Love Everlasting

Chapter Seven

Brand turned his gaze to Elsa. She still stood at the entrance to the room, looking ready to bolt at any minute. He closed the distance between them and couldn’t help noticing how she stiffened or how her eyes slightly widened while fear lurked in their depths.

He sighed. “You’re going to have to stay inside the house until we’ve taken care of the werewolves. It’s not safe outside right now.”

She gave a curt nod. “Fine, but once everything is clear, I’m leaving. So don’t even try to stop me.”

“All right.”

He stared at her, drinking in her beautiful face. He’d fucked up. Badly. Not only was she afraid of what he was, Elsa was also pissed off with him because he’d watched over her for years. She didn’t understand that it went against everything he was to have left her without his protection. Plus, at least being able to see her every day had kept him from going crazy. If he hadn’t, Brand was sure he would have lost it as the need to claim her as his rode him. Watching over her had given him a small connection to her.

Now he was going to have the big job of winning her over. He should have learned from how his fellow warriors’ mates had reacted when they’d found out. But when Elsa had found Tiw’s mark on her back, he’d gone with his gut instinct and shifted. He was not known as a man who could be subtle. He liked to lay all his cards out on the table, no matter how they affected the people around him.

Brand met Elsa’s gaze. “Before I go out, I have to say one thing, even though you won’t want to hear it. I love you. I have for years. I’ve only ever thought about you as mine. I would never hurt you. All I’ve ever wanted is to protect you, to ensure your happiness. You might think I’m a stalker, but I think of it as showing how much you mean to me. You own my heart and always will. There hasn’t been another since I met you seven years ago, and there never will be. No matter how you feel about me.”

He took a step back and shifted into his werewolf form. He stared at Elsa, letting the love he felt for her show in his eyes. She didn’t move, didn’t make a sound. Brand looked over his shoulder at the others. “Wulfric, Dolf, Chris, let’s go put down Fenris’s get so my mate can go home.”

Without looking at Elsa, he left the room and headed for the front door. The werewolves outside were about to get a nasty surprise. Brand was in need of a good fight.

Elsa silently watched Brand in his werewolf form exit the living room. Dolf, Wulfric, and Chris followed him. She felt as if Brand had just run her down with a lorry. He loved her. Even though he’d said the words, she’d been able to see it in his werewolf eyes before he’d walked away. Then there was the fact that he’d stayed true to her for so long without her even being aware of him. And that if she decided to leave him, he wouldn’t go to another woman. No man had ever loved her that much.

Raed, Algar, and Garrick left the room and then headed to the back of the house. Their mates went with them. The sound of a long, drawn-out howl caused goose bumps to break out all over her skin. She wrapped her arms around her middle and hugged herself. She really didn’t know if she could handle this strange new world that had been thrust on her. Elsa really didn’t understand it, and it scared her. She’d been given too much information too fast. She needed time to assimilate it all.

Another howl could be heard. Elsa jumped when Maggie came up beside her and touched her arm. “Come sit down, Elsa. You’ll be more comfortable.”

Elsa went with the other woman and sat on the couch. She noticed Cydney stood at the large picture window, staring outside. “Things are starting to heat up out there,” Cydney said.

“How is Dolf doing?” Maggie asked as she joined the other woman at the window.

“Our guys are whipping those werewolves’ asses.”

Maggie sucked in a loud breath. “Oh, Brand took a nasty hit.”

Elsa found herself on her feet and crossing to the window before she could think about it. The sight that met her eyes had her biting her bottom lip to hold back a whimpered moan. The scene looked like chaos. There were so many werewolves out there she couldn’t tell the good ones from the bad.”

As if she’d read Elsa’s mind, Cydney said, “Our guys are the ones with the swords.”

That’s when Elsa noticed that some of them did indeed fight with swords. She didn’t know who was who, except for Brand. She soon spotted him. His fur was the same color as his hair—pure black.

Despite the anger and fear she felt toward him, Elsa couldn’t stop herself from watching Brand. A part of her didn’t want to see him get hurt. She’d spent two days making love to him, and they’d become close. It wasn’t something she could totally forget.

Soon darkness closed in, and it was harder to see. The only light was from the almost full moon and the manor’s outside lights. Where the warriors and werewolves fought was at the end of the drive, which was a fair bit of distance away. It made it harder for Elsa to follow everything.

But soon only four werewolves remained standing, all of them holding swords. Elsa stepped even closer to the window when a blue fire engulfed the bodies of the downed creatures. Something else she’d never seen before.

“What is that fire?” she asked.

Maggie answered her. “It’s Tiw’s god-fire. It burns the bodies of Fenris’s get until nothing of them remains. The men’s swords have silver mixed in with the steel, which is deadly to the beasts. They bring them down, and Tiw cleans up after them.”

Elsa watched the men shift to their human forms. Then their swords disappeared into thin air, except for Chris’s. He carried his with him as he walked toward the manor with the others.

The men walked into the living room a short while later. Elsa remained at the window as Maggie and Cydney went to their mates. Brand hung back with Chris and didn’t make an attempt to come to her. Not long after that, the other three warriors and their mates joined them.

“They’ve all been taken care of?” Raed asked.

Brand nodded. “Yes. Chris no longer has to worry about them trying to take his place as pack leader.”

“Same with the ones we fought. If there are others who sided with them, they’ll know what fate they met when they don’t return.”

“Can I go home now?” Elsa asked, drawing everyone’s attention. “Is it safe for me to leave the manor?”

Brand looked at her with no emotion showing on his face. “Yes. I’ll take you back to your flat. Let me just go get your bag from my bedroom.”

She nodded before he walked out of the living room. Elsa found the others looking at her. The women wore sympathetic expressions. She had a hard time meeting their gazes.

Lexi came to stand in front of Elsa. “If it’ll make you feel any better, we, all the women, have been in the exact same position you are now in with Brand. It’s hard to accept, but it is possible. You just have to give Brand a chance. And in his defense, you have to remember the day and age he was born in. He was a warrior then and still thinks like one.”

“I can’t deal with this right now,” Elsa said.

“I understand. Just remember that we’re here for you. That, if you decide to stay with Brand, we can help you transition into our world.”

Spotting Brand waiting just outside the room with her bag, Elsa nodded before she left to join him. Neither one of them said a word as they walked out of the manor and headed to the detached garage. Once inside his car, she buckled her seatbelt and then turned her head to look out the side window. She kept as close to the door as she could get.

At her flat, Brand stopped the car in front of the building. Elsa silently grabbed her bag from the backseat before she opened the door and stepped out onto the pavement. She didn’t look back as she walked to the front entrance and let herself inside.

Brand gripped the steering wheel so tightly it creaked. He followed Elsa with his gaze, feeling as if he lost more of her with each step she took. He’d give Elsa her space, but he didn’t think he’d be able to stay completely away from her. He’d just have to go back to hiding in the shadows, remaining out of sight, as he watched over her from afar.

For the first time in his life, he was actually afraid. He was afraid he’d lose Elsa forever. That she’d never come to accept him as her mate. This was worse than when she’d become engaged to Teddy. Then, Brand hadn’t tasted her, hadn’t held her in his arms, hadn’t made love to her until they were both satiated and unable to move. If she rejected him, it would hurt so much worse. He’d survive it, but he’d never be the same again. He’d have endless days and nights to spend alone. Even now he ached to have her in his arms.

Brand waited until he saw a light turn on in her second floor flat. At least he knew she was at home safe and sound. He put the car into gear and slowly pulled away from the curb. It was all up to Elsa now. How the rest of his eternal life played out was in her hands. He’d give her a couple of days, and then he’d confront her to see what her decision was.

Two days. It had been two days of hell for Elsa. She’d probably spent the majority of them either crying or arguing with herself about what she should do about Brand. Every time she looked at Tiw’s mark on her back, she thought about Brand, her mate. Did he hate her for leaving him as she had, or did he still love her and only waited for her to make the first move? As for making a decision, she was no closer to one. It was driving her crazy.

She had to talk to someone other than an individual from Brand’s “family.” She needed someone who could look at things from her perspective and would be able to help her sort out her feelings. The only person she could think of was her big sister, Renea. Growing up, they’d both confided in each other, told each other secrets that neither had broken their promise to never tell. The only thing holding Elsa back from talking to Renea was the fact she didn’t know if her sister would believe her when Elsa told her werewolves existed.

Renea knew there was something bothering Elsa. Only this morning when Renea had called, her sister had mentioned how Elsa seemed out of sorts. How she sounded a bit depressed. Elsa had been so close to telling Renea the whole story about Brand over the phone.

The sound of someone putting a key into her flat’s door had Elsa’s heart beating at a fast rate. Could it be Brand? He still had the set of keys she’d given him. She tensed, not sure how she would react if it was indeed him. Once the door swung open, Elsa breathed a sigh of relief to see it was Renea, not Brand.

Her sister shut the door behind her. “All right, time for a sister-to-sister talk. No more telling me you’re fine when I know you’re not. Something is bothering you, and you’re not going to get over it until you’ve told someone.” Renea crossed the distance between them and then sat on the couch next to Elsa. “So out with it. You know I’m a good sounding board.”

“I doubt you’ll believe what I have to say.”

“Maybe, maybe not. You won’t know until you’ve told me.”

Elsa took a deep breath. “You’re right; something is bothering me. Something that most people would think is a tale of fiction. And it has to do with Brand.”

“I had a feeling it did since you haven’t mentioned him for two days.”

“Here comes the crazy part. I’m just going to come right out with it. Brand is an immortal werewolf warrior who has been alive for over thirteen hundred years. He hunts the bad werewolves.”

Renea didn’t say anything for a few seconds. “Brand is a werewolf?”

“Yes. And apparently I’m his mate.”

“And how do you know that?”

“I’ve been marked as one.” Elsa turned, pulled her right arm out of her shirt’s sleeve, and lifted the material at her back, giving her sister a good look at Tiw’s mark. “This says I am.”

Renea shifted closer and reached out to touch it. “Holy fuck, you have to be telling the truth. I know this can’t be a tattoo. You hate needles. There is no way you’d be able to handle having one done. And besides, I know you wouldn’t ever make up a story like that.”

Elsa fixed her shirt and turned back to Renea. “You have no idea how much better I feel knowing you believe me. I wanted to tell you so many times but couldn’t bring myself to do it. I really need your advice.”

She told Renea everything. About how Brand had first met Elsa when she was sixteen and had realized she was his mate, and then how he’d watched over her for the last seven years. How if she agreed to become his mate, an Anglo-Saxon god would grant her immortality as he’d done for Brand. By the time she’d finished telling Renea everything, her sister, who normally didn’t get emotional, had tears in her eyes.

“Shit, Elsa, you can’t let him go,” Renea said as she wiped the tears away. “Do you have any idea how much I’d love to have something like this happen to me? Brand loves you. Can you picture another man not having sex for seven years just because he feels he’d be cheating on the woman he knows is his mate, even though she doesn’t know it? I can’t. For fuck sake, he was going to step aside for that fuckwad Teddy. Brand is leaving you to decide whether he gets his happily ever after or whether you condemn him to an eternity of loneliness.”

“So you don’t think I should be upset with him for stalking me for the last seven years?”

“Hell no, little sis. He was keeping you safe. He knows what lurks in the night. He comes from another time where men thought it was their duty to protect their women. You’re just not used to it.” Renea paused and then looked her directly in the eyes. “Elsa, you love Brand. It shows in the way you talk about him. Don’t let him go or you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

Elsa’s eyes welled. “I do love him. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him since I left him. I’ll do this, but I’m not letting you go. I don’t know what to do about Mum and Dad.”

“Don’t worry about them right now. You have years before they’ll notice you aren’t exactly aging. And I’m not going anywhere.” Renea leaned in and kissed Elsa’s cheek. “Now wipe those tears and call your man. Don’t make him suffer any more than he already has. I’m sure he’s missing you.”

“You know how much I love you, right?”

Renea chuckled. “Of course. And I love you just as much. Now go start the rest of your eternal life with your mate.”

Her sister stood and then walked out of the flat. Once she was alone, Elsa grabbed up her phone and dialed Brand’s mobile. She hoped he was somewhere close by. He picked up after the second ring.

“Elsa?”

“Yeah, it’s me.” She paused and took a deep breath. “I love you, Brand.”

The sound of him hanging up sounded loud in her ear. She’d just replaced the cordless on its base when her flat’s door opened and Brand stood in the entranceway. He closed it behind him; then, moving faster than a mortal would, he had her in his arms and his mouth was devouring hers. Elsa held on for dear life, and all her anxiety and uncertainty washed away on a tide of intense desire. This was where she was meant to be, in the arms of her mate, forever.

Their clothes seemed to suddenly be gone as Brand undressed them both with werewolf speed. He picked her up and took her to the couch. He sat with her straddling his lap. His hard cock pressed against her pussy, causing wetness to pool to make her ready for him. He continued to kiss her and run his hands caressingly along her body until she ached to have him inside her.

Brand released her mouth and stared into her eyes. His had changed, had become more animal-like with the irises taking up much of the white. He held up his hand to show her the claws that tipped his fingers.

“Only you make me like this. Only you bring my wolf out,” he said in a gruff voice. “Only my mate. I promise to make you happy, to love you forever. I don’t think I could handle losing you again.”

Elsa hungrily took his lips then said against them, “I’m not going anywhere.”

No longer able to wait, she rose on her knees and positioned herself over his cock. She slowly sank down until she’d taken his whole length. Up and down she rode him, knowing she’d never want another man like this ever again. Brand held on to her hips and lifted her on and off him, increasing their pace until he had her crying out in release. His cock swelled and locked them together. Elsa kissed him with all the love she had for him.

As another splash of cum hit her cervix, she moaned. “I guess you’ll talk to Tiw about making us true mates soon?”

“Yes, but that can wait. Right now I want my mate again. I’ll never get enough of you.”

Brand stood with her in his arms, his cock still buried inside her, and took her to her bedroom. Elsa had a feeling they wouldn’t be leaving it for a very long time.

The End