3

Tamsin

Viper's strong hand is around my wrist as he's taken out of the ambulance and he's watching me with an expression that dares me to move away from him. How can he even have the energy to be this possessive? He should have fallen asleep a long time and I have never seen a male handle pain this well. I've been through medical school but if I didn't know any better I would say that Viper is indestructible.

It's still drizzling down from the sky as we run over to the entrance and a doctor comes running out. Information about Viper's condition gets exchanged but I'm barely listening. I'm breathless from running and from the adrenaline I experienced this night but my eyes can't leave Viper. He's looking up at me like I'm his whole world and his face has paled and there's a tremble to his mouth but he is so, so strong. The strength in him arouses me so hard that I have to remind myself that this is definitely not the time. "Stay with me," he says between his teeth, "you're not allowed to get out of my sight."

I promise him I won't leave but once inside the hospital the turmoil, causes me to slide out of Viper's grip and he lets out a snarl, trying to sit up and it takes several doctors and nurses to keep him down. He moves around so violently that he almost flips the stretcher.

"Tamsin," he growls in a loud voice that causes all eyes on me and I blush, shrinking and wanting to melt into the walls. "Angel!"

Biting my nails, I powerlessly watch as they push him farther down the hallway and I force myself to stay put. Viper may want me with him but I'll only be in the way and the doctors and nurses need to be able to focus if they're going to save him. When I can't see him anymore, I take a deep breath, open up a white door and disappear down a staircase into the changing room. I switch from my basic fast fashion clothes into my nurse uniform and my fingers tremble as I'm buttoning up. This whole night feels so incredibly surreal. I think I've just met the man I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life with and it's obvious he's a criminal.

Shoot. Why couldn't he have been...I don't know...a doctor?

Throwing a quick look in the mirror, I brush my hair out until it's thick and fluffy and then I pull it up into a knot. My eyes go down my throat, my cleavage, my arms, my legs and I feel a sharp flare of guilt at the unblemished skin. I walked out of that alley I had no place being in completely harmless. Because Viper saw something in me he thought was worthy of that kind of protection. He didn't even hesitate and at the memory of his virile body against mine, I hold down a moan as I grow soft. He has done something to me. Maybe there's a reason why he's called Viper and maybe his venom has entered me. I bite my lip and brace myself. Walking up the staircase, I step out into the glaring lights and locomotion again.

One of my colleagues points out that I'm late and I murmur an excuse before she shoves a mug of coffee in my hand and a patient's journal. The patient isn't Viper which means I won't be assisting with his healing. Putting the mug down, I try to focus on the words in front of me but I keep worrying about Viper. He told me in the ambulance he was in a lot of pain and I fear for him. What if he won't make it...?

Black spots dance before my eyes and I gasp for air, shooting my hand out to steady myself on a chair. It's okay, this is a great hospital. He'll be fine. It takes me a moment to get everything under control and I blow a hair strand out of my face. I'm about to make my rounds when there's a sound of something smashing and I turn around in surprise.

"What is going on?" I murmur and a nurse that's coming down the hallway hisses,

"Stay away from there. They just took in some crazy person who's causing a hell of a ruckus." Her eyes flare. "He even gave one of the doctors a nosebleed and he won't stop fighting them..."

"Is it Viper Roz?" I breathe but I already know the answer and I run down the hallway and take to the right. Security is walking in front of me which means someone must have called for them and I get a lump in my throat when another colleague comes running down with tear streaks on her cheeks.

"Tamsin, what are you doing here?" she chokes, grabbing my arm and her nails dig into my skin. "You should hide, don't let him see you...we can't keep him under control. He's freaking insane!"

"What is happening?" I ask and her eyes flare.

"He keeps asking for you, no he's screaming... acting like a wild animal in a cage. I swear I've never seen anything like it. What the heck did you do to him...?"

She shakes her head as if it's not worth it to wait for an answer and then takes off, murmuring something about getting more help. I hurry down the other end and that's when I see Viper. He's lashing out in the surgery room, wrecking the equipment and he has a ferocious expression on his face that even takes me off guard. He's furious, fighting off the doctors and security that are desperately trying to keep him down while the nurses cower in the corners.

"Tamsin!" I hear him bellow and my heart squeezes at the desperation in his voice. "Tamsin! Where is she? Where the fuck is my woman?" he growls in their faces and he's so out of control that I start fearing for everyone involved.

"Somebody get Tamsin Teller in here, right now!" one of the doctors roars but I've already walked through the door.

"I'm here, I'm here..." I croak and just like that Viper's thrashing stops. He goes limp in their grip and I bite my lip to not start crying. "Viper, you're hurting yourself...," I moan in agony as he watches me with dazed eyes. He's exhausted and he should have been under anesthesia by now. When I reach my hand out he grabs it and pulls me to him so fast my sneakers make a screeching sound over the floor and just like that I'm right by his side. An expression of relief floods him and he kisses the back of my hand and something so hot and sharp cuts me that I almost faint.

His coat and shirt is off and I startle a bit when I notice the tattoos. They're eye catching but I forgot to pay attention to them in the chaos. At first I thought they were tribal tattoos but at a closer look I realize it's runes. They slither like black ivy over his magnificent torso, so artistically well made that I want to trace them with my fingers or preferably my lips. "He's calm now. Finally," the doctor mutters.

"You need to go to sleep now," I murmur in Viper's ear and I stroke the hair around his temples. "We need to get those bullets out of you."

"You're going to come with me," he mutters as the anesthesia begins to kick in, "you are mine, ang..."

His lids flutter and he falls asleep, his grip around my hand flopping and I take a deep breath. What was he saying right before? That I was coming with him? Coming where? I blame it on him being delirious. As the surgery is about to begin, I slowly get out of the room because I got work to do but I can't help but to stop and look through the small window on the door. Even passed out and technically harmless, there's still so much power running in him. I twitch when I feel a hand on my shoulder and it's one of the security guards.

"Oh," I breathe, shooting him a friendly smile. "You startled me."

He doesn't smile back. "You should be startled, Tamsin. Any woman in your situation should fear for her damn life."

Leaning against the wall, I cross my arms over my chest. "What are you talking about?"

"That man in there," he nods at the surgery room, "did you see the tattoos on his body?" When I say yes, he adds, "Do you know what they stand for?"

I shake my head but a dip forms in my stomach at the tone in his voice.

"They stand for the underworld. For ice and shadows." A small gulp punches in his throat. "They stand for the Nordic Mafia."

Gasping, I stare as confusion swims in me. "I've heard of them," I whisper but I have never come in contact with them before. Never read anything about them in the news and only heard a few vague rumors until I almost believed it was just an urban legend. I've seen their symbols all over town though, an N with an upside down M intertwined. "Are you saying you think Viper is a member?"

"Didn't say he's a member." Pause. "I think he's their leader."

Rubbing my temples, I try to control the emotions that overwhelm me. What the security guard is saying does make sense. The barbershop, the alley, the drop off...the shooting. Of course, it had mafia written all over it. Looking through the window again, I watch Viper being operated on and I hold down a choke.

"Shit...that look on your face. You're not falling for him are you?"

Just for the sake of it, I shake my head. "I know what you're thinking. You think he's a bad man but to me he's never been anything but good. And I'm not afraid of him. I trust him."

"Dammit, don't encourage this, Tamsin. You don't want a man like that to corrupt a sweet little girl like you."

"What I do and don't do is my own business. But I appreciate the concern..."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't come crying to me when you end up dead in a ditch."

My veins fill with ice but temper just as quickly. He has no idea what he's talking about. Being entangled with the Nordic Mafia isn't something I ever thought would happen to me but Viper and I share a bond. I can feel it even now, boiling in me. He calls me his woman, his angel. The way he screamed for me made me feel so special and I have never been that crucial to another human. I know I shouldn't indulge his cravings but I can't help it. We're meant to be. I know it and Viper definitely knows it and I feel overwhelmed again.

How did I even end up in this situation? I'm just a young nurse without any special credentials and now I'm the object of affection for Viper Roz. He's the mafia king and he's going to need a queen.

I gulp because as much as I want him, I don't know how I'll be able to step up to the task.

****

The surgery takes a couple of hours and once it's over, I take a break from work to visit Viper. He drifts in and out of consciousness, his eyes warming whenever they land on my face. He murmurs incoherent words to me but they sound like promises. When it's eight o'clock in the morning and I'm done for the day or should I say night, I check on Viper before leaving. His eyes are closed, his chest heaving and when nobody is looking I give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

I leave him peacefully sleeping, grateful that it turned out I was right and his injuries didn't hit any important nerves or muscles. Back home in my apartment, I make myself something to eat, grab a quick shower and take a nap on the couch. Flinching when my phone rings, I groggily reach out with my hand and answer.

"Yes?"

"Tamsin, It is Shea." She's one of my nurse colleagues. "Do you think you can come in earlier today by any chance?"

It's nine o'clock. Three hours before I usually start.

"I suppose so," I yawn and drag a hand through my messy hair. "Why?"

"Uh...that crazy ass Viking patient is throwing a fit again."

"Oh no," I gulp, sharply sitting up and I can already imagine the bedlam he's causing. "I'm already on my way."

"Thanks," Shea mutters in relief and we finish the call. Blinking, I stumble into the bathroom, splash cold water in my face and I don't walk to work this time but grab an Uber. Running through the hospital entrance, I can already hear him and the staff glance at me anxiously. I try to give them reassuring smiles but only catch disapproval in their eyes.

"Whoa, whoa..." I cry, running into Viper's room, still in my outerwear. "What is going on?" Security is in here yet again and there's a tray of untouched food in front of Viper. "You don't like the food? I don't blame you," I joke in an attempt to cut through the tension.

Viper is the only one who chuckles but his eyes are anything but amused. They follow my every move and I hide a gasp when he sucks me in. I feel his essence plastering itself all over me, possessing me even while I'm several feet apart. His eyes are sexy, penetrating. They pin me down wherever I am and I love how they feel on me. People may think and say all kinds of things about him but I don't care.

"It's okay, I'll take over from now," I quickly tell the others and they leave the room so fast that wind hits me in the face and my eyes turn to Viper who doesn't look even a little bit guilty. "Have you been bad?" I breathe.

"Would have been as docile as a kitten had you been here when I woke up," he grits between his teeth. "Where were you, angel?"

"Home. Had to sleep, shower, eat..."

The agitation in him melts somewhat and now there's a flash of guilt on his face. "I understand. You must take care of yourself first and foremost."

At that I nod and glance at the door. "I'm going to have to leave for a second..."

"You just arrived," he interrupts in a dark voice but I patiently finish,

"Need to change my clothes."

He tenses and his eyes roam down my body. "And switch into your uniform?" When I nod again he adds, "Then hurry." His fists tense as I sneak out of the room. I change clothes, hurrying and I make a mess in my eagerness to indulge Viper when I stop myself. Men like him are so used to getting what they want all the time that he's probably forgotten what it's like to be patient. A teasing smile crosses my face and I button up slowly, arrange my hair slowly, even chitchat a bit with the other nurses and then I calmly enter Viper's room and his eyes narrow.

"What took you so long," he grits between his teeth but when I close the door behind us, his fuming eyes move from my face down my body and I catch the shift in him. It's like I've snapped my fingers and a look of utter need floods his eyes. "It was worth it though," he slowly exhales, shifting and my jaw slacks when he moves his hand under the duvet and adjusts himself.

I flush and my heart ticks as I slowly walk over to him. "You must eat," I murmur. "How else will you regain your health."

"I regain my health by having you near. I don't need anything but you in your little uniform doting on me."

"If only that was true." Reaching forward, I peel off the plastic on his blueberry jello and put it back down. "Please eat. I need to go and check upon some of my other patients..."

"Feed me."

My eyes go to his in surprise. He's massive, his hair is out of the braid and flaring down to his pecs like ribbons of silver. His arms are enormous with biceps like bowling balls and he didn't get shot in his arms which means it's not necessary that I feed him.

"You're perfectly capable of doing it yourself," I whisper and he puts his hand on my arm.

"Please..." he groans and I can't say no to him. Grabbing a scoop of jello, I move it to his mouth and he opens and swallows. A triumphant and highly satisfied expression colors his face and he seems even bigger than usual.

He's so stimulating to my senses that I have to bite my lower lip to not let out a moan. Girls get lost in men like him. He's like a wild forest of birches that you run into and then can't get out because everything looks the same. Viper is a labyrinth, a dark one and a part of me doesn't care if I lose myself in him because I would rather be lost in him than found in some other man.

Does he know that I harbor these kinds of feelings for him? Can he tell by simply looking at my face? I feel myself going red and he rasps,

"I love it when you blush, angel. I'd pay you to blush on demand if I could."

"Would you? I've always found the habit annoying. Too revealing, too obvious."

"It's what I like about you." His eyes roam down my face. "It's what endears you to me."

Endears? "That's a surprise. I always believed mobsters liked golddiggers..." I slap a hand over my mouth when I realize what I've said. "Whoops..." his eyes darken and I stutter, "I mean you're in the Nordic M...mafia aren't you?"

His fists clench causing his biceps to swell like goodies baked in an oven. "You found out about that? Who told you?"

"Does it matter? It's true isn't it?" Most of his runes are hidden by his hospital clothes but his arms are still visible. "Besides it's not like you're making a huge effort keeping it a secret." My hand shivers lightly when I move the jello to his mouth but he clasps it, to stop it from shaking.

"The life I lead has nothing to do with you, angel. I may be in the mafia but I am also a man, with needs and wants and it is them you need to worry about. Not what I do for a living."

His words about me needing to pay attention to his needs make desire stir in me. "But, you're the leader aren't you? Your organization terrorizes this town."

"We only go after the ones who deserve it, those who are even worse than us." He lets out a masculine snort. "In our own way we are even moral. One could practically even go so far and say I have a halo over my head."

"Do you?" I squint really hard. "I can't see it."

Viper chuckles. "Tamsin..." he purrs, "do not tease me. Did I not after all take two bullets for you?"

I lick my lips. "Why did you do that...exactly?"

"Because I can't stand seeing small, innocent things get hurt. I didn't think, I reacted on pure instinct knowing that even if I can't be this world's hero, I need to at least be yours."

Dropping the spoon I stare at him with wide eyes, at the sudden openness in him, at the vulnerability. I feel myself turn hot for him, my temperature rising and I gasp for air.

"Kiss me, angel," Viper growls. "Been thinking about your mouth all day, now give it."

"B...but someone could see. You're still a patient and...Ah!" I shriek when Viper swipes the tray off the bed in one move, causing it to smash into the wall and he snatches me to him.

"Viper, your wounds!" I cry, plastered against his chest like a bookmark in a love story.

"Fuck the wounds," he snarls. He clasps my face and looks at me with deranged eyes. "If you're so concerned with my wellbeing then kill my pain." I have no other choice than to oblige and when he slants his lips over mine, I respond fiercely. Viper swallows me like I'm the sea and he the monster that's been lurking at the bottom all along. His muscles play underneath my chest, his mouth hungering for me as if I'm the last meal he'll ever have. There is deadliness in him but his kiss is devotion.

Us being intimate like this causes his pulse to speed up and the oximeter starts popping until Viper slams his hand down on it and I cry against his lips,

"You're ruining the equipment!"

He doesn't care. His hands are full of me, of my flesh, of my curves. They slide over my neck, down my back, cupping my ass before digging into my waist. He rips open the first three buttons in my uniform and I moan when I feel his mouth on the hollow of my throat. I turn into sweet liquid in his arms, cradling his head as he kisses me so softly that nothing has ever felt more right. More special. This is what Viper Roz does to me, he grabbed my world into a chokehold and now he's in control of it. And he doesn't make it feel dark or vicious. He makes it feel better.

There is something good in this man and I can feel it in his touch when he cups my neck. The anticipation for our kiss has been building up for so long that my arousal is unbearable. Our bodies are flushed against one another and I'm close to turning into a pile of liquid. This man owns me and I pump with my hips in the air automatically while rubbing my chest against his.

I thought I was going to regret following him that night but now I'm terrified of what would have happened if I hadn't. Our paths never would have crossed and the thought makes me frantic and I plead, "I need this to never stop."

"It never will. Try and get rid of me and I'll maul this whole town to the ground." He pulls away to look in my eyes and his eyes aren't steel anymore; they're ash and smoke, obscure from his chaotic emotions. "You know I have the power to. You know what I can do."

"Yes," I whimper, "I know you're powerful but please don't be destructive," I urge and something fierce crosses his face and this time his kiss burns so hard it steals my heart and puts it on top of his. They beat together. For us. For this kiss. And I feel not entirely like myself and I'm panting so hard that it feels like I'm going to run out of oxygen when the kiss fades.

"I knew before but this settles it..." Viper says in a dazed voice. "No compromises, no objections, no fighting me, angel."

"What are you talking about?" I moan and I can't tear my eyes from his lips because they are the true weapon in his arsenal.

"About you and me." He strokes my hair, petting me like he thinks I've been good. "Us."

That sounds so delicate, so frail when he says it and I put my hand down on his chest, careful not to touch the bandages but then I turn worried. "Your h...heart. I'm not comfortable with how hard it is beating."

"I am. For the first time in my life, I no longer feel like a dead man walking."