by Anne Marsh
Liar, my hormones screamed. They were Team Colden all the way.
“He’s a good guy,” Asta insisted stubbornly although she’d known the Viking for approximately five minutes. Even had performed a brief introduction when he dropped me off for packing and life advice, Colden had stared at Asta, and she had mumbled something that the rest of us assumed was a polite hi, how are ya. She had no idea what he was really like, and neither did I. Even if parts of me were curious and would like to get to know him better, it was still a bad idea.
“He won’t hurt you,” she said finally. “I’m certain of that.”
It was nice that one of us was. Because I was entirely certain that Colden posed an enormous risk to my heart.
And that was the last unbroken piece of me.
Colden
”If the dragon has Eira, he’s gonna fight you for her. He won’t just hand the Valkyrie over,” I said, leaning against the wall. Vars and I had been in charge of the wolf pack for precisely four hours, and now we were heading out. Sure, Vars wanted to pip Nidhug and avert apocalypse. That was a good goal, and I was totally on board with him there. It was his other reason I was questioning.
“Pure wants her sister back,” Vars growled, shoveling weaponry into his pack.
Yeah. That other reason.
“Vikar ordered us to guard the pack,” I pointed out. “You think we should go after the dragon?”
I honestly didn’t give a fuck what happened to the wolves as long as Bera stayed safe, but when Vikar asked me to do something, I did it. I had his back no matter what.
Vars looked up briefly. I had had no idea one bag could hold that many rounds of ammunition.
“We find the dragon. Then you create a diversion and head back to the pack. You watch over them, and I’ll secure Eira and neutralize the dragon,” he said.
I would bet the order in that sentence wasn’t accidental.
“Two’s better than one.” Not that I was planning on getting hurt or going down or doing anything that would jeopardize Bera, but sometimes a situation spirals out of control. I wasn’t putting Bera in danger because I was too stupid to keep backup.
Vars yanked on a long leather duster, grabbed the bag, and pointed his lovesick ass toward the cave’s entrance. We’d spent the better part of the last hour going over the membership rolls—which really meant picking Even’s brain and scribbling shit down—and one thing was clear. The pack had taken a few hits in recent weeks. They were weak and ripe for a takedown.
Vars didn’t pause, turn around, or hesitate so much as a beat. “Ask me if I give a fuck.”
As if I didn’t already know the answer to that.
When I said nothing, Vars cursed. “If you want to keep the pack in one piece, Eira’s a bargaining chip we need.”
“I hear you.” And I did. Stupid bastard had all these messed up feelings for Pure that he couldn’t or wouldn’t act on because she’d made her choice and he wasn’t it. Instead, he was going to run all over Greenland because it would make her happy.
“You okay?” Vars asked me.
“I’ve got this. You said so yourself.”
“Jesus. The pack’s decided you’re Bera’s new mate. That’s not what you signed up for.”
Because chasing a dragon and trying to avert an apocalypse was so much better.
“You think I’m not the get-married-and-settled-down type?” Because honestly? I’d like a place to belong. A female of my own. Fuck. Maybe I was more like the wolves than I wanted to admit, because I could get used to this pack business. Or to one particular female.
Vars snorted. “You’ve known her for less than six hours. That’s rushed even for you.”
I shrugged. “I knew her before.”
That night at the bar in Nuuk had been memorable for many reasons. Nuuk wasn’t a big place, even if it was the capital of Greenland. Around twenty thousand people made their homes there, and approximately ten thousand had crowded into the dive bar I’d picked for my drinking pleasures.
Bera had stood out the moment she stepped inside. She’d worn this fuzzy white sweater that did amazing things for her breasts and a pair of faded blue jeans that hugged her curves.
Erik had kept her pinned to his side, his arm around her shoulder just in case anyone hadn’t gotten the keep off the grass message he was broadcasting. I’d actually been shocked when he offered her to me for the night, and I couldn’t remember the last time something had surprised me.
He’d done it to punish her—I’d figured that out fast enough—and as much as my dick and my bear had pleaded with me to accept, hurting Bera had been out of the question.
“You don’t say.” Vars had curiosity written all over his puss, but what could I say? That Erik the Asshole had offered her to me and I had turned him down. If she’d been good with the offer, I’d have been a hel, yeah. Bera’s a pretty thing, and I like looking at her. Touching her would be even better, sinking my dick inside her, riding her hard. I’ve always had a thing for brunettes.
But the wariness in her eyes, the bruise on her cheek—those were red flags, and I wasn’t going where I wasn’t welcome.
“Erik tried to hook us up,” I admitted.
Vars muttered something uncomplimentary under his breath, and I agreed.
“We should have killed him when we had the chance.” Vars said this loud enough for me to hear, and once again I was in violent agreement with him.
“Probably.” But we were trying to be under-fucking-standing because the management change hadn’t been planned and Calder’s werewolves were damned skittish. “It’s water under the bridge.”
“She turn you down?” To Vars’s credit, he actually looked surprised that had Bera passed on the opportunity to mate with my sorry ass. He always insisted on seeing the best in me, plus it’s not like he was interested in dating me. He had the hots for Pure.
I pointed to my face. “You see a reason to go out on a date with me?”
The scar running down my left cheek had ended my pretty days.
Vars grinned. “So you’ve got a second chance. Make the most of it.”
The thing is, I didn’t want Bera feeling like she had to take me on. I mean, she needed to stick close. That was for her own safety. It didn’t mean, however, that she owed me anything more than the same obedience she’d give to the pack alpha. Any orders that I issued regarding her safety were nonnegotiable. And sure, I wouldn’t mind giving her orders in bed, but she had to want to take them. I wasn’t explaining this to Vars though, so I settled for punching him in the shoulder.
He grunted and headed for the exit. “I think she likes you.”
I followed. It was time to get our dragon-hunting show on the road. “You got a reason for thinking that?”
Because of course I’d like to believe him, but I’m not stupid. And I have a mirror.
“She watches you, you know. Plus she didn’t once try to get away from you.”
I felt an unfortunate need to be honest. “It’s possible I scared her half to death.”
“Unscare her then.”
Like it was that easy. I’d have to figure something out though, because her pack had pretty much gift wrapped her and dropped her in my lap. I didn’t want to scare her or force her, but I wasn’t a nice guy and I definitely wanted to unwrap her. Plus she was our very own personal guide to Nidhug’s hiding place. I figured that gave me maybe twelve hours to get her to rethink our separation agreement.
It was getting close to sunset, which meant Bera would shift soon. Since there wasn’t enough time to get our show on the road—and she’d made it clear that she didn’t trust me—we’d ride in the morning.
“You don’t have a clue, do you?” Vars sounded damned cheerful for a man who was hankering after our leader’s girl. He had even less of a chance than I did.
“Shut the fuck up,” I muttered. “We’ve got a dragon to beard, a Valkyrie to rescue, and a blade to steal. I don’t have time to worry about a werewolf too.”
/>
Vars laughed because we both knew I’d do it anyway.
Colden
I’d had a late night last night. After Vars had disappeared on his mission to rescue Eira, I’d held meeting after endless meeting with the male wolves in the pack. I hadn’t been invited to chat up the females, and I figured that was the female alpha’s job.
Bera had done good there much to my surprise. She’d gone with the female wolves when they’d spirited her away, and I’d caught sight of her later that night, running in her wolf form. Bera only shifted to human form during the daylight hours. The rest of the time, she ran in her were-form. I had no fucking idea how much she remembered of those hours, but I guessed we’d work it out. Somehow. It wasn’t like female werewolves came with an instruction manual.
Bera made a gorgeous fucking snow wolf. She wasn’t big in this form, either. I’d put her at maybe sixty pounds, the top of her head not reaching midthigh when she bumped against my leg. She was stronger in her lupine form—when she butted my thigh a second time, I actually felt the impact. It was cute, watching her try to pull a little muscle on me. Kind of like watching a kitten batting at butterflies.
But she was also vulnerable. Tyra tried explaining to Calder once what it was like, shifting into a wolf. I should have listened, but I had no idea Fate would lead me back to Bera. As one of Fenrir’s children, Bera belonged to the kill-on-sight camp. Even if she was right and Nidhug was working with the werewolves, the rest of the paranormal world didn’t tolerate werewolves. Ever since that seer had foretold Odin’s death at werewolf hands, thus kicking off the start of Ragnarök, werewolves had been shot on sight. Or stabbed, poisoned, or ruthlessly tortured on the off chance one of them might have more details about the prophecy.
I was the only thing standing between Bera and death.
She didn’t ask to be made into a wolf. Erik the Asshole had grabbed her and bit her. She remembered that much, although one side effect of the bite was that the new wolf’s memories of life pre-bite faded away. Tyra said once that it was Mother Nature’s defense because otherwise Tyra never would have gotten back to her feet. It’s a hard transition, and not just because it involves a giant wolf chomping down on your vein. Pack life is all about physical strength, and the male wolves reign by brute force. What female would voluntarily choose the life?
Bera yipped and nosed the other female wolves as I stood guard. This part of pack life was kinda nice and I didn’t mind it. She had the wolf inside her, kind of like my bear, and the wolf was an animal too. It would fight if cornered, and she wouldn’t be able to stop it. I wasn’t sure if she liked the wolf, but she was stuck with it. I’d never minded my bear. It was simply part of me and fucking handy in a fight. When I let go of my self-control and let the bear rage, I was unstoppable. There wasn’t too much that could stand against twelve hundred pounds and twelve feet of enraged bear.
Eventually, Bera slipped back into the cave a few hours before sunrise. She hadn’t noticed me keeping watch, and I’d preferred it that way. I’d put a damper on her fun and I liked seeing her happy. At least I thought she’d been happy. Her wolf had had a skip to its step that kind of made me smile. We were both animals part of the time, but my bear only came out when I was really pissed off. Her wolf kept to a schedule.
Even had showed me where the alpha slept, and that was where I’d parked my ass. He’d also made it clear that he’d send Bera my way when she got back from her run. I wasn’t going to force her, but I’d enjoy sleeping beside her. How bad could that be for her? Calder had a real mattress too, which beat sleeping on bare rocks.
Eventually Bera had slunk in, some of the happy going out of her step. That sucked. When she didn’t spot me waiting for her in the room, her wolf gave a little yip, circled the bed, and then curled up. On the floor.
That fucking killed me.
She got the best when she was with me. I could give her that much. Since I didn’t want to lose my hand, I waited until she was good and asleep, and then I moved her to the bed. Her wolf let out a little snuff and curled tighter. Good enough for me. I stretched out beside her. I must have fallen asleep, because when I woke I was holding a woman in my arms.
She was naked after her shift, which worked for me. Her pretty brown hair stuck out everywhere in some kind of Goth hedgehog look. She’d rolled over on her belly, and her pretty ass poked up in the air. She’d twisted most of the covers around herself, and I made a mental note that my new mate didn’t share well. What wasn’t over her was under her, leaving me hanging out in the cold.
Fortunately, looking at her warmed me up just fine.
I’m sure she wouldn’t have been down with my visual porno, but I thought about all the different ways I could take her. Her pack had handed her over. She was mine. So I had no idea why I was holding back, except I needed to hear her yes, followed possibly by a more please and a fuck me now, Viking more than I needed to stick my dick in her.
Since it was cold, I unrolled her from our blankets. I was a perfect gentleman about it too, because I tucked her against me before I covered us both up. She gave a sleepy mutter and kind of melted into me. That didn’t seem like dislike, I told myself, even if it wasn’t the green Go light.
I’d shucked my clothes before climbing into bed with her last night, so we were both naked. Her butt nestled against my dick, which clearly had plans of its own. Shit. I was rubbing on her like a horny teenager, and she wasn’t awake.
“Colden?” Her sleepy voice proved she had some idea of what was going on. Not enough, my conscience muttered.
“I’m gonna make you feel good, okay?” I might have held my breath, waiting for her reply. My dick twitched against her ass in case she’d misunderstood my question.
She hesitated, like maybe she was running pros and cons through her head, but then she gave a sigh. “Okay. Just a little.”
I had zero fucking idea what that meant, but I decided it could be interpreted as keep your dick to yourself, but fingers are okay.
I eased her right leg forward. The move gave me access to the tight, hot space between her legs. She didn’t resist either, just opened up sweet as could be. I wasn’t going to disrespect her trust. If that respect was the only thing that happened now, my dick would have to live with it.
“You don’t like something, you tell me.” We needed to be clear on that. I was bigger, but we were equal partners in bed. “You hear me?”
“Loud and clear,” she grumbled, but some of the remaining tension went out of her body. I really was going to have to do something about Erik the Asshole.
I slid a hand over her bare thigh. She was soft and silky, and the tender curve felt way too delicate for a man my size. Maybe this wasn’t my best idea. My brain started telegraphing slow down messages to my hand, but then she shifted forward, making more room for me, and my bear growled in approval.
I sank my fingers into her pussy, and she sucked in a breath. Yeah. No hiding from what I wanted to do to her. She was gonna know what was coming. “You want me to stop, all you got to do is tell me.”
My voice sounded hoarse, more growl than word, but damn. She felt unbelievable, and if she kicked me out of our bed, I wasn’t sure what I’d do. Her pussy was warm and soft. Not slick and wet yet though, but I aimed to change that fast.
I worked the tip of one finger into her slit and moved it up and down. She moaned, her legs falling apart a little further. I could flip her over onto her belly, but then I wouldn’t be able to hold her. Funny how the holding her part was almost as good as the touching her part. I suddenly understood Vars’s preoccupation with Pure a whole lot better. Bera didn’t just get to my dick—she was in my head and possibly other places as well. Like my heart.
Not going there.
Instead, I brushed her wetness over her folds, teasing her as I sank deeper into her sweet heat. She was wet now, downright dripping, and it was all for me. I felt like the fucking king of the mountain when I raised my fingers to my mouth and licked them.
<
br /> “You feel fucking unbelievable,” I told her. I pumped my fingers into her, and she tilted her hip up to take me deeper. And then just like that, she was coming, her pussy squeezing my fingers as she ground her clit against my palm. Whatever she wanted, it was hers. I held her tight, easing her down, and I might have whispered more than a few words of praise into her ear. Telling her how fucking gorgeous she was and how beautiful she looked.
“Colden.” She blinked up at me. I wasn’t sure what I wanted her to say, but my name was a good start. I—
A heavy fist banged on the “door” to our cave, and then the fist’s owner stuck his head inside. Fan-fucking-tastic. Cock-blocked by my fellow Viking.
“Mission time,” Vars announced. “Oops. Am I intruding?”
He knew damn well he was, but it was probably a good thing. Another minute and I’d have been lost in Bera, probably saying stuff I shouldn’t.
So I looked at Vars. “One for all?” I said lightly, like we weren’t gambling with the end of the world and he hadn’t just caught me with my dick in my mate. She made an embarrassed squeak and disappeared beneath the covers. Vars grinned appreciatively.
“Hel yeah,” he said. Five minutes later and he’d be disappearing over the horizon, off to rescue the fair maiden and save the world. Which makes me the little woman in the scenario, left to hold down the fort.
Fuck.
I probably should have chosen to go after the dragon.
Bera
“Come on.”
It took me a moment to process Colden’s words. The man turned my brain to mush the same way he’d made my knees go to jelly. I probably should have found it embarrassing, but it was a nice change to enjoy what was going on in my bedroom. Erik hadn’t touched me in months except to smack me down. From the hard look on Colden’s face, however, he wasn’t entirely sure he was welcome. The Viking needed to come with directions, because I sure didn’t understand him.
He shoved his body upright, seemingly impervious to the arctic temperature in the cave. The chill certainly did nothing to diminish the truly spectacular erection he sported as he tugged on his jeans. It seemed a shame to cover that up.
