Page 25 of The Fanged One

"That I'm coming with you," Von declared.

Tor made a low sound. "You aren't coming. You could get hurt and..."

"Oh, my darling alpha, hush your mouth," Von snapped and crossed his arms. "I'm tired of you assholes going off on amazing adventures and not taking me, and I'm the only person in this room who has read every Old Norse fragment from here to Reykjavik and back, and you'll need me, so I'm coming."

"You are human," Tor pointed out.

"He's a shaman," Fenris argued, which made them all stare. "What? He is."

"I thought you were just calling him that because of his outfit," Linnea said and stared at Von. "Are you really a shaman and haven't told us?"

"I kind of am. I have a magical practice, but it's been informal. Nothing like the shit you and the fae can do," Von admitted and fluttered his eyelashes at Fenris. "He is the only one who has called me that or even noticed. Besides, Tor, you aren't my alpha and can't stop me, so your opinion doesn't matter."

Fenris spread one hand, palm up. Why not?

"It can't hurt to have another shaman come along. I'll protect him if there is any trouble," he said.

"Deal," Linnea answered.

Von started to come half out of his throne in joy, remembered that it would be unbecoming, and settled back down with what dignity he could recover.

"Excellent. Excellent. I'll draft a packing list. I will need to buy better boots and a coat or maybe a cloak! We need to figure out where we are going first before we will know what we need."

"Where we are all going," Tor corrected him. "We talked about it in the car on the way here. I'm not letting my sister go to gods know where with a strange wolf by herself."

"I am the strange wolf?" Fenris asked, eyes narrowing.

Tor met his eyes. "Yes. And? You are a stranger, and I don't trust you."

Ciara examined her drink. "All wolves are strange, so I'm sure we will get used to him."

"I am sitting right here," Fenris said.

Ciara smiled menacingly at him. "Yes. I was being polite."

Fenris made a low rumble in his throat that Linnea was beginning to suspect was him trying not to laugh. He shifted closer by an inch, and her wolf preened.

"A family road trip," Linnea said unenthusiastically. "Yay."

13

Linnea got up off the couch with Ciara and Layla flanking her as they went to get the next round of drinks. As the warmth of her moved away from Fenris, his wolf tried to make him follow her.

Stop it. She's coming back, he complained, watching her move to the bar with the other women.

Tor smiled at him, and it wasn't friendly. "I'm so glad we have a moment to get to know one another."

"So am I," he replied politely.

Von, on his throne, watched the two of them across the low table with his chin in his palm, eyes shining, mouth twitching, but not interrupting. The shaman was enjoying the show too much. Arne was wearing a smile the same as Tor's, and Fenris knew they were going to give him an overprotective brother talk.

Tor didn't raise his voice, growl, or strut around like a younger wolf would have. He only said, very calmly, "If you hurt her, god or not, we will end you. We have other gods in this family who will help with a smile on their face, and you won't be able to fight us all."

"I have no intention of ever hurting Linnea," Fenris replied, keeping his posture relaxed. "I respect you are her brothers, but she is a grown woman and can make her own decisions."

Tor exhaled hard, showing the worry beneath the threat. He rubbed a hand down his beard. "Gods, don't I know it. I'm allowed to be concerned that her scent is all over you. Look, I don't mean to act like a prick, but she's been treated badly by wolves, and she hasn't let an úlfheðnar near her since she came back to Ulfheim."

"The men who hurt her in my prison are all dead," Fenris said, his voice coming out low with the wolf's growl in his throat.