Broods Of Fenrir

chapter 5


Brand approached Ingrid"s small cabin, Alice trotting at his heel. Ingrid stood in her open doorway. “Clever of you to transform her.”

Still naked, Ingrid had at least cleaned some of the caked-on mess from her skin. When he stood before her, she shook her head. “Under the moon.” She pointed to the left, around the side of the cabin.

Brand nodded at Alice. “She waits inside, and you don"t touch her.”

Ingrid let out a brief cackle. “I wouldn"t dream of harming your one subject.”

As long as Alice was safe, what happened to him didn"t matter. “Let"s get this over with.”

“There"s a clearing around the side. Wait for me there.” Brand walked around the cabin. A wooden post a foot thick stood in the center of a circle thirty feet in diameter. By the smell, the circle was cast in ewe"s blood and wolf piss.

Something moved under a canvas tarp just inside the far curve of the circle. He sat down with his back to the post, eyes locked on the tarp.

Ingrid approached and dropped an array of straps next to him. Whistling a carefree tune, she crouched and began to sort them into piles.

He watched her for a while in silence before he said,

“You know I won"t allow you to carry an offspring of mine regardless of my oath, so what"s this really about?” She lifted her face to regard him. “Retribution.” Her lips pulled back into a savage grin. She held out a leather cuff.

He stared at the cuff. As always where Ingrid was concerned, guilt and confusion prevented him from defying her. A part of him thought he deserved every moment of pain, even welcomed it. He placed his wrist inside without argument.

She bent his arm around his back, and he offered the other wrist so she could fasten it as well. She lifted his elbow, and said, “On your knees.”

He shifted awkwardly, bringing his knees under him.

Ingrid fastened his hands to the post, then stepped in front of him. She gestured to the tarp behind her. “You"ve seen your present? That"s where your seed will be sown. My daughter by Hildigrímr. Dagny is the last of that line.”

“I have not the slightest interest in becoming part of whatever breeding program you"ve dreamed up.” She snorted. “Pain worked well enough to pique your interest in the past.”

He looked away from her and she laughed. Try as he might to forget, he remembered every time she"d beaten him.

When he endured too much pain, the beast took over and had none of the same reservations about harming her. The result was always horrific. Though he had no control, he witnessed every brutal moment, every shriek. Afterwards he would ask her why. She always answered with a pain-ridden laugh and a statement that it was for his own good.

Ingrid dragged the tarp several feet closer before pulling the covering back partway to reveal her daughter. The female inside was bound, and only a thin robe covered her naked body. Chestnut hair, damp with sweat, clung to her face and

neck. The muscles of her shoulders stood out as she pulled against the bonds.

The ferocity of her rage was beautiful to behold. Even stronger than her mother"s, her rampant power rose around him until his breath came short. Her anger hit his barriers like churning currents of heated air.

A growl started deep in his throat. His muscles tensed as he yanked at the bindings holding him to the post. He tore his gaze away from the struggling Dagny and glared at Ingrid.

“You know I"ll hurt her. Don"t do this.” Her laughter was a cruel, mocking sound. Ingrid grabbed his jaw in a tight grip. “Beg me.” He didn"t hesitate for an instant. “Please, let her go.

This will destroy her.”

“I know.” Her hand became tender on his face. For an instant, he thought she would relent. She slapped him hard enough to make his ears ring. “The sooner she knows not to trust anyone, the better off she"ll be.” He stared up into her face, still hoping he could get through to her. “She doesn"t have to learn that lesson. You can protect her.”

“No one protected me.”

Shame struck him harder than she ever could have, and he sagged against the post. “I"m sorry I failed to protect you from him. I"m sorrier than you can ever know.” The apology was far too late, but she deserved to know the humiliation he felt.

She hesitated a long while, her eyes locked on his. With a small shake of her head, she said, “Your arrogance is astounding.” She turned away from him, her mouth set in a tense line.

He looked down at Dagny, convinced there was nothing more he could say. She"d ceased moving and her eyes fixed on him, twin pools of moonlit mercury studying his face.

Her expression carried a strength he couldn"t fathom considering the disaster that awaited her.

Coiling a long, thin strap around her hand, Ingrid stepped back to him. She snapped her wrist, and the leather jumped forward, cutting his chest. She continued, her lashes precise and methodical. Once the strap sliced open his skin, the pain doubled with every strike.

Brand roared a challenge when she finally stopped for a break. She tied the strap to the back of the torc and pulled it through a ring high on the post. The metal came up under his chin to bite into his throat and almost cut off his air. He straightened with a groan so that he wouldn"t choke himself.

Dagny struggled at the edge of his vision, trying to work her hands free. He contemplated telling her how useless it was to test Ingrid"s knots.

Considering the situation, he felt clearheaded. The beast had settled back almost at once. He said in a hoarse voice, “It"s going to be all right.”

Ingrid snickered next to him. “Don"t lie to her.” She balled a wad of fabric in her fist and approached her daughter.

Ingrid sliced into her upper arm with a long knife. Dagny glared up at her mother and bared her teeth in a snarl. Ingrid scrubbed the fabric over the wound to soak it in Dagny"s blood.

When Ingrid returned to Brand, she crammed the cloth into his mouth so far back that it choked him. The vivid scent of Dagny"s blood filled his head. He tasted Dagny"s anger almost as if it were his own. His barriers wavered, then crashed around him. The fabric stuffed into his mouth mostly stifled his groan. He sagged back against the post.

Ingrid selected a spiked strap of leather from the pile and moved back toward him. She circled the strap, with the sharp tines facing inward, low on his belly. The insidious thing cut into him as she tightened it. The pain, so like the cut of dozens of teeth, drove the beast to the edge of fury. The rage boiled over. He struggled, but that only made the biting sensation worse.

She wound the strap about him, up his torso and then around his neck. Each inhalation brought an agony of metal 44

teeth tearing at his skin. He fought so long that it seemed there had never been anything before the sharp teeth that tormented him.

Ingrid murmured, “I can feel your pain.” She pulled the strap to increase the bite. When he shuddered with agony, she leaned against him.

The thrill she felt at torturing him leeched through his skin and clawed inside of him. The sadistic glee tormented him more than the pain ever could. His empathic nature shrank away from the wrongness of what she did. The whine that filled his ears came from his own throat.

Ingrid backed away with a throaty laugh. “You"re not as strong as you need to be.”

Brand looked up into her beautiful, spiteful face. How often she"d repeated that sentiment. Over time she"d convinced him he couldn"t ever lead while he was so weak. She mocked him because he let her abuse him. Still, a part of him felt he deserved the treatment. If he"d protected her when he had the chance, perhaps she wouldn"t be so broken.

A savage growl filled the air around him. He felt the coiling of Dagny"s rage before she pounced, knocking her mother to the ground. The remains of the straps that had bound her still clung to her wrists.

The two females scuffled, wrestling for control of the knife Ingrid had left on the ground nearby. Brand watched them, powerless to help; he barely had enough strength to keep his head up.

Dagny struck her mother in the face with her forearm, then grabbed a handful of golden hair and slammed the back of Ingrid"s head against the ground. While Ingrid was dazed, Dagny leapt to where the knife had fallen. Outrage carving tension into every muscle, Dagny set the blade under Ingrid"s jaw.

Dagny"s silver eyes, metallic irises iridescent in the night, flicked up to Brand. Her lips pulled back into a victorious grin, both fierce and joyful. She looked back down at 45

her mother, and said in a rough voice, “Free him of his oath, or I will cut your throat.” She dug the blade into the hollow of Ingrid"s jaw until it drew blood.

Fear marred Ingrid"s lovely face, and she gasped. Her eyes darted until they came to rest on Brand. She spoke in a rush, as if unsure what her daughter would do if she delayed.

“You are released of your oath to me with no impunity to your honor, Brandúlfr Geirson.”


Brand leaned into the post and tried to summon the calm he needed to form his barriers. He teetered on a dangerous edge. He felt the wolf, frustrated and furious, clawing inside him. The energy of the moon pulsed, tempting him to give in and let the monster rage. He panted with the effort, but accomplished nothing.

Dagny came out of Ingrid"s cabin a few minutes later.

Kneeling next to him, she pulled the fabric out of his mouth.

“Are you okay?”

Brand felt the beast surging forward again, desperate to have her. He swallowed. “You shouldn"t untie me right now.”

“I don"t believe you"re going to hurt me.” He snarled. “I"ll have you on your back before you can blink.”

She thought it over for a few seconds, then tilted her head. “I don"t think so.” She worked the straps loose with care.

The cuts ached even more with the pressure released.

He tried not to look at her. The wolf was still close and he feared what it might do to her. He concentrated on her emotions since he couldn"t block them. A quiet sense of ease filled her, and he let that spread through him.

When the last of the bindings came loose, he clawed his way over the ground to get away from her. Feeling the constricting of the torc around his throat, he tore it free and tossed it aside. He sat alone with his head down.

After several minutes of silence, Dagny spoke. “You aren"t weak.”

His head snapped up. How could he ever explain how truly weak he was? How much he feared losing control and never being able to wrest it back? He simply shook his head.

“Your mother is right. I"m weak.”

“You gave your oath to that sadistic bitch to save a female much weaker than you. You sought to protect me, though you don"t even know me. What about that makes you weak?” He couldn"t formulate a response that she would understand, so he said nothing.

She spoke again after a brief hesitation, “Here, let me help you.” She moved closer and wrapped an arm around him.

Her strength was a soothing, calming current that flowed into him. The pain of his wounds ebbed a bit at a time.

He lifted his head. Lost in the reflection of the moon in her iridescent eyes, he was unable to find words that approached the gratitude he felt. He swallowed, then lowered his head to her shoulder. “Thank you.” She pulled him against her, the warmth of her body and her presence a profound comfort. “No need to thank me.” Brand sent the Call to Alice to allow her to transform.

Within a minute, Alice darted out of the cabin, while pulling his shirt around her. She ran straight for Brand, but came to a skittering halt when she saw Dagny.

Brand said, “Dagny, this is Alice.”

Dagny inclined her head in greeting. A protective arm wrapped around his chest. That small gesture felt so right, though he should have been embarrassed that she thought he needed her protection.

“Alice, can you find my phone? It should be in my jacket, hanging over my bike.”

She nodded and turned away.

“I must be crushing you,” he said to Dagny after a few seconds. He didn"t move, though; the calm radiating out of her 47

was too enticing.

She shook her head. “You"re actually keeping me warm.”

“I"m an idiot, you must be freezing.” He sat up and shifted to pull her closer, putting one arm around her back.

She tensed and started to slide away from him. “I"m fine.”

He let her sidle away, confused by her sudden skittishness. “I didn"t mean to frighten you.” She pulled the robe tighter around her and seemed to curl into herself. “I know that.”

“Then, what"s wrong?”

A blush crept up her neck, and she hesitated for several seconds before she answered. “You surprised me.” He looked her over again, concentrating on the details.

Her knees were drawn up, thighs pressed tight against her belly.

He replayed her reactions and realized that when she"d initiated the contact, she"d been fine. Life in a brood was about physical contact as much as camaraderie and protection, yet she reacted as if she couldn"t stand being touched.

Alice came back then, glancing between Brand and Dagny as she passed him his phone.

Keeping his eyes on Dagny, he speed-dialed Erik. His friend didn"t pick up. He left a message explaining the barebones of what had happened and asking if Erik could come out to Ingrid"s to pick up his bike. He couldn"t ride with his injuries and didn"t trust what he might do to Ingrid if he had to come back for the bike.

He turned to Alice. “Can you find Ingrid"s keys and bring her car closer? I"m not up to walking far, but we need to get out of here.”

Her mouth curved into a frown as she examined his injuries. “Are you going to be able to stand?”

“I"ll manage.” He caught her hand before she pivoted away. “Thanks.”

The frown vanished. “You"re welcome.” She walked 48

toward the cabin.

He turned back to Dagny.

She stared into the woods, eyes unfocused. When she noticed his attention, she met his gaze. “Are you going to leave me here?”

He barely contained the growl that wanted to leap from his throat. “No, I"m not leaving you here.” Her shoulders sagged, and a bit of the tension left her.

“I appreciate that. What do I owe you for getting me out of here?” He shook his head. “You really must think I"m a complete a*shole.”

“Not at all. I just know how our world works.” Fenrir"s f*cking teeth! She had to be from one of the broods where females were sold like chattel. The thought of what might have happened to her there almost unhinged him.

He reached out to touch her hand. Her hand twitched away, but then came back to brush against his. At once, he felt better. Calmer. “I don"t want anything except for you to be safe.” She narrowed her eyes, but nodded.