Broods Of Fenrir

chapter 11


Brand jumped down from the construction trailer and dropped into a silent crouch on the far side of the fence. He paused to listen once more with a tilt of his head. A light breeze stirred the unkempt shrubs, but nothing felt out of place in the quiet night. He stalked forward until he reached the high brick wall of the Bioden warehouse and leaned against it, taking cover in the deep shadow cast by the building.

He crept along the wall until he came to a door near the corner of the building. He sniffed. No one had used the door in the past few days. He tried the handle, but wasn"t surprised when he found it locked.

The windows along the wall were twenty feet off the ground. With the moon peaking, the jump wouldn"t pose any trouble, but breaking glass might cause more noise than he wanted right now. He had no idea how many potential enemies were inside, and alerting them to his presence wasn"t a good idea.

He peered around the corner of the building, but didn"t find the fire escape he"d hoped to see. A window midway along the wall was propped open, though. He strode forward until he 101

was underneath it. No light showed.

Brand appraised the distance to the sill of the window and plotted how much of an approach he"d need. He paced out ten long strides and looked back at the building. He went out one more, just to be sure.

He raced forward four running steps, then sprang. As soon as his feet left the ground, he knew he"d hit the jump. His hands caught the sill, and his body struck the wall with a solid thump, knocking the wind from him. He took a moment to recover, and he almost lost his grip. Sigga"s terror-streaked scent came out of the window in a cloying cloud.

His angry growl turned into a grunt of exertion as he struggled to pull himself onto the sill. He scanned the interior, a small office with sparse furnishings. Sigga was tied to a metal-framed office chair in the center of the room. A hood covered her head.

Heedless of the presence of others, Brand clawed his way into the room. When he thudded to the floor, Sigga jumped at the sound. He sent a wave of soothing energy toward her as he approached, cursing himself for scaring her even more. She inhaled and the tension seemed to melt out of her.

He pulled off the hood. She stared up at him, makeup smeared over her face, but otherwise unharmed as far as he could tell. Relief eased the edge off his anger. He removed the layers of cloth bandage wrapped around her mouth. She started to speak, but he held his fingers to her lips.

He drew a knife and cut her hands loose, then crept across the room. Cracking the door open, he paused to smell and listen. He didn"t detect any humans nearby. Returning to Sigga, he whispered, “You okay?”

She nodded and kept her voice low. “Gunni told them I was some girl who stalks him. They stuck me in here until they could figure out what to do with me.”

“Do you know where the others are?”

Her head shook. “Downstairs somewhere. I saw a 102

bunch of rooms before they put the hood on me.”

“Did you see Erik?”

The shock that her captors might have her leader froze her until he touched her hand. “No. I"m not sure how many of us they have. I haven"t felt anything.”

“I"m going to boost you out that window. Head south until you hit a fence. Jump that and run across the construction site. Don"t let the guards see you. You should be able to feel Bera from the other side. Go to her.” She nodded, but looked reluctant when he led her to the window. “I can help you…”

It seemed every female he knew was out of her mind today. “You can help me most by getting out of here.” He interlaced his fingers and held out his hands. She hesitated until he frowned. “It"s not up for debate.” She put her foot into the cup of his hands. He lifted her until she could reach the window. Pulling herself up, she slipped one leg over the ledge. She glanced down at him once more before she lowered herself out the window.

When he thought enough time had passed for Sigga to have crossed the construction site, he pulled open the door and peeked into the hallway. A wooden stairway that had seen better decades descended to the dimly lit lower level. He waited several seconds, acclimating himself to the native sounds of the building. The walls settled. Heated air rushed through vents. A clock ticked.

Once certain no one was nearby, he snuck into the hallway and approached the railing of the stairway. He peered down at the floor below. A wide hallway split the floor, and the stairway continued downward after a small landing. The doors on the first level were all closed. He crept down the stairs, scanning the dark hallway.

Moving to the first door on the right, he leaned his ear against it. Nothing. Every room on the right was the same—the entire floor seemed deserted. He reached the end of the hallway and peered into a tiny lobby devoid of furniture. The front 103

door was on the opposite wall.

The sound of voices and heavy footsteps on the stairs came from behind him. He darted into the lobby and hid on the far side of the wall. He picked up a conversation between two men.

The first had a nasal voice, as if his nose had been broken too many times. “Maybe we should drug her.” Glad he"d gotten Sigga out of the building, Brand had to concentrate not to rush around the corner and careen recklessly into them.

The second man had a deeper, more resonant voice.

“No way, she"s not one of those things. Let"s wait until he calls us back.”

“Maybe she is. You don"t know.”

“Naw, man, she looked normal to me.”

“That Sorenson guy looked normal, too, until we tased him.”

Brand risked a peek around the corner, anger making him bold. The two men walked up the hallway slowly, not paying much attention. They stopped outside one of the doors on the side Brand hadn"t checked.

“Naw, he had creepy eyes even before that.” The man with the nasal voice was the taller of the two, with more bulk.

The second man was more slender and better dressed.

Brand recognized him as Harris"s associate from the meeting with Erik. “Whatever, want to jump outside for a smoke first?” They continued to walk up the hallway toward him. A moment of doubt troubled Brand. They suspected that those they"d captured were something other than human, but Brand didn"t know for sure if the men had hurt any members of Erik"s brood.

“I don"t understand why we can"t just smoke in here.”

“Mr. Rivera doesn"t want it near the equipment.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

They continued to talk as they walked right by him.

Brand crouched with his knife drawn, ready to spring if they 104

turned around and saw him. The smell of tobacco trailed behind them as they disappeared into the darkness outside.

Brand ducked back around the wall into the hallway and moved to the door they had paused near. He put his ear to the metal surface and listened. The soft sounds of machinery came from the other side.

He pushed the door open a fraction. Before he could see the interior of the room, he smelled brood blood. Inside, a large male was strapped to a hospital bed—Lucas. He knew him by smell. A tangle of wires and tubes snaked into the open cavity of his chest from an array of different machines he couldn"t identify.

The smell of meat and offal hung in the stagnant air.

The slow beeping and chugging of the machinery made his stomach turn, and he swallowed back the urge to vomit.

He let the door close, his hand still braced against the cool metal. The horror on the other side defied sanity. Reveling in torture was an aspect of his kind he had never understood, but what that room contained went beyond what the most depraved of the brood would condone.

The wolf raged, eager for vengeance. He clenched his hands into fists until he attained a measure of calm. He needed to find the others before he could allow himself the satisfaction of a rampage. He thumped his fist against the door. “I"ll be back for you.”

Stalking down the hallway, he paused at the other doors to listen but no sounds came from behind them. When he reached the stairwell, he leaned over the railing. The lower level was quiet. Nothing moved.

Just after he started down the stairs, he stopped short.

A pulse of brood power came from below, but winked out at once. He knew Erik well enough to identify the source from that brief touch. He rushed down the remaining steps and turned to his left.

A man in a lab coat stood facing into a room at the far end of the hallway. He was too occupied with taking notes on a 105

clipboard to sense Brand sneaking up behind him. Brand grabbed him around the neck and scanned the area beyond.

Erik and Gunni were inside, bound to gurneys and unconscious as far as he could tell. He pushed the man inside and shut the door behind him. The lab-coated man struggled but was no match for Brand.

Erik"s eyes came open. “Now I"ll never hear the end of how you rescued me.” His voice sounded hoarse.

Brand squeezed his arm around his captive"s throat until the man went limp, and then dropped him to the floor. “If you didn"t want my help, you shouldn"t have sent Bera to me. You know my weakness for redheads.”

A flare of anger came from Erik with an accompanying burst of power. “You"re an a*shole.” Brand smirked. Erik wasn"t at full strength yet, but the strong emotion would help burn off what remained of the sedative"s effects.

After cutting Erik"s restraints, he moved over to Gunni and shook him, but received no response.

Erik sat up and rubbed the back of his head. “He coming around?”

Brand pulled back one of Gunni"s eyelids; the pupil didn"t even twitch. Inside the heavily drugged body, he sensed the presence of the wolf. “Not yet. Are you strong enough to Call him?”

Erik shook his head, then squinted as if he regretted the motion. “Not for a while. Plus, Bera is a complete basket case, and I can barely think.”

Brand grunted in acknowledgement. “I can do it.” Erik glared at him for several seconds before he sighed.

“At least you asked this time.”

Brand put his hand on Gunni"s forehead and pushed with his power. Gunni"s wolf dreamed inside the inert body and Brand had to wake him. The Call he sent was urgent and stronger than any he"d sent before. Once he made the connection, he pulled the wolf to the surface through the thick 106

layer of drugged consciousness. Gunni"s eyes opened, and the bright blue of an alpine lake stared up at him.

Brand whispered, “The moon calls you,” and sent the signal to transform.

Gunni tensed and drew in a deep breath. He twitched.

Gray fur sprouted from his skin everywhere at once. Under the surface, muscles and bones shifted, making the body seem almost fluid. His form condensed and became more solid. With the aid of the nearly full moon, the change completed in seconds.

Gunni jumped to his clawed feet, slipping out of his clothes at the same time, and then shook himself. Brand patted the ruff at the back of the wolf"s neck when the furry head nudged his arm.

Brand looked toward Erik, who still sat on the gurney.

“You good to go?”

“Yeah, distracted by Bera. I tried to chill her out, but it"s impossible.” He jumped down and wobbled on his feet.

Brand reached out a hand to steady him. “Do they have anyone else?”

Erik shook his head, wincing again. “Only Lucas, I think. But I haven"t felt him the entire time I"ve been here.”

“He"s upstairs. It"s not good.”

Erik lifted his gaze. “Let"s go.” His voice was stronger, with an edge of temper.

Brand tied up the man in the lab coat. Gunni paced back and forth across the doorway of the room while whining.

Erik growled in annoyance, and the wolf dropped into a submissive crouch.

Brand straightened from his task. “Take it easy on him.

There"s no man there, just wolf. He"s bound to be a bit twitchy.”

Erik whipped around to face him, teeth bared.

His anger rose in response, but Brand tamped it down without much effort. “Tread carefully.” Erik"s shoulders tensed, and his fists clenched.

Ignoring him, Brand pulled open the door and motioned the wolf outside. Gunni darted out and ran to the foot of the stairs, where he stopped at Brand"s command.

Brand closed the door, and then said in a low voice, “I don"t want to transform you in front of one of yours, but I will if you make me. If you"re still keen to fight after we"re out of here, we"ll get into it.”

Gradually, Erik"s eyes darkened to their usual shade of blue. “Later, then.” His clipped syllables sounded harsh in the small room.

Brand nodded and headed out the door. Though Erik"s short temper was understandable, it wasn"t the time for territorial squabbling. Brand climbed the stairs, pausing halfway to listen for the guards. He figured they had to be back from their smoke break. He crept up the last few steps, but didn"t hear or see any sign of them.

When they reached the room Lucas was in, the front door of the warehouse opened. The two men came inside, chatting about the Broncos game the Sunday before and not paying any attention to the hallway in front of them.

Brand sprang forward, sprinting down the hall. He summoned the wolf and pushed a wave of power out ahead of him, enough that even a human would sense the aggressive energy. The humans stopped mid-stride and looked up. He roared, filling the corridor with a rumble of menace. The human with the nasal voice dropped to his knees, and Harris"s associate reached for a gun.

Veering toward the one drawing the weapon, Brand closed the distance before the weapon even cleared the holster.

He grabbed the wrist of the hand pulling the gun and squeezed.

Bones ground together with a satisfying crunch, and the man yelled. Brand cranked the man"s broken hand around behind him and shoved him into the wall. The man crashed unconscious to the floor.

Turning toward the other man, the one who had spoken so casually of hurting Sigga, Brand grinned. The man 108

cowered on the floor. He started to shake when Brand approached.

Brand nudged him with the toe of one boot, evoking a small whimper. “No interest in taking on someone more your size? That"s a shame.” With an irritated sigh, he lifted the man to his feet by the back of his jacket and shoved him toward the nearest door. Unfortunately, the conscious man gave him no trouble. He bound both men and tucked them into a closet.

With reluctance, Brand walked back to the room where Lucas was being kept. He didn"t think they could disconnect Lucas from the machines without killing him, never mind get him out of the building afterward.

He approached the room and looked inside, though he was in no hurry to see the horror again. Gunni"s furry head rested on the bed, nose touching Lucas"s hand. Erik stood frozen inside the door. The chugging and slurping of the machines seemed to echo in the windowless room, lending a sinister rhythm to the scene.

Brand put his hand on Erik"s shoulder. His friend"s gaze slowly turned from the bed to meet his.

Tense lines around Erik"s mouth betrayed the amount of strain required to control his anger. “Rivera"s dead. I"m going to tear the motherless pig apart with my bare hands.”

“Why don"t you take Gunni out of here, and I"ll do what needs doing?”

It took a few moments for Erik to catch on, but then his shoulders sagged, defeat evident. He put a hand on Gunni"s head. A plaintive whine rose from the furry muzzle. Erik looked down into the wolf"s eyes and petted the top of his head. After Erik didn"t move for almost a minute, Brand prompted, “We shouldn"t stay here too long.”

“Alice could disconnect him,” he replied, looking up at Brand with a hopeful expression.

Brand was shocked he hadn"t thought of that.

Undoubtedly, she was better equipped to disconnect Lucas 109

from the machines. “They aren"t far away.” He called Dagny to him. Her calm acknowledgement filled him with warmth.

Surprise rose into Erik"s face, followed quickly by anger.

“I knew she felt too close. Why the f*ck would you bring Bera here?”

“You didn"t leave me much choice. I couldn"t know for sure they"d be safe anywhere else.” He darted out of the room and started up the hallway. Erik remained behind, cursing in a dizzying combination of languages.

He met the Escalade outside the construction site and leaned into the driver"s side window. He peered into the back seat, relieved to see that Sigga had made it to them.

Before Brand had a chance to say anything, Bera spoke up. “Where"s Erik?”

Brand met her eyes. “With Lucas. There"s a problem we need Alice"s help with. The rest of you are staying in the car.” Bera began to protest, but cut off at a sharp glance from Dagny. Alice slid out of the back seat and came to stand near him. One corner of Dagny"s mouth lifted in an adorable smile when she turned back to him. “They"ll stay.” Brand chuckled; nothing short of amazing could describe her. Even Erik couldn"t wrangle Bera into obedience most days. “Pull into the construction site. When the guard comes up to talk to you, give him this.” He unclipped his ID

badge from his jacket pocket. “Tell him I"m doing a random check, and I"ll be back with Mr. Sorenson when I"m done.”

“And who should I say I am if he asks?”

“My partner.” He pulled her into a brief kiss before he turned away to head back toward the warehouse.