Across the water, ten feet or so up from the shoreline, I spotted the unmistakable shape of a wolf. The beast appeared to stand four feet at the shoulders. That was impossible. Thanks to childhood camping and hunting trips, and visits to several wolf preserves, I had seen my fair share of wolves. Never had I even heard of one getting that big. Maybe it was a trick of the angle, the light, or my perspective from my position. The unique blond, white, and gray coat was also something I had never seen. His beauty took my breath away. But he couldn’t be a pure wolf and be that big, could he? Even if he were mixed with a dog, I didn’t know of any dogs that got that big.
Prickles of something worked up my neck. It wasn’t fear. This felt more like an awareness dredged up from deep inside, like part of me recognized the creature and felt a kinship. I’d always liked wolves, been drawn to them even. My Cherokee mom said they were my totem animal. But this was different. Maybe the clear mountain air was getting to me.
A low growl issued from the wolf, so quiet I barely heard it above the trickle of water over rocks. The curl of his lips from his teeth was unmistakable, though. I froze, not even daring to breathe. But he wasn’t looking at me; he was looking further down the bank on his side of the river. A second wolf stalked out from behind a tree. Impossibly, this one was just as big. A black, brown, and white coat moved over muscles taut with tension. Menace radiated off the pair as they crept toward one another. Hackles rose in sharp lines down their backs. Teeth gnashed in warning as snarls were traded.
Mesmerized, I froze and watched. I wasn’t sure which moved first; it happened so fast. The giants clashed with an eruption of menacing sounds. Teeth flashed, claws swiped, and fur flew. My eyes couldn’t keep up. It was like watching a movie at twice normal speed. From this distance, I couldn’t tell if blood flew as well, but it had to. Caught in the throes of their fight, they rolled behind a bush and out of my sight. One of the wolves—the blondish one—emerged from the other side, hackles raised and teeth bared, gaze riveted on the bush.
I waited, fearful for the other wolf. They were both such gigantic, rare beauties that I didn’t want either of them hurt. But what stepped out of the bush wasn’t a wolf, it was a man. Stark-ass naked as he was, I got a good look at every inch of his athletic body. Bright rivulets of blood stood out against his skin in multiple spots. Tattoos covered much of his arms and back, but from this distance I couldn’t tell what they were. One set of gashes—from claws, I was sure—on his arm looked particularly bad.
When my gaze finally made it up to his face, I had to slap a hand over my mouth to suppress a gasp. It was hard to be sure from so far away, but I thought he looked a hell of a lot like Raul. The man maintained a fighting stance, hands out to his sides, fingers curled as if they possessed claws that could rake. Both he and the wolf snarled and growled at one another. That sound shouldn’t have been able to come from a human’s throat. It wasn’t just a mimic of sound like most people could make; it was real. Hairs rose on the back of my neck. Any urge I had to step out and see if the man was all right, see if he might be Raul, fled. Something really, really wasn’t right here.
They stood like that for a while, wolf and man glaring at one another. Challenge and menace weighed as heavy in the forest air as the sweet stench of liqueur did in a bar. The impossibility of the situation started to sink in, but I couldn’t dispute what I was seeing. It occurred to me that I should say something to scare the wolf off. But I couldn’t utter a sound. If this muscular man couldn’t scare it off, how the hell was I supposed to? The man didn’t act like he needed help. In fact, he didn’t act like a man at all. That realization kept me frozen on the spot.
After several long, breathless minutes, they both eased out of their crouches, turned, and walked away from one another. I watched until both disappeared into the forest before I even dared breathe. Just to be sure, I watched another full minute. When I had counted in my head to sixty, I moved. Afraid of stepping on something and making noise, I walked sideways—one eye on the path, the other on the opposite bank. A little squeal almost escaped me when I smacked into what turned out to be a boulder.
Fear overcame reason. I turned and ran. Bushes scraped at me, tree branches smacked me, rocks turned underfoot, threatening to roll an ankle, but it barely slowed me. I didn’t stop running until I reached the grapevines.
At the end of a row, I leaned on the vines’ support structure until my chest stopped heaving in an attempt to get enough air. Somehow I had hung onto the bag with the wine and cinnamon rolls. Elbows on my knees, I breathed and tried to process what I had seen. The size of the wolves had to have been a trick of the light and distance. Maybe I had imagined the growl coming from the man. A stark-ass naked man in the middle of the woods who had appeared out of the very same bushes a wolf had just tumbled into. I couldn’t explain that away.
But it wasn’t Raul, it couldn’t be. Right? I had to know for sure.
Straightening, I ran my fingers through my hair, smoothed my shirt, and pasted on a smile. I strode back toward the B&B on legs that still shook. If Raul was there, then he couldn’t have been the naked man in the woods. Of course, that wouldn’t explain why there had been a strange man in the woods naked and unarmed facing down a monstrous wolf. But at least it would mean it hadn’t been Raul.
When I reached the back door to the B&B, I only paused for a second before going in. The sweat dampening my forehead could be explained by the heat. Now, if I could just stop shaking…
Still bent over the oven, Gerty called out a greeting. “Welcome back, dear! Will you be staying for lunch?”
I waved a hand, feigning a casual air. “Oh no, thank you. I was just dropping in to see if Raul is back.”
Lips pursing, she shook her head. “Not yet. You didn’t come across him, then. That’s a shame.” She nodded toward the bag I held. “Well, you’re welcome to leave that in his room for him if you’d like.”
I smiled and hoped I didn’t look as disturbed as I felt. “That would be great, thanks.”
“Right this way,” she said, a delighted conspiratorial tone in her voice.
She led me down a hallway lined with doors and stopped before a dark blue one, opening it. Light filled the cozy room, pouring in through the massive three-pane sliding glass door that dominated the far wall. Wispy robin’s egg blue curtains did little to obscure the view of a flower garden with grapevines stretching out behind them. Inside the room stood an antique-looking wooden desk, a four-poster queen bed, and a TV stand with a forty-inch or so TV on it. Paintings of grapes and winery related items added charm and splashes of color to the beige walls. Gerty dug a pencil and pad of paper from her apron, handed it to me with a conspiratorial smile, and left me to it.
The second the door closed behind her, I set to snooping. On the nightstand lay a book about the effects of the Arctic thaw on something called sunken forests. At first, I thought it might just be a book belonging to the B&B. But then I remembered Raul’s love of all things forest-related. That, and a bookmark poked out of the hardbound about two-thirds of the way through it. Not exactly my type of reading, but I could see Raul liking it. My mind conjured an image of him lying shirtless in bed reading. Though my body started to respond, the thought also made me think of the naked man in the woods facing down the wolf. Desire drained from me in a rush. I returned my focus to searching the room—for what, I wasn’t sure.
No clothes lay on the floor, either in the bedroom or attached bath. Aside from him being exceedingly neat, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then I looked in the shower. The brand of shampoo and conditioner said Lupine Naturals. If I hadn’t just seen what I had in the forest, it would have seemed like just a brand name. But… Prickles of ice danced along my skin. I backed out of the bathroom. My legs ran into something soft, and I jumped as a little yelp escaped me. I spun around, prepared to swing the heavy bag at someone, but it was only the edge of the bed. Fighting the impulse to run, I forced myself to set the bag on the bed next to the fluffed p
illows. Because I knew Gerty expected it and might check, I wrote a quick note and dropped it next to the bag.
Sorry I missed you.
My mind was too frazzled to come up with anything else. It took every ounce of wispy control I had left to keep my pace at a walk as I left the room. Thankfully, Gerty was busy in the kitchen and let me get away with a simple goodbye. Once out of her sight, I speed-walked out of the B&B and to my Jeep. Only by a monumental effort did I manage not to throw gravel as I backed out, turned around, and started down the drive. The second my tires hit pavement, I shifted gears, hit the gas, and squealed around the corner.
As soon as a few miles lay between me and the B&B, I felt better. A few more and I began to feel silly. The whole thing seemed like a misunderstanding, a trick of light and distance made more sense than what my mind was trying to conjure. And I believed that until I was home alone and darkness fell outside. It reminded me of something I’d seen a long time ago. The similarities made the thought hard to banish. Every time I closed my eyes, all I saw were giant wolves and naked men covered in blood.
Chapter Seven
Raul
After scrubbing the last of the blood from my body, I removed the showerhead and made sure I rinsed every bit of it down the drain. I’d managed to sneak in the sliding glass door to my room and avoid coming across anyone. But it wasn’t just by luck. I had staked out the area from the cover of an oak in the garden before approaching. Explaining the gouges on my arm and blood wasn’t something I wanted to do, especially considering I’d be healed by morning.
Damn Tyler Viðarrson. I hadn’t realized this was his territory before I came here. That didn’t mean I was going to back down, though. He lived in Montana, which meant, if he had claimed this territory, it was possibly because Sonya lived here and he knew about her. She was too important, and it was only a matter of time before everyone figured that out. She was already in enough danger with the few of us that knew now.
I was toweling off when my phone vibrated across the tile countertop. When I saw Morene’s name, I snatched it up.
How goes the wild goose hunt?
I had to be careful how I answered, not because I didn’t trust my sister, but because I knew how Bane monitored her phone. Just thinking his name made my fangs extend.
Not so wild. I found her, I texted back.
Thank goodness.
That struck a chord which resonated down into my body, sending unease shooting through me. I pressed her picture and clicked video chat. When she answered, all I could see was her chin and neck.
“Thank goodness? What does that mean? I detected a tone,” I said.
My pulse sped. Why was she holding the phone down where I couldn’t see her face? She laughed and I heard tension in the sound instead of humor.
“A tone? In a text, little bro? You’re reaching,” she teased. Her voice sounded strained and tired.
“In that case, why are you holding the phone where I can’t see your face?”
Again she laughed, and the sound was thick, like maybe she’d been crying. “I’m not holding it. It’s sitting on the counter, silly. I’m doing my hair. You did call out of the blue, you know.”
“Because I’m worried about you.”
“Well, you don’t need to be. You found Bane’s little “special lady”. Now you can bring her to him, and we can get back to our plan of overthrowing him.”
Nerves getting the better of me, I nearly poked myself in the eye with a brush. “Careful not to say that too loud.” As his pack’s proxy female alpha she was always surrounded by those loyal to Bane. “And there might be a slight problem with that.”
“Problem? No, there can’t be a problem. Do not let your romantic notions get in our way. Bane is getting suspicious of me. I need her here to distract him.”
Dread prickled across me. “Suspicious? Are you in danger?”
“I can handle myself, for now.”
“I’m coming back to petition the Council for permission right now. Please be careful around him.”
“Always. But, little brother, hurry. And bring her with you.”
The urgency in her voice had me running as I ended the call. I would petition the Council, and check on my sister, but there was no way I was taking Sonya into a literal den of wolves until she knew the truth.
Topping the Porsche out around 195 and meticulously checking my radar detector did me no good. When I reached Hemlock Hollow, Montana hours later the town hall was empty. A call to my father, alpha of the Reinhard pack, didn’t gain me any ground either. My heart sank into my gut when he told me the next Alpha Council meeting lay two weeks away and my petition couldn’t be heard until then. I couldn’t explain why it was an emergency, not to him. He had no idea Morene and I were trying to infiltrate the Draupnir pack and take Bane down. As far as Father knew, Morene had stayed a member when Bane killed the prior alpha out of loyalty because it was her chosen pack. That was only partially true.
Left with no other option, I drove to Bane’s house. The A-frame with a wrap-around porch emerged from the trees like a vulture with its wings spread, protecting its kill. Massive, triangular windows at the peak seemed to narrow at me like a raptor’s gaze. I skidded to a stop, sending decorative gravel flying.
The front door opened and my sister came out, meeting me at the bottom of the steps before I could even set foot on them. Brown hair up in a messy bun, athletic frame wrapped in a knitted shawl, she looked a disheveled, frazzled mess. Clearly, she had not been doing her hair. As soon as she stepped out from beneath the porch’s shadow, I saw it, the purple shade of a black eye. And it wasn’t just her eye. The entire left side of her face appeared swollen.
A low growl tore from me. “Where is he?”
She stepped in my way and put a hand on my chest. “Don’t overreact. It’s from a challenger. They look much worse.”
Gazing deep into her eyes, I searched for the truth. The slightest twitch of skin near her brow made me think she was lying.
“I am going to kill him,” I growled as I pushed past her.
Fingers closed around my arm in an iron grip, reminding me she had earned her place as proxy female alpha. “I am not some damsel in distress who needs rescuing. Careful what you do next.”
The unspoken words between her words cooled some of my anger. I couldn’t afford to screw up our plans. I also couldn’t walk away, not only as a brother, but also because Bane would get suspicious if I did. Taking a deep breath, I touched her hand and let her see the frustration in my eyes. “Is it worth it?” I asked for at least the thousandth time since we’d developed this plan to take down the tyrant.
“Yes.” After a dramatic breath, she went on. “Just do what he asks, and do it quickly.”
I wasn’t good with commands, and I’d had it with this bastard blackmailing me. Seeing my expression, my sister grabbed my shirt, yanked me to her, and whispered harshly in my ear. “We’ve come too far. Don’t fuck this up.”
I peeled her hand from my shirt. Brushing past her, I stormed up the stairs and threw the oversized front door open so hard it banged against the wall and rattled the front windows. Claws clicked on tile as three gray and white wolves rushed into the foyer. Jaws snapping, lips curling back, they did their best to intimidate me, but I stood my ground. I allowed my fangs to extend and gnashed them at the wolves.
“Get Bane now, or Odin help me, I will tear through each of you to get to him,” I commanded.
Two of them wilted beneath the weight of power behind my words. The third flinched. They growled in answer, and each took a step closer to me. As verndari—protector—to the Draupnir alphas, they had no choice but to try and stop me. Not a single part of me felt bad for them. Their previous alpha—the one Bane had killed to take his spot—had been my mentor and good friend. These varúlfur—werewolves—had stayed after the battle and supported Bane. Every part of me itched to do what I threatened. I opened my hands as my fingernails grew into claws. Two of the wolves had t
he good sense to look worried.
“No need for such violence. Why is it always straight to violence with you, Raul?” Bane’s gravelly voice preceded him, drifting in from the other room.
Lanky legs moving at a leisurely pace, the sinewy man all but slithered into the foyer. A black t-shirt clung to his runner’s frame, tucked into camouflaged BDUs. The sides of his head had been freshly shaved to show off his Norse tattoos there, his long Mohawk of dark blond hair plated into a braid that went from his forehead to down between his shoulders. It stirred my anger even more that he affected the style of the Norsemen of old. He only pretended to honor the old ways, having used the ancient customs as a means to take his brother down and kill him legally.
“Because you bring it out in me,” I said through my fangs.
With a wave of his hand, he told his verndari wolves to stand down. They relaxed their stances a bit, the hair on their backs smoothing. “Leave us,” he told them.
Warning looks and growls cast my way as they did what their alpha bade them. Once the clicking of their claws faded into the house, Bane took a step closer, arms crossing over his chest. “You didn’t bring her.” The anger in his voice held an undertone of something I couldn’t quite put my finger on—fear? Could it be fear of why I hadn’t brought her?
“Of course not. I need to petition the Council for permission to bite her in.”
Anger contorted his features, and he took another step closer. “No, you don’t. You won’t be the one to bite her in, therefore, that isn’t your concern. Bring her to me and I will worry about that.”
I cringed, not out of fear, but disgust. “You plan to turn her and make her your mate.” The thought made me sick to my stomach. Sonya deserved better than that, better than him.
Clawed & Cornered: A Viking Werewolf Paranormal Romance (Children of Fenrir Book 1) Page 7