Broods Of Fenrir - By Coral Moore Page 0,54

pulled away from her with a growl. “Do you really believe what I want is repayment?”

Her eyes burned and she shook her head.

He exhaled a long sigh. “Then, why do you offend me by offering it?”

“I"m sorry.” Tears spilled onto her cheeks. The urge to run away tightened her belly. She"d lost her chance. He"d offered her exactly what she wanted, and she"d hurt him because she"d been afraid to believe in him. She turned away, wiping her face.

After a few seconds, he said in a soft voice, “If you can"t or won"t give me all of you, leave me to my misery.”

* * *

The delay was soul-wrenching. Brand wanted to scream 151

in frustration and pain. His chest burned, the beast"s claws tearing at him from the inside. He fully expected her to walk away, but time ticked on, and Dagny stood frozen, her breath misting the air. Each minute felt like a year, the seconds slicing through his heart.

She looked over her shoulder, tears damp on her face.

“Claim me.”

He barely allowed himself to believe it might be true.

“You"re sure?” His pulse quickened when she nodded. “And the wolf?”

Her shrug was miniscule. “It hasn"t had much to say the last few days.”

He knew how to fix that. He swallowed, then whispered, “Forgive me.”

Her eyes narrowed a fraction. An instant was all the time he gave her to contemplate what he was about to do.

He closed the distance between them. Gripping her wrist, he twisted her arm behind her back, and turned her around, pushing her forward into a tree. The impact shook snow from the branches above them, causing it to land in heavy, wet clumps on the ground.

“Brand, what—” Her words cut off with a small yelp.

Curling his fingers in her hair, he tugged her head back.

He lowered his mouth to her ear. “Quiet.” He licked her, tasting the skin he"d so desperately missed. “I need to talk to the wolf, Dagny.”

Her chest heaved as she panted. “I told you. I haven"t felt her in days.”

“She took the brunt of the pain from severing our connection. She"s hurt and confused. You have to let go. She"ll come to me.”

“If she won"t accept you, what then?”

“Let me worry about that.” He kissed the side of her neck. “Give her control.”

By gradual degrees, Dagny"s body relaxed. Nuzzling his face against her neck, he smiled. She did trust him, finally. He 152

released her wrist, letting her arm dangle at her side. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her pliant body against him.

Several seconds later, without warning, her body tensed.

She went from a rag doll to a crazed badger in an instant. She writhed, trying to escape his arms, but he held her fast, the feeling of her ass grinding against him all the incentive he needed to hold her tighter.

“There"s my girl,” he murmured.

A growl vibrated through her while she continued to struggle. “Let go of me.”

“You and I have unfinished business I intend to put right.”

She froze. “If you think I"m going to roll over and let you scratch my belly after you turned me away, think again.” She elbowed him in the side hard enough to make him grunt, and then stomped on his foot.

He tugged on her hair, cranking her head back and staring into her silver eyes. “I"m not asking your permission.” He covered her mouth with his.

A gasp that was almost a moan escaped her parted lips.

His kiss was a challenge, aggressive and demanding. The she-wolf ceded quicker than he"d hoped, her body relaxing against him. He broke the kiss and slid his mouth over her jaw, down to her throat. He tore at the top of her shirt, exposing the junction of shoulder on the right side of her neck.

He lowered his head and bit her, mouth stretched taut over her skin. With a groan, her head fell forward, bowing her back against his torso. Her energy roared through him with concussive force. He began to weave the mating bond, threading his power with hers in an intricate pattern.

The process was a slow one, but he relished every second. The link between them solidified with each connection he made. Her chest expanded into his arm with her deep, rhythmic breaths. His hold on her was light, barely enough to keep the contact between them. When the last of the bond was 153

tied off, the sense of her came alive inside him, and he sighed into her skin.

His lips tingled, and he tightened his