“Now!” Kayden’s voice cracks through the place with the effect of a whiplash.
Just now, the dominance that flows from him has the hair on my neck bristling. I sense the surprise that tenses Zeus’s muscles.
He doesn’t move, though.
The second alpha who’d noticed me backs away, followed by another. Then all of them step back.
“Keep going. Fifty paces, and you don’t come close, you don’t cross the line, not until I say so.” Kayden’s voice is hard.
The first alpha hesitates. “Do you plan on sharing the omega if you win her?” His gaze sweeps over me.
Lust coils in his eyes, and he smacks his tongue.
I don’t need to look down his body to know he is aroused. My insides curdle with disgust.
Kayden closes the distance and slaps the alpha in the face. “Back the fuck off.”
His voice is cold enough to send a quiver of apprehension down my spine. This man is not as harmless as he’s portrayed himself. He’s strong and powerful. Almost as lethal as my alpha.
My insides curdle.
An iciness clutches at my chest.
This is wrong; it’s not what it seems.
The fight is not going to be as one-sided as I’d thought it would be. I step forward and grab Zeus’s arm. “Don’t do this.”
He freezes. His gaze drops to where my fingers clutch his biceps, then to my face. “You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
“Yeah, I am just an omega you claimed and now hold captive, but you mated me, remember?”
His gaze flies to the flesh wound from when he’d bitten down on my neck. “My prerogative.” He tosses his head.
“I didn’t grow up in one of the most politically charged courts in the world without knowing when there is something foul afoot.”
Zeus’s lips twist. “Now, if that is all…” He shrugs off my arm and steps forward to where Kayden has turned back from telling off his second.
His gaze flicks between the two of us.
“Wait.” I know Zeus won’t listen to me, but I have to try or I’ll always regret it. I’ll wonder what would have happened if I’d stopped him, or at least warned him. I curl my fingers around his biceps below the sleeve of his wet shirt. The touch of his skin sends tendrils of heat racing down my spine. I am here fighting, but just being close to this man sends a quiver of desire down my spine. I want to lean in and lick his skin.
He pulls forward, and I dig my nails into his flesh. “Listen to me.”
Turning on me, he leans in close enough for his breath to shudder over my dripping hair.
I swear the water turns to steam. That’s how angry he feels to me right now.
Ripples of heat and disgust and raw hate pour off him. His blue eyes blaze with a kind of hurt mixed with white-hot rage. I want to throw myself at his mercy and beg him for forgiveness to take me back. And that’s crazy. I haven’t done anything wrong, have I?
“Don’t. Ever. Tell me what to do. Again.”
He bites out each word, as if they are carved out of ice. And yet seeing him in full temper is also the most arousing thing I have ever seen. I shiver.
He steps back from me, and my arms slide off him.
“You have my attention.” He looks down that hooked nose.
“I have good instincts.” I keep my voice low, keep my gaze on his face.
“So do I.”
“No, I mean the kind of instinct that allows me to sense under-the-surface emotions, to know when things are awry. And something is very wrong here. Things are going to go against you, and I had to warn you.”
“Finished?” He drops his arms at his sides.
“Y…yeah.”
Without letting me finish, he turns and stalks forward. Stripping off his shirt, he flings it to the ground.
I lean forward and pick up the shirt, then sink my nose into the fabric. That deep, burned pinewood scent of his fills my senses. I am surrounded by his presence. I draw in another lungful of his essence, then shrug on the shirt.
Ahead, Kayden’s stripped to his pants, too.
The two alphas circle each other.
22
Zeus
I circle the man who is my half brother and who I don’t know at all.
I see my likeness in his features, in the way he peels his lips back, flares his nostrils, and bends his knees to keep his stance wide.
He is slimmer than I am, but every part of him is corded muscle.
He’s a few years younger than me…I think.
I’d never really thought to ask him his age or how he’d felt about having Golan as a father. Well, no surprises there. He hated Golan, the man who’d kidnapped the omega mated to the Leader of Scotland and impregnated her. She’d died after giving birth, and the Leader of Scotland had adopted Kayden.
How did it feel to grow up knowing your mother was kidnapped and raped? Almost as bad as seeing your mother raped in front of you…by your own father.
I shake my head to clear it. Why are these thoughts shoveling through me now? Maybe it’s some kind of effect of the mating bond that insists on unearthing the man I was supposed to have been? A leader protective of his people. A man who nurtures his city for future generations.
Everything I am not.
I lean forward and stalk my opponent, shutting out all thoughts. The sound of the sea drops away, as does the sound of his men who shuffle around watching us. The scent of apprehension is heavy in the air.
But her scent is stronger, slicker, closer than any of theirs. I draw in that sweet omega scent of hers and let it flow through me to clear my mind. If I do it unconsciously, that’s fine, right? I have to pretend I didn’t use her presence to ground me. To draw on the piercing ache in my chest to center myself. I focus my attention on the man who leans in and charges. I wait, wait until the last second, then slide aside.
Kayden charges past, then rolls to break his fall. Turning around before he can find his balance, I throw myself at him.
We go rolling toward the waves’ edges. When we come to a stop my palms are wrapped around his neck.
I squeeze and try to cut off his air.
Will I add half brother killer to my list of sins?
Won’t be the last.
My fingers tremble…and slip, and then he punches me in the side, once, twice. The vibrations ricochet through me. I don’t let go, just use the weight of my body to hold him down. He rears up and pounds his head into my chin.
My spine curves back.
My jaws snap together, I taste blood in my mouth, and scarlet sparks flash behind my eyes. I must have loosened my grip, for he twists his body enough to throw me off, and then he’s on me, his knees digging into my sides.
He punches my face to the left, right, left again. The impact ricochets down my neck and tears down my spine. The breath leaches out of me, and darkness bleeds into my conscious mind. The alpha of alphas fallen after such a short fight? No way. Adrenaline spikes my blood and my vision tunnels. With a roar, I bring up my fist and smash it up and into his chin. His head snaps back and I buck and fling him aside.
Kayden’s body arcs through the air, and he lands almost gracefully on his back. Rolling again to break the fall, he lurches to a stop.
I push myself up, but my arms tremble, refusing to hold up my weight. I collapse onto the ground.
I sense liquid running down my temples, pooling under me. Scent the coppery smell of blood. Mine? His? I don’t know.
My side pulses with pain. My head swirls. I can’t give in. Not now. Not ever. So we’re evenly matched. So what? I can win this fight. I must.
I rear up to my feet, staggering as my thighs spasm. Shaking my head to clear it, to straighten the scene that’s weaving in front of me, I force myself to take a step forward, and another, and then I’m standing over him.
Kayden’s arms and legs are flung out. His breath comes in pants. One eye is shut, and his other eye feels almost too bright in comparison. His chest is covered in
splashes of blood, a big gash in his side.
I hold out my hand.
He stills. His jaw works. Bet the fucker’s trying to figure out what the hell is happening.
That makes two of us.
I like to take my opponents by surprise. And right now I am not sure what he is. Friend? Foe? Family? All of the above, and nothing. My lone blood-tie in this world. If I don’t count her, and she isn’t blood…she’s more, much more…and fuck this line of thinking. “You going to lay there all day dickwad?” I glare at him.
His jaw ticks. Then he grabs my hand, and I pull him to his feet. Letting go I take a step back, and square my stance.
He frowns at me and thrusts his chest forward.
There’s no fear on his face. A strong sense of leashed power clings to him. It’s packed with aggression and hate. Everything that he needs to hold his own in a fight. And why am I rooting for him? My own half brother, who I’ve hated for so long? Things are seriously fucked up in my head.
I straighten, and we stare at each other.
“This is not right.”
“That’s correct,” he snarls. “You’re still standing.”
“Leave while you still can, Kayden.”
“And live my life as second to you? No fucking way.” He charges.
This time, I am ready.
I face him head-on as he rushes me. I swerve and punch him in the head, to the gut, back to the head, the side, then a last punch to the side of the head, and he goes down.
Adrenaline pumps through me, and I leap up and bring my fist down on his chest.
The sound of ribs breaking is loud, and blood spurts out of his mouth.
I rise and raise my joined fists and pause. I can’t do this. Cannot kill him. I drop my hands to my sides and step back.
“Get up.” I growl the words through a throat full of some emotion, something I can’t quite give a name to.
He tries to get up and fails.
I hold out my hand, and he grips it. I haul him up. His knees seem to give way, and I prop him up.
“Leave. You have your life. Go.”
He raises his chin. “I’d rather die… Fight me to the death, asshole. Only one of us leaves here today.”
“Or perhaps you may be so lucky that neither of you gets out of here alive.”
I swivel around at the sound of a third voice.
23
Lucy
The voice rings out, and I swivel around to look at whoever spoke. The hair on the back of my neck rises. It can’t be. When I left Russia, I thought I’d left that nightmare behind.
I recall images of the berserkers riding into town, pillaging everything in sight as they’d charged through Red Square. I’d run into them as I had tried to escape the city with my omega clan. Their leader had spotted us and made straight for me.
He’s looking at me now over the heads of Kayden’s alphas, who are surrounded by the new arrivals. They are all tall, at least a head above Kayden’s men, almost as tall as Zeus.
My throat closes. My stomach lurches. I move toward where Zeus and Kayden are still locked in a fight. My alpha’s shoulders flex, and his muscles go solid. He releases Kayden and turns to glare at the new arrival. “Who are you?” He thrusts out his chest.
Zeus has automatically resumed command over Kayden, and over Kayden’s men a foregone conclusion that he’s won the challenge and he’s not brooking arguments about it.
A flush of pride burns my chest. Following on its heels is coldness. A shiver of apprehension ripples down my spine.
The new arrivals restrain Kayden’s men.
Their leader preens outside the circle, his gaze on Zeus. I can’t let my alpha get close to him. If he does, the berserker will kill Zeus, just as he had beheaded my mother when she’d tried to protect me.
These men are beyond merciless. They destroy and pillage, capture omegas and breed them, while occupying new lands. And I had thought Zeus was a monster. I’d forgotten what I had escaped to get here.
Zeus props his arms on his hips. His forehead is furrowed, but his stance is as powerful as ever. His bloodstained torso heaves as he stalks toward the leader of the new arrivals. Waves of tension roll off of him. He takes a step forward, then another, until he’s crossed over to me. He’s putting himself between me and the new arrival.
The berserker's gaze flicks to me then back to Zeus. “Well, isn’t this interesting,” he drawls, his accent thick and reminiscent of the lands from which he comes.
When the tsunamis had torn through many cities of the world, they’d submerged most of Scandinavia. The melting ice caps had done the rest.
The survivors had had to be brutal to survive, and cunning, and have the strongest of genes. It’s why the berserkers are so powerful, almost unconquerable. Everybody has a weakness, except with these men, they don’t care much about anything, except omegas.
We are the universal currency of barter and exchange. My stomach heaves, and my mind empties of thought.
I cannot let him hurt Zeus. I take a step forward. The new arrival swaggers through the circle of men. He comes to a halt in front of Zeus. His flesh smells of the sea and vegetation, and the violence radiating from him is staggering. I gasp and huddle closer to Zeus, melting into his back. It makes me seem weak, and that’s okay. I stand no chance against this animal. I don’t want him to see me, don’t want him to breathe the same air I do.
“I came for the omega. Hand her over, and escape with your life.”
Zeus growls, a roll of aggression that tears up from him and flows into the space.
There is complete silence, broken by the splash of the waves on the shore.
“You have fight in you, Alpha, I’ll give you that.” The stranger angles his head. “It’s almost a pity to destroy you…almost.”
“You didn’t answer the question.” Zeus’ voice is low, menacing, with a ring of steel. Heat streaks down my spine.
It seems the more aggressive he gets, the more it arouses me. The more we are at the edge of danger, the more I feel alive. My sense of right and wrong is getting warped, and there’s nothing I can do about it, nothing. Except squeeze my eyes shut and gather my courage.
I dig my heels into the ground and pray I can do what needs to be done. I need to find a way to save Zeus and myself. I will not let this Viking warrior hurt us.
“I don’t plan on having a conversation with you.” The stranger draws his sword.
The thought of him burying that in Zeus’s neck, in the skin I had marked when I’d claimed him, sends sheer terror racing through me. My stomach rolls, my chest feels heavy. I try to take a breath and find I can't. My head spins and darkness bleeds into the edges of my vision. Not the best time to have a panic attack. My thighs spasm. No, no, I can't faint, not now.
Zeus must sense my terror, for he leans back on his heels, just a little, just enough to close the minuscule distance between us. The planes of his back brush against my forehead.
The touch is so minute, almost not there, but with it, he conveys everything his words never can.
That he does care for me, somewhere deep inside, where a part of him that is good and true and wants to do the right thing prevails.
That essence of him I’d sensed and believed in, right from the time I’d first heard his name mentioned.
“I am Harald, the leader of the berserkers.” The Viking’s voice rings through the space.
“And I am the alpha whose men now surround yours.” Zeus’s voice is casual in a way that has every hair on my forearms rising.
I peek around his broad back and gasp.
24
Zeus
I look up, past where Harald stands, past the circle of Kayden’s alphas, who are surrounded by Harald’s berserkers, to where Ethan has come up with my own soldiers.
Solomon breaks off and races to the right, and Mace and Liam run across to the other side to take up positions at the circumference of the circle.
I’ve never been so fucking
glad to see my men.
I am a selfish bastard, but I am not stupid. I know when I need help; not above asking for it either. I am prone to being reckless, but damned if I want to end up like my old man with this berserker’s fingers around my neck, or worse, with his sword buried in my chest and his dick in my omega. My guts twist. I throw my head back and roar. I gasp at the depth of rage that wrings through me. Something inside me snaps.
All I know is that I am tired of this go-round with Kayden, now with this berserker, with my own omega who’s resisted me so far.
I don’t care anymore that my life is at stake.
The survivor in me rushes to the fore. My gaze narrows, and all my instincts home in on the berserker.
I am going to kill this male who dares to challenge me for my omega and threatens to harm my family. Yeah, Kayden is family, my blood, no escaping that. And I protect what’s mine, which includes my half brother who has more power than brains right now. I’ll deal with him later.
First, I need to show this marauder his place and get my omega back home. Back where she belongs, with me. That’s all.
I lower my head and roar again.
My cry is torn away on the breeze that rolls in from the sea.
Harald bares his teeth at me. His mohawk stands stiff across his scalp, the rest of which is bald. His face shines with sweat. With anticipation.
His gaze drops to where my omega is peeking out from behind me. I know her curiosity got the better of her. Of course she wouldn’t stay hidden. The spirit of that woman…and don’t I love exactly that about her.
I curve my arm around her and push her back, then angle my body to block all sight of her completely from the berserker.
Harald fixes his gaze on me. He licks his lips and takes a step forward. “I’ve chased that omega cunt halfway across the world, and she’d better be worth it.” He angles his head. “Tell me, General, is she as sweet as she appears to be?” He thrusts his pelvis forward and grabs his crotch. “I bet there is an edge to her slick that feeds the animal inside you. Does it compel you to take her over and over again? Urge you to bury your cock balls deep in her and—”
Claimed by the Alpha Page 11
