Beauty and Her Beasts

Evernight Publishing www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2012 Alexandra O’Hurley

ISBN: 978-1-927368-62-6

Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs Editor: Marie Medina

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews. This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION To my mom—for supporting me 100% through this journey.

BEAUTY AND HER BEASTS A Berserker Mate’s Story, 2 Alexandra O’Hurley Copyright © 2012

Norse Mythology Primer Asgard – One of the nine realms of the Norse universe. The land of the gods. Berserkers – Immortal shape-shifters born from Odin’s lightning. Typically shift into wolf or bear forms, but can shift into other forms. Born in packs of four to eight, each containing multiple sets of twins. Fenrir – Gigantic Wolf, bound until Ragnarök. Freyja – One of the most powerful of the Norse goddesses and mother to the Valkyrie. She was once Odin’s lover, his roaming eye destroyed her. Ruler of Sessrúmnir. Gudrød the Hunter – Grandfather of Harald the Fair-haired. King of the Vingulmark, Norway. Paid homage to Odin, asking for Berserkers to win the hand of Åsa Haraldsdottir, daughter of King of Agdar. Was gifted with Odin’s Six. Gyda – Wife of the first King of all of Norway in 870 AD, she bewitched Harald the Fair-haired to have his hand. She fought Berserkers to hold on to her bewitched husband, whom she eventually lost years later. She then became near immortal after praying to Freyja for help. In return, Gyda and her descendants (The Swartska) hunt and kill Berserkers for Freyja. Harald the Fair-haired – First King of all of Norway, pushed his grandfather’s loyal Berserkers hard in battle to win the lands in order to win the hand of the witch Gyda, who had bewitched him into doing so. His Berserkers tried to save him from the witch, only to be banished and cursed. Loki – God of discord, Loki is called “The Trickster”. He is bound to Helheim, or Hell, until Ragnarök. He is also the “mother” of Sleipnir.

Midgard – One of the nine realms of the Norse universe. The land of men. Also known as Earth. Odin – “Father” (or rather King) of the Norse gods. Rules Asgard. Seat of power in Valhalla within Asgard. Odin’s Six – A pack of six Berserkers – Ryden and Rayne, Eryck and Erulf, and Joran and Jakob – who have a special place in Odin’s heart. Reasons unknown. Cursed by Gyda in 870 AD to roam the Earth for over 1000 years without finding their mates. Ragnarök – The end of the Norse world, an enormous battle that culminates in the deaths of many gods. The Earth will be destroyed and reborn; two will move on to start the Earth population again. The Swartska – Army filled with the descendants of Gyda. Mindlessly taught to fight and kill Berserkers. Sessrúmnir – Hall of the Valkyrie in Asgard. Valkyrie deliver some fallen warriors here, as well as to Valhalla. Ruled by Freyja, who gains her power from the souls within. Sleipnir – Odin’s eight-legged horse. Loki is his “mother” as Loki was forced into the form of a mare by Odin to trick the steed, Svaðilfari, from completing the wall around Asgard. Stott – a hybrid of a wolf, giant, and dragon. Is humanoid in form, but can shift into any of the three components it is made from. Valhalla – Hall of fallen Norse warriors in Asgard. Odin gains power from the souls within. Valkyrie – The daughters of Freyja. Warrior women who deliver fallen warriors from Midgard to Asgard.

Chapter One Battle of Stamford Bridge, 1066 A.D. Joran rushed across the battlefield, sniffing the air for a scent of his twin. The blood-soaked earth prevented him from catching much of a trail due to the coppery liquid’s stench, which was nearly overpowered by the fetid odor of human carcasses lying where they were struck down in battle. Stopping at nearly every mound of bodies, Joran searched, hoping he would not find Jakob dead or dying. His chest ached, fear grasping him in its icy hold as he moved across the remains-littered earth. Joran could not imagine going through life without his other half, even if that half was so bloodthirsty. He shifted, feeling the beast swell through him as his limbs adjusted; he knew he had a better chance of finding Jakob in the form of a wolf versus his human façade. Finding a trace of a scent, Joran took off at a mad pace, moving as fast as his four legs could carry him. He was always able to catch a scent better in his wolven form, and if Jakob was in a rage, he was less likely to swing his axe at a wolf than he would be at a man. Rushing over the cold earth, Joran finally found him, standing naked in the middle of hundreds of corpses. Coated in blood from head to toe, Jakob’s eyes glittered as he stood surrounded by all the death. Tremors coursed through Joran at the sight, the crazed look upon his brother’s face was enough for him to wonder if Jakob had finally been thrown over the edge into madness. The fear of that occurring had long haunted the edges of his mind. Approaching quietly, he nudged his brother’s hand with his muzzle, silently letting Jakob know he was there. Morphing back to his human shape, he regarded his twin, but could not gaze overly long, the sight of him wide-eyed and covered in dark crimson hard to look upon. The blood of many coated him, the setting sun only adding to the coppery shimmer of color. Jakob looked foreign, something not of their world, his bright amber eyes stabbing at the dead men around him as he wildly took in his surroundings. “I killed them all.”

Joran did not hear the usual bravado in his brother’s voice. It wasn’t his normal boast, but a tremulous truth. The quiver in the words gave Joran pause. “Yes, you’ve killed them all.” “No, Joran, you do not understand me. I killed them all. Over a hundred years, I have torn men’s limbs from their bodies and ripped holes in their chests, and sent them on their way to Valhalla with no respect for the lives they led here on Earth.” “That is the way of war.” Joran and the others in his pack had once filled Jakob’s shoes but no longer fought as they once had. They were all long weary from the constant destruction. Born to be fighters, the six men had seen too much loss over the many years they had been alive. But Jakob’s bloodlust had not dwindled like the rest, and he’d pressed on. He had joined every battle he could get involved with, killing like the machine he was born to be, without hesitation. “Look at the pile before me. The warrior in blue, near the top.” Jakob’s limp hand lifted, a single finger pointing the way. Joran moved forward, not sure what it was he was looking for. As he approached the mound of bodies under the waning light, he saw little to nothing. Bending at the knee, he inspected closer, moving the cloth covering the warrior’s face. Sucking in a breath, Joran’s eyes stung at what he saw underneath. “She can’t be more than thirteen.” Deep resonating pain laced Jakob’s words as he muttered them to Joran’s back. “Was she helmeted and armed?” Joran could not yet face his brother. The shock of finding the girl would not allow his eyes to wander from her face, her glazed eyes open and staring right through him. A young life, extinguished, well before her time. “Yes.” “Then you couldn’t have known.” The girl’s eyes finally let him go and Joran twisted to see the anguish on his brother’s face once more. “No, I couldn’t have known.” Jakob looked out to the sunset, his shoulders slumping. “But it made me think.” Joran saw the glimmering of his brother’s eyes and knew that finally, he may have found his conscience. “How many of the men lying here have a daughter her age at home? A son? A charming wife who loves him dearly and will never see him again because I massacred him just to

quench my bloodlust?” Tears choked the last few words Jakob squeezed past his lips. Joran was quiet, not knowing how to answer his brother’s agony. It was something Jakob would need to digest on his own. “I can’t do this anymore, Joran. I will not fight again.” Joran whispered a silent prayer, thankful his brother had finally realized the bloodlust was something to be held in check, not allowed free rein. But not fighting at all was not an option either, as Gyda and her Swartska army sought them out to help strengthen her own power, always at odds with the Berserker’s creator, Odin. “Our enemies are still strong, we must protect ourselves.” “I will protect myself, our Berserker brothers, and only when it is the last resort. But I will not blindly go into war again. I will not have this blood on my hands any longer.” Sighing a bit of relief, Joran turned to his brother. “I am glad to hear it.” “I need to send her body to Valhalla. I will not leave her body out on this field to rot like the rest.” Jakob dropped to his knees and started to dig into the earth with his fingers, clawing angrily at the dirt as tears slipped down his face, leaving trails of clean skin in the midst of the blood that coated him. Joran lowered beside him, grasping Jakob’s discarded axe to use as a shovel. Jakob looked up at him, watching him as he helped open a hole in the ground for the girl to be honored properly. “I don’t deserve your aid in this. I murdered the child, and I should bury her.” “Had you known she was a child, you would not have killed her. I would be honored to help you give this young woman a proper ceremony.” Jakob stopped moving, resting back on his haunches. “Would I have stopped? When the bloodlust takes over, I remember little of the battle. There is no thought, just reaction. I don’t know if I would have and that scares me the most.” Joran continued to dig without looking at his brother. “You would have stopped.” “You sound so confident.” “I am your twin. I see glimpses into your mind and I see even more when you are caught in that red tide of war. You would have stopped, my brother, you would have stopped.”

Relief set into Jakob’s shoulders as they sagged. Moving back to the ground below him, he dug back into the earth, removing more of the inky black soil. After a half hour of digging, the grave was finally deep enough. Jakob pulled one of the dead’s under tunics from his body, which was about as clean as could be possibly found on a battlefield. Joran watched as Jakob lovingly lifted the girl from the pile and wrapped her body in the linen. Placing her gently into the grave, Jakob rested a sword and hilt in along her body, a gift to the gods in hope that she would be ushered in under Odin’s protection. The sun was completely set when they began to fill in the spaces beside her, and Jakob lit the flint. The two stood watching the flames rise higher and higher, licking the edges of the waning moon. “Odin, accept this child into your house, though she not be of age, she showed great courage and bravery beyond her years. I ask for your mercy, Lord of Lightning, as it was by my hand she died. She will make a fine addition to the Halls of Valhalla, and I hope to one day see her there myself.” Joran watched his brother as he completed the fine speech, and grasped his arm in a quick squeeze. The darkness around them swelled and lightning flared, as if Odin had answered Jakob’s plea.

Chapter Two Present Day Visions swirled in Joran’s sleep-addled mind. Caught between dream and reality, he felt a sensual need spear through him. The feel of the cool cotton sheets rubbing against his heated flesh was like sandpaper. He thrashed about, pulling the fabric away from him. His cock throbbed, his hand wrapping around the length as he arched into the grip. More erotic images flooded into his head, the feel of a woman’s body a phantom at his side. The night had been intense. Fighting against the Dragon that had attempted to take Ryden and Rayne’s mate, Karli, had drained them all. Joran had been especially worn out. The camaraderie of all the brothers had made him feel all the more the outcast, not fighting with his brother at his side. His power was depleted without his brother to draw from. A piece of him was missing and he longed to have it back. Now, Joran felt connected to his twin in a way he’d never sensed in the hundred years that Jakob had been gone. What was different from the other times he’d felt the presence of his brother was the sensation of the female. He could feel her pleasure as well as that which she gave his brother. Not only that, but he also saw himself loving her body, moving over her as if he were there himself. Joran fisted his shaft as he saw himself thrust into the woman’s depths. Sweat coated his skin, the need for release thrumming in his blood. Joran had often seen little insights into his brother’s head, typically during emotional moments. As Berserker twins, their link was strong. There had been other women in the past, heated trysts that slaked his brother’s need. But none of them had felt this solid and placed Joran inside the sensation. Never had Joran felt as if he were having sex with a woman his brother was fucking. And in none of them had he sensed a raw, animalistic need in the female. She was insatiable, demanding her release. Cock in hand, Joran thrust his hips, every molecule in his body screaming for the frenzied release that was speeding toward him. His back arched as he felt the first blast of cum shot from his body and growled as wave after wave tore through him. His teeth ached with the need to bite her, instead tearing at his own lip until he tasted blood coursing over

his tongue. Sensing the woman’s orgasm, and his brother’s satisfaction, he lost the link and his eyes popped open. Joran looked about himself, the sheets twisted between his legs. He stood, walking into his private bathroom to clean himself. As he looked into the mirror, he saw the deep-set shadows under his eyes, the result of yet another night of tumultuous sleep, this time thanks to Jakob and the woman. Who was she? Why had the experience claimed him? Jakob had bedded women over the years, to slake the lust that any man or beast felt. None had been this detailed. None had brought him into the fold. The others had been a vague knowledge that something was occurring. This one was different, and Joran fought to keep a particular thought from even slipping into his head. For if Jakob had mated a woman without Joran, there would be hell to pay. Moving to bedroom window, Joran looked out and watched the cool late autumn air blowing through the emptying trees on the mansion’s property. Stars glistened in the night sky, the moon full and low, illuminating the large landscaped backyard. The statuary that was scattered through the gardens glistened in the low light, the cold marble coming to life in the cool night air. He and his brother Jakob had spent many an hour creating the gardens that surrounded the house. Joran and Jakob’s relationship had been tempestuous at best, and add in the stresses of fighting the Swartska, the two brothers had found their peace in the gardens. Their hands deep in the dirt, they created the visual masterpiece of life. Perhaps it was an ode to all the loss of life that had been wrought by their hands in the many battles they’d fought in. Thinking of their hands deep in the dirt always brought Joran’s mind back to that battlefield and the young woman they’d buried, even now, after all this time. Joran had not completed all of the sections of the garden that they’d planned together. After Jakob had left, the spot felt hollow, devoid of life, and the bright colors seemed a mockery. It reminded Joran daily that half of him was no longer there. He didn’t feel the peace when he was sitting within the space, only anger and emptiness over his brother abandoning him. Abandoning them all. One hundred years was a long time to run off and pout.

He’d worked most of his life trying to maintain an ethereal inner peace to offset the beast that raged within his brother, and had tried to keep a tight leash on Jakob after the death of the girl. If it helped keep the bloodlust in check, then so be it. Every Berserker pair had one prime in the set and in most cases the elder twin was the stronger of the two. But in Joran’s case, his younger brother was the stronger beast. Considering the carnage that beast created, sometimes Joran wondered if he had been lucky the power had moved to Jakob. In his youth, Jakob had reveled in the bloodshed, hell, they all had. It had been a different time and place, death an everyday part of life. Norway and its Viking kings were hard on the Berserkers who served them. And killing was what they were born to do. But after many years battling for reasons they did not always agree with, and having their king seduced by a witch who later cursed them, the males had become tired, weary, and ready for all the fighting to end. But not Jakob. Jakob remained bloodthirsty years later, but such was his lot in life. Of the six Berserker pack, three sets were born. Ryden and Rayne were strong leaders, the brains of the set. Eyrick and Erulf were gifted mages, their magic boosting all of their power. And Joran and his brother, well, for lack of a better description, they were the muscle, the pure distilled beasts. Jakob had gotten the lion’s share. Watching him on a battlefield was like watching an artist, one who painted in strokes of his sword and axe, splashing red across a canvas of green. Jakob often ran into battle without his head at times. On many occasions while traveling through the Old Country, they would find themselves near one clash or another, and Jakob was quick to choose a side, not really caring who won, just needing to quench the bloodlust that swelled within him. Until the death of the young girl. Joran could still see her nearly a thousand years later. Empty ice blue eyes looked out from a lightly freckled face, her red-gold locks curling around her. The gentle September night air made the tendrils dance about. If that face haunted him, Joran wondered what it did to Jakob, and he questioned if it still woke him up on the occasional night. Joran could not glimpse the nightmares that preoccupied his brother. And he didn’t think he wanted to.

**** Freyja looked into the gilded mirror she’d gazed into for millennia, fingers pulling at the slowly aging skin around her eyes and mouth. The lines had begun to show in the past few months, the drying river of souls no longer strong enough to keep her youth and beauty at its peak. Her fiery red locks had faded some, the sun’s rays no longer glistening through the mass of waves. Her hair had been one of her prides. Pale blue eyes were fading to gray, and the golden sheen of her skin had left. Odin’s lack of generosity had stolen her youth, her power, and her vitality. And his damned Berserkers were proving to be more trouble than they were worth. She had few minions left, and now, the ace up her sleeve, her last Dragon, was gone. “You are still a sight, as beautiful as ever.” Twisting in her seat, she saw the darkened form standing in the doorway to her private quarters. “Odin, has anyone told you it is rude to barge into someone’s room unannounced? Who let you in the front door?” “As if anyone could stop me?” His haughty laughter made ripples of desire roll down her spine. Or perhaps that was disgust? She always got those two confused when that god was around. Odin stepped forth into the light, softly closing her doors before approaching. “You are defeated yet again, Freyja. After all these millennia, why can we not put a stop to this war?” Freyja trembled as he completed his sentence with warm hands resting on her shoulders. She watched the reflection of those strong hands in the looking glass as they began to stroke her, rubbing the tight muscles that bore the weight of constant battle. She was so tired of the fight. Giving in would be so easy. His hands on her body felt wonderful. Relaxing warmth spread through her body at his touch. “I offer you once again to join our Halls. Only a small number still praise the old gods anymore, and we have so few coming in our doors. Together, we could be more.” Odin continued to rub her shoulders, an ease sweeping over Freyja in waves. “And I know you still want me. I can see the lust in your eyes every time you gaze upon me.”

Pulling away from his touch, she glared at him via the mirror. “Just because every trollop in Valhalla wants to spread her legs for you does not mean I choose to do so.” Odin pulled her under her arm, lifting her from her seat and spinning her around into his embrace. His lips found hers and his marauding kiss made her knees weaken and her thighs tremble. Grasping ahold of his furred tunic to keep herself aloft, she returned the kiss, her tongue seeking the heat of his mouth. The calm he’d created in her with his tender caresses turned into taut need. Desire spiraled in her gut. His fingers spread and his hand slid down her back, pulling her hips against his own. Separating, Odin looked down, the lust shining in his blue eyes. She felt the sting on her face from his golden goatee, scratching her fair skin in its roughness. His hands still squeezed her hips roughly to him, and she felt the brand of his thick cock through the tunic and breeches he wore. “I can smell your desire. You want to spread your legs like the rest of them.” Freyja’s hand whipped through the air and struck the side of Odin’s face with all the strength she could muster, the loud slap echoing through her chamber. “Get out of my Hall.” Odin stood before her, his hand rubbing the spot she had struck, a fire lighting his eyes. “I gave you the chance to end all of this. To share the power left, to spend your nights in my bed, cherished and adored.” Odin spread his hands out around him. “And all you can do is fight when you should submit.” “You should have known I will never submit.” “We shall see about that.” With that Odin turned and strode from the room. Glancing back into the mirror, Freyja saw her own fire lit within her eyes as she sat. Damned Odin and his lusty appetites. Freyja had once loved Odin with all her heart, had offered him everything she had, only to be cast aside. Now, when the future looked bleak, he had the nerve to come asking for an accord? And then he tried to use her own traitorous body against her? He would pay for that. She jumped up and rushed out the door, the echoes of her pounding feet reverberating on the cold marble around her. The

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embers from the torches that lit the hallway swayed brightly as she passed each, casting a fiery dance along the cold stone walls. Her own heart beat a rhythm within her chest, years of love, lust, and rejection swirled along with anger, forging a hate she could not quell. Storming into the great hall, she saw Odin pulling the outer door open, attempting retreat. “Stop!” The screamed directive bounced off the walls, and from the corner of her eyes, she saw all the men seated at her tables stop as if they were frozen, knowing that they were witness to the unthinkable. No one demanded anything of Odin, least of all a woman, no matter if she were a goddess. Freyja watched as Odin’s shoulders bunched, his entire body a thick mass of tightly coiled muscle. He did not turn. She waited for him to acknowledge her. When he didn’t she stepped further into the hall, the swirling movements of her thickly furred cape the only sound in the room besides her own heavy heart beat, which she hoped no one else heard. Nothing frightened the great Goddess Freyja. At least nothing was supposed to. But she feared this man. She feared what he could do to her if she didn’t take a stand. Freyja paused behind him, close enough that she was sure he could feel her body heat. And still he said nothing and did not turn around. “Odin…” “By all that is mighty, you had best demanded I stop because you have reconsidered my request and are willing to stop this incessant fighting.” The hoarseness in his voice was not missed. He was angrier than she could recall ever hearing him. Odin yelling was normal. Odin trying to hold in his rage was…terrifying. “No.” Whipping around, Odin caught her gaze and she attempted to look as unaffected by his anger as possible. “You had the chance for this to never happen, Odin. Now, you will pay for your callousness. I am going to kill all of your Berserkers, and you just try to stop me.” Odin stood there and stared at her, the fire in his eyes barely contained. Suddenly, he thrust at her, pushing her against the doorframe, wedging his thick body against her. She felt his heavy

erection pressing against her abdomen, the heavy tattoo it beat echoed in the pulsing she felt in her pussy. “Be careful before you choose to openly declare war against me, Freyja. Our entertaining bickering of the past millennia has been meaningless, a way to pass the time. But don’t think I am not aware of your little witch Gyda and her army of descendants. They have hunted my Berserkers far too long as it is. And the Dragon? I know who was behind that as well. You have sought to destroy that which is mine for far too long, and yet you have never truly gained anything, have you?” He pressed his thigh between her legs, hiking her up and resting her sex on his leg. Odin pressed closer, his lips nearly settling on hers. “When I win, you will submit to me. Completely.” Freyja felt her whole body tremble with need. She’d fought her desires for Odin for eons, and part of her wanted him to win. For her to be forced to submit. But her own selfish need to defy him won out, along with her pride before her warriors. “And when I win, I won’t have to suffer your presence any longer.” Odin snickered as he pressed a hand alongside her face. “Why do you always fight me, woman?” “You wouldn’t know what to do with yourself if I ever stopped.” “True. You do keep things interesting.” He stepped back and smiled. And then it faded with his next words. “I will bring down the walls of Sessrúmnir if you touch any of them.” “What is so special about those six Berserkers?” Emotion ran quickly over Odin’s face, to be replaced with cold indifference within seconds. “Who said they were special?” “You have at least a hundred others and could create as many as you willed, but these six have always had your complete protection.” Odin turned for the door, his laugh on the breeze. “I protect all that is mine. You will see that if you attempt war.”

Chapter Three Jakob slowed the Mustang, his booted foot releasing the gas pedal slightly as another car pulled in front of him. Normally suffering from intense road rage, he bit the inside of his mouth to prevent the strings of curses that wanted to escape. Jakob had two damned good reasons not to go ballistic on the driver of the other car. One, his beautiful new Favored, Kara, was seated beside him and he didn’t want to show her that side of him yet, considering they had only been mated a week. Two, although he missed his brothers immensely, he was in no rush to face them either. He’d walked away from them all, no explanation, no note, no nothing. But for most of them, he was sure they had some idea why. Saintly Joran’s daily contempt for him had been a weight he could no longer bear. Joran would never let him forget the death of the child, or that his bloodlust was a curse to them all. The six had left the Old Country to go to the New World over seven hundred years before, following the old tales from Leif Erikson and his men. The American continent had been good to the six, living with the indigenous natives for many years, before Europe had caught up with them. Among them were their old adversaries, the Swartska. In the days of Vikings, there had been over two thousand Berserker warriors. Today, that number was lucky to reach five hundred. All thanks to Gyda and her descendants. If his and Kara’s recent battle with the Swartska had gone wrong, that number would have been reduced by one more. He cringed at the thought that he wouldn’t be there to protect Kara from the foul souls that hunted them both. Jakob knew he needed to get her back into the brothers’ fold so that her safety rested in all their hands, not only his. If they would take him back, of course. They had to. His beast was scratching to get out after the fight he’d run into to save Kara. Jakob had run from fighting after leaving the mansion, knowing that if he was ever going to learn how to control the beast within him, he needed to back away from conflict. Running with his tail between his legs may seem cowardly, but how would he ever learn control with his brother trying to leash his beast himself? But hiding wasn’t the answer either, and now that he had

tasted Swartska blood, ripping through the flesh of countless men to get to Kara, he struggled to keep it together. Regardless of how the brothers felt about him, they would have to consider the fact he had a mate with him, and her safety was paramount. And the brothers would hopefully sense his thin rein on his own beast. Considering they had all been waiting so long to find love and happiness, there was no way they could turn Kara away. Jakob could still hear Gyda’s words ringing in his ears from the day she had cursed them all one thousand years ago. For mer enn tusen år, vil du ikke finne kjærligheten, vil du ikke finne lykke, og du vil ikke spre din ætt. Og jeg vil finne din elskere, og jeg vil drepe dem alle foran øynene dine. For more than one thousand years, you will not find love, you will not find happiness, and you will not spread your seed. And I will find your mates, and I will kill them all before your eyes. Now that he’d found his mate, he knew Gyda would be coming for her again, and even with the bloodlust he could not fight off the entire Swartska army single-handedly. Even if he wanted to. Hell, the thought of ripping Gyda to shreds barehanded was almost enough to give him a hard-on. Looking over at Kara, he knew that he needed to keep a tight lid on his inner demon. She’d been shocked when she first learned what he was. She hadn’t even been in the room when he’d lost all control and tore through the Swartska males and she’d called him a beast, fear sparkling in her emerald eyes. Jakob had almost lost her then and if she really saw what the beast could do, if she saw the pure bloodlust that drove him, she might just walk away from him after all. And that wasn’t happening. Directing his head forward, he stomped the gas pedal, suddenly in a rush to get to the mansion. His eyes kept coming back to her, her golden brown locks twisting in the wind rushing through the small crack in the window. Kara was in her mid-twenties, fresh from graduate school, and had her whole life ahead of her. There was a freshness about her. She breathed new life into him, and when she turned to smile at him, like she was right now, he felt that there was nothing that could stop him. She was the new light he needed in his life, and he would fight to the bitter end to keep her by his side. Her sacrifice to be with him wasn’t going unnoticed. He would find a way to help her find a new path.

He thought again to the mighty Madame Swartska who had abducted Kara. Madame Swartska, that was a laugh. It had been Gyda, parading around as a gypsy fortune-teller. Was that how the Swartska now moved around, hiding in plain sight? Jakob would’ve never thought to look for a sideshow act. At least he brought news to his brothers and wasn’t coming to them completely empty-handed. Perhaps this information could lead to them finding the witch and striking her down for good. That was, if she wasn’t already dead. He’d thought he had already killed her, but the body had disappeared and he couldn’t confirm that the witch no longer lived. That would have been even better news to lie at his brothers’ feet. The death of Gyda had been something they had dreamed of for centuries, and as far as he knew, this was the closest any of them had come to succeeding. Hours later, as they pulled up to the large swirling wrought iron gates, Jakob was impressed with the security features his brothers had installed. Closed-circuit cameras were everywhere, and the keypad at entry required a security code. Which he didn’t have. Pressing the call button, he waited with baited breath, hoping he would be allowed in. A rusty voice came across the speaker. “Master Joran, I thought you returned several hours ago? Have you forgotten your code?” Hearing that name spoken aloud gave him goose bumps, as well as proof his twin was more than likely inside “My name is Jakob, I’m Joran’s twin.” Jakob saw the security camera twist closer to him and close in. It then swirled towards Kara, the perusal of her making his inner demon scream protectively. “Twin? You didn’t tell me you had a twin. But then again, there isn’t much you have told me.” His fingers squeezed the wheel tight, his knuckles flaring white from the grip as he looked straight ahead. Kara deserved better. He should have told her what she was walking into instead of telling her she was simply meeting his family. He glanced in her direction and smiled half-heartedly. “There is much we need to discuss.” “When?” The ache to know more coupled with what seemed like disappointment in her eyes. He hated seeing that, but she had just

begun to regard him as something more than the beast he had shown her. How was he supposed to tell her that there were five others like him, one being his twin, and that they had been at war with the ones who’d attacked her for about a millennia? “Soon.” His chest ached as the long minutes passed, as if the brothers were inside discussing whether or not to open the gates. Or perhaps the employee was only seeking approval from his brothers. Either way, it was making him antsy, and he felt the sudden urge to pull away and protect his mate in his own way. It was bad enough that he was basically coming back with his tail between his knees, knowing that he needed them to help him protect the woman he was falling desperately in love with. For a hundred years he’d been on his own, blending in with the crowd…surviving. Until Kara. And her entry into his life had changed the dynamic. When the gates finally slid open, Jakob released the breath that he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. Looking over at Kara, his trepidation was warmed by the weight of her waning smile. He captured her gaze before speeding down the winding blacktop that led through the grounds to the house. Jakob sensed the same emotions he felt for her mirrored back at him. She calmed him like no other ever had before, and somehow he knew no one else ever would. There was no past, no fighting, no war, no Swartska, and definitely no bloodlust when he looked into her eyes. Lifting a hand to his face, she stroked the beast inside and Jakob released a low growl. “This is your family. I don’t know why you’re so apprehensive to go inside, but I wish you would open up to me. I know it’s been a while since you’ve been home, but family forgives.” “It’s been a hundred years.” Kara’s eyes widened and her mouth opened without words coming from it. Shaking her head, she collected herself. “Sorry, I still need to get used to the fact that you’ve been alive for over a thousand years. But at your age, I suppose a hundred years is just a drop in the bucket, right?” “Yes, and no. I didn’t tell them I was leaving, or where I was going. I just split. And I’m not sure they will be happy to see me. To

be honest, I was shocked they even opened the gate.” Jakob stopped the purring car in the rounded drive between the beautifully flowing fountain and large double doors. “Why did you leave?” The wrinkles of her furrowed brow showed him she truly cared for him, and his past, and wanted to learn what made him tick. Kissing the wrinkles away, he brushed his knuckles across her soft cheek. “We don’t have time for all that right now, but later, later I promise I will tell you. Just know that my twin and I didn’t always see eye to eye. On anything.” Kara hugged him and he sat there longer than he should and let her heat spread into him. “Well, they let you in. So, man up and get your ass in there.” Pulling back, he saw his mate’s sarcastic smile. By Odin, he loved this woman. Stepping out of the car, he looked up at the looming house. “Well, la-ti-da, who would have known you were a rich guy? This isn’t a house, it’s a freaking mansion.” Jakob looked over the large façade, amazed it had not changed at all in the time he was away. The cream colored brick surrounded by lovely landscaping, most of which he had completed with his twin, made him feel like he was stepping back in time, its appearance feeling like a dream. “We completed the build just a few years before I left.” “You built this house? Or had it built?” “With our own hands.” Raising his fingers into the air, he waved them to her as he watched her stunned expression. “You tend to pick up things when you have been around as long as we have. Plus, the security is much better when you build a home yourself.” Kara still looked stunned as she turned, hearing the double doors open wide. Standing within the frame were Eryck and Erulf, two of the other twins in his pack. Their large bodies filled up the space, looking ominous as they barred entry. The looks on their faces did nothing to quell Jakob’s concern as to whether he would be permitted back inside. Jakob felt both sets of their eyes look him over from head to toe before they turned in synch to do the same to Kara, their nostrils flaring as her scent apparently hit them. Turning back to Jakob, they narrowed their eyes.

“One hundred years, and you couldn’t have picked up a phone?” Eryck spoke first. “Put pen to paper?” Erulf added in. “Let us know in some way…” “…shape or form…” “…that you were still alive?” Jakob had always hated the link Eryck and Erulf had. They could complete each other’s sentences, thoughts—it was if they really were one person instead of two. He and Joran had never experienced anything even close to that bond, and it made him jealous. “Sorry.” Erulf jumped down the three steps to the pebbled drive and walked closer. “Sorry? That’s all you have to say for yourself? You asshole!” Getting right up in his face and looking down a bit, Erulf tried the intimidation factor. “What can I say besides sorry? It is what it is, I left, but now I’m back.” “Are you really and truly back?” Erulf’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Or will you run and hide again when things get tough?” Jakob heard the hurt in Erulf’s voice. Of the six Berserkers, he had been closer at times to Erulf than he had even to his own twin. Both of them had overbearing older twins and had found a kinship in that. “I can’t make any promises. But the Swartska attacked us both, and they kidnapped the woman. I need to keep her safe, and where better than here?” Erulf scented the air once more. “You’ve already mated her.” “Yes, she was in her need. There was no choice.” “Joran?” Erulf’s low whisper spoke volumes. The name came at Jakob, and he immediately knew his twin would never forgive him for taking her without him, even considering the situation. Berserker twins mated together, sharing one woman, forever. Jakob had taken Joran out of the equation, hadn’t even given his brother a second thought when he’d been in the thick of the moment. “We’ll have to see how it all plays out. I had no choice in what I did. Joran will just have to understand that.” “Understand what?” Jakob turned from his exchange with Erulf and stepped closer to Kara, grasping her hand in his as he looked squarely at his twin.

Joran stood in the doorframe, a carbon copy of himself, his dark eyes shining in the low light of dusk. Shades of red cast over Joran from the setting sun, darkening his already dark brown hair to near black, and Jakob felt a stab of fear. He thought leaving his brothers had been hard. Telling his twin that he’d mated without him would be ten thousand times harder. Kara squeezed his hand and Jakob turned to look at her, gathering strength from her small smile of encouragement. He felt the love for her swell in his chest as he captured her stare and knew he needed to tell his brother the truth. But as he turned back to the door, Joran was gone.

Chapter Four Kara sat at the grand oval dining room table, surrounded by several men as large as Jakob. The collective brawn was enough for her sense of claustrophobia to set in. These men didn’t fill up a room with just their physiques, either. Each of them seemed larger than life; an aura of power and confidence surrounded them and stretched the walls of the room. Except for Joran. He was quietly selfreserved, his whole demeanor leeching the happiness from the space. Jakob’s twin sat at the opposite end, brooding at everyone as they awaited dinner. She was still thrown by how much he looked like Jakob and could not stop staring in his direction. After several long moments, he’d begun to notice and she turned to evade his stare each time he caught her. But like a moth to a flame, her eyes moved to him over and over throughout their time in the room. Joran saw her once more, and his brows furrowed further, a growl emanating from his end of the table. The men stopped their talking to look at him, pausing to eye him cautiously. After several tense moments, the talk continued. “Did you ever find the witch?” Ryden’s question pulled Kara’s attention back to the conversation at hand. “No, her body disappeared after I checked on Kara. I’m not sure if she’s alive or dead. But I’m putting my money on alive. Although, as old and putrid as she was, alive is a loose definition.” Kara thought back to the witch holding her, the strength the old hag had displayed. “Don’t underestimate her. I thought there was no way she could overpower me, but she is much, much stronger than she looks. When she had the knife to my throat, I was sure I was a goner.” Another low growl emanated from the opposite end of the table. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what that growl had been about. Joran was definitely putting up a wall around himself. Kara turned to look at her mate, ignoring the desire to look at the grouch on her other side. Jakob had battled a couple of handfuls of Swartska thugs and pried Kara from the clenches of Madame Swartska, or Gyda as she learned they called her, to save them both before hightailing it here to the mansion. She relived the experience as he told the tale to his brothers. Listening to Jakob’s words had been hard. A whole new

world had opened up and swallowed her in that one night. Thankfully, he’d kept their frenzied mating afterwards to himself. A blush crept to her cheeks as she thought about that night. Once a year, on the Rive, a mate was ripe to create life, something she’d thought she was incapable of. The need overwhelms the female, until she is given that which she desires. Sex, sex, and more sex, over and over all night long. She and Jakob had spent long hours rutting like beasts, and she’d loved every minute of it. Until she had awakened from her sexual haze and realized she’d had sex with a near stranger. Jakob’s tale of shifters and mating and all it encompassed had been a hard pill to swallow, but she’d eventually accepted him and what that brought to her life for good reasons. She trusted him from the moment she’d laid eyes on him, he’d saved her life, and the connection they shared was unlike anything she’d ever felt in her entire life. She’d always listened to her gut, and it had told her that she needed to explore where this would lead. Kara sensed what Jakob was feeling, his anger, his fears, and his love. Yes, his love. She sensed that he loved her, even though he hadn’t admitted it to her. Well, not yet. And she sensed a great pain within him. She felt compelled to save him, even when she wasn’t sure what she was saving him from. Her eyes drifted to Joran once again, and this time, he was already staring at her, his eyes dark. As his gaze found hers, she felt a rush of emotions and realized they were not coming from beside her, not from her mate, but from across the table. Kara could feel Joran’s anger, feelings of betrayal, and something even sadder. His emptiness. He’d been so lonely without his brother, and now, there was another new sense of loss that was fresh within him. It burned within him and radiated outward to her. The emotions swirling around her head made her feel as lost as this man had apparently felt without Jakob by his side. “Kara? Kara, are you alright?” Turning to face Jakob, she frowned at his look of concern at her. Why would he ask? Jakob reached up to her cheek, wiping wetness from her face. Kara reached up to touch her skin, feeling the tears that had been cascading as she watched Joran, unaware that the emotional tug of the man was causing her to react in such a visceral way.

Returning her eyes to Joran’s, she continued to wipe the tears away. The loneliness was gone from his gaze, dark anger replacing it. She looked away, unable to handle the wave of rage that swelled through her from his direction. Her response had angered him for some reason, a reaction she hadn’t even been aware she was having. “Dinner is served, ladies and gentlemen.” The butler who had opened the gates to them walked in at that moment. Several servants brought in dishes and set them before each of them, removing silver covers. The males all dug in with ferocity, eating the large, full plates of food in record time. Kara quickly focused on the meal to avoid Joran’s brooding. She shoveled meat and vegetables into her mouth, gulping wine between bites, barely tasting any of it. Just intent on getting through the meal, she wanted out of the room, away from the violent swirl of emotions from the man at the end of the table. “The food is quite good, but I don’t even think I’ve seen the men here eat with such vigor.” Looking across the table, Kara’s eyes rested on Karli, who she assumed was a mate of one of the others. The men had been so focused on Jakob’s past that they had neglected more than a cursory introduction. The woman’s clear blue gaze lacked ridicule, but was definitely full of mirth. Kara quickly swallowed the food and gave the other woman as much of a smile as she could muster. “Sorry, I just realized I hadn’t eaten a mouthful all day.” “I’m sure that your life has been a whirlwind recently. Perhaps once you’ve eaten, we could let the men finish catching up and I can give you a tour of the house and get you settled in right.” Kara inwardly sighed, delighted to have an out from between the two strong men throwing their emotions her way. She nodded heartily and quickly took a few more bites before rising from the table. “Ready?” Looking hopefully at Karli, Kara moved toward the open archway that led out into the hallway, feeling the heated stares at her back. She also got a snippet of a heated rush of desire and knew instinctively that it didn’t come from Jakob. No, he was too involved in the conversation he was having with Ryden and Rayne to notice her escape. Not that she minded, as he hadn’t seen his pack in a hundred years. Of course they would want to talk. Joran. Guilt rushed through her as she considered the implications of the connection she felt. It wasn’t just the emotional

tide she sensed. There was a strong pull to submit to him, and she was fighting every moment to not walk directly to him and offer herself up like some sacrificial lamb. She had mated Jakob, not his brother. Yes, they looked identical, so perhaps that was what some of her feeling was. But he was a completely different man. There was a darkness in both men; she’d felt it sneaking out from Jakob on occasion after they first met. But with Joran, it was different. She sensed Joran’s darkness was a deeper well than Jakob’s. To call her confused was an understatement. She knew there was no way she should feel the way she did, but the thought of touching Joran and trying to eliminate the loneliness that shrouded him had her knees weakening. And left her aching, needing his touch as equally as Jakob’s. The gentle throb of the pulses between her legs made her bite back her moan and she tugged at her lips between her teeth. Kara heard footsteps behind her, and she turned, expecting Karli. Joran stepped within inches of her, enough for her to smell his musky scent and feel the warmth rolling off his body in waves. “In such a hurry to get away from me?” Even though he seemed to know the truth in his question, no way could she admit he was the reason she needed to get out of that room. “Where is Karli?” “She’s on her way out in a moment. But you never answered my question.” “What reason would I have to get away from you?” The question almost sounded as idiotic to her own ears as it probably did to his. Her fingers itched to grasp the front of his shirt, to pull him close enough for a taste. The magnetic pulse of need was overwhelming her. Gathering her hands into fists, she felt the searing pain of her nails piercing her palms. “Do you always answer questions with another question?” “I do when the question is preposterous.” Kara pressed her feet apart, standing her ground. She somehow knew if she backed down from this exchange that he would persist in challenging her until she gave in. Yet, she so wanted to give in. His scent clung to her nose, the heady scent of carnal male and heated flesh was enough to make her want to rip his clothes off right there in the hall and attack his body. But that was what Jakob was in her life for. Not his twin.

She watched as Joran slowly ran his eyes up and down her body, and the throb in her cunt intensified. The need within her was strong, and she fought it tooth and nail. And she didn’t understand it. Kara was the loyal type, to a fault. There had never once in her life been a time when she felt compelled to cheat on a lover, so it seemed even more ridiculous now considering the intense bond that she and Jakob had. Joran stepped closer, deeply inhaling her scent within inches of her face. Inches? More like millimeters. Kara did everything in her power to stay as still as possible, knowing that if he touched her, she would be lost. Part of her begged that he stay away from her, the other demanded his caress. “Joran, back off.” Kara was relieved to see Karli enter the hallway. And saddened. “I was just getting to know my brother’s mate. Why should I back off? I mean, she is part of the family now.” Karli came and stood shoulder to shoulder with Kara, giving Joran an evil glare. “Back. Off.” Another low growl came from Joran’s throat as he looked Karli down with a menacing stare before he turned and stalked down the hallway and ate up the stairs with his feet. Kara watched his retreating form, her eyes glued to his back. Once he was completely out of sight, she turned to thank Karli for her assistance, only to see a confused look upon the woman’s face. “How much has Jakob told you about Berserker matings?” Kara had hoped for some answers. “That there is one woman for a Berserker and that they mate for life.” “You are a Favored. That is what they call their mates. Did he find you before Halloween?” A heat rushed through her cheeks, as she knew where the question was leading. Halloween was the one day of the year in which female mates went into their need. That little bit she knew all too well. “He actually found me on Halloween.” “So you are truly mated.” Karli began to walk down the hall towards the stairs, and Kara felt compelled to follow along. “I assume so. Not that I would really know all that a mating entails.”

“Once they find the right female, it’s an animalistic sexual claiming, which seems to have occurred. I’m not trying to embarrass you, just trying to put the pieces into place.” Kara felt the heat deepening in her cheeks again as they moved up the stairs side by side. She was thankful that Karli seemed more interested in her feet moving one after the other than seeing her embarrassment. “Well…yes. It was frenzied, and I felt as if I became a beast as well.” “From what my men tell me, you have a small amount of Valkyrie blood in you, and that allows you to become a mate. The Valkyrie have a little beast within them as well, and that one night, it comes out to play.” “That’s an understatement.” “Did Jakob tell you about his twin on the night he claimed you?” “No, I didn’t learn he had a twin until we drove up. And he didn’t tell me that there were two other sets of twins here. He just said his brothers lived here.” Karli paused on the landing, her eyes capturing Kara’s. “The Berserkers who live here were born on the same day, from the same womb. Each male is born within a pair. The pair is like two parts of a whole, they do just about everything together. They share a talent, they share power. They share everything.” “Everything meaning?” “I am Ryden and Rayne’s mate.” “Both?” Kara felt a sudden swirl of nausea swamp over her as she rested a hand on the balustrade, overlooking the foyer. “Both. I’m still new to all this myself, but from what my mates have told me, there is one woman made for each set of men. And that the claiming must happen with them together.” “So, if I was meant for Jakob, I was also…” Kara’s head swelled with a sudden headache as she contemplated the mess Jakob had put them into. “I think you need to have a long conversation with your mate tonight.” Concern flared in the depths of Karli’s eyes as her brows drew together. Karli placed a hand on Kara’s shoulder. “Let me show you to Jakob’s room, I’m sure you’re exhausted. The boys will probably keep talking half the night. A nap to bolster your strength

may be in order, especially when dealing with these alpha males. We can do the full tour in the morning.”

Chapter Five Kara lay across the bed, exhaustion aching in her arms and legs, unable to sleep. The more she considered Karli’s comments and what implications they had on her relationship, the less she could find the tranquility she needed to rest. This fledgling relationship was tempestuous at best. Could it survive the rift it might bring between the two brothers? Could she allow herself to be the cause of all that? She had more questions than answers now that Karli had opened up a whole new world of the unknown into her life. Pacing the floor to the room, Kara could barely wait for her mate to come upstairs. She was half tempted to go down there and demand he come and talk to her. But how could she be that cruel when he hadn’t seen the men that were his family in so long? They had waited to see him for longer than she had been alive. She could wait. Hopefully. She’d looked among Jakob’s sparse possessions in the room, trying to gauge what kind of man he was, but there wasn’t anything there that really gave her any insight. As the hours passed, the more the butterflies twittered in her stomach. Back and forth, she was wearing a line out in the carpet as she walked, or rather stalked, through the room. She’d lain on the bed for at least an hour trying to rest, her patience growing thin. Moving closer to the bedroom door, she paused. Her hand shook as it grasped the golden knob, unsure if she was doing the right thing. A few deep breaths later, she found herself nearly running down the stairs. As she approached the doorway, she could hear the males’ voices, still in the dining room. “…told her everything?” She wasn’t exactly sure whose voice that had been, perhaps Ryden’s, but she instinctively knew they were talking about her. Pausing by the door, she recognized she was wrong for eavesdropping, but perhaps the answers she needed would unfold without her needing to confront Jakob. “As much as I had to.” The deep rumble of Jakob’s voice rolled over her. As much as he had to? What else was he hiding from her? “She seemed affected by Joran. Her tears were for him.” A third voice piped in, and she assumed it was Eryck.

“I’ve never heard of a mate that only took one twin,” Ryden added. “It appears she senses her connection to him.” “Ryden, what was I supposed to do? She was in her need. I couldn’t fight her lure, and who knows if she would’ve survived if I hadn’t given in.” The silence was thick, cascading all along her. Goose bumps rose on her arms as she waited for the response. Would Jakob be in some sort of trouble for what he had done? “I probably would’ve done the same in your place.” Kara released a breath at Ryden’s words and inched closer to the edge of the wall leading into the room. “But what of Joran? What does he do now? Does he mate her as well, or is he now left out in the cold to live his life without?” Eryck’s question stilled her yet again. What would happen? Would she be shared? Anger flared. How dare they sit around and discuss her future without her involved in the process? And considering she didn’t even know everything she apparently needed to, she was going to get answers from someone before they made a decision on her life without her consent. A growl emanated from her chest as she felt her claws grow slightly. Looking down, she was thrown off-guard. Of course, the same thing had happened when she’d mated with Jakob, but it had happened when she was in her need. She’d been barely coherent, and had hardly noticed the claws extend that night. Now, she was lucid…and slightly stunned to feel the beast rippling through her. Especially after the way she’d first treated Jakob after seeing what he was. As she gazed at the sharp talons, she suddenly felt stronger. She needed to embrace the beast within her if she was going to demand the respect from these males. Stalking into the room, she stopped before the table, another growl rolling off of her. Which seemed to get their attention very well. “Were you planning on getting my thoughts on this?” She laid her hands down on the top of the table, spreading her fingers so her claws would be visible. “Or were you just going to make my decisions for me?” Jakob’s rounded eyes met hers. “We were just discussing the options.”

She looked around the table at the equally stunned expressions. “Why are you all looking at me like that?” Eryck looked down at her claws. “A female should only be able to call her beast out on one night and one night only. It should be dormant now.” She felt another presence at her back. Another of the males walked in and a low growl left her throat as need spiraled within her. Without even turning her back, she knew it was Joran. “Perhaps her beast wasn’t satisfied with only one brother.” Joran’s voice rumbled over her and her body responded, her nipples hardening and dampness spreading between her legs. “Perhaps she needs to be completed.” Kara felt his words rather than heard them, the timbre of his voice vibrating through her, nearly destroying her ability to resist. Her claws sunk into the wood of the dining room table, and she fought against the rising tide. She focused on the men before her, the need funneled into anger at them trying to cage her in. “This house is filled with too many hard-headed males for me. I won't live like this.” Kara ran to the front door, opening it wide. The cold night air slapped her in the face and she took a deep breath, the shock to her system doing exactly what she anticipated. It cooled her down in more ways than one. Without a look back, she rushed out into the darkness, no clue where she was headed. She only knew that she wouldn’t stand there while they discussed her future, and who she was to share it with, like they were discussing the weather. Her jaw hurt from the pressure of her clamped teeth, the sharpened canines biting into her gums. They hadn’t even asked her once what her opinion might be, or hell, Jakob hadn’t even deemed it necessary to tell her much of anything about this new life that he’d dragged her into. This world was surreal and she still awoke each day wondering if it was all a dream. She had walked away from everything she was to be with him, and he hadn’t even been completely honest with her. Running into Jakob’s arms had seemed the right thing to do. He’d saved her from Gyda and her henchmen. He’d given her a night of sex that had blown her mind and ruined her for any other man. And to top it off, he’d told her that children could be in her future with him, something she’d never thought possible. But at what cost?

She’d thrown away everything she had ever worked for, lived for, because of the opportunity for…what? Before running away from the world, she’d had dreams, aspirations. She’d received her doctorate in education soon after learning she was unable to have children. Instead of going to work in her field, she’d avoided the classroom, seeing the smiling little faces too painful to bear. Was leaving with Jakob, abandoning that life, the reason she went willingly into this madness? A threat from a witch and a promise of babies was enough for her to turn her back on everything she knew? She’d swallowed the red pill. Now she wished that she hadn’t stumbled onto this new world filled with mythical creatures she hadn’t thought could possibly be real. Could she go back to the life she’d left behind and pretend this world hadn’t existed? Could she imagine a world without Jakob in it? Only one way to find out. A rumbling in the bushes beside her caught her off-guard. “Dammit, Jakob, just let me go. I need time to figure all this out, and I can’t think with you so near.” As the unfamiliar head popped out of the bushes, she fell backwards, stifling a scream. **** Jakob had shifted, his wolven form much stronger at scenting than if he had remained human, and retraced the steps Kara had taken for the third time. By the end of the path, her smell just vanished. There was no way she just…disappeared. All six Berserkers were fanning out, looking for clues as to where she’d gone, trying to scent something that would give them a direction to go into. Joran sidled up to his brother, re-shifting into human form from his mammoth gray wolf. “Her scent just…stops. I can’t sense anything.” Eryck morphed from his black bear form once he moved closer as well. “I do feel the presence of something, but I can’t put my finger on it as of yet.” Joran shook his head. “No visions, either, Eryck?” Jakob felt the wind knocked from him. “You have the power of visions now?” Eryck looked to the ground, as if embarrassed with his newest addition. A toe pushed at a rock as he shrugged his shoulders. “I

don’t have any control, and I mean any. It hits me like a ton of bricks and I can barely see some of the swirling images. And no, the images have been eerily quiet the past few days.” “You’ll get control, eventually. I have faith in you.” “I’m glad one of us does, Jakob. It seems to come at me when someone is in danger or something bad is just about to happen. I saw Karli being abducted by the Dragon, but nearly too late. So far, these visions have been more curse than advantage.” “What else have you seen?” Jakob felt a knot in his stomach, wondering if there was anything he needed to be concerned with. “I’ve only had four. The first two went by so fast that I saw nothing. Karli was my third.” “And your fourth?” “I saw your return, Jakob. And knew you wouldn’t be alone.” Jakob tried not to wince. So had Joran been expecting this all? Turning to his brother, he gauged his reaction, but Joran was solid as a rock, cold-faced and stoic. “So you all knew I had mated her before I came through the gates?” “Why worry about this now? Your mate has run from you, and we need to find her before Gyda does.” A wisp of wings in the sky above them had all three dropping into a fighting stance. Jakob immediately shifted into his wolven form, as he had no other defense outside the mansion. He sensed his other three brothers approaching, apparently hearing the same stirring noise. All six circled as a large blue Dragon dropped into the center of their circle, the moonlight glittering off its iridescent scales. A beast such as this, one that could rend so much death and destruction had no right to be considered beautiful, but the swirling colors were just that. As soon as it landed, it immediately shifted into human form and raised his hands in a show of peace. The male stood among them, his hands raised beside him as the moon glinted off his white-blond hair. He spoke in a clear, rich voice devoid of malice, the British accent giving him an air of pretentiousness. “I am here to talk to Odin’s Six.” Ryden shifted first, standing to his full height and eyeing the man before him. “What do we have to talk about, Dragon?” “I am Prince Dredgian of the Blue Dragons.” The male bowed before them as each of the others moved back to human form

around him and returned the act. “I have so wanted to meet you all, your reputations proceed you. But alas, it is not under the most auspicious circumstances that I join you this night. Ryden, you and your brothers have been called before the Dragon court for the slaying of the Red Dragon, Davidian.”

Chapter Six Shock drifted over Jakob. “I didn’t think there were any Dragons left.” Dredgian smiled, his sharp teeth glimmering in the moonlight. “We were hunted to the point of extinction during the middle ages. Damned those knights and their quests, half the maidens they fought for were vicious whores that had already lost their virginity.” He chuckled at that, and shook his head, drifting in thought for a moment. “But we learned then that we needed to blend in with the human masses if we wanted to survive. Add in all the wealth we had accumulated over the years and we were able to revive our species. We are still small in number, as it is rare to find the necessary virgins to beget our young in this day and age. Because there are so few of us, we take note of any Dragon death and are quite strict about punishing those who murder any within our number, even those the likes of Davidian.” Jakob looked to Ryden. “I was so busy talking about my last hundred years that we never got to the ‘you guys killing a Dragon’ part.” Ryden growled. “He had Karli. We had no choice.” “A Dragon stole your mate?” Jakob’s eyes rounded as he turned to the Dragon. “Dredgian…” “You all may call me Dred.” “Okay, Dred, do you have Kara?” Jakob felt his stomach plummet to his feet. “Why, yes, of course.” A circle of growls emanated from the Berserkers as each took an offensive step forward. Dred put his hands up. “Wait! She has not been harmed. We had to ensure you would come to court and give us your account. She is our honored guest.” Jakob felt as if his soul had been crushed. He shifted back into his wolf, and let the power of his beast ripple through him. Eryck and Rayne grabbed him, the latter whispering into his ear to calm him. “We will not find her if you kill him.” The beast snarled and bit at the air, but Rayne continued. “Let him take us to her. It’s the only way we will save her. If this one dies, she could be killed in retribution.”

Those words were enough to strike fear into Jakob’s heart, and he slowly shifted back into his human form. His eyes caught Joran directly across from him, and he could see the censure in his brother’s eyes. Joran had not changed; he still hated the beast within Jakob and always would. And now, Kara had been abducted for their acts. Coming home had been a mistake. Ryden growled deep to get Dred’s attention. “She is the mate of one who was not even involved in David’s death. Jakob has just returned to us after a long absence.” Dred chortled. “Yet you will all still come, just the same. Fair or unfair, it will have the desired effect.” “A bit cold.” “I am an amphibian.” Dred laughed, his forked tongue showing the truth in his statement. The brothers all looked to one another before Ryden turned to Dred. “Then take us to your Court.” **** Kara awoke in an unfamiliar room. She regarded the darkened space around her and saw utter opulence surrounded her as she stretched in the softest sheets she had ever laid upon. She couldn’t recall where she was, or what had led her here. Was this another room in the mansion? Then she recalled the last thing she’d seen before blacking out. Dragons? Just as she was trying to get away from the world Jakob had put her smack dab in the midst of, and she was jumped by a friggin’ dragon and sucked back into the land of fairy tales. So much for her escape. She stood, arms akimbo, and perused her body in the floor length antique mirror beside the silk bedecked bed. No injuries that she could see marked her skin. The stretch she’d made had not brought any sore areas to attention. So, what did these things want with her? Kara walked to the ornately carved oak door and tested the knob. Locked, of course. The last thing she recalled was a feeling of flight and weightlessness. She’d been abducted and brought to goodness only knew where. A sense of dread drifted over her. Jakob may have no idea where she was, so how would she ever get out of this? Moving back before the mirror, she glared at her reflection.

“You’d decided to leave his world behind, yet at the first sign of trouble, your first instinct is to wonder how he’s going to save you. Pathetic. It is up to you to save your own ass, Kara. No Berserkers are here to fix this for you, and if you have any chance of getting back to your own life, then you need to find a way to do it on your own.” The mirror lit from within and Kara took a step back. The image of a beautiful golden-blonde woman appeared within the glass. “You are right. It is high time you saved yourself. What do you need those beasts for? The door is now unlocked.” “Who are you?” “Consider me your…Fairy Godmother.” Kara felt entranced by the woman’s crystal blue eyes. “But I haven’t a clue where to go from here. I could be caught before I ever find a way out.” Kara felt lethargic, drifting as weightless as she had felt in the clutches of the Dragon flying high above the forest floor. “Listen to me carefully. Left from the door, then take your first right. Down the stairs and to your right once more, and you will find a side door which will lead you out into the gardens and then the woods.” “And I should trust all that because…?” “I don’t have to waste my time….” The rage that had swirled into the woman’s eyes quickly dissipated. “I only want to help you get out. Whatever reason would I have to steer you wrong?” Kara felt the enticing pull of an enchantment swell through her once more. “I don’t know…this doesn’t feel right.” “Do you always talk to yourself?” Another voice called from her side. Kara turned to the doorway, nearly stumbling over her own two feet in her embarrassment. An older woman, oddly dressed with long, kinky blonde hair, hovered in the doorframe and looked at her as if she’d just sprouted a second head. Turning back to the mirror, she saw it was empty. Had she been imagining the whole thing? “No, no. I just needed…a pep talk.” “For?” Kara had no clue who this woman was either, so the safest bet was for her to shut her trap and not tell her that she’d just decided to escape. “Just my way to start the day.”

“Those Berserkers really do have weird taste in women. But such is life.” The woman moved into the room and extended her hand. “The name’s Belladonna, but you can call me B. Everyone does.” Kara looked at the woman’s hand as if it were potentially poisoned, unsure if she should take it. Looking up into her clear eyes, her gut told her she could trust this woman, unlike the one in the looking glass. “I’m not going to bite ya. I promise.” Kara reached out her hand. Warmth spread through her as soon as she touched the woman’s skin and Kara felt more relaxed than she had in weeks. And alert. “I know you feel the need to bolt, but you need stay here in Dragonland.” B raised her hands to fend off the retort Kara felt bubbling up. “I know you think you want to go home and move on with your old, boring life, but look into your heart. You know that isn’t what you really want.” Kara felt one eyebrow rise. The woman seemed to know a lot more than she should about what was going on. Kara wished she could say the same thing for herself. The whirlwind that was her life just seemed to be getting stronger and she hated the loss of control she felt. “Kiddo, there is a lot you don’t know and I don’t got the time to stand here and tell you the whole story. I wish I did. I’m not even supposed to be here now, but I had to make sure you didn’t run out before your boys could come get you.” “How did you know I planned to run?” “Call it my…sixth sense.” Likely. “They think I ran away and have no idea I’m even here. Even if they did know, I can’t keep relying on Jakob to come save me. I have to get out of this myself.” “I’m all for female power, hoo rah!” B lifted a fist into the air to punctuate her comment. “But in this instance, you need to be patient. Your men are downstairs as we speak, here to get you. You have to trust me, if you disappear, the Berserkers will wage a war to end all wars against the Dragons. And that isn’t how it needs to go down. Give them an hour or two. If they haven’t sprung you from here, then have at it. Rescue yourself.”

Kara knew she was probably nuts, but her instincts told her B was right. She felt it as powerfully as she’d felt the woman in the mirror had been wrong. Either way, she was getting the hell out of Dodge, with or without the Berserkers’ help. She nodded her head, agreeing to wait it out. As soon as Kara sat, a bright light enveloped B, then she smiled and was gone. Curling her knees into her chest, Kara rested her head on them, and tried to quell the crazy thoughts swirling through her mind. Plucked from everything she knew, could she learn to cope with this new world? Witches, Berserkers, Dragons, and she didn’t even know how to classify those last two, but if she did, she would swear she’d just interacted with good and evil incarnate—she’d been dropped in the middle of her own version of Oz and the urge to find the ruby slippers and scream out “There’s no place like home!” was strong. If she stayed, she needed to find a way to ground herself, to find how she fit in this world of theirs. But if she stayed, would she be rent in two from the tug of war between Jakob and Joran?

Chapter Seven All six Berserkers entered the blue-veined marbled arena, and Joran looked around the impressive space. The columned rafters were fuller than anticipated. When Dred had said their numbers were few, he may have fibbed some, as there were at least five hundred in attendance here. They practically equaled the Berserkers left on Earth and that was if these present were all their ranks. Joran cast a glance at his twin. Jakob had not played a role in the death of Davidian, but stood beside his brothers just the same, here to save his mate. He’d watched as Jakob had taken control of his beast the night before and felt a sense of…pride. Once released, it had been nearly impossible for Jakob to rein in the animal within him. Control was a precious thing, and it was something Joran had been struggling with himself since his twin’s return. Joran didn’t want to feel pride in his twin, not after all he’d done. Anger swarmed through him. How dare Jakob stand beside them now after abandoning them for so long? After stealing his chance for happiness as well, the need to rage against his brother was overwhelming. But this was not the time, nor the place, to not show a front of solidarity. Kara’s life could easily stand in the balance here. And even if she wasn’t mated to him, he couldn’t fight the feelings that were already calling out to him to protect her. As the Berserker rank walked to the front of the dais accompanied by Dred, Joran took note of the large men sitting before them. He assumed the original five houses of Dragons still existed and that perhaps these five males were the leaders of each. The creature in the center rose and peered at them all, his eyes gleaming with an inner light. Joran felt an odd sensation come over him, as if the Dragon was able to see right into the core of him. With a nod to them, the Dragon sat and gazed at his compatriots on the dais before looking back at him and his brothers. “I am Atswan, Leader of the Green Dragons, and will be the Speaker for this Court. You all are aware of why you have been asked here today?” “The death of Davidian was unavoidable. He had captured our mate and was holding her against her will.” Ryden stepped forward as their leader, even though it was killing Joran not to face

Kara’s kidnappers himself. He glanced at Jakob and thought he saw the same need in his tight body and clenched fists. “And you attempted peaceful measures to secure her release before attacking?” Atswan showed no emotion in his question, as if he were merely asking the time. Ryden turned to look at his brothers. They’d attacked first and asked questions later, but from the look on Ryden’s face, he wasn’t about to bring that up. “He had abducted her and refused her release.” “As we have with the other one.” Atswan turned his face to look at them all. “Yet we hold her in no contempt or ill will.” “You do not approach us in dragon form and on the offensive, either. Davidian held Karli in his claws as he fought against us. While she went into her need.” Ryden released a deep breath. “She was in a vulnerable state. We took action to save her.” One of the other Dragons spoke up. “Your need to mate with her was more important than his life?” Rayne stepped beside his twin. “We had waited a thousand years to find her, and it was more than a simple mating. It was our future and the future of our pack.” Ryden shook his head, pausing. “I did what I felt was right. We’ve no fight against the Dragons. We only sought to save our mate, and it just happened to be that one of your kind held her. We would have battled any creature that stood between us and her safety.” Joran watched as Ryden and Rayne fought together to reason with the Dragons and felt a pang of jealousy. Ryden and Rayne, as well as Eryck and Erulf, worked together as one, as if they were one entity. He’d never had that bond with Jakob and had always hoped to find something close to it, someday. But now those chances were next to nothing, this offense was too atrocious. Atswan looked to each of the other Dragons singularly, before facing the pack once more. “Davidian had long ago separated from his clan and was considered an outcast.” “Then why bring us here?” Joran blurted. Fury tore through him, and he fought his beast’s release. It had become increasingly difficult in the past days to tamp down the need to rage against the world. He had always been the one able to keep himself in check, but that control was wearing thin. “Why steal our woman?”

“We do not wish to start a war with the Berserkers, but we needed to determine your intentions after the event.” “You abducted our female in order to force our hand, just to see if we wanted a fight? That action alone may have consequences.” Low growling met his ears, and Joran was stunned to realize it was coming from himself. He thought of Kara, and the fact she was not safe yet. It kept the beast at bay. But just barely. “Do you want her blood on your hands?” Ryden turned to look at Joran, whispering under his breath. “I will handle this. If you can’t control yourself…then leave this place.” Something inside of Joran snapped, his control splitting. The shift began, and Joran felt his teeth elongating and his claws lengthening. He saw the surprise in Ryden’s gaze and turned to look at the rest of the pack. Seeing their shock and displeasure, he used every ounce of will power he had to stop the change before it was completed. The whole room was filled with a oppressing quiet as Joran struggled to return to normal. His skin itched with the gaze of every creature in the room upon him, and he was humiliated to have lost control in such a public forum. He felt the disappointment from his pack, the thick wave of their emotion blanketed him, and he fought the need to run from the place, to escape their tortured gazes. But the need to ensure Kara was unharmed overrode that desire. “The female was not damaged. She is here now. One of my men will get her and return her to you immediately.” Atswan nodded to one, who left the room. “But we called you here for more than questioning your involvement in the death of Davidian. There is the issue of Freyja.” “What has Freyja to do with any of this?” Fire lit Ryden’s eyes as he asked the question. “We have our spies, and they have told us Davidian was working with the Goddess.” Joran growled. The brothers had always assumed that Freyja was behind the immortality of the witch Gyda. If Freyja was truly involved in the dragon’s attack, then it was clear that the goddess was their true enemy. “And this involves the Dragons, how?” Ryden asked, an eerie calm emanating from him.

“Those same spies have told us that Freyja now seeks the help of the Stotts.” “The Stotts? They’ve been extinct for centuries.” “They are definitely few in number, but they survive. It is rumored that many left Midgard, seeking exile in Helheim, when the Earth became too overpopulated. They claimed they would return after Ragnarök. The Stotts prefer peace and quiet, and this planet is no longer either. If Freyja brings them back here, it would not be good for either of us.” “Why for the Dragons?” “We chose to live in harmony with the human population many generations ago. Being a hybrid, the Stotts were not a part of our realm, nor did they follow our laws. As the beasts are able to morph into the form of a dragon, they attacked many villages in their greed, causing the humans to hunt us down. Between war with the Stotts and with the humans, we were nearly brought to extinction. To bring their kind to Earth could potentially expose us. We would be hunted once more.” Ryden looked at each brother before asking, “So what is it you’re suggesting?” “We strike an accord. If Freyja indeed brings the Stotts to this world, we will fight alongside you to rid this planet of the beasts.” A door opened, and Kara walked into the space. She gazed at them all, tears glistening in her eyes, and she ran toward them. Joran’s arms itched for her to come to him, to wrap her lithe arms around his waist while he held her close, smelling her sweet scent as he lowered his face into her golden curls. His gut twisted as she passed him and ran into his twin’s arms. “As I said, she is well and not damaged.” Damaged? The Dragon spoke about her again in this way, making Joran think of a possession, a thing, not their female. He knew Dragons loved their gold and gems, horded them, and fiercely protected their treasures. Did they treat their females the same? As property? Dragons had always been stealthy creatures, untrustworthy in the absolute. They were not known to band together with any faction of the Immortals, as they were a secretive and guarded set. Add in the fact that they apparently saw no value in the female they’d stolen,

treating her like a thing, how could they align themselves with creatures such as this? Ryden eyed Kara and Jakob and then turned to eye the rest of his pack before facing Atswan. Joran slowly shook his head no. “We agree to your proposal.” **** Jakob could still feel Kara’s body molded to him as she ran into his arms an hour afterwards. Her scent covered him and as he inhaled the need for her grew the longer the trip home took. After she’d been abducted, his need to claim her again was paramount. As they entered the mansion, no one uttered a word as he took her hand and guided her up the stairs. Looking behind him, he loved the way her dress flared over her legs as she mounted the steps, the sexy curve of her bare calves enticing him all the more. Pushing into their bedroom, he closed the door, leaning her back into it. His body held her against the wood as his mouth found hers. The kiss began tentatively, an exploration. But as the need rose in him, he deepened the exchange and his tongue pressed between her teeth, sweeping along the heat of her mouth. A quiver ran along his spine as he pressed closer to her warmth, lifting her from the floor. He moved his thigh between her legs as she rose and elevated her dress up to her hips, revealing her shapely thighs, and was rewarded with her satisfied moan. “I ache every moment I breathe to hear that sound once more,” he said against her lips before returning to the kiss. “Again.” Her hips slowly moved, as she sought the feel of him against her wet pussy, pressing against the strong muscles of his thigh. She moaned for him again, and he felt the sound in his dick, the shaft growing harder than he could ever recall. He could already smell her desire and knew she would be ready to take him. The need heightened, and he could not wait another moment. He had to have his cock inside her, claim her as his own after her abduction at the hands of the Dragons, regardless that she had been unscathed. She smelled of the fire-breathers, and he only wanted to smell his brand on her. Gathering her into his arms, he moved to the bed and laid her down in the center of the generous space. He ripped at her bodice as he knelt from the edge, tearing it in places to gain access to her full breasts. She arched her back, a low growl coming from her

throat as he grasped the full mounds and pinched her dark, rosy nipples. He watched as her claws lengthened and her eyes turned dark with lust. She sat up and clawed at his belt, shredding it in two, and then she cut the button from his jeans before sliding the zipper down. Jakob growled back in response to her as she slid one single claw down the length of his hardened cock, the intensity of the pleasurepain bordering on orgasmic. Sucking in a breath, he bit his lower lip in a desperate bid to steady himself. She then grasped the length, pulling it from the vee in his pants. His cock bobbed before her and a pearl of liquid spread from the tip as she licked her lips in desire, staring at the hardened shaft. Kara leaned close to him, rubbing her face along his cock. He ached to have her hands on him as he waged war with his inner beast to still his body and not jump on top of her. His hands grasped the top of the antique canopy bed and twisted into the lace concoction that lay over it, trying to pin himself there, giving her a moment of control over his body. Sweat broke out all over his chest and face at the thinly veiled control he exerted, needing to see and feel her sweet hands on him more so than he needed to claim her. Kara showed him how much she wanted him in return simply through that touch. She chose him. It wasn’t his beast demanding her body, but her lovingly asking her due. It had taken him so long to learn that with control, came reward. Resting his forehead on his outstretched arms, he watched as her trembling fingers rose to his shaft and encircled him, and he nearly lost all control when she leaned down to capture the head in between her petal soft lips. Kara began a heady dance, moving forward and back along his cock, her hands and lips burning a fire as they moved. He watched her worship his body and felt a tightening in his chest. She wanted his satisfaction as equally as he wanted her own. The ebb and flow, give and take, it overwhelmed him for a moment, and he felt the sting of tears behind his eyes as he watched the woman he loved giving him the greatest pleasure he had ever felt. Joran. His mind went to his brother once more. He closed his eyes in anger. Why would his mind go there in this moment, when he was watching her love him so sweetly? It hit him then that Joran would never feel the kind of love that he felt for his mate, or the love

she shined back on him in return. He knew that his brother would be hurt, angered. And yes, there was guilt. But he hadn’t realized the severity of his crime until this moment. He had stolen pure bliss from Joran. He couldn’t accept her mouth on his cock a moment longer, the guilt slithering through him like a plague. There was no way he could feel the satisfaction she wrought without feeling shame. Pushing her back he lowered himself between her legs and tried to ignore the look of confusion on her face. Which only made the guilt exponentially worse. Fighting the guilt from his brother made him less of a lover to his mate. Would he ever be able to overcome this deep sense of loss and be with her fully again? **** Kara felt a chill come into the room as Jakob pushed her away from his cock. He lowered himself between her legs, not facing her questioning look. A change had come over him and she had felt him stiffen, even as she knew his release built. But he had actually softened. Had she done something wrong? She may not be an overly experienced lover, but she knew she could do well enough to please him. He was holding something back from her, and it was unfair. She needed to beat down the walls he continually erected around himself if they ever were going to be together and happy. With the first swipe of his tongue over her pussy, she forgot her train of thought and allowed the spiral of pleasure to take her away. He lapped at her sex, sliding fingers through her wet heat as his mouth continued to make her mindless and numb. Her back arched as he built such pleasure in her body, but after several more moments, the elephant in the room could not be ignored. The pleasure waned as Joran entered her mind. Was it possible for them to get over this and move forward as a couple without including Joran in their relationship? She was still unsure of her feelings, and thoughts of leaving it all behind her and moving on still skittered through her brain. But she thought back to the Dragon court, and how seeing Jakob, and Joran, had nearly taken the breath from her lungs and she’d felt the need to run to them, run to them both.

At this point, there was no way she could walk away from the potential of what this all could mean for her and her future. “Does my touch no longer arouse you?” “I could ask you the same question.” She saw the hurt in Jakob’s eyes and her chest ached from it. “A lot has happened in the past days and our minds wander. I’m sorry.” “You were thinking about him, weren’t you?” Jakob’s shoulders tensed, and she was sure he held his breath awaiting her answer. Would speaking the truth be the right thing to do? To openly say that she wanted to know how he fit in the equation of their romance, or if he fit at all? Would it crush Jakob to know that she desired his brother almost as much if not equally to him? Was this the moment they could blow open his wall and get some real answers? She looked at him, scared to utter a single word, wanting to lay all her cards out on the table and decide what the hell the future held. He lay between the cradle of her legs, the need to hear the truth on his face, but what truth was it he wished to hear come from her lips? His face fell at her silence. “You want him, don’t you?” Jakob moved to the side of the bed and turned his back on her, planting his face in his hands. “I’m new to all of this, and I don’t know what to say.” She gathered a breath into her lungs and felt a tremble run through her entire body. “But there is a connection. What that means, I don’t know.” She reached out to touch his shoulder, but before she could, he jumped from the bed, pulled up his pants, and rushed from the room.

Chapter Eight Joran stood at the window overlooking the gardens once more, watching in his mind as his brother and their woman pleasured one another. Sipping from his glass of vodka, he let the liquid burn down his throat, hoping the images would cease to swirl through his mind. The images began to fade, the intensity suddenly leaving him and he prayed to Odin in thanks that he wouldn’t have to see the hell of them together once more. At least not now. Not after the insanity he’d just endured. As if any better, he began replaying the events in the Dragon court over and over again in his head. The look of disappointment that had shown in his brother’s eyes had formed a lump in his gut, the embarrassment of losing control almost too much for him to bear. His skin had been on fire, the mortification he felt under such scrutiny. But he’d stood there, accepted their gawking. For her. To know she was well and safe. And then she’d run past him, finding the safety she needed in his brother’s arms. His whole body had ached to hold her, to be the safe place she needed to find. His arms had almost risen of their own accord as she ran in their direction, but thankfully, he’d been able to contain the need. How his humiliation would have been multiplied if any had realized how desperately crazed he was for the woman who was not his. To top off the day, Ryden had ignored his counsel, gazing over his plead of “no,” to accept the accord with those winged monsters. Was his shame complete? The last of the liquid burned down his throat, and he turned to refill his glass for the countless time since they had returned to the house. Unfortunately, the liquor had numbed nothing, but rather, seemed to intensify his emotions. As he turned, he saw Ryden leaning against the doorframe, his brows drawn in contemplation. “I haven’t seen you lose control in nearly a thousand years, brother. I almost thought it impossible.” Ryden walked into the room and past him. He poured himself a glass, his back to Joran. “I don’t know what is happening to me or my control. It seems to be non-existent today.”

“We all know why, Joran.” Ryden turned, swallowing a long draught of the liquor, eying Joran the whole time. “I’m just shocked at the ferocity you displayed. Perhaps you need to talk?” “Talk? What is there to talk about? He found her, he mated her, and she is his, not mine. I can’t seem to control the rage, and I’ve lost the respect of my brothers. End of story.” “There is no loss of respect, brother, just worry for what you’re enduring.” Ryden sighed, the troubles of them all weighing heavily on his shoulders. “She went into her need when he found her. Would you have done something different?” “Had he not left us, perhaps we would’ve found her together.” “Had he not left, perhaps she wouldn’t have been found by either of you.” “Ryden, stop this. There is no point in wondering about what ifs. What is done is done. I’ve made it a thousand years alone, and I will survive another.” “You saw her reaction. Her beast is still stirring. Perhaps there is still hope.” “And when I suggested she be completed, what happened? She ran. And then those fire-breathing monsters took her. What if it happens again and she is lost to us forever? I would rather her be safe and with Jakob than dead.” “She was upset that we didn’t include her in our discussion. Perhaps laying it all out, full discourse, would give her something to consider.” “Even if she chose both of us, the rift between my twin and I is too great. I don’t know if it is possible to salvage that relationship.” Jakob entered the room, his calm exterior a reminder to Joran that he was the one losing control. “That rift is one of your own making, brother.” “My making? What did I ever do to cause this?” “You felt the need to control me as strictly as you controlled yourself. I could never get from under your thumb while I lived in this house, so I left in order to find my own way. I learned to control my beast myself.” Jakob slammed his palm to his chest. “On my own, without you standing over me. How ironic, though? I’ve found control and you seem to have lost it. Perhaps that is why I was blessed with a mate and you were not.”

Joran’s anger raced through him like a tsunami, and before he could react, he shifted, surrendering to his beast. Teeth gnashing and fur rippling, he jumped at his brother in his wolven form, the last of his control shattered. As the blood hit his tongue, he clamped his teeth down harder, the beast completely taking over. No thought hit his mind as he whipped his head back and forth, demanding the skin and bone break and tear. Ryden’s roar rushed to his ears and he suddenly came to. His twin’s arm was twisted and broken in his mouth, blood rushing down his throat. Panic hit him, and he released the limb, backing away slowly. His brother lay there, nursing his arm, a look of total revolt on his face. Joran’s humiliation was complete. He ran and burst through the glass windows, seeking refuge in the woods. Anywhere that was away from his brothers. Away from his dishonor. **** Kara ran downstairs after hearing the growling, screaming, and eventual glass breakage. She found Jakob near unconscious, bloody and lying on the floor. Eryck knelt over Jakob, using his magical skills to help seal the gash in his arm. Rayne and Erulf began cleaning up the glass shrapnel that littered the floor as Ryden stood with his back to her, peering out of the hole in the wall that had been a series of windows. None of the men would look her in the eyes as she moved into the space. As she huddled over Jakob, she gathered his head into her lap, observing as the bones inside the wound began to reknit themselves under the watchful eye of Eryck. “What happened?” Eryck lifted his gaze to her before looking back at his patient. “Joran and Jakob had a little...tiff.” “Tiff? You call this a tiff? What happens when they have an actual fight?” Eryck’s eyes rose to hers once again, and the look she got told her to not push it. The atmosphere in the room was oppressive, at best, and she knew each man there was on edge. It showed in the tense hold of their shoulders and jaws as she had walked into the room. But, regardless, her mate was hurt and she wanted answers. “What happened?”

“I don’t have time for this.” Eryck looked back to Jakob. “I need to focus on getting him healed before he bleeds out.” “Are we safe here? Or am I going to have to wonder if I’ll find my mate ripped to shreds every time I turn a corner?” she asked the room at large. Kara felt the weight of a stare and turned to see Ryden standing close, the heat of his gaze boring into her. “Their history is complicated. And your presence here doesn’t help.” “Should we leave?” Kara felt her eyes widen in anger and was ready to pack Jakob into a car and drive away. “If it means keeping him safe from the very people who were supposed to protect him, I will take him as far from here as I need to.” “We aren’t asking you to leave.” Ryden rubbed a hand through his hair in an act of utter frustration. “You just have to understand this isn’t easy for any of us, and it’s going to get worse before it gets better. The two of them have a lot of shit they have to get through if they are going to find level ground.” “And they need to get there,” Eryck added. “For the sanity of us all.” **** Joran ran, the burning in his lungs making him forget the events that had just happened. The chill air of the November night swept into his lungs with every powerful inhale, the crisp breeze hit his face like a smack. As he ran through the thick vines and overgrowth that covered the forest floor, he raced further away from facing what he had just done. Light from the moon streaked down through the heavy overhang of branches above like fingers reaching down to the earth below, pressing it in place. Joran didn’t need the light, he saw perfectly well in the dark, but the light comforted him in some way. There was enough darkness in him right now that he needed that light as an anchor to reality. Reaching his favorite spot, a cave near the base of a rock wall that held a beautiful waterfall, he finally stopped on the mossy ground at the mouth. The six had numerous spots like this, safe havens for if and when things went pear-shaped. Switching back to his human form, he dropped to his knees in the soft growth, allowing the moonlight to cast over his nude body. Looking down, he saw the

blood coating him. Dried onto his chin and chest, the realization that he had lost control and bitten his own brother overwhelmed him. He ran to the bushes and retched until there was nothing left in him but the vile self-disgust that he doubted would ever leave. Jakob’s words rung in his ears. He had forced his brother to submit to his will, his control, and he hadn’t even realized it. Joran had only wanted to save his twin from his beast, not drive him from the pack. What he’d done was out of love, not cruelty. Joran never wanted to see the look on his twin’s face that he’d glimpsed at Stamford Bridge. Yet, looking back, he knew Jakob was right. He’d sought to control his beast as well as his own. In the end, he couldn’t even control himself. After centuries of stronger than iron will, he had attacked his own brother and he wasn’t sure he could ever forgive himself. He’d failed Jakob yet again. Leaning in to the brook at the bottom of the waterfall, he washed his face and the blood from his body, unable to stand it on his skin a moment longer. Once the chill settled over his body, he sat down against the rock wall, letting the sounds of the forest calm his beast further. Could he go back home? Would his brothers even let him back in after such a vicious attack against one of their own? “You don’t have to go back, you know. There is room for you in my hall.” Joran jumped up in an attack position to the unfamiliar creature. Standing at the edge of the wood, he could barely make out the figure, only knowing it was female from the voice. “Who are you?” The being walked out into the clearing, the moonlight flooding over her golden hair. Freyja. He couldn’t believe he was staring at the goddess herself. “Berserker, you have no place to turn now. I could use a being such as you in Sessrúmnir.” She eyed him from head to toe, pausing with a wide smirk as she looked upon his cock. He wanted to cover himself, but refused to cower before her in any way. He had enough shame in him for three lifetimes and there was room for no more.

“And what of your priestess, Gyda? Do you not realize we know it’s you behind the attacks?” Joran held the growl he wanted to let lose in check. “Just a ploy to piss off Odin. I’ve been working his last nerve since the dawn of time. Having you at my side, as my lover, would do the trick just as well, if not better. Can you imagine the look on his face when he sees you standing beside me?” “Your lover? You’re crazy if you think…” “And you have a better idea? Your twin went off and stole your mate from you, after you waited a thousand years for the curse to pass. Then you went all loony and bit him. Like you have a better prospect?” Her words made him snarl, and he once again fought the beast within. “I’d rather be alone.” Freyja smiled, seductively stalking towards him. She placed her open palms on his chest and swept over the muscles in wide circles. He tensed, not wanting her hands on him, but he fought for calm, knowing he needed to find out what her end game was in this. Her hands began to move all over his chest and abdomen and he fought the urge to retch once more. “You’re so warm. Your skin, so soft. I expected you to be rough, hardened by time. I could touch you all day.” One hand lowered to wrap around his dick. “And all night, as well.” She pumped the shaft in her hand and he felt the tug of her magic as it sprang to life. Biting his lower lip, he fought the enchantment with his entire being. Long strokes of her fingers along his length had him biting back a moan. It had been too long since he’d shared the touch of a female, and even though he didn’t want her hands upon him, he couldn’t escape the pleasure she was creating within him. His head fell back as his cock lengthened and filled even more. “Come with me to Sessrúmnir. I would make you my consort. You could escape all of this. Kara, Jakob, and all the chaos in that house, it could be your past. I could be your future. Together, we would be strong.” Joran looked into her beautiful face, knowing part of what she said was truth. Where did he go from here? She reached out her hand to him, and he took it, sensing the warmth and power running through

her like an electric arc. A bright light enveloped them, and then they were gone.

Chapter Nine Jakob lay beside his mate, unable to sleep. He watched her beautiful face, bathed in the light of the moon, his heart tight with pride that she was his. His thoughts were a jumble and he couldn’t let the events of the evening go. For all the controlling and pushing, he knew instinctively that his brother did it because he loved him, not to be the bastard Jakob had made him out to be in his mind. But it had been easier to rail against his bad, big brother. Jakob rolled over and gazed at the beams filtering through the curtains into the room. Part of the reason he couldn’t sleep was that he waited for his brother return to the house. To know he was safe and secure within the mansion would allay his fears somewhat. In the state in which Joran left, who knew what he could do to himself or others. For all that had happened, the rage, the bite…he couldn’t be mad at Joran, no matter how much he told himself he should be. He’d stolen his brother’s chance at happiness, and for that, he’d deserved his brother’s anger. And there was a certain part of Jakob that finally felt a connection to Joran, to see his hard held control finally slip. That he fought his beast as well. And that neither of them was perfect. Knowing that they were the same and that Joran struggled to hold himself in place finally gave Jakob a tie to his brother that he’d never felt before. Perfectly imperfect. Now, Joran just needed to come home so he could tell him that. **** Kara followed the trail Jakob made through the forest. The morning sunlight dappled through the trees, but the chill had not yet burned off. She gathered the edges of her sweater closer to her, a tremble running through her, even with the physical exertion of their brisk pace. Jakob was a man possessed, the fire in his eyes like nothing she had seen before, and she was addled by it. Not that she sensed any anger in him. Actually, that was what was so confusing. She sensed no wrath in him at all, just a calm that she had never felt before. It was if the bite had taken his anger away rather than heightening it.

Or he was past the point of rage and had settled into a something much more sinister and deadly. Like she felt. No one was supposed to hurt her mate, and the longer she thought on Joran, the more her claws stretched from her fingertips, and the urge to break out in a dead run overcame her. She almost thought she scented him in the air, just as Jakob and the others had, but she was sure that was just a figment of her imagination. Right? Or was she now so in tune with the other male that she could recognize his scent? They were now deep into the forest and she heard the babbling of water close by. As she and Jakob closed in on Ryden and Rayne, she saw them standing by a cave entrance near the bottom of a beautiful waterfall. And the nearer they came, the more she sensed the trail for Joran had ended. “Where is he? His scent has stopped.” All three Berserkers turned to look at her with wide eyes. She felt like rubbing her fingers across her face in case she had something on it from the looks they gave her. “What?” “You smell him?” Ryden shook his head and then gave a solid stare to Jakob. “I think so. I noticed a scent as we were walking along the path, and it stops here.” “As each hour goes by, I think you need to reconsider the fact that Joran is your mate as equally as Jakob is.” Ryden stood with his arms crossed over his barrel chest, in a pose that she assumed was meant to intimidate. Ryden wore the mantle of leadership well, it showed in his speech and his actions. But she wasn’t his to rule. She would make her own decisions. And her decision was…no. There was no way that vicious monster was her mate. She had seen the darkness in Jakob and he was able to control it. Joran, on the other hand, had no control, if he was able to do what he had to his own twin. “Not likely.” “We mate together. It’s our way,” Jakob said under his breath. “He’s a monster.” “You once thought that of me,” Jakob added in, hurt reflected through his gaze at the memory. She had called Jakob a monster and pushed him away, even when her need for him was great. But he’d been nothing but gentle

with her, protective. He proved himself daily, whereas his twin confirmed otherwise. She reached her hand to swipe through the deep brown of Jakob’s hair. He turned his face into her palm as it trailed down. The gesture pulled at her chest, and she remembered her doubts. When his eyes met hers, and she saw the love reflecting back to her, she melted. There was no way she could deny it any longer. There was nowhere she wanted to be but here, in his arms. “I was wrong about you and you know it. I…I love you.” His smile spread over her like sunlight on a summer day. She’d known from the first moment she’d seen him that he was hers. And although it had only been a few weeks since they’d met, they’d lived lifetimes in that short time. Her whole world had been caught in a whirlwind, and then dropped upside down. At that moment, she realized, regardless of her doubts, she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. “I love you, too.” His warm breath spread along her face, and she felt the fine hairs quiver from the heat. His mouth descended on hers as he pulled her body into the cradle of his own. She mewed quietly as his tongue swept in between her teeth, tasting her mouth like a ravenous man. He pressed his hips closer, and she felt the hot brand of his cock against her stomach. A flood of wetness spread along her sex. She was hot and ready for his claiming. “Uh-hmm. Get a room!” Rayne’s words broke the trance she felt and she pulled from Jakob’s arms, her face flooding with heat. “Can we get on with the search, or do you two need to go back to the mansion?” Ryden shook his head as he looked over the pair. “His trail ends right here, but it doesn’t make sense. It’s as if he disappeared.” Kara pulled further from Jakob’s embrace, lest she snuggle back into his arms and continue their passionate kiss. She turned her focus to the matter at hand, trying to forget the ache in her body. “Can Berserkers do that? I mean, disappear?” “No, we can all run incredibly fast, like I did when we were running from Gyda. But even then, there would be a scent left behind.” Jakob stepped closer to her again, his hand pressing into her lower back and stoking the fire once more.

“So, what do we do now?” If she didn’t get away from him, she was going to push him to the forest floor and forget they had company surrounding them. Her claws extended, and she felt her canines lengthen as well. She fought the reaction, pulling away from Jakob once more. Ryden and Rayne looked over the space once more as she tried to block the heat emanating from Jakob. Eryck and Erulf walked into the clearing, which helped break her lusty thoughts. The two began spreading their fingers into the air, as if they were writing on an invisible wall. Bright symbols appeared and popped before extinguishing. She felt the hair on the back of her neck rise with the electricity that surrounded her. “What are they doing?” she whispered to Jakob. He stepped close again, sniffing her neck as he growled low in her ear. “They’re drawing wards. It may help us determine what happened to Joran.” A single ward floated higher and grew in size. It burned brighter before bursting into a million points of light. “Someone very strong was here, either a priestess of high magnitude or, even, a god.” Eryck watched as the tiny pinpricks fell to the earth and disappeared. “A god?” Ryden nearly vibrated with anger. “Or perhaps a goddess?” Jakob’s head whipped up. “You don’t think…?” “Freyja. Who else would it be?” **** Joran looked over the hundreds of thousands of warriors scattered around the mead hall of Sessrúmnir as he sat to the left of Freyja. The golden chamber glittered with an ethereal light unlike anything he’d ever seen. But then, this was Asgard, the land of the gods, so anything was possible. As he glanced around the space again, he felt as if he wasn’t lucid. Had he seriously taken her hand, or was this all a dream? Lowering his head, he gazed upon the fine linen and furs Freyja had wrapped him in, feeling every inch of the kept man she intended him to be presented as. Thankfully, he’d been able to fend off her advances once they arrived, feigning fatigue from the fight with his brother. She had backed off, but the look in her eye told him

that she wouldn’t wait for long. He felt the weight of her stare, and he turned to her gaze and saw the bottled lust shining in her eyes. Freyja moved a hand to his, and he once again felt the power moving through her. It called to something deep in him, something he couldn’t put his finger on. A power surged each time she touched him. Was it her doing this, or something inside himself answering to the contact? He smiled, trying to make it reach his eyes, as he looked upon her face. Her beautiful face. She truly was a magnificent beauty, but he could not get past the vile deceit that he knew ran thickly through her veins, corrupting her from the inside out. Freyja sickened him, yet he’d chosen to follow her here. And he had no idea why he’d done it. Compulsion. Or was it the fact he truly had no idea where to go? She’d opened a door when all others were closed to him, so he’d simply raced through it, no matter the consequence. It wasn’t like him. But then again, he hadn’t been himself in days. Shaking his head, he stopped the train of thought because it ultimately brought him back to the moment he bit his brother. Fortunately, his eyes spotted Gyda at the rear of the hall, slowly making her way towards Freyja. He’d not seen her close since the day she’d cursed the lot of them a thousand years before. The once beautiful woman was reduced to a near corpse, the flesh practically rotting from her body. She dragged herself along, followed by two of her Swartska flunkies. He wondered if the fight she’d had with Jakob was the cause for her near death appearance. It served the bitch right if it had. He glanced at Freyja once more, trying to tell if she noted the witch’s approach. Would he be expected to play nice with the old sorceress now that he was here in Sessrúmnir? Not hardly. “What is on your mind, Berserker? Your brows tighten in deep thought.” “I have a name.” Joran growled between gritted teeth. “Yes, that you do, but I like being reminded exactly what you are. A wolf in sheep’s clothing. A very pretty wolf, but a wolf nonetheless. Growl for me, sexy.” She ran a finger under his chin, bringing his face closer to her own. “If you do not trust me, then why ask me here?” Were her reasons as crazy as his own?

“Don’t be offended, but I trust no one, especially in Asgard.” He was suddenly awash in pity for her, an emotion he didn’t want to feel. “That must be a lonely existence.” “Yes, that it is.” A quiet calm stole over Freyja’s face and her eyes looked right through him. She dropped her finger as she drifted off. The respite was short lived. “But you’re here now, to entertain me. I’ll be lonely no more.” The jeweled hilt of her golden sword caught the corner of his eye as he looked away. He knew he had to find a way back to Midgard, his mind reeling to form a plan. He’d been insane to think that this was his only way to turn. But how could he leave this place and make it to the Rainbow Bridge? “Joy.” “Yes, it is. Do you know what is ironic, though?” Joran rolled his eyes inwardly, not wanting to play her games. His eyes caught Gyda’s form closing in to them once more, and he wondered if he would be able to slay the witch and escape with his life. Perhaps it was worth giving his life. Killing Gyda and giving his brothers the peace they deserved would make amends for what he’d done to his twin. “What’s ironic?” “That Jakob searches for you even now, wanting you to come home, yet here you are. After all your years of yearning for him to come home to you, he finally found the desire to forgive you, and you are trapped in my hall. I’m so glad I sought you when I did.” Her eyes gleamed as she clapped her hands together in pure evil glee. Joran clenched his teeth, wanting nothing more than to slide the sword from her hip and spear it into her stomach, twisting the blade as he removed it, then running it through her chest, repeatedly. His fingers itched to grab the weapon. He peeked to the side and saw the hilt trembling slightly, as if his will alone was giving it movement. He wasn’t even sure if it would truly do any damage, but the visceral feel of her skin ripping under the blade would do him good. Then he could turn his attentions to the witch. Just another few feet…another few steps. He felt the breath seizing in his lungs as he slowly waited for the witch to move into range, but as slow as she moved, he knew it wasn’t like she could run from him. Her cronies could have time to pull her out of the way if he wasn’t close enough to prevent them from saving her. Joran whipped out his hand, but before he could get his fingers around the hilt, it lifted into his grasp. He pulled the golden weapon

from its sheath as he leapt from the chair he sat in upon the dais. Twisting to face the goddess and plunge the sword into her gut, he heard a scream from behind him. Gyda had lifted herself, jumping over his body in an inhuman display of strength for a being that looked as good as dead. He was shocked for a moment, surprise mixing with the adrenaline shooting through his body, his heart thumping against his chest. There was no time to figure out how the witch had moved so quickly, placing her body between him and Freyja. There was only time to act. Gyda had already proven the vast wealth of her magic once before, and he could not give her the opportunity to curse him yet again. He swung the mighty sword, the ethereal light from the hall glinting on the length of sparkling gold as the edge caught its target. Joran felt the skin give as he sliced the weapon through Gyda’s neck and watched as her torso went limp, the weight of the mass above it slowly sliding off and bouncing as it hit the floor with a dull pop that brought bile into his throat. Before he could understand the full potential of his actions, he pushed the limp body to the floor and charged towards Freyja, his arm lifted to pierce her abdomen. As he gathered the momentum in his body, he thrust the sword at her with all his might. An electric charge rent through him and brought him to his knees. He heard the echoing bellow of “No” sweep through the hall that was barely audible through the ringing of his ears. Pain speared through his body, and he dropped the weapon at Freyja’s feet, barely conscious from whatever held him in its grip. He had watched the witch’s head drop, so he knew it could not be her. Turning with every ounce of strength he possessed, he looked behind him. Odin. Odin had saved Freyja from his attack. But why? The All Father moved closer to the dais without removing the charge from Joran’s body. Once there, he dropped the spell and lifted Joran from the floor, shaking him vehemently. “She will never find harm from your hand, do you hear me, boy? She is mine, and you will not strike her. Do you hear me?” ‘Why?” Joran looked into the face of his father, confused at why, after so many years of fighting, so many years of terror. Why would Odin stop him from ending it all? Even if it cost him his life, it

would be worth it to end the suffering of the Berserkers. Gyda’s death would help, but Freyja would only find another to aid her in her quest to end them all. “I do not answer to you. But, you will do as I command.” Odin dropped him back to the dais and turned to Freyja. “You brought him here? To do what? Anger me?” Joran watched as a cruel smile turned up the corners of her lush mouth. “Isn’t that enough? It’s worked.” “Even after I save you, after I stop his hand from ending your life, you still feel the need to argue. I should have let him run you through.” **** “As if he would have had the chance! Your beasts are no match for me.” Freyja leapt from her throne, a fire burning in her gut. “And one act of kindness does not reverse millennia of abuses you have wrought on me and my hall.” “As if you have not wrought as much pain and suffering since the dawn of time. You are not innocent of the same crimes, yet you cast me as the criminal here.” Odin stepped closer to Freyja, and she felt the heat from his body wash over her. She despised herself almost as much as she did him, just for the reaction she had whenever he was close. “I have offered you my hand in peace, time and time again, and you always reject me. Ragnarök comes close, there is little time left for your lunacy.” “Lunacy? I may not be innocent, but I have never humiliated you by bedding another. And not just once, but over and over and over again, you heaped the humiliation on me and expected me to bare it and continue to lay with you.” “So that is truly what this has all been about? You have fought me for a millennia over my bedsport?” A light dimmed in Odin’s gaze. “I never realized how much I’d hurt you. I am sorry. You flirted and played with the gods in Asgard. I assumed you were fine with our arrangement.” Arrangement? There had been no arrangement. She had flirted and played to make him jealous, to make him want to be with her instead of whatever vapid bitch was on his arm. Her chest ached with the humiliation she’d had to endure as his queen. She so wanted to believe the apology that he spoke was sincere, knowing full well that his words were empty. She dreamed

of running into his arms, to be held, cherished. Together they could fight against the loneliness that had broken her over the vastness of time. She longed to feel the warmth and security she had once felt while in his embrace. But it was much too late for that. “Sorry?” She drew in a calming breath, to force the pain back into the depths where it belonged. “You didn’t hurt me, you only made me stronger. I learned that love was for the weak, and I am not weak. Keep your apologies.” Odin stood before her, the hurt she’d felt reflected in his face. He reached for her, as if he intended to comfort her, and her body ached once more, wanting his touch more than she wanted to breathe. “Go! I do not want you here. Leave my hall.” She pulled back from him, out of his reach, daring him to touch her. He still stood, watching her with pity in his eyes. She didn’t need his apologies, and she definitely didn’t want his pity. The sting of tears threatened her, but she refused to let him see her break before him. “Go!” The scream echoed and bounced off the walls of the hall. No one moved, no one breathed. Odin finally stepped back and lowered his hand. He reached for the Berserker, gathering him to his feet. He made for the door as if he intended to take the beast with him. “The Berserker stays.” Odin turned to her, a smug smile threatening to form on his face. “This one is not yours, either. He is mine as well. And I take him in return for saving you.” “There are no agreements to be made. He chose to come here of his own accord. He stays.” Anger rippled under the surface of her skin and threatened to blow once more. “No, Freyja. I will take this one with me, or I will bring the walls of this hall down around you. I will not be swayed. A life for a life. Let. Him. Go.” She watched as Odin began making his way toward the door once more, the arm of the beast over his shoulder. Looking down, she saw the mangled body of her prized witch at her feet, Gyda’s head lying at the bottom of the dais steps. Freyja reached down for the severed head and hurled it at Odin. It hit the door as he closed it.

Chapter Ten Joran limped from Sessrúmnir with the aid of Odin to steady him. The raw electric power of Odin’s lightning had ripped through him and left him nearly defenseless, his head reeling. Odin dropped him onto the ground once they stepped away from the door. A swirl of light surrounded them both, and seconds later they stood within Valhalla. “What in Helheim were you thinking, boy?” Joran stood, turning in circles at the sights around him. Valhalla. He’d thought he would only get here once he died. It was even more beautiful than he’d expected. The glistening deep green emerald walls made him think of the humans and their Wizard of Oz. A chuckled bubbled in his throat, but he was coherent enough to know to hold it down. “I asked you a question!” The roar that ripped from Odin shook the walls, dust floating to the marble floor. “To what do you refer, All Father? I have done much as of late that I can’t quite explain.” The look of disapproval from Odin was enough to make his knees weak. He’d lived his life to serve the All Father, not to anger him. He’d barely escaped Gyda and Freyja. The last thing he needed was a pissed off Odin. “I gave you all such gifts, have watched and protected you from the wrath that was Freyja. And you, of all, I never expected you to have taken that power and twisted it, allowing yourself to come to this.” “You’re wrong, Odin. I’m not the one with the power. That would be my twin.” Odin chuckled. “You have no idea how wrong you are.” The two walked along the hall, watching the warriors of old gathering around tables, mead in their hands, their joyful songs and games filling the space with life. As Joran followed Odin, he felt the weight of all he had done in the prior days. The flash of memory from the moment he sunk his teeth into his brother’s flesh was like a knife to his chest. He dropped his shoulders in surrender, his mind reeling to understand where Odin was going. “I’m lost, All Father.” “Yes, but fortunately, you can be found. Your brother has found hope. Hope that you can find the bridge together.” Odin sat on

his golden throne, his stare unsettling to Joran. He felt as if he was being flayed alive, nothing a secret. His inner workings laid bare, something even he could not face. “I want that more than you know. But the woman…” “Should bring you together, not tear you apart.” “I love my brother, and I want to feel happy that he’s found his mate. That his lifetime of loneliness has passed. But all I can think about is that he’s stolen from me once more.” “Stolen? What has he stolen from you?” “First, his power. I’m the oldest, yet he was given the boon of power from you. And then now, our mate. She will never be mine and I may be tortured with watching their happiness, apart from it forever.” “Joran, I don’t know where these thoughts come from. Your power is stronger than Jakob’s.” The All Father leaned over to pick up a goblet of mead and a bunch of grapes, stuffing the fruits into his mouth all at once and biting as many as he could. “His beast, his bloodlust, he is the stronger warrior of the two of us. All I could do was try my best to hold him back, and it rarely worked.” “Have you ever thought that the control you had over your beast was your power? That you had as much strength as your brother did, but in you, there was a strong conscience and deep understanding of how your actions had repercussions. That Jakob needed your help to find his control?” Joran stood there dazed. In all this time, he’d always felt slighted. Inferior. Less than he could be. And even worse, jealous of his own brother for the power he thought he had. Had he been harder on his twin, exerted more control over him, due to that jealousy? Had that been what had made him run? Dropping to his knees, Joran felt as though he’d wasted so much time, had lost so much. And he’d driven the wedge between him and his brother. It was his fault. “Joran, stop being so hard on yourself. Jakob needed your help to learn control of his beast. Yes, you were hard on him, but it was as it was fated to be. Had he not left, he wouldn’t have brought your mate to you.” “My mate? He claimed her alone.”

“Where is it written that it is so? It isn’t. Just because every Berserker set has taken their female together does not make it law. Even now, she desires you. Her beast calls out to you.” “I tried that. And when I suggested that I be included, she ran.” “She is a very headstrong woman, but I wouldn’t have any less for you two. She felt trapped, as if you all were making the decisions for her.” A golden plate with a huge turkey leg appeared in Odin’s lap, and the god lifted the meat to his mouth, ripping a hunk from the bone. He continued to talk, his mouth full. “And you were. Court her. Make her realize she is as much a part of you as she is Jakob. But allow it to be her choice.” Joran looked at the floor, unable to concentrate with Odin’s gnashing teeth and food-filled mouth, his mind reeling from everything he’d absorbed. “I should’ve learned this all on my own. I should’ve seen that the control was my power, before I lost it. How can I go back, after what I’ve done?” “Stop over-thinking every step. You haven’t lost your control. Desire for your mate has just blinded you, temporarily. But you need to find it again in order to do right by that female.” Odin’s youthful features turned stern. “Now it’s time to get you back home.” **** Kara stood by the newly repaired windows looking out into the gardens. There was peacefulness in the space, even as winter approached and the flowers drooped under the weight of the chilled air. But it wasn’t just the gardens that kept her attention. Something was calling to her, begging her to stand here and wait. She squinted as a speck of light formed just outside the window and grew brighter. A flash nearly blinded her and as her sight cleared, she saw a very large, gorgeous golden-haired man standing beside Joran. The glow continued to surround them, and in another flash, the large man was gone, leaving Joran alone. Rushing out the door, Kara felt the animal within her demanding release. Her claws lengthened, digging into the palms of her hands. Teeth elongated and the taste of her own coppery blood spilled over her tongue. Driven, she pushed the front door open and ran down the short flight of stairs and rounded the mansion. She had to be close, even though she rebelled at the idea of going to him.

Joran saw her immediately, and she stopped. His sheepish look spoke volumes. His eyes pled with her for forgiveness and her gut wanted to give him that. But she remembered the broken, bloody arm she’d seen, attesting to his viciousness. Kara refused to allow herself to go easy on him. He needed to atone to them all for what he’d done. “How is he?” Joran could no longer look her in the eye. “Whole. No thanks to you.” She watched as he cringed. “I didn’t mean to hurt him. I just…lost control.” “Regardless if you meant it or not, you nearly ripped his arm off. What did he do that was so terrible that he deserved that?” “I thought he’d taken you from me.” Thought? She had never been Joran’s in the first place, no matter what her treacherous body told her. “I’m his. How could he take what is rightfully his?” “Believe me or not, you were born to be with us both. And I’m going to spend as long as it takes to prove to you that I want to be at your side.” “We mated. Without you.” The words came out unbidden. In her heart, she wanted what Joran said to be true, but she couldn’t wrap her mind around it. She couldn’t trust him. “And your animal instinct tells you that it’s not over. You crave me as much as I crave you. Deny it all you want.” Kara looked to the ground, knowing the truth in his words, but unable to accept them as fact. “Just because of some instinct, you want to be with me. You don’t even know me.” “Did Jakob before he claimed you?” Joran took a step forward, closing the gap between them. “That’s different.” She refused to back away, standing her ground. “How?” Another step, and she was within arm’s reach of him. “It was an emotional time. He’d just saved me from that witch and her men, and then this incredible…desire came over me. There was no conscious choice. It was just action.” “But you made the conscious choice to stay at his side afterwards.” Joran slowly pulled her into his embrace. “You choose to be a Favored.”

“He said the Swartska would be coming after me. That he needed to protect me. And I believe him.” “So you came for protection only.” He moved closer, sliding his lower lip over the base of her throat. “I can protect you just as well.” She felt his body heat seeping into her, warming her even more than his touches were. “This is insane. How can I be with both of you?” “Mates have done so since the dawn of time. It’s our way.” He stroked his hands down her back, pulling her closer to him. The heated outline of his hardened cock pressed against her, and she felt the familiar wetness between her legs. She wanted him as desperately as she’d wanted Jakob earlier. “No.” She pushed him away at the thought of being in Jakob’s arms just hours before. “You don’t get to waltz back in here and seduce me. Did you forget what you did to Jakob? I think you need to go make amends.” “I plan to. To you both.” He leaned back into her and grasped her lips with his own. He tasted of cinnamon, the heat of his mouth an inferno. His tongue teased into her shocked mouth, and he took full advantage, deepening the kiss rapidly. Her knees weak, she pushed him away once more. “Your brother. You need to go to your brother and stop attacking me.” “There is no attacking. But I will continue seducing you until you understand how much I want you.” He started striding to the house before turning back. “Oh, and by the way, I killed your witch for putting her dirty hands on you.” Kara swallowed, trying to get her rioting emotions in check. Her witch? He had killed Gyda? A sense of relief stole over her, but at the same time, it reminded her of how uncontrollable and vicious Joran could be. **** Jakob watched from the upstairs window as Joran approached his mate and felt a sense of relief that he’d come home. He saw the attraction she had, and for the first time, felt no jealousy. The two would have to learn how to put everything behind them for Kara’s sake. Her instinct would allow no less. Neither of them would have her otherwise.

Moments later, he heard the footsteps coming up the stairs and felt his brother’s presence at his back. Jakob was afraid to turn around, afraid that the wrong words would come out of his mouth and it would all be ruined before it ever began. “Jakob…I’m…wow, sorry just doesn’t seem to cover it all. But it’s all I have. I’m sorry for the bite. And I’m even sorrier that I pushed you away, when it was the last thing I ever wanted to do.” Jakob turned and saw the sincerity in his brother’s eyes. “I know now that you did it because you wanted to save me. I couldn’t see that before, through the resentment that I allowed to build inside.” “Where do we go from here?” “Good question.” Jakob scratched his head, not familiar with forgiveness or the process of it. “But this is the best place we’ve been in a very, very long time.” “Best place? The bite…” “Actually, the bite was a good thing.” Joran quieted, dumbstruck by the comment. “How do you figure?” “It proved you weren’t…perfect. That you struggle to contain your beast at times, too. I needed to see that, Joran. I needed to know that I wasn’t weak.” “Never. You’ve never been weak. I’ve always been jealous of your strength.” “Jealous? There is nothing to be jealous about.” Jakob scratched his head again, lowering his hands when he realized it was a nervous gesture. “Except, perhaps, Kara.” Joran looked to the floor, quiet. “I saw you two, out there.” “Yeah?” Joran still didn’t face him. “I had no choice, Joran. I had to take her when I did.” “I know.” “Do you hate me for it?” Joran lifted his chin, capturing his twin’s eyes. “At first, maybe. But now, no. You did what you had to. I would have probably done the same in your place.” Jakob let out a visible sigh. “She’s as much yours as she is mine. Her instinct calls for you, I’ve seen it. And when we attempted to make love last, it grew empty, as if we were missing something.” “You’ve no problem with me sharing her with you?”

“How could I? It’s how it should be. We still have a long ways to go, you and I. But hopefully, she can bring us together.” Just as Odin had said. Joran stared at the mirror image across the room and felt pride in his brother. “I’m glad you left, if this is what you found on your journey.” “Kara?” “No, you. You found yourself and your control on your own.” Jakob smiled, pride in his heart. “I would never have learned had the best example not been shown to me.” Joran chuckled. “Who knew that it would take me biting you to get here?” Ryden and Rayne rushed into the doorway, terror written all over their faces. They stopped short when they saw Joran. “You’re an ass.” Ryden punched him in the shoulder. “Glad you’re back. It couldn’t come at a better time, Joran.” “Why, what’s going on?” “Stott are on our property. I’ve sent a message to Dred. Hopefully the Dragons can get here in time.”

Chapter Eleven Kara looked out the window at the six massive bodies that were knocking down hundred foot trees on their lumbering way to the mansion. They blocked the low afternoon sun as they approached, filling the horizon and making her feel claustrophobic. The slowmoving creatures lumbered in their direction, the pace so sluggish that it was mind-numbing. It was if they toyed with them, letting their panic fill them before the onslaught. She wanted to scream, to run, but calm won out, knowing none of the other nonsense would make the situation any better. The six Berserkers had run out the front door, four shifting into beastly form as they hit the doorframe. As massive as they were, the four large wolves were tiny in comparison to the monsters heading their way. Kara felt her heart racing, sweat forming on her brow as she watched in terror as the four ran into the fray. There was nothing she could do but stand and watch, hoping the men would all come out in one piece. Eryck and Erulf stayed close, again drawing wards, but this time along the house. Kara saw the glowing symbols begin to connect like a barrier grid along the façade of the mansion and wondered it if would be enough to keep she and Karli safe. One lone servant remained, Foxworth, their butler, the voice on the other end of the box just a few days before. Funny, it felt like a lifetime ago. Foxworth refused to leave the Berserkers in their time of need, standing behind the two women, waiting for the inevitable. Taller than the trees they knocked over, the beasts were foul. Scaled skin was puckered, covering their entire bodies. Tufts of mottled hair grew along their heads and necks, and long claws extended from their hands. Shrieks came from their gaping maws where elongated teeth shot out and looked as sharp as swords. Foxworth prayed softly to himself, and the muttered words seemed to add to her frenzied nerves rather than calming her. “Foxworth, what do you know of these things? Is there anything we can do to help our mates?” A large light flared as Eryck and Erulf’s wards were completed, and Kara watched as the two morphed into their gigantic black bear selves and rushed off to meet their brothers. “Foxworth?”

“The Stotts have been gone from this earth for so long, I didn’t think they still existed. Given that, I didn’t study them at length.” “What do you know?” “They can morph into any one of the three components they are made from, the wolf, the dragon, or the giant. The creature from Beowulf, Grendel, was a Stott.” “And Beowulf defeated it. So it can be killed.” “Of course, yes, but Grendel was not full-grown, he was nothing but a child. Beowulf had an army of men to wear the beast out. Though it appears he single-handedly brought him down in the stories, it is not completely true of course. There is no way one human would have the power to do that.” “But Beowulf wasn’t an Immortal beast. Our Berserkers are strong, they will win this fight.” Kara moved closer to the window and watched the battle begin, terrified for them. She itched to run out to help, ignoring their demand that she stay indoors. Knowing she couldn’t do anything, she remained, pacing along the window, watching. She’d never felt so completely weak in her entire life. Waiting. Suddenly, B popped into the room. “Belladonna? What…in…the….” Karli looked the woman over from head to toe, an incredulous look on her face. “You know B?” “Yes, I do. How do you know her?” “We don’t have time for explanations. Duck!” B screamed to them both, falling to the floor herself. “What?” Both Karli and Kara said at once. “Duck! Dammit, duck! Get away from the windows!” As both women dropped below the windows, a large flash of light burst into the room from outside. Once it lessened and seemed to move away from the house, B leaned up to peek out the window. “Okay, coast is clear. Freyja is here, and if she sees either of you, she might get the bright idea to take you both outside and into the melee.” “Freyja?” Kara felt more confused than ever. “B? Who are you?” B smiled at them both, a motherly hand reaching out to caress each of their cheeks one by one. “I’m just watching out for my girls. Remember, watch carefully from the windows, stay as hidden as

possible, especially if Freyja gets close again.” A small pop and flash of light, and B was gone. Karli looked back at Kara, a questioning look in her eyes. “She used to come to my work everyday. She healed Rayne when they fought the Dragon.” “She found me in Dragonland, as she called it, and made me promise to allow Jakob to rescue me and not sneak out on my own.” “Here, I thought she was just some weird old lady. Now, she grows even weirder. We can figure out later what the hell she is.” **** Joran jumped at the Stott closest to him, digging his claws and teeth into its left leg as Jakob attacked the other side. A roar ripped through the air as the creature dropped to its knees. Jakob pounced on its chest, knocking it back, as Joran rounded the Stott, avoiding its razor sharp teeth to pierce its neck. Blood flowed all around him and his beast grew more vicious. These creatures thought to kill them, their women. There was no way that was happening. Not when he’d waited so long for an opportunity such as this. He snapped his jaws again, capturing the jugular of the Stott, and the creature grasped him with his claws and threw him at least fifty feet away. Before he could get up and run back over, Jakob clasped his jaw back into the Stott’s throat, ripping a hole as big as his head in the creature’s neck. One down. Turning to look at the others, he saw Ryden and Rayne each held off one beast alone, and Eryck and Erulf had returned to human form and were using their magic to prevent the other three from advancing. Jakob jumped into the fray with Ryden, so Joran joined the fight with Rayne, and they quickly killed off the next two beasts together. Eryck and Erulf’s magic was struggling. Their limbs were trembling from the power running through them, trying to contain the creatures. Ryden nipped to Eryck’s side, and the two let down their magic, shifting into wolven forms as they did so. The last three charged, but each set of brothers parried the attack and went on the offensive. Joran felt more alive than he had in a long time, and with his brother at his side, fighting as one unit, he felt even more

powerful. He had what he’d always wanted, a strong twin to stand with him shoulder to shoulder, fighting against the enemy. A flash of light caught his attention, and he saw Freyja materialize behind them. Behind the row of three Stotts, six more appeared along with the echo of the goddess’s laughter. Freyja dematerialized and then almost instantaneously appeared again, Kara in her clutches. The goddess handed her over to one of the Stotts, who quickly raised her in his greasy palm, high above the ground. Fire flew from powerful mouths in every direction. Joran felt as if the night they saved Karli was being revisited upon them, times ten. Both he and Jakob wordlessly attacked the beast, each biting into an ankle. As the Stott screamed in pain and reached for them in defense, he dropped his quarry, and Jakob rushed to reach her before she landed, transitioning to human form seconds before plucking her from the air. Joran twisted, running toward Freyja, angry that Odin had not allowed him to strike her down when he had the chance. As he pounced on her, they tumbled to the ground, and he captured her neck in his mighty jaws. Her blood poured into him, and he shuddered at the pure, raw power that entered his body. He saw her eyes, the terror encased in the pale, blue depths shocking. She was afraid. Of him. As she’d said before, she should’ve been able to fight him off. He struck her down with an ease he did not expect. And the knowledge of that had him releasing her just before lightning rained down around them. Odin raced through the sky on the back of Sleipnir, his eightlegged gray steed, surrounded by a darkened sky and fabulous arcs of powerful electricity. He dropped to the earth, and galloped to Freyja, jumping off the side of his horse and kneeling before her. “No! I told you she was not to be touched!” Odin raised his hand to Joran, throwing him across the field with the wave of his hand. As Joran slowly rose from the ground, a thunderous sound echoed behind him. A horde of at least a hundred Dragons flew close. Several of the Stotts morphed into full Dragons and flew into the air, attacking the masses before they reached the field. Joran looked back to Odin, who saw nothing but the goddess before him. She appeared unconscious.

Joran raced back into the frenzy, Jakob catching up to him as he returned from moving Kara to the house. They fought side by side, for the first time in a hundred years. Stott after Stott fell, the Dragons helping to turn the tide. Fire spewed, claws ripped, and teeth pierced all around them, the ground rumbling as bodies hit the ground from the air. The scent of blood and death surrounded them once more. It brought back memories of the bloodlust, and all it had destroyed, but Joran knew this battle was one that must be waged. As the overwhelming numbers of Berserkers and Dragons surrounded the final four Stotts, Joran saw Sleipnir racing back into the sky. Not with Odin on his back, but Freyja. Turning to see Odin still on his knees, Joran rushed to him reverting to his humanoid shape. “That bitch stole my horse. She played dead, and then she stole my fucking horse.” “You should’ve let me kill her when I had the chance.” Odin grabbed Joran’s throat, lifting him from the ground. “I told you to leave her be. If I hadn’t had to come here to stop you, perhaps I would still be atop Sleipnir now.” Joran choked, the hand at his throat unyielding. The Dragons and his brothers were eradicating the final Stotts in the background, screams and roars echoing in the open field behind him. But the All Father saw none of it, only Joran. Odin raised him further, until they were eye to eye. “She may be a bitch, but she’s the woman I love. If you put another of your paws on her, I will kill you myself. Do we understand one another?” Joran did his best to shake his head “yes.” Odin dropped him to the ground, turning to look at the finished battle. “Stotts? I never did care for those ugly creatures. But it was an interesting move on her part, that’s for sure.” Odin almost sounded pleased with the wench. The other five of the pack moved closer, back in human form. Never having met Odin, the awe in their faces showed. Ryden stopped ahead of the others. “All Father?” Odin looked over the five of them with something as close to love as Joran could imagine. He raised a hand to Ryden’s shoulder and smiled. “You have all given me such pride. Even your brother over there with the death wish.” He nodded toward Joran.

“How I’ve dreamed of one day meeting you. We’ve sensed your presence before, guiding us, protecting us. It’s an honor to finally meet you.” Ryden seemed the most in awe to the All Father before them. “As well you should.” Odin turned to look back to the skies, as if he expected Freyja to return to him. “As well we should?” Joran moved closer. “Are you always this arrogant?” “Joran, shut up!” Rayne shouted. “Arrogant? I am the All Father. It isn’t arrogance to expect you to feel awe in my presence. Had it not been for me, none of you would have even existed.” An eyebrow rose as Odin looked over the group. “And you Joran, are already on my shit-list as it is. You just lost me the best horse I’ve ever had.” “All you are worrying about is that horse? She brought Stotts from Helheim in order to kill us all. We’re at war. Freyja will stop at nothing until we’re dead.” Joran saw the looks of utter terror in the eyes of his pack, but he felt no fear of Odin for some bizarre reason. Perhaps it was his trip to Asgard, or the fact that he’d held the life of a goddess between his teeth. “You will go after her and return my horse to me.” “It’s a fucking horse! Why do we care?” Odin grasped Joran by the arm and lifted him off the ground. “She can now get to the middle of the Earth with Sleipnir.” Joran thought a moment, realization on the edges of his mind. “Fenrir?” “Yes, she can now get to Fenrir, the Great Wolf, and free him.” Joran felt his feet touch the ground once more as Odin released him. “It will begin Ragnarök and could spell the end of me, as well as many others in Asgard. This is why I will not go after her. You six will. Had it not been for you attacking her, I wouldn’t have felt the need to come here today, thus, it is your fault.” “She brought the Stott here, and potentially could have brought more. I had no choice.” “Of course you had a choice. And now you must correct your mistake, or Midgard will be no more.” Joran thought back to the prophecy. Ragnarök would bring a rebirth to the Earth, after everything on it died. Kara.

“We’ll get Sleipnir back for you.” The need to protect her kicked in with a virulence that shook him to his core. “Of course you will. Was there ever any doubt?” Joran looked Odin over, wanting the throttle him with his bare hands. The god smiled and disappeared in a burst of light. Ryden moved closer, arms akimbo. “Would you like to tell me what the hell that was all about? Are you completely insane? Talking to him like that…it’s…it’s suicide.” “I met him in Asgard.” Joran shrugged, not wanting to elaborate. “And I’m still alive, aren’t I?” “Asgard? Freyja, did she take you there?” Eryck chimed in. “Yes.” Ryden sighed. “We thought so. How did you escape her?” “Odin intervened after I cut off Gyda’s head.” “You took Gyda’s head? The witch is dead?” The look of pure astonishment that formed on Ryden’s face was enough to make Joran chuckle. “She is no longer. And without her to feed information to her Swartska, I doubt we will have to worry much about them, either.” “A thousand years we fight them, and suddenly they’re no more?” Ryden crossed his arms, looking them all over. “But it seems that Freyja is still throwing enemies our way, new and improved versions. On that note, we may want to thank our winged, firebreathing friends for helping us stop the menace of the Stott.”

Chapter Twelve Kara had watched the entire event unfold from her spot beside the window, amazed that they would all walk away nearly unscathed. After greeting the Dragons, all six walked back to the mansion as the horde of scaled ones flew off into the horizon. She’d attempted to run out to the field when the action had been over, but it seemed the wards that Eryck and Erulf had drawn bound her to the house. Apparently, they had no affect on a goddess. She thought back to her time in the Dragon world, remembering the face in the mirror. It had been Freyja. Kara was glad she’d followed her gut and not followed the goddess’s directions. Who knew where it would have led her? Pacing the floor, waiting for the males to finally enter the front door, her skin thrummed in electric excitement. She wanted to put her hands on them, check them over inch by inch, to know that they were well. They? The moment the thought hit her, she was mortified. She was not the lover of two men. She wasn’t built that way. No matter what they thought she should be. As soon as the door opened, she raced to it and grabbed Jakob. She planted a kiss on his lips as she rushed into his bloodied arms and she could finally breathe again. Resting her head against his chest, she sighed, languishing in the warmth of his embrace. “I told you that you would end up accepting me.” Joran? She pushed from his arms, loathing filling her. Turning to look around her, she found Jakob at her back. “If you want him, I will not stop you.” “No, I want you. Not him. I thought he was you.” “Ultimately, he is me. We’re both two parts of the same whole. We’ve finally realized that and embraced it.” She looked between the naked men, their clothes having been ripped from them as they shifted. They looked identical, down to the same birthmark on their chests. The small half moon shape branded them. Her fingers itched to reach out and touch the scarred skin. She had no idea who was who. Were they doing this on purpose? Trying to muddle an already confusing situation with games? After the afternoon she’d had, she was not ready for them to push her any further. So, instead

of playing along, she turned and marched up the stairs and didn’t look back. Once inside their bedroom, she closed the door and fell into the bed. All she could think about was sleep, if she could capture any. She drifted off before she knew she was even asleep. Later she awoke to erotic caresses, the sweeping of hands all over her naked body. She’d been clothed when she fell into the bed, but now, in the dark, she felt the cool, crisp linen of the bed sheets against her bared skin. Jakob’s hand massaged her legs, starting at her feet and working its way up. Another hand rubbed her shoulders, her stress sliding away from her. Until she realized Jakob could not be in two places at once. She pulled from the two and reached for the light. She saw them both on the bed, a sheepish look on both their faces. “You meant to use trickery to bend me to your will?” “No trickery. We both aim to please you. Nothing more.” In the soft light of the bedside light, she wasn’t completely sure which one was which. Nude, they both looked identical, a carbon copy of each other. “How can I be with you both? It is…too much.” Even at the words, she felt her claws lengthen and a slow, soft growl rumbled in her chest. She felt the beast inside her come forth, just as it had on the night Jakob had claimed her, but without the ferocity of that night. Kara was still in control of herself and could ultimately make the decision one way or another. She rested back and looked at the two, expectation shining bright in their eyes. Kara wanted them both, that she could admit to herself. And the drive to mate with them was strong, the beast inside her demanding she finally be completed. The instinct had not let her down the first time, and she loved Jakob more than anyone in her entire life. He made her feel safe and loved. Should she ignore the instinct now, when it told her to succumb? Tentatively, she reached out a hand to the male on her right, inviting him to lie beside her. He palmed her face in his large hand as he locked onto her eyes, sliding into the bed beside her and fitting his hard body to her own. She felt the heat of him leech into her. Kara looked to the other man, still standing at the edge of the bed, watching the intimate moment between the two, a look of doubt crossing his features. When she caught his eye, she viewed his body

from head to toe, knowing this was the last moment she could stop all of this, or it would be the absolute moment of pure abandon. As she reached out her hand, the heavy weight of expectation lifted from the air. Her second mate slid into the bed, sandwiching her between two hard, hot bodies. Mouths lifted to her neck and shoulder as hands floated over her skin in touches that nearly caught her breath. Overstimulated, she was wrapped in a pleasure that was more than her body could handle and her brain short-circuited at that moment. There was no thought, no over-thinking, just feeling. The two were artists, running hands over her and bringing her to the point of release time and time again, only to stop before she reached the pinnacle. Fingers splayed, lips grazed, and tongues licked as they brought her into a frenzied state of bliss. A tongue lapped at her clit as another suckled a nipple, while fingers teased her in every spot imaginable. She felt them press into her cunt, and as another slowly pressed into her ass, she felt the heat of the moment push past and she screamed her release out, the very breath knocked out of her lungs. Warmth spread over her entire body and she felt herself lifted into the lap of one of the men, his hard shaft guided to her ass. Fingers spread the heated juices of her pussy to rim around the tight bud and then the pressure was there again, the thick head of a cock burning to enter her rear. She instinctively knew it was Jakob at her back, coaxing her to relax, his fingers running to her front and finding her clit. He moved his fingers in a slow circle as she pressed back onto his cock. Joran hovered over her from the side, kissing her lips and molding her breasts as his brother inched into her body, marking her in such a new way. The burning brand of his claiming was nearly more than she could handle. Once fully seated, Joran moved to the cradle of her thighs and spread her legs even wider. He pressed the head of his cock to the opening of her pussy and then kissed her again as he slid his length into her. They were both invading her, ripping her apart, the thick swells of their cocks filling her more tightly than anything she had ever known. But even on the edge of the pain, there was pleasure, tightly coiled and waiting to explode. The two paused, allowing her to grow accustomed to the fullness, and then when she began to grind

her hips against them, they began the slow thrust and parry that had her screaming…for more. She felt utterly claimed, their hot cocks filling her body past the point of no return. Fingers pinched her nipples and her clit, but she was past looking to see who touched her. She closed her eyes tight and focused on the delicious burn in her ass and her pussy as they pushed her body further than it had even been pushed before. Fighting for breath, she felt the slick slide of sweat between her body and theirs and succumbed to their rhythm. One pressed forward as the other reared back, pushing her to the brink. As she flew over the edge, she screamed out in release, her whole body convulsing in utter abandon as the tremors took over. In the midst of her orgasm, she felt first one and then the other begin their own, shooting thick ribbons of cum into her, the heat of their seed burning her from the inside out. They lay there spent, unable to move, gulping in air by the lungful. As their breathing returned to normal, Joran slid to the side, bringing her with him. Jakob turned as well, and they laid side by side, still joined in the most intimate way. As their cocks slowly retreated from her, slipping out as they softened, Joran rose from the bed and grabbed a soft towel, grazing it slowly over her abraded skin, cleaning her of the excesses of their lovemaking. Once completed, he slid back into the bed, gathering her into his arms. Precious, quiet moments passed, and soon after, Jakob turned off the light and snuggled closer. There were no words to speak right now. They had conveyed too much in the past hour to ever mar it with words. **** Joran awoke the following morning, complete, superb, and with an armful of Kara. He had never felt such happiness as he did when he woke with her in his arms, still unsure if the night before had been a dream. Seeing her now made him realize she was a reality. He just hoped it would last and she would not regret her decision last night. Both she and Jakob appeared to still be asleep, so he sat and watched Kara as the soft morning light filtered in through the curtains and coated her face. Her features were classic, a strong nose and high cheekbones. Her wide, pink lips were sensual, and he was drawn to

kiss them once more. The smattering of light freckles over the bridge of her nose brought youthfulness to her face. But then again, anyone was youthful when compared to the centuries-old Berserkers. She was light, fresh, and new. Exactly what the brothers needed in their long, lonely existences. He just hoped that she was accepting him, that her actions last night were her decision. The experience had been too overwhelming to ask last night, and he hadn’t wanted to ruin the bliss of the moment. Today, he had questions. He kissed her softly in hopes of rousing her. Her lashes fluttered against the alabaster of her skin and her eyes slowly became clear. She looked at him and smiled, a soft pink tingeing her cheeks. “Embarrassed?” he whispered to her. “No,” she sighed quietly on a breath. “But there were a lot of barriers broken last night.” “Broken? You mean torn to bits.” “Exactly.” She turned to look at her other partner and smiled. “Jakob hasn’t slept well since I met him. It’s nice to see him so peaceful.” “You figured out which one of us is which?” “You were more timid, hesitant, with your touches. Jakob was more confident. It only took a few moments.” “I was waiting for you to throw me out of the bed at any moment.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wished he hadn’t spoken them. No point in giving her any ideas now. “And you are still worried that I’m going to throw you out. I can see it on your face.” He looked into the storm dancing in her eyes, looking for an answer as to if she would actually do it or not. She sighed. “You can breathe. I’m not planning on kicking you out of my bed at the moment.” “At the moment?” Kara looked him squarely in the eyes and stiffened her jaw a little. “I admit I still have reservations about this relationship. Three of us in what is typically a one on one dynamic. Part of me is afraid that it could pull you and your brother even further apart if it doesn’t work out.” “And the other part?”

“Can’t deny my attraction…to both of you. This inner instinct I have says this is right and needs to be explored.” Hope filled Joran for the first time…in an eternity. “I’m all for exploration.” “I want to see where this will lead. But we all must agree that if at any point it isn’t working for us, that we need to communicate and decide what the next step is. Full honesty and no secrets. I must demand that.” “It’s all you deserve.” Jakob rose up on his arm and looked at them both. “Honesty.” Kara looked between them. “Then we agree to try this out. You both will be able to talk to one another and be the brothers you deserve to have?” Joran felt a lump in his throat as he looked across her shoulder to his brother. “I never wanted to push you away. I only wanted to help you.” “I know that, and can now appreciate it for what it was. But I have tackled my own demon, without you.” “I know that. And am more proud than you could ever know.” Jakob reached his hand out to Joran. Joran looked at that hand for long moments, his chest tight at the meaning it held. He was about to have a brother, a twin, once more. To stand by his side, to fight the good fight, and to protect this incredibly amazing woman who was theirs to cherish. He would do everything in his power to keep them together, as one. Joran grasped his twin’s hand and pulled him into the embrace, Kara caught in between them. Exactly where she belonged. **** Kara could barely breathe, locked in the midst of their brotherly love. But she wasn’t complaining. The veil of doubt and guilt was gone and the sun shone on them for the first time. As they parted, she could finally breathe again. Looking the two over, she knew that this was exactly where she wanted to be. **** Eryck looked over the books in their library, trying to find everything he could on Middle Earth. Odin could move within the realms easily, not needing Sleipnir. But all other entities besides the All Father needed magical means to reach the accursed place, which is why Odin chose to place Fenrir there.

If the great wolf could not be released, then Ragnarök would not occur, and the worlds of the gods would be safe. Odin kept Sleipnir at his side for that reason alone, so no one else could use the animal to save Fenrir. The myth stated that Fenrir had been bound by a cursed ribbon that he could not break, the humiliation of it being a ribbon and not chains not lost on Eryck. But Freyja could untie the ribbon and allow the beast to follow her back to Earth. And the havoc the beast would wreck was nothing compared to the fact its presence alone meant the end of the world. It would be reborn in fire and ash and life would start again. But Eryck was not quite ready to say goodbye to this world. He and his brother, Erulf, were the last two who had not found their mate, and by the gods, he was not going to lose out on the chance for some happiness after the many centuries of their lonely life. He had begun to dream of her, not that he’d shared that with his twin. Curly locks of golden wheat bounced as she ran to him in the open field. With deep, wide, expressive eyes the color of chocolate drops, she looked up at him with desire shining in the expressive pools. She never spoke in his dreams, just ran into his outstretched arms, her lithe body filling the empty spaces he so desperately needed filled. The dreams had begun about the same time as his accursed visions. The visions were a whirlwind of images that meant next to nothing, although those visions had been quiet over the past few days, thankfully. No, the dreams were pleasant, a reason for him to crawl into bed each night and close his eyes, hoping that night he would spend it with her in his arms. At first, they had not been nightly, but as the weeks had pressed on, they came to him more often, until it was nearly every single night. He ached even now to crawl between his sheets, to see her, to know what it was he was fighting for. But they left in the morning, bound for Middle Earth to stop Freyja from her task, and Eryck needed to know as much as he could to stop the goddess from triumph. Casting his eyes about the page, he found an enchantment that could possibly allow them to enter Middle Earth without Freyja knowing they were there. As soon as he repeated the words in his head, a vision blasted into his skull, blanking out everything else that there was. But this image was stronger than any other he had ever

seen, and the usual swirling was gone. Instead of pictures, he was there, inside the image, walking onto the green grasses of a field. She was there, the woman from his dreams, standing in their field, her tight curls blowing softly in the wind. He opened his arms for her, and this time, she did not run to them but remained locked in the spot she stood. He was unsure of what to do, so he strode toward her. As he closed in, he saw tears streaking down her lovely deeply-tanned skin. Once he realized she was crying, he sped up, running to reach her. He approached, seeing a ribbon wrapped around her ankle, blood oozing from the spot it was attached. Eryck lowered himself to remove the ribbon, pulling at it with all his strength as she fought against him, pushing him away from her. But he was stronger than she, and as soon as he released the ribbon from her foot, she shifted into a massive wolf. Fenrir. Fenrir grasped Eryck’s throat and ripped it between massive jaws. As Eryck fell to the ground, blood poured from the wound and spread out before him. The light of the deep blue sky darkened and the woman appeared once more, blood surrounding her mouth and dripping down her chin, ruining the beautiful lavender silk of her dress. “When will you learn, Eryck? Look deep into the soul of those you battle against.” Her voice cascaded over him as the light was nearly extinguished from his eyes. Seconds later, he was back in his chair at the desk. Falling from his seat, disoriented, he grasped at his throat feeling that it was whole and untouched. Deep breaths came to him as he fought the rising panic he felt. Eryck sat on the floor, trying to make heads or tails of what he’d just seen. Was the love he and Erulf awaited for over a millennia the thing that would ultimately be their demise? The End

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The Berserker Mate’s Series: Night of the Dragon Going Berserk (free short story) Beauty and her Beasts

Other Books by Alexandra O'Hurley: The Lottery Master of Mine Night of the Dragon Being Improper Midnight Seduction

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