Viking Claim (The MacLomain Series: Viking Ancestors Book 2) Read Free

that’s all they were. Two rocks that might or might not stand between her and a preposterous future. Still, she pulled the box onto her lap, relieved by its pressure, its very presence.
    “Raknar. Kol,” she said aloud because she hadn’t dared to say their names before…and wanted to. “Where are you?”
    The fire crackled and wind howled, but that was it. What else would there be? An actual response from men gone from this Earth for over a thousand years? Veronica shook her head as she once more rolled the stones over in her hand. Sleepy, she continued to hold them as she curled onto her side. While one part of her wanted to believe they might whisk her back in time so that she could find Megan, another part was defiant and disbelieving.
    If it was so easy to find her, wouldn’t Megan have said so in her heartfelt letter? Veronica ground her teeth, frustration rising. Her sister could have left a map, something, anything, if she went somewhere other than to her death. Veronica blinked back tears as she thought of Megan sailing out on her small boat alone. Why would she have done such a thing when Veronica and Amber could have gone with her? Even her dog Guardian had vanished. She just prayed that whatever had happened out there, Megan wasn’t alone.
    Her phone beeped another incoming text, but she ignored it. Though Amber clearly thought otherwise, Phillip was by no means a love connection. He was merely good company with excellent connections. So far, they enjoyed a sex free, casual relationship. Did he want more? Yes. Unfortunately, she didn't feel the same. Though successful and handsome, she had yet to feel any fireworks with him. Maybe in time. Truthfully, she wasn’t a big believer in love at first sight. As far as she was concerned true love, if such a thing existed, came over time once people figured out if they were compatible.
    That would be why the romance between Megan and her Viking king seemed even more impossible to believe. Way too much, way too fast. A total crash and burn relationship in her opinion. After all, lust could only take you so far.
    Issuing a yawn, her eyes grew heavy as she found herself not staring at the television but once again at the Hugin and Munin symbol. Two ravens, supposedly shamanic spirits, sent by Odin to fly the world and gather information. So, by all means, the Norse saw them as extensions of Odin himself. And though the common definition of Munin was memory she wondered at its other potential meaning.
    Desire.
    Veronica only felt strong desire once and it certainly wasn’t for a man. No, it had been for the return of her child. But no amount of praying or even strong desire could ever bring back her son. Without the support of his father who took off when he found out she was pregnant, she only had her sisters and therapist to help her through the heartache. Yet all that was in the past now. She shook her head and sighed. Time to lose the negative thoughts.
    So she utilized a trick her therapist taught her.
    Wind howled against the house and she mentally pictured it blowing her sad thoughts away in the form of a feather. Away and away the feather blew, curling and twisting over the ocean. Eyes closed, she watched it drift.
    Until something changed.
    A vision she had no control over.
    Hovering, caught, the feather split in two and started to float back toward her. 
    Slow at first then faster until the feathers became two black ravens. They flew at her so quickly she flinched. Instead of flying into her, they veered off with her somehow following. She had no body…only visuals.
    It was daytime, but the skies were dark and brooding.
    Though they flew along the coast, they didn’t go far before landing on a tall cliff back-dropped by pines. Yet she coasted over them, catching their cries on the wind. Whispers started, but she had no idea where they came from. If that wasn’t insane enough, numbers, perhaps even coordinates, started to flash in her