Broods Of Fenrir

chapter 17


Brand lay awake in the shallow bowl of evergreen boughs with Dagny curled against him. He was exhausted, but he wouldn"t submit to unconsciousness while she slept unprotected. He was also a little afraid to close his eyes because he feared her coming back to him had been a dream, irrational though that was.

He"d picked the copse of trees because it smelled like her, the scents of pine and snow mixing in just the right balance. For two nights, he"d sat there, feeling the wolf writhe inside him in a desperate attempt at self-preservation.

The day before she"d come back, he started to feel the claws tearing at him. Still, he"d kept an iron grip on the wolf so it wouldn"t interfere in his plan. Not that his plan was overly complex. Sit there, not sleeping or eating, until Björn showed up to end his miserable life. When he"d smelled her, he"d been sure he was delusional and falling to madness.

He hugged her against his chest and touched his lips to her bare shoulder. Given every opportunity to leave, she"d come back on her own.

His hand slid over her belly, down to the burns that 155

scarred her soft skin. She"d endured hours of agony in their creation. He"d felt the smallest part of it through her memory when he first touched the marks, and that brief glimpse had been horrifying. He nuzzled her neck, wishing he could take the pain of that experience away from her.

She murmured as she came awake and turned in his arms. Her eyes blinked in a lazy rhythm. “How long have I been asleep?”

“A while, it"s just before noon.”

Her mouth turned down in an adorable frown. “That"s longer than a while. You should have woken me.”

“You were tired.” He lifted a hand to smooth a few errant tresses of her chestnut hair.

She made an annoyed noise. “Are you going to treat me like I"m fragile forever? Because that"s going to get old fast.”

“Not forever, only nine moons or so.” She inhaled sharply and dropped her eyes. “I did mention that, didn"t I?”

Much as he rejoiced in the idea, he wondered how she could be so sure. “Why would you think you carry my offspring?”

“Taking your blood near the full moon should have started my fertility cycle. It"s a trick Mother"s used before.”

“You"re telling me what happened in the cabin was part of your plan?” He tried to keep his voice level, but didn"t think he succeeded.

After a long hesitation, her gray eyes met his. “Not entirely. I was supposed to seduce you, but the wolf took over instead.”

He stared at her, counting the passing seconds, waiting for the anger to overtake him, but it didn"t come.

She avoided his gaze. “I"m so sorry, Brand. I"ll transform.”

He took her hand and kissed the spot where her thumb curved back into her wrist. “You"re forgiven. I don"t want to hear another apology about this, and you don"t need to 156

transform. We move forward, not dwell on what"s happened.” Her hand came up to stroke the few days" growth of beard along his jaw. She drew his face down toward her, lips soft against his. She tasted like the snow, clean and cool.

He pulled away after a few seconds, though he wanted nothing more than to lose himself in her kiss for hours. “It"s much too early to say one way or the other, but I suspect like many of her schemes it"s not based entirely in reality.” Dagny nodded, a frown twisting her mouth.

Her regret made him uncomfortable, so he chose a new subject. “What do you think your mother will tell Ansvarr?”

“I think she"s going to tell him exactly where we are.

She let me go too easily.”

He hoped so, because Ansvarr had to die. It went beyond the damage he"d done to Dagny, though that was enough to send his anger soaring. She was safe with him, but who knew how many others Ansvarr would abuse and terrify.

Like their mutual sire, Ansvarr was a beast that had to be put down. Brand felt no remorse for the task in front of him.

He stood up, helping her to her feet at the same time.

“Well, we"d better go meet him, then.”

Brand knew something was wrong before they came within sight of the lodge. The smell from downwind was faint, but the earthy quality of the fresh blood was unmistakable. He froze and sniffed the air.

Dagny stopped next to him. “What is it?”

“Brood blood scent coming from the lodge.” She sniffed a few times, and her body tensed. With a panic-stricken expression, she said, “I left Alice at the lodge.” She started up the next hill.

He stopped her with a hand on her arm. “It"s not Alice.

Gunni wasn"t with her?”

“Not when I left.”

He scented again, deeper. “Three males, all blood I"ve never smelled before. One is probably Gunni, but I can"t say for certain.”

“Why do you think one is him?”

“Similarity between the smell and what I know of him from when I Called him. I can"t really explain it.” He felt her eyes on him.

“Neat trick.”

He shrugged, scanning the hill separating them from the lodge. “One of the perks of being king.”

“I didn"t think there were any perks, given how you"ve spoken of it.”

“That"s a conversation for another time.” He started up the hill, and she came behind him after a short delay.

When he reached the top, he gazed down into the valley. Gunni and another male circled each other in front of the lodge. The other combatant was much larger, and Gunni looked almost small by comparison, though he was above average in size himself. Gunni limped when he moved; blood leaked from a wound in his upper thigh, staining the snow around him. Nearby, a third male lay unmoving on the ground.

“Find Alice,” he said, as he accelerated toward the fight below.

Gunni was driven to the ground, snow exploding around him. His assailant landed atop him, clawed hands digging into Gunni"s chest. Gunni grunted; blood spurted from his mouth.

Brand closed the remaining distance in a handful of long strides and hit the attacker with his shoulder. The male went sprawling over the snow. Though he recovered quickly, Brand was faster. He kicked the attacker in the chest, hard enough that he heard the crunch of ribs. Settling a boot into the center of the male"s back, Brand pushed him into the ground and turned to examine Gunni. “You okay, Gunni?” Gunni rolled over onto his side. He spat up a dark clot of blood onto the snow. He gasped twice before he answered.

“Fine. Is Alice all right?”

“I sent Dagny to look for her. Any more of these about?”

Struggling to sit up, Gunni shook his head. He ripped a piece of cloth from his torn shirt and began to bind the wound on his leg.

The male under his foot struggled a bit, and Brand put more weight on his back to discourage him. He looked like one of Björn"s offspring, fair-skinned and red-haired. “Your father couldn"t come for me himself, so he sent you instead? That isn"t like him. Which one are you?”

“Farbjörn.” The redheaded male laughed.

Brand pushed down until Fari groaned. “Where is he, then?” When Fari didn"t answer, a response came from Gunni.

“Ingrid"s.”

“What in Tyr"s bloody hand is he doing there?” Fari spluttered as Brand increased the weight of his foot. “I don"t ask questions.”

“Of course you don"t, you"re the dumb one.” Fari proved his point by snarling and struggling until nearly unconscious.

Brand let up on the pressure. “Easy, big guy, I don"t want you to die by accident.”

Dagny and Alice came from behind the lodge. From the bundles of rope in Alice"s arms, he assumed she"d taken refuge in his shed. When she saw Gunni, she ran toward them.

Dagny walked up next to him, a shotgun cradled in the crook of her elbow. After an appraising glance, he flashed her a grin. He gave Fari one more kick to encourage obedience before turning away. “If this dumb shit moves, shoot him somewhere that hurts.”

Dagny raised the shotgun, leveled it at the center of Fari"s back, and gave a small nod.

Brand went to check on the other attacker, but when he approached, it was obvious the male was dead. The snow 159

around the prone form was turning brown with the drying blood. Gunni had scored either a skillful or a lucky hit, tearing open the male"s neck. The dead one had blond hair and was slight compared to Fari, likely not one of Björn"s sons.

“Your friend is on his way to the moon. I can"t believe Björn would send only his seventh son and some under-grown lackey to fetch me. What are you doing here?”

“Fifth,” Fari spat. “We were sent to collect the female.” Gunni said, “Björn called for a conclave. That"s why I came.” Alice stopped fussing over Gunni"s wounds and stared at him. Her face drew tight. “What do I have to do with that?” Gunni reached to take her hand. “Erik believes Björn is going to convince you to give evidence against Brand.” Alice"s eyes found Brand. “I never would.” Fari laughed. “Bold words for one who has never been subject to his attentions. Bigger wolves than you have begged to do what he asked.”

Dagny stepped forward and stomped on Fari"s hand.

“Shut up.”

Fari retracted his hand with a yelp, curling his injured fingers in toward his chest. “Stupid bitch.” Brand was on him in an instant, his knee pressed into the flailing male"s back. “Apologize before I get angry.” Fari spluttered for several seconds before he said anything coherent. “I meant no offense.” Leaning into his back, Brand increased the pressure and grabbed the nape of Fari"s neck in a tight hold. “The next time you refer to my mate as anything but „my lady" you will lose your head. Understood?”

Fari nodded. “Of course, my lord.” His Norse was badly accented and barely comprehensible with his face pressed into the snow, but the message came through nonetheless.

“Don"t offer me false respect now. The only reason you"re still alive is that I"m hoping to trade you to your sire in exchange for him backing off.”

“You might as well kill me now. Arn was his favorite.

He won"t give up a chance for vengeance for anything, least of all my life.”

Despite having every reason to pummel him, Brand eased up. His own sire had been none too fond of him, and he knew the sting of that rejection well enough. “Don"t give me any more trouble, and I won"t break any more ribs.” Fari nodded against the snow. “I understand.” He backed off. “Give me your right hand.” Fari complied, bending his arm behind him. “Alice, the rope?” She tossed the rope before returning her attention to Gunni"s injuries.

Brand tied Fari"s wrists behind his back and yanked him to his feet. He gestured to Dagny. “Don"t move, or she"s going to fill you with buckshot. Believe me, it stings.” He walked to where Gunni sat.

Alice knelt next to Gunni, her face set in a worried frown. She knotted another bandage around the wound in his leg, then looked up at Brand.

“Is he okay to travel?” Brand asked.

Her frown deepened, but before she could answer, Gunni spoke up. “I"m fine.”

Alice searched Brand"s face with her pale blue eyes.

“Where are we going?”

“You two are taking his car and going to Erik"s place in Wyoming.”

They looked at each other. “No, we aren"t,” Alice said.

Gunni nodded in agreement, a ghost of a smile touching his normally reserved features.

Brand grumbled. “Why is everyone in the f*cking mood to defy me today?”

A cough came from Dagny, and he sent a glare in her direction. She had made it abundantly clear during their walk back that she wasn"t going to be sent away, and perhaps that had made him a bit more irritable than normal. Her eyes didn"t move from Fari, but the lifted corner of her mouth told him 161

what she thought of his outburst.

He brought his attention back to Gunni. “You take Alice and get the f*ck out of here.” Gunni cleared his throat. “You"re going to need help if it comes to a fight.”

“If it comes to a fight, I don"t want you on my side.” He made his voice as harsh as he could.

Gunni"s face, ruddy from his battle minutes before, fell.

The dejected expression tugged at Brand"s heart, just a little.

Fenrir"s teeth and claws, what was wrong with him? He didn"t need that pup chasing around after him, thinking he was helping and getting himself killed, especially not when Alice so clearly cared about him.

Alice fixed Brand with a distinctly disapproving glare.

He stomped toward her through the snow. She stared up at him, expression cold.

Forcing an even more harsh tone, he said, “I suppose you"re going to come up with some excuse why I should bring you as well. This is going to be difficult enough; I don"t need two anchors tied to me.”

Her eyes didn"t waver at all. “You"re an arrogant bastard.”

He managed to restrain the smile that threatened because of her act of defiance. She"d changed so much recently.

“So I"ve been told on more than one occasion.” Though never by her. Tension tightened his belly in knots.

He needed to ensure their safety, and the best way to accomplish that was for them to be far from him. Ingrid, he thought, could be trusted to protect Dagny if the confrontation went badly, but she wouldn"t inconvenience herself for Gunni or Alice. In fact, she would probably offer them up as a sacrifice to save her daughter. He couldn"t let that happen.

Gunni reached for Alice"s hand, interlacing his fingers with hers. He pulled her close to him and whispered, “Let"s get out of here.”

Her eyes searched his face for a few seconds and then 162

she nodded. She dug in the pocket of her jeans. Coming up with her keys, she tossed them in Brand"s direction without looking at him. He caught them one-handed and turned away.

Brand manhandled Fari into the backseat of Alice"s car.

The male groaned with each impact to his battered ribs which Brand made sure happened enough keep his attention. Dagny watched him with a tight-lipped expression.

Brand got behind the wheel and wrestled with the seat, lifting his gaze to her afterward. “Go ahead and say it.”

“Oh, no. I"ve got nothing to add to that stellar performance.” She glowered at him. “I"m wondering if you"re stupid enough to try that on me? Or are you going to Compel me to go hide somewhere, like Erik did to Bera?”

“If I thought pushing you away had a chance of working, I might try it.” He grumbled and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “As to Compelling you, I can"t anymore.”

“You… what?” She leaned closer, looking more than a bit shocked.

“I changed the bond so I can"t Compel you anymore.” She closed her eyes for a few seconds. “Why would you do that?”

“I wanted to give you something no one else has.” He paused to smile. “I don"t want to make you do something you don"t want to, as crazy as I"m sure that will make me sometimes.”

A tear streaked down over her right cheek. He reached for her, but she leaned away, wiping at her face irritably.

“Shouldn"t you give Alice that same respect?” Her words stung like a slap. He faced out the window toward where Gunni"s car sat rather than confront her accusation. Alice leaned against the fender. “You don"t understand.”

“I understand that you"re caught between your need to protect and your sense of honor. I can feel how tortured you are by that choice.” She touched his arm with hesitant fingers.

He turned back to meet her eyes. “She"s not like you.” 163

“No, she"s not, but she cares for you, too.” She sighed.

“The choice isn"t yours to make, Brand.”

“You"re both going to be the death of me.” He got out of the car and stalked across the space between the vehicles.

Alice watched him crossing the distance, eyebrows drawn down. Gunni scrambled out of his car and got between them.

Brand hadn"t expected that reaction, but he approved.

He remembered how difficult it had been to stand up to his sire that first time. Fixing Gunni with his most fierce glare, he stopped. “Get out of my way unless you want me to knock you on your ass in front of her.”

A low growl came from between Gunni"s clenched teeth. Brand stopped, pulling up his sleeves one at a time.

“Listen, pup, step aside, or I"m going to move you.” Gunni wasn"t small, but Brand topped him by three inches and at least twenty pounds of muscle. Still, the young male didn"t flinch when Brand approached him. Satisfied that Gunni would do what was needed if required, Brand tilted his head to look at Alice.

By her wide eyes, she knew Brand couldn"t back away after a challenge like the one Gunni offered. She understood the subtleties of power plays, even if she didn"t participate. She reached for Gunni"s arm. “It"s all right.” She tried to pull him back, but he wouldn"t budge. Her hand slid around his waist.

“Gun, he"d never hurt me.”

Gunni craned his head to look at her. She smiled up at him, a beautiful expression Brand had never seen from her before. Without a word, Gunni deferred to her with a fluid bow of his head.

Brand cleared his throat. “I apologize for acting as I did.

I was trying to protect you. I have since been reminded that not every choice in the lives of those I care about is mine to make.” Alice"s eyes flickered to her car before coming back to Brand. “She"s quite something.”

He nodded, feeling a smile at the corners of his mouth despite his resolve to remain stone-faced. “I would still prefer it if you"d allow Gunni to take you somewhere safe.” Alice ran forward, squeezing him in a tight hug. Her head rested against his chest. She tilted her head back to look up at him. “Thank you.”

He wrapped his arms around her and returned the embrace. “You"re welcome.”

“I"ll agree to stay away on one condition.”

“What"s that?”

“Take me back into your brood, and Gunni, too. That way, we"ll know if you need us.”

He frowned, considering her offer. “I gave you back to Erik to protect you from this.”

“You said it"s my choice whether I take that protection or not.” He struggled to keep his voice reasonable. “If I fall, there will be pain like you"ve never felt.” He remembered the agony of his sire"s death vividly. The sensation had been akin to what he thought being skinned alive might feel like.

Alice appeared unmoved. “Pain doesn"t frighten me.”

“You would end up in another brood not of your choosing.” He paused, letting his words sink in. “Björn could be your leader again. Is that what you want?” The memory of her state when he had taken her haunted him—terrorized, starved, and so badly beaten that she couldn"t stand. The desperation he"d felt when he"d seen her discarded like trash had changed him.

She stared into his face, a pensive crease between her eyebrows. “I fear your death more than what he might do to me.”

“Very well, my sweet.” He lowered his head to press his lips to her cheek.

A rumble of anger came from Gunni. His hand slid around Alice"s hip to pull her away from Brand. Rather than get into a tug-of-war match with her as the rope, Brand released his 165

hold.

Gunni drew her back against him and wrapped both his arms around her torso, backing against his car. He fixed Brand with a menacing glare, the glowing blue of his wolf"s eyes sharp in the failing light. “She"s mine.”

Rage flared to life in Brand"s gut, hot tendrils of fire racing through him. He was about to pounce on them and rip Alice free, when he glanced at her face. Eyes half-closed and lips parted, her expression wasn"t at all the terrified one he"d expected. Gunni"s arms held her close, but not in a tight grip.

He held her as though she were delicate and precious.

Gunni dropped his head to her neck, sinking his teeth into the skin above the fine network of scars. She let out a soft moan and shut her eyes.

Brand watched for any sign of resistance, but the only move she made was to pull his arms tighter around her. He felt their wolf energy twist as Gunni began to tie the mating bonds.

Several minutes later, Gunni released his bite and closed the wounds that made his mark. He whispered against her neck. Alice shuddered as the bonding settled into her.

Gunni nuzzled a spot under her ear. “Forgive me, I should have asked first. The thought of him biting you was more than I could take.”

She raised her hand to his face and held his cheek against hers. “Forgiven. The end result is the same.” Brand ignored the warning snarl coming from Gunni when he approached. “Let"s get this done.” Gunni glanced down at Alice, who nodded. He offered Brand his left arm, the other still wrapped around Alice"s middle. He shifted Alice further away in a move that seemed unconscious, partially shielding her with his body.

Brand was growing to like Alice"s pup, insolence and all.

“You"ll do.” With a chuckle, he grabbed the offered forearm.

Gunni"s fist clenched, but he didn"t pull away. Biting another male could be tricky at the best of times. Making him submit moments after he"d taken a mate qualified as the 166

absolute worst timing.

“Breathe through it,” Brand said. He let the wolf come forward, pulling from the reservoir of energy inside of him. He clutched Gunni"s wrist in a tight grip. After a shallow bite, he sucked a mouthful of blood. Gunni tasted like spring grass after a rain. Gunni"s wolf roared to the surface. He let go of Alice, and his right fist came flying at Brand.

Brand twisted Gunni"s left arm behind him, knocked him off balance, and pushed him to his knees. He swallowed, feeling the torrent of Gunni"s power raging inside of him. Very strong, and not inclined to cooperate, his wolf put up a brutal fight.

Sweat rolled down Brand"s face as he struggled with Gunni. The waning moon stripped his wolf of much of his energy. Coupled with the fact that he was tired and hungry, he didn"t have as much of a power advantage over the younger male as he normally would have. What he lacked in strength, he hoped to make up in determination.

Alice slid to the ground in front of Gunni, her hands rising to hold his face. “You don"t have to prove anything to me.” She leaned to kiss him.

When he felt Gunni relax, Brand released him. He spun the brood weaves as quickly as he could, not knowing how long Alice could keep his attention. He tugged them both out of Erik"s hold, tying part of their power into his brood.

Brand leaned to put a hand on each of their heads.

“Your blood is my blood. To the last drop, you are mine.” Alice collapsed against Gunni"s chest with a gasp. He cradled her against him, murmuring into her hair.

The warmth they felt for each other made Brand smile.

Their bond glowed with it. “Take care of her.” Gunni met his eyes and nodded solemnly. “We"ll wait here.” His tone, more statement than question, seemed to challenge Brand to try sending them away.

Brand fixed him with a narrow-eyed stare. “I make the 167

decisions.”

Gunni stared back; his jaw clenched and released several times in a slow rhythm. After a long hesitation, he bowed his head in acceptance.

“Get inside. I think you"ll be safe enough here, since I"m going to them.” He smiled at Alice. “You"ve always been much better to me than I deserve, and for that I thank you.”

“Come back to me,” she said as he turned away, her voice thick with tears.