicked voice in his head sounded again, but he ignored it. He wanted to know what had happened and help her regain a love for water. He spent almost every free moment in the water. To be afraid of something so elemental was a completely foreign concept for him.

"My name's Gwen, and this is Joey."

"She's my Wendy."

"Wendy?" He glanced from Joey to Gwen. _Did she give me a fake name?_

"It's from Peter Pan, Joey's favorite story." She explained.

"That's cool." Mac smiled down at Joey and shook his hand. "I used to pretend I was a Lost Boy when I was about your age. It's nice to meet you both. I'm George MacIntosh, but you can call me Mac."

"I'm so sorry again for the way I acted, Mac. I have to get Joey home."

"It's not our home."

"Joey, please."

"I'll watch him." _What?_ The voice in his head went into shock at the idea. He didn't want to get to know her, _Lie!_ He didn't want to see her smile again, and he certainly didn't want to know why she constantly looked around them as if she feared an attack. _Lies. Lies. Lies._ Mac also wanted to strangle the voice of his conscious.

"What?"

His sister would cut him off at the knees for undermining a decision she'd made for his nephew. _Here's hoping Gwen doesn't share the same attitude as Colleen._ "I'll sit with you if you want to let him get it out of his system. If he runs into trouble, I'll go in and get him."

"It could be too late."

"It won't be. I promise. I'm an excellent swimmer. I could dig out my lifeguarding certificate if it would make you feel better."

Her small smile punched him right past all the defensive barriers he'd created around his soul. She looked like a combination of innocence and vulnerability, masking the fact she would fight anything that threatened her. She needed a hero, but he didn't have it in him anymore. _Mac, get away from her before you get in over your head._

"Are you sure?"

He looked down into those milk chocolate eyes and knew he'd never deny her anything. "Let him know what your rules are, and I'll stay for as long as you like."

Joey let out a whoop and started dancing on the spot in excitement. "I'm gonna swim with the sharks!"

He smothered his laugh when her expression morphed into sheer panic. _Doesn't she know anything about the ocean?_

"Sorry, Joey. There are no sharks this close to shore, no matter what you might see in the movies. But sometimes you can see dolphins, and sometimes a manatee appears near the pier."

"Oh, cool. Wendy, please can we?"

"Yes, we'll go dolphin watching tomorrow. Rule number one. No deeper than your chest, right here." She poked the kid in the ribs, and he laughed. Pulling off his shirt, Joey tossed it at her and then ran down the beach to the water.

They followed at an easier slower pace after Gwen ran back to get the towel she'd dropped. Joey dove into the water with practiced ease, surprising Mac. "He's a stronger swimmer than I'd expected."

"I take him swimming as often as I can. Usually at supervised pools where I don't have to worry about him and there is someone to jump in if he needs help. He's a good swimmer but I guess I allow my own fears to cloud my judgment. He loves the water so much."

The waves lapped at their toes and Mac stepped into the small waves, allowing them to wash over his ankles. Looking back, he watched her scuttle back as a wave came closer to her.

"You do realize nothing can happen to you at the edge, right?" He wondered what could have happened to her to create a phobia this strong.

"You do know you can drown in two inches of water."

He grinned while responding, enjoying the game. "Yeah, if you were knocked unconscious and had your face held down."

Her body shivered, and the cute blush that had glazed her cheeks took on a sick greenish cast.

"You okay?" He stepped back toward her, and she scuttled away. "Did someone do that to you?"

Her body radiated tension and she darted looks around them again until her gaze fixated on the small waves rushing in. Mac moved closer and she side stepped away from him. "No. Don't come any closer. We have to go."

Mac held his hands up. "Okay, I'll stay right here. Take a deep breath."

She gasped and stepped a bit closer to him but then backed away. She shuddered again and gasped for air. Her chocolate eyes filled with fear as she rubbed her throat. _It's a panic attack_. He recognized the symptoms, having battled them for years after his dad's accident. A quick glance at Joey riding the waves assured him that the boy hadn't strayed far.

_To hell with it._ He couldn't stand to see anyone suffer like this. Closing the space between them, he wrapped his arms around her. "Gwen, look at me."

She looked up at him and pushed weakly against his chest.

"Listen to my voice. Take a deep breath, hold it for six seconds."

Gwen's gaze whipped around them as she took in a shaky breath.

"Joey is fine. He's five feet away. Nothing bad will happen to you here. I'll make sure of it."

Scraping in a deeper breath she stopped pushing against his chest and he felt the tension in her shoulder loosen a fraction.

"Hold this one for a few seconds." He kept his voice low and even, talking her into slowing her breathing a bit. All while he willed his brain not to notice how she fit perfectly in his arms. Tall enough he didn't need to bend over to hold her, but not so tall because he'd still need to dip his head to catch her lips. That would have be his preferred choice in getting her breathing under control, but the worst tactic he could use under these circumstances.

"Now breathe out as slowly as you can. Take another breath, slowly. I want you to count in your head to five as you do and hold it. Then count to six as you breathe out."

He glanced over at Joey and then back to her. _How could anyone do something so horrible to a woman?_

"Breathe with me. Slowly, in and out. In and out. That's it, you're doing better." The color returned to her cheeks in a vibrant hue, but she wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Better?"

"I can't believe that happened, like, really, I'm sorry. It's embarrassing."

"No, it was a normal human reaction to an intense fear. Everyone deals with stress differently, and this is the mind's way of dealing sometimes." _Christ, now I'm sounding like my shrink._ Damn it, he couldn't poke fun of the Doctor if it turned out he'd been right all along.

"I'm better now, thank you. I just can't stay."

"You don't need to. I understand. I had to deal with some traumatic stuff of my own, and I went through enough panic attacks to know they are real and can be scary."

Looking out at the water, a small smile curled her lips as she watched her brother bodysurf a larger wave. "You certain there aren't any sharks?"

"When's the last time you watched _Jaws_?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, and he smiled down at her. "Sit down for a moment. Relax, and let your body get back on an even keel."

She flopped down on the sand, and he joined her. They sat there quietly for the longest time, content to enjoy the sounds of the ocean, and find a moment's peace.

"Are you a psychologist?"

He smiled and debated lying for a moment. _Aren't chicks into guys with impressive credentials?_ "No, I'm not. I saw one for a while when my dad died and I didn't take it well."

"Oh, I'm sorry, how heartbreaking." Her hand rested on his upper arm for a brief moment but that's all it took to miss the contact when she let go.

"My dad and I served in the Coast Guard at the time. I witnessed his death, but I was too far away to help or save him." _Why the hell am I telling her all this?_ Unloading all this would send any rational woman running for the hills. Contrary to almost every woman he had met in the last five years, he wanted to know her story. He wanted her to trust him.

"At the risk of being insulting, Joey isn't your son, is he? You don't look old enough to be his mom."

"Since when did being told I look young turn into an insult?" She chuckled lightly, reminding him of morning rays dancing on a calm ocean. "Joey's my little brother, but now it's like he's mine. I'll always be there to take care of him."

"How old is he?"

"Ten. I know he acts young for his age. In many ways, he is the smartest person I know, but emotionally, he hasn't caught up. He needs time."

"Have you been able to get him the help he needs? What about your parents?"

That quickly, her expression shuttered and Mac could have kicked himself for pushing. He'd only known her for a few minutes and had no business asking so many personal questions.

"I had better get Joey. We need to get going." She stood up and dusted her cute butt off with one hand while she called her brother. He hated the idea she might walk away and he would never see her again.

"How about you let me take you and Joey to dinner tonight?"

"I couldn't." The wariness crept back into her eyes, shadowing the hint of curiosity shining there.

"Sure you can. I know all the best places, and you can be certain I'll make sure you are safe. Here," he reached into his back pocket and handed her a small card, "my cell number is on it."

Gwen took the small card and tucked it into her back pocket. "Thank you, Mac, for your patience. I really appreciate it."

"It's no trouble. I'll be waiting for your call, Gwen."

"Good-bye, Mac." She shook out the towel and met her brother as he headed up the beach. Joey listened to something she said and then looked over and waved wildly at Mac.

Mac waved back and sat down on the sand, watching as the two of them walked away.

His card sat against the curve of her ass, giving Mac an inexplicable rush of pleasure at the thought. Gwen fascinated him. Her vulnerability and innocence reflected a thin veneer over what must be a core of steel. She had the look of someone who had faced her worst fears and fought every day to get past it. But, something about her story didn't ring true. His dad always told him to trust his gut because it would never steer him wrong and it never had. _Including the day I ignored it and didn't stop Dad from boarding that boat._

Mac slipped on his shoes and waited until they were a fair distance away before pushing to his feet to follow them. Keeping to the opposite side of the street, he stayed back far enough not to be spotted. _This isn't stalking. I need to know where she and her brother are staying so I can pick them up if...when she calls._

He followed them to the Holiday Inn a couple blocks away. Gwen never stopped checking her surroundings, as if she knew they were being watched. _Are her instincts so honed that she can tell I'm here, or is it habit?_ Part of him wondered if she wasn't as innocent as she acted and watched out for any authorities. She could have kidnapped the boy. Were his parents anxiously awaiting a phone call to reassure them their son lived? There hadn't been any Amber Alerts matching the kid's description. Again, his gut said no. She acted protective of him because she cared, not because of ownership. Still, there was no doubt she and Joey were hiding from someone. At least they stayed in a nice hotel. Whatever it was she wanted to hide from, at least she had some security in there.

She had his card, and if she didn't call he could try and stake out all the local pools in St Petersburgh. His watch alarm beeped, alerting him to the time. _Dammit, I'm going to be late for my shift if I don't move my ass._ He jogged back down the beach toward the parking lot where he had parked his bike earlier. He had a couple more weeks of trop hours, and then he'd be back out at sea. He didn't want to screw up that chance.

It had been a couple months since he pulled himself out of the gutter. After his dad's death, the family grieved in its own way as well, but he took the self-destructive route. It started with drinking to hide from the pain, a habit that increased exponentially when the rumors started. Inaccurate stories circulated about his dad being dirty and leaking information. People said he'd been doing double deals and making a tidy profit.

He'd taken a trip to the doctor and received a nasty warning about his health. The doctor was a friend of his dad's and warned him about the road he had chosen to take. How disappointed his dad would have been. He would rather have his dad alive and disappointed than dead with his friends giving him shit. Then to top it off, his best friend, Clay, picked a fight with him a few months ago and kicked his ass, both physically and mentally. There had been a time when Clay and he had competed over everything, and to have him trounce him so easily shocked him. He hadn't realized how weak he'd become. He owed Clay everything. The guy had pretty much saved his life.

He roared into the marina far too fast. He might have a new lease on life, but he still enjoyed the adrenaline a good rush would give him. Parking in his spot, he ran into the office with enough time to have a quick shower and get changed into his uniform. He arrived in the briefing room a mere moment before the Captain walked in from his office.

Matt, another buddy, smacked him in the shoulder from behind. "Cutting it close, don't you think? What the fuck have you been up to?"

"Met a girl," Mac whispered over his shoulder.

"And you made it here on time? So wasn't she any good, or are you a little premature these days?"

Mac flipped him the bird over his shoulder as their commander cleared his throat in their direction. He still didn't pay much attention to the meeting. His thoughts revolved around reliving his conversation with her and fantasizing about how he would love to wrap those long legs around his neck or waist. An easy decision, neck first and then waist, preferably a couple times. He adjusted his position in his seat. Just the thought of her caused him to make room for his thickening cock _. If I'm this bad now, what will it be like when I got close to her again?_ As much as he wanted to get her naked and explore every inch of her skin, he wanted to know more about her first. _Who's she afraid of? What's she hiding from? Why do I feel like I recognize her but I can't remember from where?_

She had a local accent. _Maybe I went to school with her?_ But she looked too young to have been in many of his classes, unless she'd been a freshman when he was a senior. But there was no way he'd ever see those incredible eyes and not speak to her. Especially at an age when he'd earned the reputation for being a bit of a horn dog.

He would send her flowers and a friendly note thanking her for the company this afternoon. _How hard could it be to get her room number?_ He'd get one of his buddies to check it out for him. He'd make it seem like official business, and hopefully didn't come off as a crazed stalker.

* * *

The next afternoon, he received some news that didn't surprise him as much as it should have.

"She doesn't exist."

"What?"

"Seriously, man, there is no one by the name Wendy or Gwen staying at the Inn. There isn't even a woman staying with her younger brother there. Are you sure you have the right hotel?"

"I saw her walk into it."

"Well, if she did, then she walked out after you left, or she cruised out through the back door."

"Damn, I didn't think I came across like a stalker."

"It's not your fault you were cursed with such an ugly mug, but that isn't the whole thing."

"What?" Derogatory comments aside, Clay's tone remained serious. And this was not a common thing for him. "What else is there?"

"I got to checking the area hotels and motels since I knew you would probably ask me to anyway. There is no one booked in under her name but woman and a boy matching your description are sharing a room at a dingy place off the strip. You know, the one you took Katie McDermott to after the prom."

"Oh, damn, you mean the Blue Moon? It was run down then. I can't imagine it's any better now. It's what, about a fifteen-minute walk from the beach?"

"Ya, I'd say about that. I see that place too often, it's a dive Mac."

Which told Mac that there were regular drug busts or prostitution rings working out of it. He leaned back in his chair and played with a pencil between his fingers.

"Could she be a working girl?"

"No, I didn't get that kind of vibe from her. The kind of fear that vibrated around her, you can't fake that. Then she goes out of her way to make sure I get the wrong impression of where she's staying?"

"I'd say she's hiding out, Mac."

"She has the feel of someone who's been abused."

"So why bother? Be thankful she didn't decide to latch on to you. You don't need that kind of mess."

"I appreciate your concern, but if I want lectures, I'll call my mom."

"See how much I help you next time if you're going to be an asshole."

"Clay, buddy, I'm sorry. There's something there I can't figure out, but I can't get her out of my head."

"Be careful. You gonna be at the game tonight?"

"Hell, yeah. Steve got a bonus, so he'll have some extra cash for us to win off him." They had an ongoing joke about how easy Steve's "tells" were. The harder he tried to hide them, the more obvious they got.

"Damn, he is too easy of a mark."

"If he would learn how to play poker, then maybe it wouldn't be so easy."

"Ciao, man."

"See ya." Mac ended the call and tapped his cell against his leg as he looked out his office window and over the water. _I could walk away right now and not get any more involved._ He could be completely off the mark with her. But his gut didn't agree with that, and it wasn't something he could explain to Clay or even himself. He had a strong feeling they were meant to cross paths. He _needed_ to help them.

## Haunted Hearts

## ABOUT KAYLEIGH

Bestselling author Kayleigh Malcom (and her alter ego Corinne Davies) is a firm believer that all love is beautiful and everyone deserves a Happily Ever After....well except for those involved with cancelling Firefly. She's still holding a grudge over that one.

She first put pen to paper in an attempt to write a love story between her and her favorite rock singer of the time. It was filled with all the angst that only a teenager can come up with and, of course, an incredible wardrobe. Years later, during the wee hours of the morning, when her first daughter insisted on waking up, she discovered online RPGs and her love of writing emerged again.

After many encouraging words from fellow writers, she decided to try her hand at developing her own stories, learning it takes more than mind blowing sex and a happily ever after to make a great story.

By day, she is a full-time wife, mother, and retail store manager. At night, she avoids such mundane tasks as housework and laundry by creating her own worlds where fantasy and mythology comes to life. Worlds in which you are just as likely to be living next door to an ancient Deity as finding your soul mate in steam powered flying machine.

Sticking with one genre is a talent she hasn't achieved yet and can be found creating worlds as normal as our own or as fantastic as her dreams. Her characters have to face real life challenges, as many of us do, but love always finds a way to conquer all.

A social media junkie, she can be found haunting many different sites and loves to hear from her readers.

