Broods Of Fenrir

chapter 4


Brand ran west. The trees moved by in a blur. Blood pulsed through him, spreading the rage to every part of his body in a throbbing surge. His desperation to reach Alice made every stride an eternity. He felt the pull of the moon like a thrumming song in his chest. It stretched him, creating tension that felt as if it would break him into pieces from the inside out.

The trees thinned the higher he climbed, and the ground grew ever more rocky. Soon, the forest disappeared entirely, and he was alone with the moon on the barren hillside.

Silver light played over the terrain, casting everything in an unearthly glow.

Brand smelled Alice"s terror well before he reached them, the scent sharp enough that pain lanced his chest. He crested a small rise, and they came into view at the base of a butte. Arn"s teeth locked onto Alice"s slim shoulder. The sounds of greedy suckling carried through the air. Her bruised body was limp underneath him. Blood smeared her skin and matted her long, pale hair.

Brand screamed and barreled downhill. The moon"s call evoked a torrent of fury that ripped through him. Still 35

screaming a wordless challenge, he crashed into the larger male.

Arn slid across the ground and came to a stop when he hit the wall of rock. Pebbles rained down on him from above.

Brand stood over Alice. The state of her frail, naked body reminded him so much of how he"d found her almost a century ago, when he"d sworn to protect her. He"d failed. He always failed. The smell of her blood and the stink of the other male wafting up from her body ratcheted Brand"s anger even further.

With a puzzled expression, Arn righted himself, one hand braced on the wall. When his gaze settled on Brand, he growled. He spoke in a low, rough voice, “Leave now, and I"ll let you live.”

Brand stepped over Alice, putting himself between her and Arn. His hands curled into fists. “You"re not ever going to touch her again. I should have killed you when I took her from you.” “The Spear"s son is soft. No one was surprised that I survived our last meeting.” Arn"s eyes flicked down to Alice, and a leering grin spread over his face. “Soft in more ways than one, it seems. She didn"t smell anything like you. I guess you can"t get your staff up at all, if you can"t even mount that one.” Brand launched himself at Arn. Arn dodged, and Brand crashed into the wall where Arn had been standing. Arn drove his shoulder into Brand"s back, crushing him against the rock.

The pressure squeezed the air from his lungs. Spots danced through his field of vision.

Brand pushed away from the wall and turned as Arn backed away for another blow. Brand landed a kick on Arn"s thigh. Arn shouted and drove Brand into the wall again. They grappled against the wall for several seconds. Brand lunged forward, using his foot to trip Arn and knock him off balance.

Arn landed hard on the ground. Brand leapt on him and struck with a punch under Arn"s jaw. Arn twisted under him, knocking Brand free and smashing him into the rock wall.

Sharp rock sliced into Brand"s shoulder, but he barely felt the pain.

Brand jumped for him again, but Arn rolled out of the way. Brand leapt to his feet and, before Arn could right himself, Brand kicked him in the jaw. A loud grunt from Arn accompanied the crack of breaking bone.

Arn shook his head, dazed. Brand pressed his advantage, driving a knee into Arn"s ribs. Arn tried to curl around his injured side, but Brand"s weight on his chest kept him pinned to the ground.

Brand landed another blow on Arn"s jaw and felt the thrill of victory well up when Arn sagged under him. Brand pummeled him in the face several more times and then roared before sinking his teeth into his defeated rival"s neck to tear open the carotid artery.

Acrid blood filled Brand"s mouth and poured over his chin in hot rivulets. He swallowed twice, feeling the surge of Arn"s power through him, then spat a mouthful of blood into the dying male"s face. He watched with grim satisfaction as the glow of power drained from Arn"s eyes.

A soft sniffle attracted Brand"s attention. He lifted his gaze until his eyes found the source of the sound. Alice, still naked on the ground, watched him with an expression of horror. The beast reigned, certain that it would take its prize since it had killed the enemy. He crawled two feet toward her before the thinking part of him regained a measure of control, and he settled back on his haunches.

Brand wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Cover yourself, Alice. I need some time before I can take you out of here.” He started to shake as the wolf tried to assert its will over him again.

A look of resolve settled over her face, mouth pinched tight. “You"re hurting.” She moved toward him hesitantly, her hand out.

He pushed backward, until he came to a rest against the butte. “For the Wolf-mother"s sake, don"t come any closer.” She paused. “I was going to try to ease you.” His teeth chattered as he shivered convulsively.

“There"s no easing this.” When he stopped shaking, he drew up his legs and rested his arms across his knees. His mood surged back and forth like the tide in response to the moon. He tried to modulate his voice into some semblance of calm. “I need to know how badly you"re hurt.”

He watched her as she tried to come up with an appropriate response. When she saw his eyes roving hungrily over her, she stammered and blushed. Brand took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Okay, listen. You"re not going to be safe until I can force the transformation on you, and I need a little more calm than I have right now to achieve that. So please, Alice, tell me how badly you"re hurt, and cover yourself.”

Alice shifted on the ground, and he had to screw his eyes shut to avoid staring. The beast still raged. It knew a naked female lay almost within arm"s reach, even if it couldn"t see her.

She cleared her throat. “I"m not badly hurt.” The tension in her voice gave away the lie.

Pressing his forehead into his arms, he closed his eyes tighter. He inhaled a hiss between clenched teeth. “That"s not going to work for me. Tell me something true.”

“I"m worried about you.”

Her fear should have goaded his anger, but his protective instinct surged instead. She was frightened, and he could help her. The transformation would ease her terror, and being linked with him would speed her healing. He raised his head. She had covered herself with the torn scraps of her clothing.

His tense muscles gradually relaxed and, after a few minutes, he sat straighter. He eased his barriers back into place and sighed when his sense of her fear dulled. “Are you ready?” Alice nodded, her tongue darting out to moisten her lips. He closed his eyes and concentrated on calming himself.

His heartbeat slowed.

The Call came from a place inside that he couldn"t point to or identify, and it resonated, long and low. Alice"s response 38

was immediate. He forged a link between them and sent the command to transform. The air around him heated. He waited with his eyes shut, gradually calming as her terror waned. He opened his eyes.

Alice was a diminutive wolf, white as the snow-capped hills. Her eyes reflected pearly and opalescent in the winter night. He smiled. “You"re lovely.” He gestured her forward with one hand.

She sat next to his foot and, with a deep sigh, put her chin on his knee. The wolf was a creature of the present and didn"t dwell on her earlier trauma. Her contentment filtered through him, a warm and gentle touch. The link between them bypassed the effect of his protective barrier, but he didn"t mind.

He rested his hand on her head. “It"s been a long while since you"ve transformed, hasn"t it? I hope it wasn"t unpleasant?”

She shook her narrow, white muzzle from side to side, a curious gesture from a wolf.

“I"ve never felt it before. No one can Call me.” He stroked her smooth fur for several minutes, then put his hand under her muzzle to scratch her chin. “You aren"t going to like this part, but I"m not going to let you transform back for a while.” Her lips pulled back into an approximation of a fierce snarl that made him laugh.

“Like this, you"re safe from me. More importantly, you"re safe from Ingrid. I have some unfinished business with her, and I can"t take you home until it"s been tended to.” He frowned as the weight of responsibility asserted itself on him again. “She knows if she so much as rubs the fur wrong on a wolf I"ve Called, I"ll tear her apart.” Alice whined briefly, but inclined her muzzle once. She licked his hand, her warm tongue a comfort.

The bond with her was strong, and he gained strength from being linked to her. He"d forgotten how wonderful such a connection felt. He ruffled her fur again, then pushed to his feet.