Burning Ash

by N. J. Walters

  “Exactly. I need to talk to him. Maccus as well. This kind of thing could cause total chaos in the Brotherhood. If Bjorn follows through, we’ll have to put him down.”

  “That’s what whoever is behind this wants.” Events were spiraling out of control. “This isn’t about me at all. It’s about destroying you and the Brotherhood you belong to.”

  Was this how a worm on the end of a hook felt? Or maybe it was more like a goat staked out in the woods to attract a wolf. Icy dread snaked over her skin.

  Asher pulled out his phone and placed the call, putting the phone on speaker. She expected it to go to voicemail and was shocked when it was answered.

  “I’m really going to kill you.” The dark promise in Maccus’s voice made her tremble.

  “Get in line. But first, get on the Brotherhood website. We’ve been hacked.”

  He didn’t ask questions, but she could hear some background noise that suggested he was doing just that. “What the fuck is this?”

  “Short version, I discovered someone had been in our site, so I set up an alert in case it happened again. It did, and I chased the bastard through cyberspace for six hours before I wised up and realized it was a distraction. By the time I went back to the website, the job had been posted and accepted.”

  “Bjorn is a hardass at the best of times.” Maccus’s assessment of the guy wasn’t reassuring. “The post is a lie?”

  “Of course it’s a lie. I need to talk to him before he does something that can’t be undone.” Asher brushed his lips over hers. “If the worst happens, you need to put him down.”

  “I’ll take care of it.” With that, the line went dead.

  “What does that mean, exactly?” Asher shook his head, but she wasn’t having it. “You mean if you get your stupid ass killed, then Maccus will step in and kill this guy. Then we’ll all be dead.” She jumped off his lap and paced. “That’s just fucking great. Works out so well for all of us.”

  There has to be another way to handle this. One where we don’t all die.

  When she turned to start another lap across the room, he stepped in front of her. “I’ll keep you safe.”

  The declaration was fierce, his eyes blazing with determination. His lips were pressed together in a severe line and his chin tilted up. No sign of the teasing man from the past few days. There were so many sides to him.

  That he wanted to shelter her from this meant everything to her, but she wasn’t the type to hide. Those days were long behind her. If this werewolf wanted a fight, she’d give it to him.

  “I can’t let you take that kind of risk.” He might be the toughest vamp in the world, but he could still die. He’d said himself that anything or anyone could be killed.

  “You can’t stop me.” The reply was short and cool.

  She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Men. They were all alike, and Asher had a very healthy ego.

  “Listen, buddy.” She pressed her forefinger against his chest. “Weren’t you the one to tell Harrison Rucker that there was always someone bigger and badder out there?”

  His face became an expressionless mask.

  “Oh no you don’t. You don’t get to do that macho male thing with me.” She wasn’t having it. Her fear morphed into anger. “I know you’re strong and fast and have tricks I don’t even know about, but you said it yourself, this Bjorn guy has made a vow, and we both understand how that can drive a person to lose all perspective. I don’t know anything about werewolves. For all I know, you can take him out with one hand behind your back. I don’t care. I just don’t want anything to happen to you.” She was breathing hard by the time she finished.

  The corners of his mouth twitched. “You done?”

  Was he finding this funny? She dragged her hands through her hair to keep from wrapping them around his neck and shaking some sense into him. “Yes. No. Maybe. Shit, I don’t know.”

  “I’ll try to talk to him first.”

  She fisted her hands by her sides. “What if that doesn’t work?”

  “Why don’t we find out?”

  …

  With her feet spread apart, her hands fisted, and her beautiful face filled with emotion, Jo put him in mind of an avenging angel who wanted to smite someone. Maybe even him.

  While it angered him that she didn’t seem to think he could handle a werewolf, it did warm his heart—as well as other regions of his body—that she was worried about him.

  She was also scared to death. Her words and actions were brave, but he could scent her fear, see the sweat beading on her brow. Not that he blamed her. She hadn’t asked for any of this. Still, he couldn’t be sad she’d come into his life.

  That was the only good thing in all of this. And maybe the fact he and Maccus were communicating more.

  “You’re going to call him? Now?”

  “Waiting won’t change anything. Better to get out in front of this.” He had the entire Brotherhood in his contacts, along with his favorite takeout places.

  “Besides,” he continued as the phone rang, “seeing as he’s the best tracker in the world, Bjorn is likely on his way here.” He put it on speaker so she could hear.

  “Of course he is. He couldn’t be the worst, could he?” she muttered.

  “I know she’s with you.” The deep voice vibrated with fury.

  “And who would that be?” he shot back.

  “Jo Radcliffe.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at his phone. His hunter looked supremely pissed off. Her lush lips were pulled into a thin line and her eyes narrowed. Whoever had chosen her to be a part of their private war had made a huge mistake. This was not a woman who’d run from trouble when it came looking for her. No, she’d face it head-on and do her best to defeat it or go down trying.

  He loved her.

  The realization slammed into him with the force of a sword thrust to the heart. He staggered from the blow. Not even being changed by the Sekhmet had rocked him this hard.

  Jo, with her indomitable spirit, had captured his heart. If he spent the next thousand years by her side, she’d still fascinate him. She made him smile, challenged his intellect, and matched his passion.

  She was it for him. Now and forever.

  That admission brought him a surge of unexpected strength.

  “She’s not a part of this, Bjorn,” he warned. “You come after her, you face me.”

  “I’m not afraid of you, bloodsucker. The contract was clear.”

  “And it wasn’t posted through the normal channels. Someone hacked the website.”

  “Thought you said that couldn’t happen. Guess you’re not as good as you think you are.” Through the phone line, he could hear traffic. Bjorn was on the move.

  He ignored the taunt and kept to the facts when all he wanted to do was smack the big wolf silly. “It can’t be. Not by any normal person. Someone is playing dangerous games with the Brotherhood. And this is not the first time.”

  “So you say.”

  “So I know.”

  “Maccus never said anything,” Bjorn shot back.

  “He never says anything.” And that was part of the problem. “He knows what you’re planning to do. If you come after Jo, you forfeit your life.”

  “Jo, is it? Just how friendly are you with this chick? If she’s of the bloodline that slew my family, she has to die. Odin promised.”

  “She didn’t have any part of that.”

  “After I accepted the job, I was sent documentation, including a family tree, tracing bloodlines back generations.”

  “Fabricated.” Of that, he was certain. “I did the research myself. You know I did.”

  “I also know you’re sleeping with the woman. That little tidbit was also included with the information.”

  “And do you know how we met? We both got anonymous ema
ils sending us to the same location.” He had to find a way to get through the male’s thick skull. Right now, he was working on primal rage and not rational thought. “I bet the email you received came from an anonymous sender and you couldn’t trace the address.” It was the first thing any of them did, to make sure everything was legit. And if any member couldn’t trace it, he did it for them.

  They were assassins of the highest caliber. They didn’t react out of hand. They researched long and hard and planned. The complete opposite of what Bjorn was doing.

  “Whoever sent you that information knows your weakness.”

  “I don’t have a weakness.”

  God save him from arrogant asses. He glanced at Jo to see how she was taking it all. She rolled her eyes, making him smile.

  “Your hot button, then.” The best thing he could do was to get him thinking rationally. “Anyone who knows you knows full well this is the one thing that would set you off. They’re using you. Just as they used me and Jo.”

  The traffic sounds faded. Wherever Bjorn was, he’d left the street. The ping from an elevator sounded.

  “Son of a bitch. You’re here.”

  “Stay out of my way, and I might let you live.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  He’s here!

  Instinct kicked in and Jo raced for the bedroom where she’d stored her weapons. “What takes down a werewolf? Silver?” Shit, all her blades were steel.

  “Where is she?” a deep male voice boomed.

  Crossbow at the ready and sword in hand, she hurried to the living room. A huge man, about a foot taller than Asher, stood in front of the elevator door. He had long, shaggy blond hair with braids in the front. Half of his face was filled with tattoos that disappeared into the neckline of his shirt. He wore a black T-shirt and faded blue jeans with biker boots.

  Dress him in fur and give him an axe and he’d fit right in on a Hollywood set of a Viking TV show. He’d be right at home slaughtering his enemies in the afternoon and feasting in the evening.

  She’d say this about the person behind all this—they’d gone for the best this time. No more second-rate assassins for her.

  Asher looked almost small next to Bjorn, but that was deceiving. He was a force to be reckoned with. Didn’t mean she was going to cower in a corner and let him fight her battle.

  “I’m right here.” Heart pounding, she stepped out of the hallway. “You know, I’m getting tired of people wanting to kill me.”

  With their superior senses, they had to know she was afraid.

  Bjorn’s sharp blue eyes tracked over her, taking in the crossbow in one hand and the sword in the other. “Hunter,” he sneered.

  She inclined her head. “Werewolf. I’ve never met any of your kind. I stick to vampires.”

  Her calm demeanor seemed to give him pause, but only momentarily. He stalked toward her, only to come up short as Asher shoved him back. Bjorn flew through the air and slammed into the wall. Plaster cracked, and several paintings crashed to the floor, their glass frames shattering.

  “You do not come into my home and threaten my woman.” Asher’s voice rang with authority, not to mention possessiveness. “Think, man. You’re more than brawn. This is too easy. It’s a bloody trap.”

  Her fingers tightened on her crossbow and the handle of her sword. They gave her a sense of security. A false one, but it was better than nothing.

  The Viking shook himself, white dust falling from his long hair. “She must pay for what her ancestors did.” He yanked his shirt up and over his head. The muscles in his arms rippled as he flexed his fingers.

  “My ancestors didn’t do anything to yours.” Maybe she could reason with him.

  “Liar!”

  Or maybe not. She crouched slightly, back to the wall, to put herself in a better defensive position.

  “The lies came from whoever hacked the website.” Asher seemed far too relaxed for her liking. She hoped his confidence wasn’t misplaced. Bjorn was huge and filled with rage.

  “Out of the way, bloodsucker.” He kicked off his boots and removed his jeans. Fully dressed he was intimidating. Naked, he was downright scary.

  She tried not to look. Really, she did. But she couldn’t resist. The guy was huge everywhere. Swallowing became impossible. She’d rather fight a whole horde of vamps than face this guy.

  His skin shimmered. Before her very eyes, his shape changed. Fur shoved out from beneath his skin. His bones snapped and reformed. His jaw elongated, and his forehead flattened. Within seconds, a massive wolf crouched, ready to pounce.

  Don’t move. This was a predator of the highest order. If she ran, he’d be on her before she could make it to the bedroom. There was nowhere she could hide where he wouldn’t be able to get to her.

  A low growl shook the room. God, his teeth were huge and so very sharp. All the better to tear the skin from your bones, my dear.

  There had to be a way out of this.

  “Honestly, I had nothing to do with what happened to your family. If you do this, you’re no better than those killers were.” Maybe she could appeal to whatever sense of honor drove him.

  He sprang so fast he was a blur. One second he was across the room. The next he was almost on her.

  Reflex made her fire the crossbow. The steel bolt slammed into his right flank. It didn’t even jolt him.

  Before she could bring her sword up, the massive wolf came to a screeching halt in midair, as though stopped by an invisible force field.

  Asher’s arms were banded around the huge creature, holding him back. It was an impressive show of strength since Bjorn was so much bigger. He raised the wolf in the air and slammed him to the ground. Huge cracks radiated across the floor. The whole apartment shook.

  She wanted to help but would only be in the way. This was like something out of a movie, a clash of the Titans, or rather a clash of the vampire and werewolf. And lucky girl that she was, she had a front row seat.

  The wolf growled, heavy jaws snapping together, fangs flashing. Asher was strangely quiet as he fought. His reddish eyes reflected anger. His teeth and claws were much smaller than Bjorn’s but no less deadly. They slashed and tore at each other. She winced even though the wounds healed almost instantly.

  Asher tossed his opponent back. Two chairs splintered into toothpicks when Bjorn crashed into them. The wolf’s growl made all the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. He leaped forward, slashing out with razor-sharp claws and caught Asher on the arm. She slapped her hand over her mouth to keep from crying out and distracting him at a crucial moment.

  The injury healed almost as fast as it had happened, but the scent of blood mingled with male sweat and determination. Bjorn tried to lure him away from her, but he never wavered in his concentration.

  They moved at an astonishing speed. She had to look away several times when her stomach got sick from trying to follow them. But always, she turned back.

  Then it happened.

  Bjorn feigned right and then went left. Saliva dripped from his powerful jaws as he sprang forward, going low rather than high. He was on her before she knew what was happening. Massive teeth scored her arm. She tossed her sword, caught it in her uninjured hand, and drove it deep.

  A loud canine yelp was followed by a roar that made her ears ring.

  A surge of unadulterated power swept over the room like a wave slamming into rocks on the shoreline. Once again, she was frozen in place, unable to move. Oh, they were so going to have a serious chat about him pulling this stunt again. Although she couldn’t really complain as Bjorn seemed to be as trapped as she. It probably had something to do with their proximity.

  A silent predator, Asher prowled forward. He lifted her out of the way and leaned down to drag his tongue over her bleeding arm. She wanted to be grossed out, but arousal flickered through her.

  God, not n
ow. But there was something so compelling about him. Danger radiated from every pore of his body. He looked worse for wear, his shirt in tatters and blood speckled all over him, but he was as handsome as ever.

  Whatever was in his saliva stopped the blood from flowing and healed the gashes in her arm. “I’m sorry.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “This should never have happened.”

  Bjorn was a few feet away, anger burning in his eyes and a low growl emanating from his chest.

  Asher sighed and turned back to the wolf.

  …

  The weight of the years and the responsibilities pressed down on him. But nothing he’d endured had ever equaled this. Jo had been attacked in his home by a man he called friend.

  The hot blood pumping through his veins demanded vengeance, retribution for what had been done.

  But wasn’t that what had gotten them into this situation in the first place?

  This was just one more thing in the shitstorm that had descended on them—vampire assassins, a bounty, someone meddling with the Brotherhood, not to mention whoever was following them. Was it all related, or was there more than one enemy in play?

  He shook himself and sighed. Jo was going to be pissed with him. Again. She’d understand why he’d frozen her in place and forgive him. Or at least he hoped she would. Bjorn, on the other hand, was running on pure emotion. Rational thought was not a priority right now.

  They were all products of their pasts. Everything they’d ever done or experienced had converged to bring them all to this place and time.

  “Bjorn, you know me. Have I ever lied to you?” Asher reached out to the man, trying to get past the primal urges threatening to destroy him.

  The wolf glared, and the growl deepened.

  He shook his head and rubbed his hand over his face. He was tired—physically and emotionally. “I’m sorry I had to do this.” And not only because it drained his energy reserves. He was going to need blood and lots of it once they were done here.

  He had no idea how long he could retain control. Sweat beaded on his brow as he fought a mental battle just as deadly as their physical one.