“She will be the death of you. Look around. Hrothgier is tearing itself apart because Cameron didn’t have the guts to do what he should have. Prepare her for her role and have her grow the fuck up.”
Etienne and I wait with baited breaths as we watch our brothers let loose. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife, and all their anger is directed at one person. Stephanie Nils.
But I know my brothers. They would never attack her like this if they weren’t scared. Our numbers are dwindling, and we are too far spread out to fight Bjarne head on.
“Christian, stand down!” Darren approaches Christian but is shoved against the wall as his murderous glare is set on me.
Just a few hours ago, I had my arms locked around my enemy’s neck, doing everything I could to get information out of him. We tortured him for hours for information, but he never caved. The only one who wanted to end the bastard’s life and move onto the next victim was Christian. He is the Deliverer.
We marked his skin to make sure he will never be welcomed into the afterlife and shredded his body into small pieces for the wolves in the surrounding dens to feast upon.
“Back off, Christian,” Ian warns from the other side of the room.
“No, let him continue.” Etienne challenges with a menacing hint to his tone.
Christian takes one look at Etienne and takes a step back. Christian realizes he overstepped, and kicks his chair against the wall so hard it shatters into pieces, then he turns to face us. “I am not listening to this shit. Just because she is your sister and some piece of ass for Finn, does not mean I will risk my life for someone who doesn't know who we are or what we are doing. She is just going to die anyway, so what’s the point?”
Red clouds my vision, as my body flies over the sofa and attacks my own. Several voices talk over each other, screaming for me to let go, but all I can see is Christian’s eyes, begging for me to stop. My hands are wrapped around his throat, holding him in the air.
Thump, thump. Thump, thump.
“Do not ever fucking disrespect her again. Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?” I say through clenched teeth, knowing the amount of airflow I allow will not kill him. He will have one hell of a bruise and be sore tomorrow, though.
Christian struggles to break free from my grasp, as several hands attempt to pull me away.
“Finn! Let him go. That is an order!” Liam commands, causing everyone to freeze.
Not moving an inch, I turn my head towards Liam and see his eyes are glazed over. His expression is unreadable, but his attention is not on me. Slowly releasing my hold, Christian falls to the ground, gasping for air.
Several hands still hold me back, but I am not going anywhere.
As Christian continues to gasp for air, Liam hovers over him. Power radiates off his body, as he fights for control. His fists are shaking from the rage that is threatening to take over.
“If you ever talk about my niece like that again, I will perform the Blood Eagle on you myself. Do I make myself clear?” Liam’s tone causes Christian to lower his eyes to his Alpha.
“She would be safer in Bjarne’s hands, then his,” Christian says as he nods towards me. Rage sears my veins as I struggle to reach him. My brothers only hold me back because they know if I kill him, I will forever hate myself for what I did.
“I do not take insults to myself or my family lightly. Our laws state you can insult a man twice before blood must be spilled. But insult the heir to our kingdom and tarnish her reputation, not even the laws will be able to protect you.” Liam’s spits at Christian’s feet and nods towards the door. “Get the fuck out of my sight, before I change my mind and unleash him.”
Christian scrambles to his feet and bolts out the door. Etienne slams the door behind him and gives me a look that dares me to try his patience. We are all on edge right now, which means we shouldn’t be taking it out on each other.
Liam paces back and forth in the living room as he pinches the bridge of his nose. We let him be, so he can gather his thoughts and give us our orders. I may be raging pissed off at the moment, but even we need guidance from our higher-ups.
“Fuck. Darren, Daniel, and Ian. Scour the mountain and look for weak spots. Bjarne wouldn't be stupid enough to venture this far into unknown territories. Etienne and Finn, get back to Steph and act as if nothing has happened. I will head back to base and figure out what to do next.”
“What do you want us to tell her?” My gut is telling me that what is going on is a bad idea. Christian and the others had a point about telling her now, and not waiting until shit blew up.
“Tell her whatever the fuck you want. Right now, I need to go find our brother, who was almost killed by one of his own, and find out why the fuck we haven’t tracked down Bjarne yet.” Liam snaps as he starts to gather his things and head for the door.
“I hate to say this, boss, but I think we have a leak,” Daniel says, speaking for the first time tonight.
Rubbing my hand through my hair, Daniel’s words speak the truth. “Man has a point. No matter what we do, we are always three steps behind him. I know we are trained to do the job and not look back. But our kill count has quadrupled since we got here. I like getting rid of the scum of the earth, but even I have standards.”
“Don’t you think I haven’t already thought of that? The men in this room are the only ones I can trust. We need to cover our tracks and keep communication to a minimum until I get back.” With that said, Liam slams the door behind him, and he is gone.
Kicking the back of the sofa, I contemplate what to do. Liam is rattled for some reason, and our ranks are starting to crumble. There is only one way we can outrun Bjarne at this point.
Ian plops down onto the sofa and rests his elbows on his knees. “Not trying to cause a problem here, but Finn-”
I know exactly where this is going. “Don’t say it.”
“Oh, come on. You would do anything to defend your own. You would never cower and let fear rule you. Liam has his tail between his legs and is going to run home to big brother because he has no idea what the fuck to do.”
Looking over the men in the room, each one stands and nods in agreement. “Liam is going to get us killed. We are scattered too thin, and our ranks are suffering. You are our second in command.”
Dimitri sits in his chair, using a knife to pick shit out from under his fingernails. “I hate to say this, bróðir. But Liam isn’t putting the Brotherhood above all else. Stephanie trusts you. Since the day you rescued her, your bond was cemented. Over the years, it has only grown. She may not know it now, but if it wasn’t for you, Bjarne would have gotten to her a long time ago. I’m sorry for what I said at the funeral, I never meant it.”
“He’s right.” Etienne clasps his hand on my shoulder, as his eyes scan the room. “I follow you, Brother. Liam is our leader, but with everything that has happened, his judgment is clouded.”
Shaking my head, I can’t believe what I am hearing. What they are suggesting is a mutiny against our own brother. To overrule his orders, will put a target on our backs that the Brotherhood would never forgive.
“What you are asking is treason.”
“You are honestly going to tell me that our brothers and sisters have never done something like this, in the thousands of years we have walked this earth. When leadership is put in to question because their judgment is skewed, others will step up to take the burden and defend our people.” Ian words speak truth.
I turn my back to my brothers and place my hands on the bottom of the window, contemplating my next move. Betray the Brotherhood to protect those closest to me and make sure Stephanie is safe, or follow Liam and keep slaughtering these men until Bjarne finally catches up to us.
Fuck. Grinding my teeth together, my eyes flash back to the day I found my parents butchered at the hands of Asbjørn. But instead of my mother, father and siblings, I see all my brothers and Stephanie.
Leaning my head back, I know what I must do. “Etienne and I will stick
with Stephanie and keep a low profile, while the rest of you follow up on our leads. Get the prisoners to talk. Communicate only when it is necessary and use the old code. We will regroup in Gudvangen and go from there.”
“And what happens then?” Etienne asks, with a knowing look on his face.
Hating every second of this conversation, I know we have no other option. Steph is dead if we keep her hidden and out of sight, but if we groom her; prepare her for what is to come; we might stand a chance. “We show her off to the world and use her as bait.”
Chapter 16
~ Stephanie ~
“I whip my hair back and forth; I whip my hair back and forth. Dun nu na na na na na na nah. Can’t touch this.” Swinging my hips back and forth, I rock what my momma gave me. The past week has been a dream come true, but also a test of my patience and sanity.
So, what do I do to help relieve the bundle of nerves and extreme sexual tension that has been driving me insane? I build a fire in the cabin, throw on a pair of short shorts, a loose-fitting shirt that sways as I move, and dance around the house while singing off-key.
The guys have been gone all night, and for once, I am enjoying the alone time. Finn runs so damn hot and cold, it’s infuriating. I need to clear my head of whatever fantasies I’ve been having before he comes back. Just one look at his sculpted bod, piercing blue eyes, and devilish smirk, makes me want to jump his bones and scream his name as he brings me to heights I have never been before.
Granted, that has never happened before, and the fact is, my experience level is humiliating. The only way I know what it must feel like is because I read way too many romance novels and my girl, Amy, spilled the beans way too many times.
Gah, just thinking about that makes my vagina perk to life.
Rolling my shoulders, I try to think about anything but him. Today, we are going to venture somewhere that holds something the guys refuse to tell me about. Blasted assholes, I am so not the patient girl. I hate not knowing things and being in the dark. Kind of ironic seeing as what I do for a living.
The music changes to one of my favorite songs, which causes my body to move of its own accord. The lyrics seep into my soul as the world around me is forgotten.
Closing my eyes, I let the music take me.
“Wow.” A familiar voice says, bringing me back to the present.
Opening my eyes, I see Finn leaning against the wall, watching me with a look that makes my panties melt.
As his eyes wander up and down my body, I shuffle nervously. No man has ever looked at me the way he is right now.
His eyes continue their torturous journey up my body, making it impossible to breathe. Biting my lower lip, I try to mask what he is doing to me, then his mouth parts slightly as his eyes land on mine.
The air around us cracks with tension, and the fire in his eyes is almost my undoing.
“We leave in an hour. Might want to change before we head out. It’s going to be cold.” Finn says, never taking his eyes off me.
Mentally I shake my head and throw something at him. What the hell is your deal? You are literally fucking me with your eyes, but your words stay cold and distant. What do I need to do? Run around the house naked, saying, ‘my pussy is wet for you, torture me with your wicked tongue and fuck me already.’
“Umm… O-kay.”
Finn walks towards me with his cold mask in place, but his eyes tell me something completely different. The intensity makes my knees nearly crumble, and my heart rate skyrockets.
Keeping my breathing under control and trying my best to stop my heart rate from exploding, I can feel my cheeks redden.
Finn's hand lightly grazes my cheek, causing my body to lean into his touch. His fingers continue their torturous path, moving a small piece of hair from my face and tucking it behind my ear. His hand lingers for longer than necessary as his eyes stay glued to mine.
A small grin lifts at the corner of his lips, as he slowly moves his hands down my neck and over my shoulder. “Might want to put a bra on next time. Never know what someone might do to you.”
Looking at him dumbfounded, I look down to see my nipples are hard as a rock. Mentally smacking myself, I shrug my shoulders like it’s no big deal.
“And what might that be?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper as his lips graze mine.
His hot breath kisses my lips, causing my body to beg for him to kiss me. He lingers a few moments more before he pulls back and leaves a cold breeze in his place.
“Until next time.” Finn winks. Then walks out of the room like nothing ever happened.
Groaning in frustration, I kick the side of the sofa and instantly regret it. My toes connect with something hard, and pain shoots up the side of my leg, causing tears to form in my eyes.
“Meow,” Luna says from the top of the sofa. I swear she is laughing at me. If she could talk, she would be having the time of her life. Instead, she tilts her head, and I see a ghost of a smile.
Applying pressure to my toe, I check to make sure nothing is broken and make my way to my room to get changed.
One foot in front of the other. You got this, Stephanie. Okay, in through your nose, and out through your mouth. Oh, bloody hell, whoever is out there listening, I really really don’t want to die today.
“Come on, Steph. We are almost there.” Etienne stands with his hands on his hips, looking at me like I am acting utterly ridiculous.
Finn and Etienne thought it would be a good idea to go on a snowshoeing hike, up the mountain to reach this particular spot they refuse to tell me about. And the reason I am taking my time is, we are walking on several feet of snow, and one wrong step could have me falling to my death.
Finn is a few paces away from us, his goggles on his head as he surveys the area around us. Trees and massive rocks are a few hundred feet away, but right now, we are out in the open, with light snowflakes falling all around us. The wind is steady, which makes it feel colder than it actually is.
“Etienne go on ahead and get set up. I’ll stay with Steph.” Finn says, not taking his eyes off of whatever he is looking at. Right now, I am trying my hardest to not stare at that perfect ass.
Each one of us is carrying a small pack, but a few miles back, I slipped and fell through a small hole. Finn decided to take my bag so I wouldn’t have any counterweight to pull me over. Since then, I have been singing ‘one foot in front of the other’ for the past three miles.
Etienne looks conflicted as to whether or not he should leave my side. “You going to be alright?”
Waving my hand in front of me, I take another step towards him. “I will be fine. Mister ape-man will be safe with me. I’ll make sure the nasty wolves don’t get to him.” I pat his back, as he chuckles at me.
Etienne mutters something under his breath, sounding like, ‘He has no idea what he’s gotten himself into.’ But I must have heard him wrong.
Etienne takes a few strides in Finn's direction, before he passes Finn and is off to wherever the hell we are going.
“You doing alright?” Finn asks as he stands beside me, checking me over.
“Yep. Just ready to call the wolves if you piss me off.” I grin at him.
Finn looks at me in confusion. He opens his mouth a few times to say something, but clamps it shut and starts walking forward.
Oh, come on, it wasn’t that bad. Just a small joke to lighten the mood. Sheesh, he has no sense of humor.
“You know, you say Etienne told you a lot about me, yet I hardly know anything about you. Except for the fact that you saved me from my worst nightmare, and we knew each other as kids.” I shrug casually, trying to spark a conversation.
Finn keeps pace with me as we start walking towards the mountain. “There is not much to know.”
“Right… and I am the daughter of Santa Clause, who parades around spreading joy to children all around the world.” I say sarcastically. “Everyone has a story, Finn.”
Finn seems to tense up as we continue our walk. This guy is c
onfusing as hell. He kisses me, pulls me out of a snow bank, has a sexy laugh, and he has heard my Xena battle cry. A man who hears and witnesses that, and stays… That man deserves a medal.
“Okay, how about we do this. Since you obviously wish to talk to anyone but me. Let’s play a game. I ask you one question, and you ask me another. Lighten the mood a little, and maybe you won’t look like you have a stick up your ass every time you see me.” I mutter, trying to avoid his gaze, so his eyes don’t put me under his spell.
Everything is silent for a few moments, but the sound of laughter starting causes me to look at Finn as he watches me with, oh hell, I don’t even know. This man is a mystery. “Deal. I’ll go first.”
Well, look who decided to play nice for a change. The past few days, I have tried numerous times to get him to talk to me, but he keeps giving me the cold shoulder. I swear he must be bi-polar or something. One minute, I make him laugh and the next, he acts like an ass.
“Shoot.”
“What was it like growing up with your father away from home?” Yikes, straight to the deep stuff.
“My father was always there for me after my mother died. He kept me at arm’s length at times when things got tough, but he is the best father I could ever have asked for. His passion for history and finding out the mysteries of the world grew on me. I went to college to get my degree in European history. Problem is, it’s a cutthroat business, and I realized it wasn’t for me. I like to travel the world and see things with my own eyes. I am terrible at teaching people; it just isn’t me. I don’t do well in big crowds.
“Also, my father loved to have our weekly arguments over monarchs and what the textbooks say. Whether they were accurate or not, is always up for debate. Our biggest disagreement is in the Viking and Persian eras. Some nights would get heated, and Etienne would run in to break it up, but there was no need. We were just having fun. I never really dated, because Etienne would either scare them off, or they would feel sorry for me because my father had cancer and my mother passed. My first boyfriend cheated on me, and the one after that believed in beating his woman.
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