Broods Of Fenrir - By Coral Moore Page 0,69

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Brand"s chest. Though she knew he still lived because she could feel him through the brood bond, she wouldn"t have been able to tell by looking at him. She processed all of that in the seconds it took her to cover the distance and leap on Björn"s back.

He was a huge male, and she was little more than an inconvenience for him. Twisting back and forth with freakish strength, he knocked her free. She landed on the ground with a thump that drove the air from her. He lifted her by the throat with one hand, his fingers digging into her skin.

She kicked at him, but he barely seemed to notice. She clawed at his hand, but his iron grip didn"t slip. She reached for his face to scratch at his eyes, but he held her further away. His black eyes stared into her face, and he laughed.

Bountiful Wolf-Mother, she was a fool. What did she think she was going to accomplish? She struggled like a child in his grasp. Unable to help Brand at all, she was going to die inches from him.

Darkness crept into her vision, and she felt herself teetering on the edge of consciousness. She still fought, though she knew it was pointless.

Brand"s heart stuttered. She felt it from her scalp to the soles of her feet. If she"d had any air available to her, she would have let out a whimper. His life slipped away, bit by bit, as he bled out onto the cold ground.

A scream ripped through the night air. Without question, she knew who the voice belonged to because she felt the enraged Call that came with it. Dagny.

Alice gave in to the anguished rage of the Calling without hesitation. Her body writhed, completely out of her control. The world came into sharper focus. Her skin prickled.

She felt no pain as her body began the swift transformation Dagny demanded.

The hand at her throat slipped. She fell from Björn"s grip and landed on her four paws.

She launched herself at him. Her jaw clamped over his 191

face. His right eye ruptured under her sharp canine, and he screamed. Blood poured into her mouth. Her muscles shook with the infusion of power beyond anything she"d ever felt. He pushed at her, but she tightened her bite.

Björn screamed in pain and frustration. He flailed and punched, but he couldn"t dislodge her. Her lips pulled back into a satisfied grin. The male had spawned the demon who"d given her two hundred years of nightmares. She would kill him. She bit down harder and felt the bones of his cheek and nose give way. Disorientation jolted her as he fell backward. When he landed, the impact jarred every bone in her skull, but still she kept her bite locked.

So enthralled with the feeling of victory that overcame her, she ignored Gunni"s shouts. She"d felt him approaching and was happy that he"d seen her fell the giant of a male alone.

After a few seconds, she realized that something was wrong because he felt very afraid.

She rolled her eyes toward where Gunni stood and a bright sense of happiness filled her. The thrill was short-lived, because terror twisted his face.

Björn shifted under her and pain punched through the adrenaline rush as something sliced into her belly. She struggled to maintain her grip and an agonized howl ripped from her throat as he continued to rend her flesh. Björn drew his last breath, shuddering as he exhaled. He went motionless beneath her as Gunni knelt next to them.

She released her bite and allowed Gunni to pull her into his lap with hands that shook. The pain had faded quickly, but she felt cold. Her medical training told her neither was a good sign. Gunni examined her wounds, but soon abandoned that in favor of embracing her. He buried his face in her neck, sobbing into her fur. She whined softly.

She wasn"t as scared as she thought she would be with her death looming over her. With Gunni"s strong arms around her, she felt loved and content as never before in her life.

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Leaning her head against his shoulder, she only wished she could tell him how much she loved him.

Face pressed to her ear, he said, “I know, Baby. I love you, too.” The pain in his voice broke her heart.

Inhaling one last time, she howled. She sang of love and friendship with thoughts of Gunni and Brand. Gunni joined an instant later, his deep tones beautiful in the darkening night.

The