Love Everlasting

Chapter Three

Elsa lay naked under the covers on her bed as she watched Brand walk back into the room, equally naked. He’d gone to use the loo. She ran her gaze over his body. She’d licked, tasted, and explored every inch of him over the last couple of hours. They’d also made love four times. The man seemed insatiable. Not that she minded. She couldn’t get enough of him. He touched her, and her body instantly reacted, growing wet and aching.

Then she thought about what happened each and every time Brand came. His cock swelled to the point that they were locked together, and he came a hell of a lot longer than any guy she’d slept with before. He didn’t seem worried about it, so neither did she. It wasn’t exactly “normal,” but it didn’t make the sex bad, by any means.

Brand collected his clothes and then sat on the bed next to her. She trailed a hand up and down his hard, muscular thigh. “You really have to go?”

“Yes, but I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“So I can’t talk you out of it?” She sat up, the covers falling away from her breasts as she leaned against him and nipped his earlobe. “And there’s nothing I can do to change your mind?”

“No,” he said, his voice sounding a little strained.

“Damn. Well, I tried.” Elsa put some space between them. “I guess I’ll admit defeat. When will you come over tomorrow?”

“In the morning, however early you’ll let me.”

“If that’s the case…” She slid off the bed and walked over to her dresser. She picked up the two keys that sat on top of it and then turned and went back to Brand. Elsa held them out. “Then take these. They were Teddy’s set to the flat. This way you can come as early as you want, even if I’m still sleeping.”

He met her gaze with his. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. I trust you.” She placed the keys in his hand and closed his fingers over them.

And Elsa did trust Brand. She felt as if she’d known him longer than a day. He was comfortable to be around. Though he wasn’t much of a conversationalist, that didn’t bother her in the least. She tended to be on the talkative side and more than made up for his reticence. When Brand held her in his strong arms, she wanted to melt into him. He’d also done a great job of erasing all the intimate moments she’d had with her ex. Teddy was only a bad, vague memory now.

Brand tugged her down onto his lap and kissed her until her toes curled, and his cock was hard and pressing against her bottom. Once he let her up for air, Elsa wiggled a bit, hoping it would encourage him to stay a little longer.

He kissed her again before he shifted her onto the bed. “Nice try, but I really do have to go.”

“Fine,” she said.

Elsa watched Brand stand to tug his jeans on. The man had the nicest ass she’d ever seen. Actually, he had the nicest everything she’d ever seen. He flipped his long hair over his shoulders before he donned his T-shirt, covering his muscular chest and the tattoo on his left arm. She’d already gotten to inspect it with great detail, as well as the rest of his body.

Once he was completely dressed, Elsa went to her closet and pulled out her bathrobe before she put it on. She then followed Brand out of the room. As he headed for the door, she remembered something.

“Oh, I almost forgot. You don’t have my phone number. I should give it to you just in case you need to call me.”

He reached into the front pocket of his jeans and took out his mobile phone. “I’ll put it in my contacts.”

She rattled off the number as Brand pushed the buttons on his mobile. When he suggested she take his, Elsa went to the kitchen and got her purse and entered it into her phone.

With one last kiss, Brand walked out of the flat. Elsa locked the door after him and then leaned back on it and sighed. A wide smile spread across her lips. Teddy’s dumping her had turned out to be a blessing in disguise. If Teddy hadn’t, she never would have met Brand, who was three times better than her ex. Instead of waking up the next morning feeling pissed off, she now had something infinitely better to look forward to.

Brand stepped into the manor house knowing he didn’t have much time left before he and his fellow warriors were to leave for a night of hunting. The others had yet to gather in the foyer, which they did before leaving. That was when Raed, their leader, gave them any last-minute instructions. As a mortal Raed had been known as Raedwald, the king of East Anglia. They all still considered him their king, even though Raed no longer thought of himself as such.

He looked toward the stairs to the upper level at the sound of light footsteps going down them. Maggie smiled as she met his gaze with her own. In the months since she’d come to live here with her mate, Dolf, she’d settled right into their “family.” Gone was the woman who’d been terrified of them after being abducted by the former pack leader of Fenris’s get, Stephen. For a while there they’d all been worried she’d never get over her fear of Dolf. Brand had taken Maggie in hand, though, and had shown her she had nothing to fear from any of them, even though they were werewolves as well.

“Hi, Brand,” Maggie said when she reached the foyer and walked over to him. “Did you just get back in?”

He nodded. “Yeah.” He returned the smile she gave him.

“All ready to go out for a night of hunting?”

“Yes.” Maggie seemed to peer at him closely, studying him almost. “What?” he asked.

“You look … happy. Not that I think you’re always in a bad mood, but you tend to look, well, not in a good one. Plus, today you stayed out longer than you normally do.”

Figuring he’d have to tell everyone about Elsa now that he was on his way to making them true mates, he said, “I was with my mate.”

A huge smile spread across Maggie’s lips before she threw her arms around him and hugged him. “I’m so happy for you, Brand. I thought she was lost to you.”

He returned her embrace. “So did I.”

“Oi, stop manhandling my mate,” Dolf said as he came down the stairs.

Maggie pulled away and turned to face Dolf as he joined them. “Brand was hardly manhandling me, and for your information, I started it.”

Dolf tugged Maggie over to his side and draped his arm around her shoulders. “In that case, you’re only supposed to manhandle me like that.” He leaned toward Brand and sniffed. “Well, fuck me. You’ve been with a woman, and you even had sex.” Dolf grunted when Maggie smacked him on the stomach.

“Dolf, you shouldn’t make comments like that.”

“But it’s true, and it’s kind of hard for me not to pick it up, having a sensitive werewolf sense of smell. You don’t understand how big a deal this is. Brand hasn’t had sex in seven years. We all know that.”

Maggie’s gaze shot to Brand. “Seven years? Is that when you first met your mate?”

He nodded.

“Whoa, back up a bit,” Dolf said. “You have a mate, Brand? And what does Maggie mean you met your mate seven years ago? You never said anything about it to any of us. Ever.”

“Wait until the others come, and then I’ll explain,” Brand said.

“Everyone get down here,” Dolf bellowed, which earned him another smack from Maggie.

“What’s going on?” Raed asked as he, his mate, Lexi, and the rest of the occupants of the house arrived in the foyer.

“Apparently, Brand has been holding out on us,” Dolf said. “He found his mate. Seven years ago.”

“Is that true, Brand?” Algar asked.

“Yes.”

“Why have you kept her hidden?”

He sighed. “I didn’t. I first found Elsa when she was sixteen, too young for me to claim as my mate. So I’ve watched over her from afar for the last seven years, waiting for the time when she’d be ready. I waited too long, and she became engaged to marry another. But today I found out that didn’t work out. I’ve rectified my mistake.”

“Why the hell would you allow her to marry someone else if you already knew she was your mate?” Wulfric asked.

“Because I wanted her to be happy, even if that meant not claiming her.”

“I didn’t take you for a bloody martyr.”

Brand scowled. “I’m not. Elsa is my mate. Are you saying you don’t feel the need to ensure Cydney’s happiness? You wouldn’t sacrifice anything for it?”

Wulfric gave him an apologetic look. “Sorry. I see your point. I would do anything to make sure she stays happy.”

“Aw, thanks, babe,” Cydney said as she put her arm around her mate’s waist and squeezed him.

Brand looked at Nika when he heard her sniffle. “Ah hell, you made me cry,” she said. “My damn hormones are still out of whack from being pregnant.”

Garrick pulled his mate close and kissed the top of Nika’s head. “It’s all right.”

“That’s where you go day after day,” Lexi said. “You go to your mate. So when do we get to meet Elsa?”

“Soon,” Brand replied. “Even though I’ve known about Elsa for years, she doesn’t remember me and thinks we just met for the first time today.”

“How did you meet her, Brand?” Kamryn asked. She stood at Algar’s side.

He smiled at the memory. “She’d been at a friend’s place, drinking. Very drunk, Elsa attempted to walk home by herself. I just happened to have that particular part of the city to hunt that night. When I saw her weaving all over the pavement, I figured I couldn’t let her go by herself, especially if werewolves happened to be around. It was a bit of a shock when my wolf reacted to her, just a teenage girl. I ended up walking her home, where she just about puked on me. After that night, it didn’t take me long to figure out what she meant to me. I was drawn to her and couldn’t stay away, even though I knew she was too young.”

“Wow,” Cydney said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say this much, Brand.”

He shook his head. “I’m only telling this story once.”

“Well, I guess that’s going to leave me now as the unmated one,” Chris said.

Chris had recently joined them. He was technically one of Fenris’s get, but he was nothing like the others of his kind. When shifted in his werewolf form, he retained his ability of speech. He also was able to think like a man, just as Brand and the other warriors could. Chris had also managed to turn the tables in their favor when it came to the beasts they hunted. After taking out the former pack leader, Chris had taken Stephen’s position. Now the werewolves came looking for Chris because of what he was. They also were compelled to obey everything he said. The new pack leader could also sense where others of his kind were before even picking up their scent. It made the warriors’ job a lot easier when werewolves arrived at the manor’s property line and basically served themselves up on a platter.

Maggie went and gave Chris a hug. She and the other man had grown up together and were long-time friends. “Don’t worry, Chris,” she said. “I’m sure you’ll find yours.”

“That’s if he can find a woman crazy enough to take him,” Garrick said with a laugh.

Nika scowled at her mate. “You can be such a smartass at times.”

Garrick kissed her. “But you still love me.”

She smiled. “True.” Nika looked at Brand. “Good luck with your mate, Brand. On that note, I’m going to say my good-bye now. Luke is sleeping, and I’m going to get in my pajamas and enjoy the break before he wakes up again wanting to be fed.”

“Don’t worry, Nika,” Lexi said. “It does get easier. Now that Petra is a year old, it’s nice not having to do late-night feedings.”

Brand watched the mated couples say good-bye to each other. That would be him soon. Elsa would kiss him before he went out on a night of hunting, and she’d be in his bed waiting for him when he returned. At long last he’d finally have the one thing he’d longed for—his mate at his side, sharing his life.

Brand waited for Chris to get out of the car before he headed down the pavement. Given what Chris was and what he was capable of, the other man took turns pairing up with each of the warriors. Tonight was Brand’s turn to partner him.

Once Chris joined him, Brand asked, “Sense any?”

“Nothing yet. Let’s get moving and see if that changes.”

Brand started them walking in the direction of a park that was a few blocks away. Parks were a werewolf’s favorite place to lurk, hoping to catch mortals off guard. They were bloodthirsty creatures.

After a minute of silence, Chris said, “I don’t know how you did it.”

Brand gave him a questioning look. “Did what?”

“Waited for so many years for your mate to grow up and then just step aside for another man to take your rightful place in her life. I get what you meant about ensuring her happiness, but I still couldn’t do it. Maybe that makes me a selfish bastard, but I’d fight for the woman who was meant to be mine.”

“You’re still young. Once you’ve lived as many years as I have, you’ll come to look beyond just what your wants are.”

“Maybe so, but I would have tried something, especially now that I’ve seen what the other mated couples have.”

Brand could admit to himself that watching his fellow warriors find their mates and start a new life with them had him questioning whether he was being stupid for doing nothing to make Elsa his. It’d been especially bad near the end when the babies were born. He wanted a child of his own, but with Elsa seemingly out of the picture, he’d figured it wasn’t something he’d ever experience. Now all that had changed.

“It’s no longer like that, so it doesn’t matter now,” Brand said.

Chris’s steps slowed, and he came to a stop. “Hold up. I’m sensing a werewolf.”

“Where? Do you think he’s at the park?”

“Or the empty lot that’s not too far from it. I’m sensing he’s in that direction, anyway.”

“Let’s go then.”

Brand walked at a faster clip, Chris easily keeping up with him. The other man had bulked up a bit muscle-wise since Dolf had started to train Chris to become a warrior. And Chris now handled a sword with competence. He even fought in his werewolf form three times better than when Dolf had first run across Chris cowering in the bushes one night, trying to hide from others of his kind.

Just as they reached the empty lot, Chris slowed again and then said quietly, “He’s in here.”

Brand nodded. “We’ll draw him to the park,” he said softly. “The lot is too close to houses. Someone might see us there.”

Breaking into a run, Chris and he headed for the park. Once they were in far enough not to be spotted, Brand came to a halt and turned to the other man. “Time to do your thing.”

Chris stepped away from Brand. Chris’s body blurred as he shifted into his half-human and half-wolf werewolf form. Once the change was complete, Chris threw back his lupine head and let out a long howl, the call of a werewolf pack leader. It would draw any werewolf within hearing distance. The creatures wouldn’t be able to help themselves. They’d be unable to ignore their leader’s call.

Sure enough, almost a minute later, one of Fenris’s get approached Chris. The creature had shifted to his werewolf form. Brand willed his sword into his hand. The silver mixed in the hard steel of the blade was deadly to werewolves sired by Fenris, all except for Chris. One thrust of the sword through the heart was all it took to kill the creatures he and his fellow warriors hunted.

As Brand went to move in to take out the werewolf, he noticed a second stepping out of the shadows closer to him. He turned to intercept it. The beast growled when he saw Brand and went on the attack. Brand blocked the swipe of sharp claws swinging his way with the flat of his sword. He pushed the werewolf back and moved in to make the kill. The creature spun away at the last moment, obviously not one of the newly turned. Brand kept on him until the beast bled from a few cuts Brand had managed to inflict on the werewolf’s chest and stomach. The creature’s skin sizzled when the blade made contact. Once the opening came, Brand sank his sword through to his prey’s heart. The beast let out one last howl and then fell to the ground, dead.

That one taken care of, Brand turned to Chris. His new fellow warrior had the other werewolf by the throat, holding him in place. “You okay over there?” Brand asked.

“Yes,” Chris said in a voice much deeper and more gravelly than his normal one. “When you went to take out the other werewolf, this one tried to go help. I caught him and commanded him to stay where he was. He’s all yours now.”

Brand closed the distance between them and, as Chris stepped aside, stabbed the werewolf through his heart. It dropped to the ground just as the first had.

Willing his sword away, Brand called out, “Tiw, I call upon you. I have need of your fire.” The two werewolf corpses were engulfed in blue god-fire. The flames burned hotter, burning away the bodies in a few seconds. An unnatural wind blew the ashes away, not even leaving a scorched patch to mar the green grass to mark their passing.

Chris shifted back to his human form. “Well, that’s two more down. Do you think we’ll ever get rid of them all?”

“Eventually. It’ll just take some time. Their numbers are definitely decreasing. We don’t have as many new turns during a full moon.”

“True.” Chris chuckled. “Much to Wulfric and Dolf’s disappointment. They complained that there weren’t enough around for them to have their monthly competition of who can take out the most.”

Brand grunted. “They’ll find something else to compete against each other about. They aren’t happy unless they aren’t competing.”

“Very true. They can’t even like the same football team.”

Brand liked to watch football on the telly, but he wasn’t an avid, or rabid, fan of the sport as Dolf and Wulfric were. Though best friends, they sometimes came to blows over a game. The two would get it out of their systems and then forget about it and act as if it never happened.

“Are we all clear here?” he asked.

Chris nodded. “Yeah. I can’t sense any more werewolves around.”

“Then it’s time to move on.”

At the end of the night when Brand returned to the manor, he threw a change of clothes into an athletic bag and then tossed it onto the passenger seat of his car. It was about an hour or so before dawn. Since Elsa had given him a set of keys to her flat, he intended to make use of them and go over to her place now. He wanted to go to sleep with her in his arms and awaken with her still there.

He’d also decided he’d give her another couple of days before he brought her fully into his world. He’d introduce her to his “family” first though. And if he could, he’d try to see if she’d be willing to sleep over. Tiw protected the manor. None of Fenris’s get could get onto the property. She’d be safer there.

Arriving at Elsa’s flat, Brand drove around to the back and parked in the visitor parking. He grabbed his bag and then headed over to the building’s entrance. Using one of the keys Elsa had given him, he let himself inside. He took the stairs two at a time, moving at werewolf speed to the second floor since no one was around. Quietly, so as not to wake Elsa up, he unlocked her flat’s door and slipped inside. The place was dark, but that was no problem for him. He could see as if it were daytime.

Brand walked silently over to Elsa’s bedroom. The door stood wide open. He walked inside and put his bag on the floor. Elsa didn’t stir as he headed for the bed. She slept on her stomach with her head turned away from him. The covers were pulled down to her waist, giving him a good view of the thin-strapped tank top she wore.

As he neared, his gaze snagged on a patch of skin high up on her back, close to her right shoulder. There was a mark there. At first glance it looked like a bruise, but Brand knew that wasn’t what it was. Since Elsa was his mate, Tiw’s mark—the same one that was on the cap of his left shoulder, but slightly smaller—would eventually appear on her back, marking her as a mate. It wouldn’t fully appear until she’d come to accept him as hers. Brand wanted to howl. The sight of the mark starting to form made him feel even more possessive of Elsa.

Silently, he walked to the other side of the bed before he stripped out of his clothes. He lifted the covers and climbed in next to Elsa. She sleepily mumbled something and then rolled toward him, laying her head on his chest. Her arm came to rest across his stomach. Brand put his around her and held her tight. For the first time in a long time, he thought he’d be able to easily find his rest. He had the love of his life in his embrace, making him finally feel complete. He kissed the top of Elsa’s head and then closed his eyes. Sleep claimed him in a matter of seconds.