Unable to offer up anything else, I shook my head. “I do not know, but we will definitely do some research on it.” A few fat raindrops fell on my arms. This storm clearly was not done, and I wanted out of it before a repeat occurrence. “Tell you what, how about we go back to the house, I will barbeque some steaks, you can tell me all about it, and we will research some of the old books for information on this,” I said.
I didn’t want to scare her with too much talk about how strange this was. It was best if I researched it before giving her yet another thing to worry about. We were lucky as Helheimr that the lightning hadn’t caused her to shift. For now, distraction would be best.
She pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth and looked down at me. “With clothes on?” she teased.
I laughed and she looked quickly away. The demure way she did it made me instantly hard again. How could she do that to me so easily?
“Yes. Do you like scary movies?” I asked, desperate to shift the conversation and get her moving.
“Oh, if that isn’t a line…” She rolled her eyes and shook her head as she led me back to the water by the hand. “But yes, if they are truly scary and not just the slasher kind, I do.”
“Good. We will watch a movie then. And do not worry, I will sit on the opposite end of the couch, and even put on a shirt.”
One corner of her mouth lifted into a crooked grin and she tilted her head to look at me from beneath her eyebrows. “No need for that. Lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice.” The sultry tone of her voice melted and hardened me all at the same time.
Another quick glance at the sky showed dark clouds being swept away by a brisk wind. The clouds grew brighter with a flash, but it was contained within them. For now. Just in case that changed, I had to get her out of here, at least until we figured out what this channeling lightning thing was all about.
I plunged into the water and let go of her hand. Kicking off, I turned and backstroked away. She squeezed her eyes shut but it was too late. I knew by how red her face grew that she had witnessed how much she affected me. It worked. She plunged into the water and started to swim after me. I swam as fast as I could, eager to get out of the giant conductor of electricity and back to the house and hit the books. I didn’t even know which varúlfur history books to research in regards to this. The mystery of this woman kept getting deeper and deeper.
Chapter Sixteen
Sonya
The pale yellow light of dawn had only started to cast its glow over the forest as I put my earbuds in, turned my music on, and started down the path. Dew heightened the scents of sweet pine needles and rich earth, making me long for the deep breaths of hard running. Tightening my ponytail, I picked up my pace. While I didn’t like to run if I wasn’t being chased, I wanted to get into as good a shape as possible before going to Hemlock Hollow. My fighting skills sucked enough that I had to make up for it with a bit of stamina training. Now I made a point to run every morning. My wolfy side would have preferred to be chasing something, but I was so not ready to go there. Ty had agreed to let me jog on my own after I had insisted I needed a bit of “me” time.
Not that I didn’t want Ty time. Oh how I did. That was the problem though; all I wanted was Ty time. Something existed between us, that was for sure. But we couldn’t give in to it completely, not yet. Focus was vital more than ever. Now I had another reason not to go mad and be put down. Whatever might be between Ty and me was worth fighting for. I drew on the strict thinking and dedication that had gotten me through all these years of medical school so far. It helped. A little.
Anger management training was going well, according to him at least. I wasn’t so convinced. The heat and vibrations had become easier to control already, but my fangs still extended every time I got pissed. Part of the reason for the progress, I feared, was that I couldn’t bring myself to get angry with Ty. Though he fought hard and pushed me harder, he never tried to hurt me or humiliate me like a lot of guys would when sparring with a woman. What I had a harder time controlling was my growing desire for him. Hence the need for me time.
Miles down the evergreen-lined trail, just as I reached my running groove, I sucked in a few scents that brought me to a skidding halt. The somewhat tangy mixture of fresh air and asphalt mingled with leather and wolf in a way that was both appealing and alarming. A figure stepped out from the trees ahead of me. Black leather chaps and jacket hugged a frame that was too short and narrow to be Ty. And of course I hadn’t seen a motorcycle jacket hanging in his closet. I tore the earbuds from my ears.
Deep in my gut the sensation of familiarity stirred. Not because I knew this person, but because part of me knew they were a varúlfur. Hands held up, he approached me. At first the dark hair stirred my anger, but a closer glance at the neatly trimmed beard and deep-set eyes proved this wasn’t Raul. Something about him tugged at my memory. Then it hit me. He had been the guy back at the restaurant, one of Raul’s pack. I wasn’t sure if I should be relieved he was from the Reinhard pack and not the Arnoddr pack. Both wanted me for reasons that had little to do with my welfare.
“What do you want?” I demanded as I casually turned my side to him. I didn’t want to run, but I didn’t think I could beat this guy in a fight if it came to it.
Like a smart wolf, he stopped a little more than five feet away. “Only to talk. I come in peace.”
Though I kept my eyes on him, I tried to reach out with my other senses to make sure he was the only one. The heady scent of greenery warming in the sun overlaid the more distant smells of stagnant water and a warm engine. Birds chirped and rustled through the trees while frogs croaked down by the lake a little less than half a mile away. It freaked me out a bit that I could hear the frogs and knew how far away they were, but I’d have to process that later. The important thing was that this guy seemed to be the only one around.
“Then talk, but make it quick,” I warned.
“Raul wanted to be here for you. He wanted to be the one to help you through the verða. If Ty hadn’t chased him off, Raul would have been there for you.”
A sharp bark of laughter escaped me. “I wouldn’t be going through the damn verða if it weren’t for him. The bastard should have thought to ask me if I even wanted this.”
The man stammered several times before he got his next words out. “He wanted to, more than anything, but things got…rushed. He knows how special you are and that things shouldn’t have happened this way.”
I laughed and put my hands on my hips. Clearly this idiot wasn’t going to attack me. “Special? Really? That’s his excuse? The bastard took my life from me. It may not have been much, but it was mine and he had no right.” With each word of the last sentence I took a step closer to the man, poking him in the chest with a finger upon the final word.
His prominent Adam’s apple bobbed, and he leaned back. To his credit, he didn’t step away. “He doesn’t want you to be forced into mating with someone else. It’s part of why he had to bite you in how he did,” he said in a voice that shook a bit too much for my liking.
The sound of it, meek and docile, stirred something inside me, something that wanted to throw him to the ground and put my teeth to his throat. Some badass biker he was. My fangs extended. Whoa. Shaking my head, I took a step back and turned to walk away. Eyes closing, I concentrated on my breathing while trying to appear casual. What reason would stir such a reaction in me, I couldn’t figure. Then it occurred to me that wolves have reasons too. This man’s submissive attitude was what elicited such a reaction in the wolf part of me. The realization gave me the control I needed to retract my fangs and turn back around to face him.
“That’s disgusting. By biting me, Raul virtually turned me into his sister, or daughter, or whatever. I don’t know how the hell that works. But I can assure you, we will definitely never be together in the way he wants, ever.” Pride swelled through me over the fact that I managed to keep my fangs retracted through the rant.
The man’s brow
n eyes widened and he swallowed hard, again. “Ty has brainwashed you.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? The only thing Ty has done is help me.”
He tilted his head, one eyebrow rising slightly higher than the other. “So he’s told you all about why he was kicked out of his pack, why he left the AVV?”
I pulled back a little, and he moved in as if he scented prey. The instinct to run reared its ugly head, but I forced it down.
“Of course he hasn’t. Ty knows nothing about the importance of family because he has no pack. Don’t let him brainwash you into being the same way. You have a family, our family, the Reinhard pack. Raul wants you to come home and be with us; we all want you to.”
Not caring that it made me seem submissive, I took several steps back. A new family that wanted me was almost as disturbing as the old one that didn’t want me. More so, in this case. Thankfully, he took a step back instead of forward.
“Ask Ty what happened, why he was banished. You deserve to know the truth about your kennari,” he said, taking a step back for every few words.
Each step he took forced me to fight the desire to follow, not because I wanted to go with him, but because the wolf in me wanted to chase him. From within my chest a rumbling began. It sounded so inhuman it took me a moment to realize it was a growl. Fangs grew and my skin started to heat up. Reason, I had to think of the reason. Since I was little I had been told I had a type-A personality. Now I understood it for what it was: dominant. And this man was submissive. I had no need to prove I was stronger or better than him (which was good because I wasn’t), and certainly no need to chase him, as he wasn’t anything close to food. Those thoughts helped me retract my fangs and cool my skin.
The man shrugged. “Maybe he isn’t an entirely bad teacher.”
Twigs snapped in the trees off to the guy’s right. I tensed, turning in that direction. Dammit, why hadn’t I brought a weapon? Not that I would use it if I had one, but at least I would look more menacing.
“Who’d you bring with you? What are you trying to pull?” I snapped. I grabbed my phone from my pocket and sent off a quick text.
NW side of path. Got company.
Eyes going wide, the guy held up his hands and shook his head. “Nothing, I swear, and I didn’t bring anyone. Whoever it is, they aren’t with me.”
“Shit,” I muttered under my breath.
The guy turned in the direction the sound had come from.
“What’s your name?” I asked him.
“Leo.”
“Well, Leo, I hope you can fight better than you can argue Raul’s case.”
Sliding into a fighting stance alongside me, fists raised, he nodded. “I can.”
“Good, that makes one of us,” I muttered.
Pine boughs rustled. I recognized the unshaven face of the man that stepped out. “James.”
“Sonya,” he said through a sneer.
“What do you want?”
“You to come with me.”
“Not happening.”
Leo growled long and low. “Arnoddr has no claim on her.”
Anger spiked my blood pressure through the treetops. Claws extended from my nailbeds, forcing my hands open. James responded before I could.
“I’m not here on behalf of Arnoddr.”
“Then why? You can’t possibly hope to claim her for your mate. Raul would kill you,” Leo said.
A derisive snort came from James. “She is so not my type. I like ’em driven, strong, a leader with a vision.”
“Then why?” I interrupted, tired of this guy’s shit and hidden agenda. “Tell me and maybe I’ll go with you.”
Feces-brown eyes full of loathing turned to me. A harsh comparison, maybe, but this guy was pissing me off. “For the greater good. And pup, you don’t have a choice.”
The rustle of brush and pine boughs against flesh and fabric told me two more were emerging from the forest to my left and right. They smelled like men and wolves—varúlfur. Dammit, three against two with my fighting skills was not good. Chances were he had brought better fighters this time too, if he was smart. I really hoped he wasn’t. I needed to keep him talking until Ty arrived.
“What does this leader of yours want from me?”
Wicked laughter spit from him. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
“What makes you think he won’t want me as a mate instead of you?” I tried to goad him into revealing something, anything, about who might be behind this.
He threw his head back, laughter growing belly deep and loud. Good, it would help lead Ty to us. It wasn’t that I needed rescuing, just that I knew I was outmatched, and I had no idea if this Leo guy was actually with these idiots or not. Nothing wrong with admitting when backup was needed.
“You aren’t their type any more than you are mine,” he said, giving me no hints.
Fine, I’d try a more direct route. “What is this person’s name?”
Ignoring me, he started to advance. I felt the other two move in as well. Growls rumbled behind me as Leo faced off with at least one of the newcomers. Maybe he was on my side after all, sort of.
“Don’t do this James,” I tried once more. “You’re in Ty’s territory. He won’t let you walk away this time.”
The disturbing grin on James’s face widened. “Ty isn’t here.”
And he lunged at me.
Arms tied to grab me from behind. I dropped to my hands and knees and kicked up and back. A crack sounded as I connected with my attacker’s knee. From in front of me came James, reaching down. Using the same leg I’d kicked the other guy with, I whipped around and swept James’s legs. He went down hard, head smacking against the ground. I launched to my feet before either could recover. The dark-haired guy behind me clutching his knee groaned and cussed. The hook kick I swung at his face connected with his shoulder instead.
Pain shot into my right kidney. Bringing an arm up, I turned in time to block a second punch from James. He threw several more strikes and I struggled to keep up. My kidney ached, making me want to bend over and favor it. I didn’t dare. Anger burned within over being attacked. I let it build, using it to dull my pain at the same time it sharpened my edge. Coming off my next block, I slid an upper cut beneath James’s chin. His teeth clacked together and his head flung back. I cocked my knee in preparation to kick him—and something slammed into my left side, bearing me to the ground. Claws scraped lines of fire down my left arm. Fangs snapped at my face. All I could do was hold my arms against the neck of the massive wolf trying to gnaw my head off. I kicked and squirmed, but he was too heavy.
Out of my peripheral I saw a booted foot slam into the wolf’s side. It flew off me and rolled several times. All too quick, it regained its feet and started back toward me. James stepped in its way. “You idiot!” he screamed at it. “We need her alive!”
The wolf snarled and snapped at him in disagreement.
I scrambled to my feet. The sounds of fighting to my right told me Leo was too busy to be of any help. Anger, pain, and panic swirled in me, making it hard to think. The pointy tips of my canines extending pricked at my lips. If I lost it here and shifted I’d likely go mad, and then die because my emotions were so out of control. I could not let that happen. The unreal sight of the wolf before me didn’t help.
Dappled light filtering through the trees played across his black, gray, and white coat. His head reached James’s pectoral muscles and his shoulders were easily as wide as James’s. Unreal—no, supernatural. I’d seen his like before, though, back at the winery Raul had stayed at when we’d dated. It hadn’t been this wolf, but they were the same size. I hadn’t been crazy then, and I wouldn’t go crazy now.
With a few breaths, I found my calm center, retracted my fangs, and prepared to defend myself. Both the wolf and James turned toward me. Widening my stance and raising my fists, I got ready to go down fighting. Jaws snapping, spit and snarls flying, the wolf stalked toward me. Before I could decide if I should try to kick or
dodge, a flash of blond and white fur shot in front of me—right into the other wolf. The two tumbled in a flurry of fangs and claws. James took one look at the fighting wolves, one at me, then ran for the forest like the devil himself was on his heels. Or would that be Loki in his case? He disappeared before my scream of frustration cleared my lips.
Leo limped to me, his opponent having run a second after James retreated. “Are you all right?” he asked.
The tickle of something running down my arm made me reach for it. My fingers slid in warm blood before brushing across jagged cuts. It stung, but not as bad as I thought it should. Looking down, I saw they either weren’t as bad as they had originally felt, or they were already starting to heal. A vicious growl warned me a second before the blond and white wolf launched at Leo. I stepped in between them, forcing the wolf to pull up short.
He was so tall he nearly looked me right in the face. Pale blue eyes gazed at me with sharp intelligence—and concern.
“Ty?” I asked, unable to utter anything else.
The wolf tried to look around me at Leo. I held my hands up. “No! He helped me. They would have gotten me if it wasn’t for him. He isn’t with them. He is a friend of Raul’s who came to try and plead Raul’s case to me.”
The wolf’s attention returned to me, gaze going to my bloody arm. Suddenly, he dashed behind a tree. I was afraid he would run after James and the other, but a second later Ty emerged in human form, holding a tattered shirt over his crotch. “You’re hurt,” he said.
Relief flooded through me. I did not want to be alone right now, and Leo did not count.
“I’m sorry, Ty. I tried to defend her. If we had known James would come after her more of us would have come to protect her,” Leo said. He leaned against a tree, taking more weight off his right leg.
The look of fury Ty shot him radiated heat and something else, an intense pressure. Leo flinched beneath it.
“Why is James coming after her? Why is Isak, or the Council, not stopping him?” Ty demanded.
Bitten & Beholden (Children of Fenrir Book 2) Page 17