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

vision.
    44°21'7.27 then -68°4'29.03 .
    Over and over and over.
    Then everything burst into pure white and Veronica jolted upright, shaking. She blinked rapidly, shocked to smell coffee brewing and bacon sizzling. Dim daylight had replaced night.
    “Hey sleepy head,” Amber said, already heading her way with a cup of coffee.
    Though still on the couch, someone had laid a blanket over her.
    “Morning,” she mumbled, grateful for the hot brew handed to her. “Thanks.”
    “No problem.” Amber grinned. “You were out like a light when we came back downstairs last night.” She nodded at the box. “I put the stones away. Thought it was gonna take a crowbar to pry them from your hand.”
    Veronica swung the blanket aside and sat up, rolling her shoulders. God, that’d all been a dream? Of course it had.
    Yet the numbers were stuck in her mind.
    “What time is it?” she said.
    “Time to get up. The lawyer will be here pretty soon.”
    “Ah, right.” She padded over to the island and sat on a bar stool, gaze settling on the sketch Amber drew when they were chatting the night before. Eyes lethal, it depicted Veronica in an odd looking business suit gripping something unseen and obviously in court as a lawyer. But only parts of it seemed to be a courtroom, enough so that she knew it was a place of law. Yet everything surrounding her was different. “This is strange, Sis.”
    “I know, right.” Amber shrugged. “It just sort of poured out of me.”
    “Too much talk of Vikings lately,” Veronica murmured because everything around her in the image was foreign. Some sort of hall with torches, small fires and crowds of people standing around the edges dressed in ancient clothing. The majority of men were tall, rugged and bearded. The women wore long dresses with woolen tunics belted at the waist.
    Head shaking, she flipped the paper over, grabbed a pencil and absently wrote down the numbers from her dream if for no other reason than to get them out of her head.
    “Good morning,” Sean said as he came inside with an armful of wood and put it on the hearth by the fire.
    “Same to you,” Veronica replied, staring at the numbers while sipping her coffee.
    Sean joined her at the island, his eyes falling to what she’d written. “What’s up with the latitude and longitude?”
    Surprised, she frowned at him then looked back at the numbers. A chill raced through her. “Um…I’m not really sure.”
    Amber joined them, eyes on the paper before they went to Veronica. “You’re not sure?”
    Veronica shook her head and told a little white lie. “They just popped into my head.”
    “Those coordinates are local.” Sean whipped out his cell phone and tapped a few times. “Raven’s Nest.”
    Another chill crawled over her skin. What were the odds?
    “That’s bizarre.” Amber cocked her head at Veronica. “The coordinates just popped into your head?”
    “So it seems,” she muttered and took another sip of coffee. “I must’ve seen them somewhere. On a Maine map or something.”
    “I know you’re good with numbers but wow, Sis.” Amber returned to flipping bacon. “That’s just weird, especially considering Megan’s issues with ravens before she vanished.”
    “It’s just a coincidence,” Veronica assured and looked at Sean. “But since you mentioned it, what’s Raven’s Nest?”
    “Cliffs.” He shrugged and sipped coffee. “Scenic. A great place to hike but dangerous, especially this time of year.”
    “I’m sure,” Amber said, glancing outside at the snowy landscape.
    Unable to lose the chills, Veronica headed for the stairs. “I’m going to grab a shower and get ready for the lawyer.”
    “I put your suitcase in the guest room at the end of the hall,” Sean mentioned.
    “Thanks.”
    The moment she closed the door to her room, she set aside her coffee, sat on the end of the bed and held her head. A headache was blooming. Stress. Too much of it. Likely the sole reason for her dream. Her