AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"They become animals."
Chapter Fourteen
A beautiful man came to her in the night. Large and powerful, he covered her body with his. His big hands roamed over her skin, setting her on fire. She wanted him. She cried out for him. She burned for him.
His hands were magic. Skimming the length of her legs. Fondling her br**sts. Stroking her neck. Tightening their grip.
Choking her.
She thrashed against him, but he was too strong. Too powerful.
His face, half hidden in shadow, twisted in rage. Transformed. He roared like an animal.
Elsa cried out.
"Ellie! What's wrong?" Greta flipped on the bedside lamp between the two double beds.
Elsa squinted at the sudden bright light. She could still hear the animal-like roar echoing in her head. A roar very much like the one she'd heard the day Howard had battled the feral pigs.
Greta scrambled out of bed to grab the loaded shotgun she'd left on the desk.
"No!" Elsa sat up. "It was just a dream."
"Are you sure?" Greta strode to the door with the shotgun.
"Greta, please. You're scaring me with that."
"You're scaring me! You screamed."
"It was a bad dream. That's all."
Greta checked the locks on the door, then peeked between the slats of the closed window blinds. "I don't see anything."
Elsa pressed a hand against her pounding heart. She didn't know which was scarier - her nightmare or the fact that Greta and Ula had insisted they take turns sleeping in her room with a loaded weapon.
"Everything's fine," she assured her aunt. "Let's go back to sleep."
"Are you sure?" Greta set the shotgun back down on the desk. "What was your dream?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Or think about it. "Let's go back to sleep." Elsa scooted back under the covers. Aunt Ula had definitely freaked her out with her claim that berserkers actually became animals.
What kind of animals? Elsa had been so shocked by the announcement that she was a so-called guardian that the rest of what she'd heard was all in a daze. Greta had said the Guardian of the Forest took twelve warriors into the forest to live among the wolves and bears . . .
Wolves and bears.
Greta turned the lamp off with a snap, leaving the room shrouded in darkness.
Elsa shuddered and dragged her blanket up to her chin. What was Howard? A wolf or a bear?
Neither. She glared at the ceiling. This was the real world, and Howard was a normal guy. Well, not exactly normal, since he was handsome, huge, and hunky. He could also be hers if she had the courage to claim him.
If she wasn't afraid he'd turn into a beast and kill her.
The next morning, her aunts objected when she tried to catch a ride with Alastair to the gatehouse.
"You have to go with us," Ula insisted in Swedish. "We can't protect you if we're not with you."
Elsa tamped down on her frustration. "I'll be fine. Oskar and the boys will be coming, too, as soon as they're done eating in the diner. There'll be plenty of guys - "
"They don't have weapons like we do," Greta argued. "We're coming."
With an inward groan, Elsa turned to a confused-looking Alastair. "My aunts want to come with me to the gatehouse," she explained in English. "They'll stay outside."
Alastair nodded. "They'll have to. It could be too dangerous inside." He smiled at the older women. "We're delighted you've come to visit Ellie, but we don't want you to get hurt."
Greta smiled back. "Don't worry. My late husband was a home builder, so I know how it is. We'll stay out of your way. And we'll be happy to bring you food. Lots of food."
"Sounds super." Alastair shook hands with them, then jumped into the rental car and drove off.
With the parking lot temporarily empty, the aunts quickly stashed the shotgun and hunting rifle in the trunk of Greta's car.
Elsa sighed. "Nothing's going to happen. You'll be sitting outside all day, bored out of your skulls."
"That reminds me, I should bring my knitting." Greta scurried back into her room.
"Bring my book," Ula called after her in Swedish. She gave Elsa a sheepish smile. "I'm reading a romance book. Very sexy."
Elsa smiled back. "That's good." If the hero was anything like Howard, it would be a very sexy book.
Ula patted her on the back. "Don't worry. We'll keep you safe. If the berserker comes, we'll shoot him."
Elsa winced. So much for romance. "Maybe we should try talking to him first."
Ula scoffed. "Don't be silly."
Greta hurried to the car, carrying a tote bag. "I've brought some water and snacks, too. Let's go."
Fifteen minutes later, they stopped in front of the gatehouse.
"If you get tired of hanging around here, go back to town," Elsa told her aunts as she climbed out of the car. "I'll be okay here."
"We'll be fine, too." Greta shooed her away with her hand. "We'll see you at lunchtime."
Elsa strode into the gatehouse and found Alastair in the kitchen, munching on a donut.
"Oh yum." She reached into the box and grabbed one. So much for her diet. A girl who had nightmares was entitled to some emotional eating.
"Mmm." Alastair nodded, his mouth full.
She looked around the kitchen as she ate, then pointed at the door to the old laundry room. "The note's gone."
"What note?"
"It must have fallen off. I left a warning on the door that the floor inside is rotting away."
"Oh, that. Yes, Oskar mentioned it. He took the broken window out yesterday after you left. I've ordered a new one." Alastair handed her a bottle of water from the ice chest.
"Thanks. And thanks for bringing the donuts." She stuffed the last bite into her mouth.
"I didn't do it. I think Howard must have."
"Huh?" she asked with a full mouth.
"He brought some yesterday. I suppose he brought these."
She swallowed hard. "He was here?"
"I didn't see him." Alastair drank some water. "I guess Shanna gave him a key. He must have dropped these off before we arrived."
Elsa stared at the huge box of two dozen donuts. He'd brought enough for everyone. "That was kind of him."
"Yes." Alastair gave her a curious look. "He seems like a decent chap. I can't help but wonder why you refuse to see him."
She screwed the top off her water bottle. "It's a long story."
"Well, I must say he looked absolutely devastated when I told him."
She winced.
"But he gave me his word that he would honor your wishes."
She nodded. So instead of knocking on her motel room door, he'd left a note for her in the office.
"Has he kept his word?" Alastair asked.
"Yes." He's a gentleman. Or was he a beast?
"Well, good." Alastair plucked another donut from the box. "I could get seriously addicted to these. I hope he brings them every morning."
Elsa gulped. What if her aunts caught him making a donut delivery? The poor guy could end up shot just for being nice. Or what if he dropped by to check on their work? As Shanna's representative, it was his job to stay informed.
Loud shouts and footsteps sounded in the foyer as Oskar and The B Boys made their noisy entrance.
"In here!" Alastair shouted.
The guys crowded into the kitchen and attacked the donuts. They were so busy eating that Elsa slipped unnoticed into the formal dining room. She peered out one of the front windows. Greta and Ula had opened the trunk of their car.
"Oh no," she breathed. Were they checking on the weapons, or did they intend to take them out and go hunting?
What if Howard was nearby?
She should warn him. She had his phone number in her handbag. But if she called or texted him, he would have her number. With a wince, she leaned against the wall next to the window.
She didn't want to talk to him. He'd want to know why she was avoiding him, and she didn't know what to say. He'd probably ask her out to dinner, and how could she respond? By the way, are you intending to kill me?
She peeked out the window. Greta was loading shells into her shotgun.
"Oh God, no." She had to warn Howard. He'd behaved like a perfect gentleman. He didn't deserve to be shot down in the driveway.
With trembling fingers, she retrieved her cell phone and his note from her handbag. Call or text?
