Broods Of Fenrir - By Coral Moore Page 0,22

scent surround her. She couldn"t put a name to it, something herbaceous and woody at the same time that made her want to lay down and rub up against him.

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The moon would force him back to consciousness sooner than his wounds could finish healing. He"d wake confused, in pain, and worst of all, unpredictable. She contemplated tying him, at least to slow him down, but after what her mother had done to him, she couldn"t bring herself to bind him. Besides, she didn"t believe he was a danger to her or Alice, only to himself.

She descended the stairs from his loft bedroom and walked barefoot through the house. The decor was masculine, but tasteful—rich with dark colors and expensive fabrics. She followed her nose to the room that Alice hid in and knocked.

“Alice, it"s Dagny.”

The door opened after a scurry of light feet over the floor behind it. Huge blue eyes dominated a face that was frightened, almost desperate. “Is Brand okay?” Dagny noticed that Alice wore fresh clothes. The female had clothes at Brand"s house. She swallowed a curse, furious with herself because she had absolutely no reason to feel jealous… but she did. “I think so. He passed out. We"ll have to see what he"s like when he wakes up.” Alice nodded in response. She stared at the floor next to Dagny"s feet. Her bottom lip sucked in, as if she wanted to speak, but couldn"t. The bruising around her face and neck had faded most of the way, leaving only slight discolorations.

Overall, she looked so pathetic that Dagny felt bad for being irritated with her. She tried to make her voice sound calm and friendly. “Come on. Let"s go find something to eat. You must be starving.”

When Alice didn"t move, Dagny turned and headed to where she thought the kitchen should be. The hesitation lasted a few seconds, and then soft footsteps followed behind her.

At the end of the hallway, she passed into a dining area.

Furnished with a sturdy wooden table and chairs, the room connected to the kitchen through a large open archway. The counters and appliances within were impeccably clean.

Dagny opened the fridge and laughed when she saw the 62

meager contents. Brand"s food stocks could be counted on one hand—jugs of water, two apples, horseradish, and three bottles of hot sauce.

Alice walked around her, leaving a wide space between them, and peeked inside. “Yeah, he"s not much for cooking.”

“Mostly take-out?”

Alice nodded. “But, I don"t think—”

“Yeah, it"s a bad idea. If he wakes up and smells someone else, even a human, it"s going to be rough.” Her perusal through his cabinets didn"t turn up much else, though she did manage to find bread, peanut butter, and some coffee. Deciding that peanut butter sandwiches were preferable to the gurgling of her stomach, she set about the preparation.

Dagny poured two mugs of coffee, then slid them and the plate of sandwiches to the middle of the table. She seated herself opposite the chair Alice had taken. “Help yourself.

Hope you don"t take cream because I didn"t find any.” Alice pulled one of the mugs toward her. “Black is fine.

Thank you.” Her lips twitched into a tremulous smile.

Dagny wondered how such a delicate flower could have survived in their world. The Broods of Fenrir were ruthless; Alice should"ve been crushed. She studied the bruising and the scars that trailed down Alice"s neck. Perhaps she"d been crushed after all and was more resilient than she seemed.

A few bites into her sandwich, Dagny tried to start up a conversation. “How long have you known Brand?” Alice looked up at her, then dropped her fearful eyes back to the table. “Ninety-eight years.”

“The male that brought you to the cabin. Did he have something to do with how you and Brand met?” She had an inkling of the answer from something her mother had said while waiting for Brand to arrive.

Alice swallowed, several times. “Brand lived with the brood I was born into for a while. Slavery is still allowed under Björnkarl"s rule. Weaker offspring are often sold by their sires.” 63

Her hand lifted up to her mouth before she noticed and brought it back to the top of the table. “Arn owned me.” Her eyes closed, as if trying to shut out a horrendous memory.

Dagny had been in the bedroom of the cabin at the time, so she hadn"t seen Arn, but he"d sounded cruel. “That must have been terrible for you.”

“It was.” Alice inhaled a shaky breath and sighed.

“Brand took me away