Viking Claimed (Triad Series Book 4) by Kate Pearce Page A

his size, the man moved with the light grace of a hunter, meaning Aki struggled to keep up. Eventually, they reached a clearing with a set of four equally spaced boulders at the center.
    Aki hesitated before entering the circle, and Morek glanced at him.
    “You can sense that this is a holy place ?”
    “ Aye .” Aki put out a tentative hand to touch the stone and snatched it immediately back.
    Morek studied him closely and then spoke out loud, his accent as melodious as his movements. “The stones like you. Can you hear them?”
    Aki nodded as the swell of sounds washed over him. This place was even older than he was, but it also seemed to understand and welcome him. He touched the stone again and felt the pull of emotion and countless experiences. It reminded him of the cave where he and Einarr had crossed the waterfall and been frozen in time.
    “Aki.”
    He blinked as Morek touched his arm and the resonance of the stone seemed to flow through him and consume Morek, too. For a moment they were all one and Aki groaned as his mind was filled with so many images and feelings and…
    “ Aki.”
    Morek dragged him away from the stone and held him upright against a tree. “Are you well?”
    He looked into the other man’s worried gaze and managed to nod. Whatever had just happened, he would never forget it. The stones knew his history and somehow that made his loneliness much easier to bear.
    Morek slowly smiled at him and cupped his chin. “You are extraordinary. I knew you would be.” He bent his head and kissed Aki full on the mouth and then stepped away, looking to his left. “The others are coming.”
    Aki remained pressed against the tree like a mindless fool still caught in the magic of the stones and the sense that Morek was somehow part of it. Was it normal for Hakron warriors to kiss other men? Not that he objected. The snap of attraction left by the stones had made him more than willing to be touched by the other man.
    Einarr emerged from the trees and like Aki, halted before the stones.
    “Touch them.” Aki said. “They know us. They are ancient.”
    The male beside Einarr looked questioningly at Morek who shrugged. “I do not understand it, Ungar, but Aki is right.”
    Morek turned to Aki. “This man is of your family?”
    “Einarr is my twin.”
    “As Ungar is mine.” He gestured at the man with Einarr who nodded at Aki. “We are both bodyguards to the Oracle when she resides in the Temple of Quoxor. Luckily, we were on our way home for a family celebration when the Etruscans struck.” He slammed his fist against his palm. “They have killed many of my people. And now they are using the young and the old as hostages to force us to lay down our weapons.”
    “How many of you are left out here?” Roberts and Bevan had also appeared in the clearing accompanied by one Hakron male and one female.
    “Just us four.”
    Roberts smile was cold. “Then between us we should have no problem killing every single one of the Etruscans should we?”
    Ungar’s answering smile was savage. “We are still few but we will die trying.”
    “I’ve no intention of dying,” Roberts replied. “All we need to do is come up with a plan and carry it out.”
    They had paired off, each of them with one of the Hakron who knew the area better than they ever would. Aki was crouched beside Morek on a small rise behind the village, which gave them an excellent view of the main hall where the captives were being held. The Hakron village was comprised of simple stone and thatch structures that reminded Aki of his old home.
    Between the eight of them they’d already taken out four Etruscans who had been sent to patrol the forest, leaving twenty or so of them left to deal with. The plan was to move in closer and take out the secondary guards before launching a full assault on the remaining soldiers guarding the hall entrance. The telepathic Hakron inside were well aware of what was happening and would be quick to help