He slammed his palm into the bolt. It rammed through flesh, the sound was like sinew tearing, made her think of the same noise he’d made when he’d shifted into his wolf. The bolt slipped out of the flesh and fabric on the inside of his thigh. He grabbed it and pulled it all the way through with a quick yank.
Asa tossed his head backward, corded neck muscles straining, and howled a sound so primordial shivers traversed the length of her spine. He collapsed against the counter, Freyja’s Redemption gripped firmly in his grasp.
“Are you oka—”
Eyes closed, he snarled, then went still. Abruptly, he opened them and sighed. “He’s at bay.”
“That’s good, right?”
“Damn, that hurt. Yeah, it’s good. Whatever is in this metal, I’ve got to keep it against my skin. It’s keeping my wolf—huh.” Confusion passed over his face. “It’s like my wolf’s gone or locked away or something.”
Emme knew the history of Freyja and how she’d created the spell which locked a tribe of bear shifters’ animals away so they could no longer shift. Perhaps the enchanted alloy used to make the bolt did the same.
He studied the bronze-hued rod, turning it over and over in his hand. “Do you have more of these?”
“My sister,” she reminded him.
“You’re a fucking broken record.” He slammed a fist to the counter. “My goddamn wolf wants to kill me, and you want to talk to your sister.”
“Hey, I don’t even know if my sister is alright. And yes, I do have more of those. Get my sister on the phone, and I’ll give you another one.”
He stripped off the bloody shirt and shoved the rod into the waistband of his pants, where it was pressed against his flesh, and half tucked away.
“Get the bolt.” He stepped toward the gas stove and turned on a burner. “Please.” Then he picked up the phone and pressed on an icon on the screen. “Range. Is Eira around?” A pause. He waved at her to hurry it up and pointed at the arrow in his pants. “If you don’t mind.” Then he picked up the pliers. “Yeah, let me talk to her real quick.” He pressed an icon on the screen. “If you don’t mind.”
She scaled the ladder stairs swiftly, reached into her duffel, and took inventory. She’d still have four left if she gave him this one. Seemed a small price to pay in order to get Eira on the phone.
When she came back downstairs with the bolt, he was talking to her sister, clearly.
“Yeah, Eira. I’ve got someone who wants to talk to you. Pretty sure she’s your sister from the looks of her. Not to mention, she claims to be.”
Eira screamed, “Emme!” It was audible even without having the receiver to Emme’s ear. She snatched the phone away while she kept her gaze glued on Asa Wulfsen. “Emme?”
“Eira. Where are you?” Emme didn’t turn her back on Asa, watching him as he put the newly retrieved bolt into the open flame. What the hell was he doing? Melting it?
“Where are you?” Eira said. “Why are you with Asa? Where did—”
“The Fist has been sent after you. I wanted to let— To find— To—” Words escaped her. She was driven by a fierce need to keep her sister alive. If that meant finding her and fighting the Fist at her side, then that was what she’d do. Meanwhile, Asa returned through the back door with another large pair of pliers.
“The Fist can’t find me. You shouldn’t have come.”
Fury ran throughout her. What the hell did she mean she shouldn’t have come? “I found you. What makes you think the Fist can’t?” She leaned to the right and peeked over Asa’s shoulder. In the spot where the rod was red-hot, he was bending it, holding each end with pliers. She spied a hacksaw on the counter next to the stove. She hadn’t noticed him bring it in.
“Where are you right now?” Eira’s voice carried measured anger.
“We’re at the Calder Lake cabin.” Asa pulled the bolt from the fire and sawed off each end, sparks flying from the speed with which he worked.
“We’re coming,” Eira said, and then the connection was lost.
Emme held the phone away from her face and stared at it in disbelief. She turned her attention to Asa.
“It won’t take them more than ten minutes to get here.” He put the rod back into the flame, then grabbed an oversized glass bowl and placed it in the sink under running water.
“She was so close all along?” Emme ran through all the driving they’d done yesterday. “Why didn’t I see a house? Where was she?” Stupid question. The area was vast and tree covered. There could have been a house or a cabin tucked in anywhere.
He hadn’t answered her. Instead, he waited until the metal was red hot again to bend it into a ring then dunked it in the cold water. It sizzled and spat. He glanced up and caught her watching him.
He slid the circle-shaped rod onto his hand and moved it upward until it was on his forearm, then he pulled out the bolt that had been against his midriff in his pants. “I think that’ll do it. I’ll fashion this one later.”
“Do what?”
“Keep the demon at bay.”
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation.
Asa turned toward it.
Emme ran past him and flung it open, dove past the large man next to her sister, and threw herself against Eira.
Eira dropped back and they fell against the porch’s column.
“Where have you been? Why did you leave? Why didn’t you say anything? You could have trusted me.” Emme broke into tears, grabbing her sister’s coat by the lapels and shaking her.
Eira put her hands over Emme’s. “I do trust you. I didn’t want you to face the same penalty I would have to deal with. Now, look at you. You’ve gone and done it. You’re going to be judged the same as I. They will send the Fist for you.”
“We’ll fight together. We’ll defeat the Fist. No matter who they send, or how many of them.”
Eira sighed. “I didn’t want this life for you. A life of running.”
“What’s life without my sister? What—”
Chapter Nine
Asa leaned against the doorjamb, watching the two Valkyrie sisters. It was remarkable how much Emme favored Eira, and yet he hadn’t picked up on it right away. Probably because his damned wolf had been wreaking havoc on his system, his mind, his ability to notice and process events. Damn, thank goodness that metal had put an end to that. Had it killed his wolf? He wasn’t sure. Did it matter to him? Asa would have been hard-pressed to say it didn’t. He and his wolf had been best friends as long as Asa could remember. He’d never been as close to anyone as he had his wolf, though Range was a second, if only by a little bit.
Would the wolf be gone forever? Would Asa ever be able to morph into his lupine form again? Would he lose his shifter abilities? The sight, smell, hearing that were all amped up thanks to the wolf, would those be gone?
He exhaled a sigh of relief at the peace he had—if only for a spell—and placed his full attention on the duo of sisters who were chatting, and on occasion, squabbling. One minute, the two sisters were talking—albeit, the conversation was animated—the next, everything went to hell in a handbasket.