A smile played on my lips as I noticed Saint peering at the men, women, and children who belted the song. So we’d watched Vikings a lot, but up here, it was Blu-Rays and recorded shit through the winter, and we didn’t bother staying inside any more than necessary during spring and summer.
Saint’s eyes met mine, then narrowed before dipping to my lips. Memories of our summer spent working together and escaping to find somewhere to make out filled my mind. He shook his head, and I shoved the memories to the back of my mind, into the box where I kept them, refusing to let them back out.
Once the truck was empty, I jumped down, removing the gloves to accept a bottle of water as You are the Reason started, sung by Calum Scott and Leona Lewis. My stomach clenched, and my eyes slid to the stereo where Toralei stood, her arms folded over her chest. I wanted to strangle her, knowing it was my song for Saint. That song and Unsteady by X Ambassadors made me need him close, and now that he was here, I wanted him to leave before he ruined every part of me that still loved him.
Exhaling, I stared up at the sun to determine the time, then lowered my eyes to assist the oversized trailer into the yard. By the time we finished working, it was time to go to the kitchen to help the staff prepare food for the extra people Saint had brought with him.
“Where the hell are you off to?” he asked. I spun on my heel and narrowed my gaze on his muscular frame.
“I help the kitchen staff after assisting the outside workers. I normally work from dawn to sundown and then fall into bed stinking like a stuck pig, three days after being hung up to dry for the smoker.”
“Not today, Brat,” Saint snorted, dragging his eyes over my dirty attire. “Tonight, you eat beside me. Go freshen up. There are things you and I need to discuss.”
I swallowed hard, glaring at him before I swung my attention to where the kitchen staff waited. Clearing my throat, I explained what was happening while Saint and his men waited behind me, listening. At their groans and cross looks at Saint, I assured them that even if they served the pigs who had invaded slop, I’d still love them.
We approached the hall, and Saint grabbed my arm, staring at me. “You do this shit every day?” At my confused look and sharp nod, he snorted. “You cut wood and throw bales of hay and herbs, all day, every day?”
“No, just when they arrive. Tomorrow we’ll be getting the second shipments and fixing the outcrop buildings. The day after that, we’ll be building an add-on for the people who come up the mountain before the freeze starts. Some live below in sparse buildings that won’t protect them against the cold. And after that, we’ll continue doing whatever the hell needs to be done to feed the pack and protect them from the elements until the snow thaws.” I wrenched my arm out of his hold, walking away while he stared after me.
“That there is a Viking woman, Saint. If you don’t want her, I sure the hell do,” Leif snorted. “It’s a rare breed that will work from dawn until sundown, protecting her people. Fenrir blessed you, even if you can’t see it, daft bastard.”
“She rejected me and banished my crew, allowing her father to torture us. She may be the most gorgeous creature I’ve ever seen or wanted, but she’s as cold-hearted and evil as her father.” I swallowed, overhearing Saint’s words, frowning as I replayed what he’d said. I didn’t slow down or even acknowledge the men as I entered my room, flinging off my clothes before jumping into the shower and pulling out the staples from the healed skin with my claws.
I hated the new Saint while still craving the old one that whispered into my ear, brushing his knuckles against mine in the courtyard when no one was watching. He had been the one thing driving me to keep moving forward, and now that he was back, he was screwing up everything.
I leaned back against the shower stall and closed my eyes. His scent hit me, and I opened my eyes, jumping as I found him leaning over me, staring down at my naked body.
“We’re moving to a larger room tomorrow. Yours is too small, and we need a larger bathroom.”
“I like my room. You can move,” I muttered, staring at his mouth.
Saint’s lips tipped into a wolfish smile as he turned, grabbing my shampoo and pouring entirely too much into his palm. Still, I didn’t complain or rail against him using it while my eyes slid down his sinewy body, noting he was hard and ready to go. He turned to face me, his mouth opening to expose his canines.
“You’ll be handling that problem soon enough. Wash the dirt off your body. We have more guests showing up.”
“You can use your hand for whatever pleasure you had planned for yourself. How are these new guests getting here?” I asked, wondering how they could sneak up the mountain without setting off any of the alarms.
“I won’t need my hand. I’ll use you, and the other matter is none of your fucking business, Brat. Wash up. I don’t want my guests meeting the mother of my children in filth from her working all day.”
My heart clenched at his words and got stuck on the mother of my children. I glared at Saint, hating him more for calling me that. He knew I wanted babies, and I had a feeling he intended to change his mind on that, too.
Chapter Nine
Saint
I sat in a chair in Braelyn’s room, waiting for her to leave the shower. Memories of our time together played through my mind, craving to go back to those moments. The problem was, we couldn’t ever go back to how it was prior to my being banished. I wasn’t the same person I’d been when she’d thrown me to the pack. She hadn’t given me mercy, and I couldn’t offer her any now, even if I wanted to.
Braelyn had rejected me in the worst possible way a mate could. I’d bared my soul to her, showing her everything I was, promising her the world. It hadn’t been enough for the pampered little bitch. Yet, I still craved her. I wanted to believe that she hadn’t been a part of what I’d endured, that she didn’t know about the evil her father had planned for me, but there were hints that made me believe Braelyn had known, and she had still banished me.
Eryx had shared in my fate, having been sold to the same unfeeling, murderous bitch that had purchased me. Together, we’d been ripped apart and sewn up afterward. Harold sold his people, members of other packs, and humans into slavery to be endlessly tortured or murdered on camera as entertainment for the cruel and evil creatures living amongst us. You didn’t escape that type of thing unscathed. Death was always the end goal.
An entire year of endless torment and pain had passed before Leif and the Gemini twins, Enzo and Ezekiel, had found our location and freed us. They’d given us an option: heal and hunt down other sites used to torture immortals and humans or return to our pack. The choice had been easy.
Eryx and I bonded with them, meeting hunters and others who all shared one cause—end the trafficking of anyone unfortunate enough to be sold on the black market. Our first focus was to find the rest of my crew that had been banished with me, bringing them out of their endless torment one by one. When we’d finally been reunited, we aimed our sights at coming here and bringing down the head of the operation.
I had warned everyone that Braelyn was my true soul mate, even if she’d rejected me. I didn’t necessarily want to hurt her, but I did want to break her down to bare-bones and see if she was worth saving. If I discovered that she’d been a part of her father’s operation, I’d agreed to release her, giving her a chance to run before we hunted her down. This was the fate given to the others who had knowingly helped torture and murder innocent people. None of them escaped our hunt alive.