by Jane Godman
“Sure about this?”
She threw back her head, exposing the slender column of her throat to his gaze. “Don’t be gentle just because I haven’t done this before. Fuck me, Samson. I need this.”
He groaned, lifting her off her feet. He wrapped her legs around his waist, and she grabbed hold of his shoulders. Gripping his cock in one hand, he did as she asked and rammed it into her. Valetta groaned out his name and Samson let loose a guttural growl. Pulsing waves of pleasure shot through from his cock up to the top of his spine. He pinned her to the door, claiming her with massive, pounding thrusts of his powerful hips, pulling back before driving himself deep and hard every time. How had he lived without this? Even as the thought came to him, he knew it was more than just the physical connection. More than just his cock inside her, although that felt pretty damn spectacular. This was about Valetta, and about how she made him feel. He hadn’t overturned a centuries-old promise just because he wanted to find the nearest warm body and drive himself mindlessly into it.
“Ah, fuck, Valetta. I’m not going to last long.” After centuries of celibacy, he was surprised he’d managed more than a minute.
Her gasps of pleasure told him she was close again. When she sank her teeth into his shoulder, he felt her come undone, her whole body tensing with the wildness of her climax.
Samson kept thrusting inside her, feeling her clench and unclench around him as his own orgasm flowed like an avalanche, starting deep in his balls and rushing through his whole body. He felt his release shooting hot and high inside Valetta. Slowing his pace, still moving inside her, he pressed his mouth gently into the curve of her neck. Easing to a stop, he lowered her to the floor before pulling out of her.
Valetta clung to him as though stunned. “That was . . .”
“Incredible?” Samson’s voice shook slightly with the intensity of his own emotions. He couldn’t get into this now. Couldn’t begin to tell her what it had meant to him. How far the last few minutes had gone toward restoring something he thought he’d lost forever. He had broken his vow never to have sex with another woman in the most spectacular way imaginable. And it didn’t feel like a betrayal or a disparagement. Fucking Valetta up against that door as hard and as fast as he could had felt like the most right decision he had ever made.
“We can use that as a starting point.” She gave a shaky laugh. “I’m only surprised we didn’t take the door off its hinges.”
Just then Madden’s voice called out from the corridor outside. “Samson? Valetta? They’re here.”
Chapter Nine
Since these people had dropped everything and come here with hardly any notice to protect her and join the fight against Chastel, Valetta felt obliged to throw on her clothing and follow Samson down to greet them. It wasn’t what she wanted to do right now. Even without the earth-shattering events of the last few minutes, she wasn’t in a sociable mood. Add in some electrifying first-time sex and she thought she could be forgiven for wishing the members of the Brotherhood of the Midnight Sun had been a bit less prompt in their response to Samson’s summons. I need time to process what just went on. She shivered. Maybe to relive it in my mind a few times.
Instead, she arrived downstairs to find the kitchen filling up with Arctic males all welcoming each other with hugs, thumps on the back, and the classic wolf greeting of exchanging respectful nose bumps. It was a unique situation. Usually, two alphas in one place resulted in carnage. She had never come across more than two together at any one time so she didn’t know how that would work out. She couldn’t imagine it would be pretty. Because the brotherhood had been forged with the purpose of maintaining order in the werewolf world, that fight for supremacy wasn’t a problem for this group of alphas. They could coexist in harmony, combining their strength and leadership skills to make them into a formidable force.
As they greeted each other, Valetta finally understood the relationship between them. She had been wrong in her assumption. The word “brotherhood” wasn’t pretentious. It wasn’t for show, chosen by accident or because it sounded good. There was a real bond between these men. It was tangible. But the Brotherhood of the Midnight Sun also contained a surprise.
The last person to enter the room was a young woman. An Arctic female. She was a similar height to Valetta. Although she had a lean, sinewy build, she still managed to have curves in all the right places. When she saw Samson, her face broke into a smile that turned her from pretty to stunning in an instant. Samson gave a whoop of delight in return and swung her up into his arms, kissing her on one cheek, then the other, with evident enjoyment.
Valetta felt something dark squirming around her insides. She didn’t want to give it a name, but it was uncomfortable and nasty and she didn’t like it.
When Samson had finished cooing over the new arrival, he set her back on her feet and turned to Valetta. As an afterthought, she decided gloomily. “Valetta, this is Jenny Piper.”
“Ahem.” Jenny wiggled the fingers of her left hand at him. “I’m Jenny Wilder now.”
Samson slapped his brow with the heel of his hand. “How did I manage to forget that?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it has something to do with the way you drank the bar dry at our wedding.”
One of the other Artic werewolves came over to them, slipping an arm around Jenny’s waist. “Samson is in charge on this mission.”
“Whoa.” Samson held up his hands in a backing-off gesture. “I think we need to talk about that decision.”
“There’s nothing to discuss. You know we decided that on all future missions the person who was best placed to take the lead would do so. You know everything there is to know about the Shadow Wolf, about the Guardians of Hati, and about Chastel. You need to be the one to lead the brotherhood on this assignment.” He smiled at Valetta. “Samson hasn’t introduced us, but I know you must be Valetta. I’m Wilder.”
“Do you think I can do it?” Samson turned the conversation back to his leadership. He looked across at the four other members of the group. Valetta already knew three of them. Madden, Sebastian, and Lowell were talking to a fourth Arctic werewolf. So this was the legendary brotherhood. She felt some of the fear around her heart ease up. There was still a big challenge ahead, but she felt better knowing she had this imposing team on her side. Samson continued to look skeptical as he spoke to Wilder. “More importantly, will they believe I can?”
Wilder’s features relaxed into an expression of understanding. “I do and they will, because not only can you do this . . . you will do it. And you’ll do it well. I’ll take over the role that Gunnar did when he placed me in charge last time. You tell me what needs to be done, I’ll make it happen.” He clapped Samson on the shoulder. “Let’s go and break it to them.”
When they were alone, Jenny linked her arm through Valetta’s. The action seemed to come naturally to the other woman and Valetta supposed Jenny couldn’t know how unusual physical contact was to her. Growing up without a mother, always having a sense that she was somehow different, friendship was something she had never known. Jenny’s gesture should have felt uncomfortable, instead it was oddly reassuring.
“How is Samson?” Jenny asked. “I mean, how is he really? He pretends to be brash and overconfident, but deep down he can be sensitive and insecure.”
“I wouldn’t have believed that if I hadn’t just seen it for myself. He really didn’t think he could take charge, did he?”
Jenny shook her head. “But if Wilder is prepared to put his trust in him, then Samson will be just fine.” She looked across at where the group of Arctic males was standing straight and tall, listening intently as Samson and Lowell briefed them about Chastel and Konrad. “Wilder knows what he’s doing. This will be good for Samson and good for the brotherhood. For centuries, they had one leader. Gunnar was a powerful commander, and it was hard for him to let go. It’s right that they should evolve this way.” She laughed. “And no one expected to be mobilized again so soon after the last mission. I
f this keeps happening, we’ll need to take turns so that we all get a chance to recuperate.”
Valetta watched the group of men for a few minutes. They all had the same military bearing, reminding her of her father. Samson was talking now and the others were deferring to him. Already, he seemed to have assumed a new air of command. He was bigger than the others, and in a group of big men, that made him a giant. Tall and broad, his muscles bulged beneath the tight black T-shirt he wore. Her eyes skimmed lower to the way his faded jeans clung to his muscular thighs and tight ass cheeks. How was he? He was the embodiment of her deepest, darkest fantasies, one of which he had recently brought to life.
“He seems to be fine,” she said, returning to Jenny’s original question and hoping the other woman couldn’t interpret her sudden blush. “Although he’s confused and frustrated by this whole business.”
“And pissed off about having to leave the midnight sun behind?” Jenny sighed. “When the goddess gave us the power to shift at any time, I pictured being able to lie by a tropical pool in a bikini, but it doesn’t work like that. We don’t need the midnight sun to shift anymore, but she didn’t take away our Arctic instincts. I don’t want to feel the sun on my face, I need to dive into a snowdrift.” She viewed Valetta with a concerned expression. “How will this work for you? Will you struggle if you are away from the midnight sun for too long?”
Valetta felt a blush staining her cheeks. “I don’t know. I’m not a true Arctic werewolf.” She squeezed her eyes closed briefly. “I’m Shadow Born.”
She waited to see if Jenny’s arm would be abruptly withdrawn. It wasn’t. Instead, Jenny laughed. “If that means you can go on vacation to Florida and lounge by a pool in a bikini, I hope you know how jealous I’ll be.”
Valetta was surprised to find herself smiling. Jenny’s friendliness had that sort of effect on her. “Until now, I’d never considered my birth in terms of its possible advantages.”
Seeming to sense her hesitation, Jenny propelled her gently forward. “Come and meet the team. They look fierce . . . but I promise they don’t bite.” Her sharp gaze went from Valetta to Samson. “Not unless they really like you.”
Valetta had to concentrate carefully on the information Jenny gave her as she introduced each member of the brotherhood. “You’ve already met some of us, but you may not know about the skills each person brings to the team. Many people assume that Samson, for example, was included in the brotherhood because of his strength.”
“And that wasn’t the case?” Valetta was surprised at what she was hearing.
“Don’t get me wrong. Samson’s muscles are very useful. But the key skill he brings to the brotherhood is his tracking ability. He’s the best there is.” Jenny looked across at where the group of male Arctic werewolves was standing. “It’s a talent that goes deeper than the ability to follow a scent. It’s a deep-seated intuition, an ability to read the emotion of a scene. When we were on the trail of the werewolf god, Fenrir, and I was abducted, Samson was not only able to scent where I was taken, he could also tell Wilder what I was feeling.”
What Jenny was saying resonated with Valetta. On the surface, Samson was brash and overconfident. He tried so hard to convince the world he was a big, bold strongman, yet Valetta knew there were so many more facets to his personality. There was an unexpected sensitivity to him that had initially surprised her and now aroused her protective instincts.
“What about you?” Valetta asked. “What special skill do you bring to the team?”
“I’m the best fighter.” Jenny laughed. “Seriously. I’m the brotherhood’s secret weapon. No one expects the female to be the deadliest warrior. Time for formal introductions.”
“I already know Lowell,” Valetta said, as Jenny led her over to the group. “He told me about the legend of the Shadow Wolf.”
“Then you already know Lowell’s special skill,” Jenny said.
Lowell grimaced. “I get the boring superpower. Samson can tell if a person’s heart has broken in a particular place. Jenny can do a backward somersault into a dropkick. No one is impressed by intellect.”
“That’s not true.” Jenny spoke in the tone of a schoolteacher lecturing a difficult student. “We are werewolves. Our culture is based on magic and legend. We need to know our background if we are to secure our future. Without you, we couldn’t go forward.”
“We wouldn’t know who our enemy was if it wasn’t for your knowledge of Jean Chastel,” Valetta reminded him.
Lowell’s serious expression was lightened by a boyish grin. “Well, if you put it like that . . .”
“Then we have Madden.” All the men in the room stood out because of their good looks, but Madden was even more striking than the others. There was something about him that drew the eye and held it, but Valetta sensed he didn’t like being the center of attention. “He is our detective, in both the human and the werewolf worlds.”
“Jenny says it like it’s an extra ability I have.” Madden spoke with a quiet modesty that didn’t quite match his dazzling appearance. “I solve problems, pay attention to detail, and I’m empathetic.” He shrugged. “Same as the other human police officers I work with.”
“What Madden hasn’t said is that, while he has the same talents as other detectives, they are more pronounced in him. He is more skilled at problem solving, better at paying attention to detail. More empathetic.” She smiled at Madden. “Just more.”
As Madden smiled at Jenny’s words, Valetta was beginning to see just how strong the bond between these seven Arctic werewolves was.
“And I’m the maverick of the group.” Sebastian joined the conversation. “My value is in doing the wrong thing.”
This provoked some laughter among his friends. “What Sebastian means is that he is our creative thinker,” Madden said. “He can always be guaranteed to see a problem differently, to make us take a new approach.”
“I’ve also been known to bend the rules now and then.” Sebastian winked at Valetta.
“By that, he means he breaks the law.” Madden rolled his eyes. “Just about every chance he gets.”
“Then there’s Wilder.” Jenny smiled up at her husband. “He will tell you his special skill is his speed, and there’s no doubt about it, he is the swiftest of us all. But his other talent is keeping us on track, organizing us, getting us to where we should be.”
“You make it sound so easy, my love.” Wilder turned to Valetta with a roll of his eyes and she felt a rush of warmth at the way they were including her in their group. “You have no idea what it’s like trying to get everyone together at short notice and then get them moving, sometimes halfway across the world.”
Valetta realized there was one person missing. The seventh member of the team had moved to one side and had been talking quietly to her father. He came and joined them now. “I’m Vigo. I joined the brotherhood when your father left.” His manner was respectful. “Hendrik was a hard act to follow.”
“It has been the same for me,” Jenny explained. “I took the place of Gunnar, the former leader. When the goddess Angrboda set up the brotherhood, she decreed that it should be made up of the seven strongest and bravest Arctic werewolves. When a werewolf is no longer one of the seven bravest or strongest, he or she drops out and is replaced. But the ones who have gone leave a lasting legacy.”
“I’m a healer.” Vigo’s face was earnest, as if he had more to prove than the rest of the team. “In my human role, I’m a paramedic, but I have powers that are magical and help me to heal my fellow werewolves.”
Valetta looked around the group and felt it again. She couldn’t quite call it comfort, but it was an easing of the tightness that had gripped her. If she was going to share her cares with anyone, this group seemed to be people who would understand. She sensed they would judge her on what they saw, not on an ancient legend. For once, the cloud of being Shadow Born lifted slightly and she was able to join in the laughter and conversation without feeling like an outcast.
As he watched her response, Samson’s mind insisted on replaying the scene between them in her bedroom. Every now and then, Valetta glanced up and met his eyes. The look on her face left him in no doubt that she knew exactly what he was thinking. The raw need in her own expression almost made him groan aloud. He wanted an action replay and he wanted it right now. Instead he had to be in charge, make decisions, and pretend his thoughts were above his belt.
Cindy looked overawed to be sitting down to dinner with nine werewolves, but Hendrik had insisted that she should join them.
“It’s easy to throw a dinner party when you’re a werewolf,” he explained. “Just pile the table high with raw meat, and you get a reputation for being an excellent host.”
“Dad, I think Cindy is worried she might be dinner,” Valetta said, with a reassuring smile at the other woman.
Hendrik frowned as though the thought hadn’t occurred to him. “You’re not scared of us, are you?”
Cindy shook her head, her light brown curls bobbing. “But I can’t eat raw meat.” Her voice was little more than a whisper.
Hendrik laughed, his expression changing from concern to relief. “Of course you can’t. What would you like instead?”
So, while Cindy daintily cut up her fried chicken and ate her dressed side salad, everyone else devoured huge amounts of raw steak.
“Before we do anything else, I want to go back to the Guardian compound and get some answers from them. They weren’t talking to me or Valetta, but if we all turn up, we may just pile that bit more pressure on them,” Samson said.
