Just then, a snort sounded behind her. Twisting around, Astrid saw a gray wolf gaining speed, closing the distance between them with a few long strides. The whooshing blood in her veins sounded like a waterfall behind her eardrums. The animal was inches away. It opened its mouth, exposing yellow teeth, and snapped at her boots. She jumped over a lifted root and jabbed the blunt end of her spear back at the same time, stabbing the beast square in the chest. With a loud whimper, it toppled over and sank deep into the snow.
Stay down, you mutt. Veering left, she noticed the trees opened up ahead, letting the moonlight spill into the woods. She sprinted toward it, her insides buzzing with a mixture of fear and anticipation. She was going to have to fight. There was no way she could outrun these wolves forever. Not even if she changed.
Her inner wolf grunted, liking the idea of a challenge. She had told everyone she could handle herself—time to test it. Hopefully training with Filip and his friends growing up would be enough. One way or another, she refused to be prey.
Suddenly, the elevation of the ground shifted, and as her boot sank into the snow, her ankle rolled. Her balance faltered, sending her stumbling forward. Her feet struggled to catch up with the rest of her body. When she fell, her face smacked onto the icy snow first, sending lightning bolts through her skull. Her vision fogged.
Astrid tried to blink the cloudiness away and lift her chin, but the jolting explosions in her temples made each movement difficult. Slowly, she pushed herself onto her elbows. Through her hazy sight, she saw the outline of an animal standing in front of her. Panic gripped her. Her wolf commanded her to get up. Fight.
Get your spear!
She clenched and unclenched her fists, grabbing only handfuls of snow. Where was her spear? It must have been thrown during her fall. As her hazy eyes refocused and the forest reformed around her, so did the image of the large shaggy brown wolf pacing nearby, its head low and stare trained on her. The one from the cliff.
Between them was her weapon.
The wolf’s auburn fur stood on end, adding a few more inches to its already enormous size. Its lips curled over long canines. A warning growl rumbled.
Ignoring the stabbing in her head, she dug her fingers into the ice and heaved herself forward. But the moment her fingertips brushed the spear’s staff, teeth sank into her calf. She yelped as the pain laced up her limb and her muscles seized. Glancing over her shoulder, Astrid saw the gray wolf she’d knocked back before now clamped down on her leg. Blood stained its muzzle red.
The wolf yanked her back and dragged her through the snow as if she weighed nothing. The farther away she got from the spear, the more terror set in. She kicked back with her good leg. Her heel met something hard, and immediately, she felt the release of the beast’s jaws.
Wasting no time, she threw her body toward the weapon. She snatched it with both hands just as another blur of white and silver burst through the thicket on her right and charged at her. As the wolf leaped into the air, she swiped the spear. The sharp tip pierced its skin, slicing down its chest. Astrid had just enough time to roll out of the way before it fell onto the ground with a thud.
Jumping to her feet, a jarring pain raced up her wounded leg, taking her breath away. She locked her knee to prevent herself from collapsing. She gritted her teeth.
Her gaze whipped across the forest, and she met eyes with the brown wolf. It paced back and forth, grunting but not moving closer. Standing about six and a half feet long from shoulders to hindquarters, it was one of the largest creatures she’d ever seen. With its shaggy fur and massive head, it reminded Astrid more of a lion than a wolf shifter.
She stole a glance at the other two wolves. One lay still in the snow, crimson pooling from the gash up its stomach, while the smaller gray one was already climbing to its feet, lapping the blood dripping from its nose.
When she looked back at the monster wolf, it was slowly moving closer to her, head low. At the corner of her eye, she noticed the gray wolf creeping her way, too.
Astrid took a wobbly step back. Her gaze jumped between both wolves as they closed in. She thrust her spear out, swiping it back and forth, and her heartbeat galloped. Every time the blade crossed its path, the brown monster snapped its jaws, trying to catch it. More annoyed than afraid. Drool dripped from its mouth as it growled and took another step toward her.
Astrid’s back smacked against a tree, and she froze. They had backed her into a corner.
In the next instant, the gray wolf pounced. She whirled her spear and struck him hard on the top of the head. Spinning it again, she swiped out its legs just as the massive wolf jumped, pinning her against the trunk. It captured the staff between its teeth. The wood splintered as it chomped down, and hot saliva sprayed across her cheeks and hands. Foul breath filled her nose. She gagged but held her arms firm as the wolf’s powerful jowls snapped just inches away from her face.
Movement stirred on her right, then came the crashing of the undergrowth. Seconds later, a large shape shot through the brush and collided with the monster, knocking it off her. Astrid gasped as she watched wheat-gold fur tumble with brown. Vicious snarls ripped through the silent night. Teeth flashed and claws swiped through the air. Her heart vibrated in her chest, and her inner wolf shot up.
Erec.
She didn’t need much to know it was him. Even in this form, she could sense it. The animal inside her could sense it, too, like there was a connection between them she couldn’t understand. As bizarre as it was, Astrid didn’t have time to dwell on it. She remembered the gray wolf she’d only managed to knock down again, and when she turned, she saw its bushy tail disappearing into the forest.
Coward. But at least it was one less shifter for them to worry about.
Erec didn’t match the brown wolf in bulk. He was quick enough to dodge most of its bites and lunges, but the sharp scent of blood was thick in the air. The two untangled themselves long enough to catch their breath. It was then that Astrid noticed the chunk of flesh missing from Erec’s shoulder. Her heart plummeted. Past the layers of flesh and shredded muscle, white bone gleamed.
Icy dread filled her. If Erec died… No, she refused to think like that. She shoved those thoughts far, far away.
The brown wolf pounced again, but Erec managed to maneuver enough and chomp down on its front leg. It let out a howl terrifying enough to raise the hair on Astrid’s arms. They rolled together again, jaws snapping and blood spraying across the white snow.
Without another thought, Astrid gripped her damaged spear tightly, pulled her elbow back, aiming, and hurled the weapon toward the two brawling wolves. It glided through the air at a blurring speed.
She held her breath.
The shaggy brown monster reared up on its hind legs, wailed, and then crumpled. The spear bounced from its hip, the blade tip embedded deep in the muscle. It wasn’t until then that Astrid noticed blood also oozing from a gaping hole on top of the wolf’s head, where its ear used to be. Her stomach lurched. Had Erec really done that?
Groaning, the wolf tried to push himself up, only to fall back down in a heap. It didn’t move again, but continued to show its teeth and growl.
Erec backed away. Skin rippled around his snout, face, and down his spine. Bones realigned and muscles shrank and grew. Legs elongated. Blond fur receded and his torso stretched. It wasn’t long before the Erec she knew stood before her, on two legs again, naked. He turned around and hurried toward her, his eyes wide with concern.
“Are you all right?” he asked, his voice gruff. His chest heaved with every labored breath. He reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Your leg. I saw blood. Which one bit you?” He glanced over at the brown wolf and mumbled something that sounded a lot like “I’ll kill him,” but before Erec could take a step in its direction, Astrid snatched his arm to stop him.
She held him firmly. “I’m fine.” But as the adrenaline rushing through her bloodstream began to calm, the biting pain in her calf returned. She sucked in a sha
rp breath, leaned most of her weight on her right leg, and forced the pain away from her face.
Her eyes fell onto the cavernous gash on his shoulder, and she winced. How could he be worried about her with a wound like that? But Erec seemed unfazed by it. Instead, anger twisted his features. “I should have gotten here sooner.”
He shouldn’t have left me at camp alone. She tried to rekindle that same fury she had before, but for some reason, she couldn’t reach it again. Not after everything that had just happened. That rage had been completely extinguished. The way he was looking at her, too, wasn’t helping. Those dark, stormy blue eyes searched her face with worry and guilt, and she couldn’t understand why he would feel this way. That didn’t stop her stomach fluttering from his stare, though.
A clamor of voices from behind made them spin around. A crowd of familiar faces, both human and animal, stepped into the moonlight. Erec’s hands fell away from her instantly, and he stepped back. Astrid recognized Gunnar and Darek in their wolf forms. Kalle and Bec stood beside them; one was holding a sword and the other an axe. Then there was the man Erec had been talking to in the cage named Henrick, the woman who had given Astrid the baby, and all the other prisoners.
Bec walked to a figure curled up motionless in a pile of red melted snow. He gave it a light push with his boot, rolling it face up. It was a man. Then Astrid noticed the jagged cut marring his stomach and chest. Bile scalded the back of her throat. The wolf she had fought and sliced with her spear.
“Is he…” she croaked. She had never killed anyone before. She couldn’t see if his chest was moving, but their kind was known to shift back into their human form when their heart stopped beating.
“He’s dead,” Bec said.
Astrid gasped. She hadn’t meant to kill him.
“You had no other choice, Astrid,” Erec said. Henrick tossed him a pair of pants and a coat, which he slipped on quickly. “Who knows what Jerrick’s dogs would have done if they got ahold of you. You did what you had to.”
“Jerrick’s dogs?” She peeked around Erec to see the colossal wolf still lying where it had fallen from her spear. Its brown narrowed gaze switched between Erec and Bec as it continued to growl. She hadn’t thought it was Jerrick’s men she had been dealing with, but it made sense. She swallowed roughly, realizing she had been in more danger than she’d originally thought.
“There was one more wolf,” Erec said. “Where did it go?”
“I saw it run off into the woods,” she replied. “Do you think it’ll try for another surprise attack?”
“Not with all of us here,” Kalle said, running a hand through his curly hair. “They aren’t that stupid.”
He was right. There had to be about twenty of them with the prisoners. Trying to fight this many shifters, some with weapons, would be suicide.
“But that doesn’t mean he won’t run back to Jerrick and tell him what happened,” Erec said, body rigid. “We need to start our journey back now.”
“What about that one?” Bec pointed to the brown wolf with his axe.
“Claus. He’s going to be coming with us.” The way he spit the name hinted that he was very familiar with the shifter.
“Do you know him?” Astrid asked.
“Jerrick’s personal pet.” His tone hardened. “He is responsible for hundreds of deaths.”
Oh.
“Almost caused my own, too.”
A loud bellow filled the air as Claus’s wolf form shuddered and began to shrink. The long fur pulled back, revealing tan skin as well as the curse’s blue markings under his one eye and down his cheek. His ear was missing. The wound had split during the shift, and blood gushed down the side of his face and neck. As a human, Claus was a giant of a man with a square, muscular frame and legs as wide as tree trunks. Through the entire change, a sickening, red-stained grin stayed planted on his face. The twisted amusement in his expression made a chill run down Astrid’s spine.
“I didn’t expect to run into you again,” he said to Erec, then barked a laugh at his own joke. “How lucky am I?”
Clenching his jaw, Erec gripped the spear’s staff and yanked it from Claus’s hip without so much as flinching. He spewed out a string of curses and swung his arm at him, but Erec moved out of the way before the blow could make contact. Bec and Kalle gripped Claus by the arms and wrenched him to stand up. He roared once his weight was applied to his wounded leg.
Gunnar and Darek padded over, baring their teeth at him. Claus only threw his head back and laughed. He wasn’t afraid at all.
Did she expect anything less from Jerrick’s right-hand man?
When Claus’s gaze found Astrid, that terrifying smile reappeared. Something animalistic glinted in his eyes. “That was a nice shot you had there,” he drawled, licking his lips. The suggestion in his tone made Astrid feel sick. “But I didn’t even get a chance with you. I wanted to play a little more. What do you say?”
Erec thrust the end of the spear to Claus’s throat and growled loudly. Raw hatred burned in his eyes. “Don’t talk to her.”
In an instant, Claus’s expression contorted as he whipped back toward Erec. “You can’t do a thing to me,” he snarled. “You need me. Alive.”
“Yes, but I suggest you save your voice,” Bec said. “It may be the only thing that’ll save your skin once Boden gets through with you.”
For the first time since he’d shifted, fear flashed across Claus’s face. Good. It seemed her father’s warrior reputation still preceded him.
“Let’s start back,” Erec called, waving the timid survivors forward. Bec and Kalle pulled a limping Claus past the trees using rough hands. Gunnar and Darek followed close behind, trailed by Henrick and the others.
When alone, Erec turned to Astrid, his face grim. Without saying a word, he handed her back the spear, took her arm, and looped it over his shoulder so she could lean on him for support.
“I can walk, you know,” she insisted, but at the same time, she hoped he wouldn’t let her go. She liked his closeness. Especially with the sudden exhaustion she felt.
“I’m sure you can,” he replied but started taking short steps forward anyway, holding her firmly by the arm and waist. “Doesn’t mean I’m going to let you.”
This time she didn’t argue, and the smirk that curled Erec’s lips told her he was taking it as a small victory. Then, with arms intertwined and bodies pressed against each other, they entered the darkened woods and started the long trek to Svanna Rock.
Chapter Nine
“Your brother is going to kill me.” Erec laughed, glancing down at Astrid as they limped their way through the forest. “Then again, there might not be anything left after Boden has his turn.”
Astrid looked up to see that familiar crooked smile lifting the side of Erec’s mouth, the one that made her heart flutter, and she forgot about the pain gnawing at her calf for a moment. They had been traveling northwest for over an hour, and during all that time, Erec kept his hand firmly on her waist, letting her lean on him for every step.
She didn’t want to admit it to herself, but she liked the warmth of his body against hers; she liked the feeling of his strong arms holding her up every time she put pressure on her wounded leg. But what she liked most of all was the playful smirk he gave her this time, instead of the conflicted look he’d worn when they’d kissed before by the pomple tree.
“It’s just a small bite wound. It’ll heal by tomorrow,” she said. One of his eyebrows lifted, and she couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’re right. You’re a dead man.”
As much as she wanted to bring up their private moment together again, she kept it to herself. Mostly because the sting of his callous rejection still lingered. But also because she was confused. The way her body had reacted to his touch, primal, like an animal in heat, was shocking. And when his lips had captured hers for that kiss, it not only stole her breath but all rational thought, too. She was ready to give all of herself to him, without hesitation. She had never felt that
way toward any man before. And that scared her.
They hobbled along as the rest of the group strode ahead. Claus could be seen through the throng of bodies, hopping on one foot, with Kalle and Bec clutching his arms. If he thought about shifting again or struggling, he would not only have the two men to deal with, he’d have Gunnar and Darek as wolves on his heels. Not to mention Henrick and the other survivors. Still, Astrid was surprised Claus wasn’t putting up more of a fight. He was allowing them to tug him along, spewing only insults instead of punches. Every once in a while, he would glance over his shoulder and throw one of those predatory grins at her, each time rousing a growl from Erec.
There had to be more to Claus that he wasn’t showing. It was as if he was playing a game they weren’t aware of, and the idea made Astrid’s skin crawl. What was this man really capable of?
The only person who knew about Jerrick and his men beyond the traveling stories was Erec, but he was a mystery himself. All she knew about him was that he had no parents, had been taken in by Mikel, and had left his pack to be a rogue.
“You said Claus almost killed you,” Astrid started, searching for the right words. The last time she had brought up Mikel to Erec, he’d shut down. She was going to have to approach this differently to get the answers she wanted.
“He did.” In an instant, the smirk vanished, and Erec’s expression hardened. “Bastard blindsided me. Knocked me out as I was charging Jerrick. After he— ” He gritted his teeth.
She knew the words that he had left cut off. After he killed Mikel.
Erec’s stare stayed locked ahead on Claus. After a long moment, he said, “He snapped Mikel’s neck. Right there in front of me.”
Those words must have been painful to utter, but his tone never wavered. Anger pushed them from his lips this time. Not remorse. What had changed within him?
The Curse Page 8
