Page 8

Chapter 8

Bjorn

T he violet-eyed human walks through the front door as if she owns the place. When she should have fled, she stayed. She’s wildly, foolishly, brave.

She escaped the room I locked her in by climbing out a window, though how the human did it without splattering herself on the rocks below, I don’t know. I missed the sounds of her escape but couldn’t avoid her presence in the yard.She watched me, waiting, with the thick stench of her fear heavy between us. It made my lungs tight and my gut sour with the wrongness of it.

I came outside to figure out some kind of solution to her presence. But I couldn’t get past the idea that I’d hurt her. As her scent settled and her fear lessened, my resolve heightened. This woman has only known me for an evening, and already she suffers. This time at my hand. She will not be like Thora. I can’t be responsible for her death too.

“No more questions. Leave.”

“Who are you?” Her sweet voice sounds behind me. The storm has washed away the scent of her fear, and all that remains is her hopeful florals, full of anticipation.

“I told you to leave.” I grit the words out, refusing to turn and look at her.

She laughs, but the sound is humorless. “I never was good at reading warning signs.”

That’s when I realize I’m the one who has to disappear. If I had known the cause of my new rune would find me so quickly, I would have fled after my trip to town for supplies this morning. But now it’s necessary. I need to move on to the next house and the newest identity. Whatever this is between us can’t be, and the longer I stay in her presence, the more I risk giving in to the pull between us.

She steps closer. “Were you with me in the water?”

This woman is infuriatingly curious. My Beast preens at the mention of their meeting and pushes against the veil, vying for control. I ignore her question.

The air shifts as she walks through the living room and into the kitchen. The creak of drawers and cupboards opening draws my eye.

“What are you doing?”

“I could use a drink.” She peers into the pantry and digs around.

I should flee, but instead, I grumble, “Top shelf on the left.”

She arches onto her toes, reaching for the bottle. Water drips on the floor, and her skin is so pale she looks blue.

Shifters run hot. I barely feel the cold right now, but she is human still, without my claim and protection. Her body is fragile even if her spirit is fierce.

I cross the room and crowd behind her, grabbing the moonshine. Leaning in, I murmur in her ear, “One drink, then you go.”

She trembles, turning to look at me over her shoulder. Even in the dim light, her eyes are bright and bottomless. Her pink lips part, her words tumbling out softly between us. “Who are you? Why do I feel like I know you?”

I turn away from her scrutiny and busy myself by pouring a drink. Once I hand her the mug, I take a swig from the bottle.The weight of her stare makes my skin crawl.

“My name is Bjorn. I’ll give you a change of clothes. One drink. Then you’re leaving.”

“Bjorn, I’m Penelope. It’s nice to put a name to this kinky adventure gone wrong.”

An unexpected chuckle leaves me, and the edges of her mouth lift into a pleased smile before she glares at me.

“I meant what I said before. I would have helped you. There was no need to hold me prisoner. Don’t ever fucking leave me tied up like that again.” She glares at me as she takes a sip from the mug. Her eyes widen as she coughs, patting her chest. “That’s rough… whew.”

My lips twitch. “Take it or leave it.”

Of course, she drains the glass. Penelope wipes her hand across her mouth and sets the mug on the kitchen counter with a flourish. One smug eyebrow lifts in a challenge.

“I’m sorry. I’ll use a more diplomatic approach in the future.”

“Something tells me that’s a lie.” She steps closer, her delicate hand reaching for me. “What are those symbols on your body?”

“Tattoos.” I sidestep her, fleeing the kitchen before I do something I’ll regret, like giving in to the urge to fuck her against the wall and claim her throat.

My Beast pushes against my skin. Feelers sprout and my fingers lengthen to claws. I fight him for control, barely managing to tuck him back in the recesses of my mind.

“Not when they glow like that,” she calls after me.

“It’s glow in the dark ink.”

She lets out an amused laugh.“Sure.”

I busy my hands by setting a fire. I can at least make sure she doesn’t catch her death of cold before I figure out a way to get us out of this mess.

She moves closer, standing above me as the pine knot catches. “I know you were with me that day in the water.”

The flames dance, and I watch the oranges and reds flicker, so I don’t have to meet her gaze.

She continues her unending questions. “How did you get down there?”

Heat blazes between us, a combination of the fire and her presence.

“I’m a good listener. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

Nothing good will come from indulging her. We are only dangerous to one another.But the urge to take her in my arms, to give in and spill everything to her is overwhelming.

I back away from the fire and stand, my body crowding hers.

She holds her ground, her beautiful face set in stubborn lines. “You can trust me.”

“But you shouldn’t trust me,” I growl. I’m torn in two, the pull between us a physical ache that I’m not sure I can refuse much longer.

Her finger outlines the black raised lines of a rune on my forearm. I freeze at the contact, closing my eyes momentarily as I soak in her touch. It’s been so long since I have touched anyone outside of battle. The moment between us earlier when my Beast took control was the first in lifetimes that I’ve felt alive.

The soft caress almost tickles as she moves to my wrist. My pulse thumps wildly as she traces my newest rune. It’s her mark, the one she awakened. Her touch stirs the magic between us, a magnetic charge that pulls us together without my permission.

“You’re glowing,” she says in wonder. “And I can feel you somehow. What is happening to me?”

It’s the mate call. With our chance encounter in the water, she awakened the bond. The nearer we are to one another, the stronger it will become until I won’t be able to resist my Beast’s need to claim her. I’ve never known anyone to resist the lure of a mate, but I’ve got to try.I turn away from her touch even though every cell in my body urges me to wrap her in my arms.

The past assaults me, flashing a reel of bloody nightmares. My stomach turns at the reminder. I refuse to go down that path again. I harden my heart. I don’t want to betray my vows or bring death to Penelope.

My Beast roars in protest, his tentacles trying to seep through the small cracks in the veil.

In the bathroom, I hastily grab towels. I need distance from her. Miles and states won’t matter if I can’t leave this house.

She peeks her head into the bathroom, then steps into the doorway, crossing her arms. Her T-shirt is soaked through, and the pose draws attention to the hard peaks of her nipples. The urge to trace them with my tongue, to pull her closer and devour her until she’s panting with heat, overwhelms me. I grind my jaw and flex my fingers.

“You can’t ignore me forever.” She scowls at me, but the effect is lost on her sweet face. She doesn’t have a menacing bone in her body.

I toss her a towel, push past her, and go to my closet. Riffling through my drawers, I find an old pair of warm sweatpants, a flannel, and a pair of thick socks. “Change and leave.”

Her arms pull at her wet clothing, revealing pale skin.

I force myself to look away.

The sound of her sopping shirt hitting the floor echoes between us. Another slap as more of her wet clothing hits the floor.

“I’m not going anywhere until I get some answers, Bjorn.”

My name on her lips will be my undoing. I want to know how it sounds when she says it in the throes of passion, what it feels like when she comes apart screaming my name.

“I won’t tell anyone. I’m not looking to get you in trouble. I just want to understand what happened that day in the water. Why do I feel this connection between us?”

The fabric rustles. I remember the feel of her curves beneath me, tasting her on my tongue.

Despite my desire, I walk away. It’s harder this time than the last.

In the kitchen, I take another swig from the moonshine bottle, hoping it will make me brave enough to do what I must. Outside, the storm beats against the old house, but it feels as though it lives inside me, battering my insides.

My Beast lurks at the boundary between us, urging me to give in to his control. I shouldn’t. I should walk out of this house, get in my Jeep, and drive until the distance between us is enough to clear my head.

“Bjorn?”

Why did I give her the power of my name? My Beast comes for me. I grit against the onslaught, barely able to contain him, but it won’t hold. “Leave and don’t come back.”

My eyes meet hers across the room. She’s drowning in my clothes, and it fills me with a sick sort of satisfaction to see that small claim.

“No. Not until you tell me the truth.”

“Forget me, this place, and whatever you think you saw in the water. I’m nothing to you.”

“Liar,” she says softly.

My Beast laughs. Like her, he knows the truth.

“Leave,” I roar. It’s a last effort. My resolve is crumbling.

She shakes her head and moves toward me. “I can’t do that.”

The words that come next are a desperate snarl. “I need you to go.”

“No, Bjorn. You need me to stay.” She wraps her soft curves around my middle, her arms locking behind my back.

My muscles sag in relief at the feel of her against me. I’m weak. So weak. I can’t leave her. She is a part of me now, like the sea, like my broken Beast, like my bloody memories.

She plants a kiss on my chest, her small hand caressing the skin of my back. Violet eyes, full of compassion, look up at me.

“It’s okay. Whatever you’re hiding, you don’t have to be afraid.”

My Beast snaps and I lose my skin.