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.
Range growled and leapt on Asa. “What did you do?”
Fists flying, Range pummeled Asa relentlessly. His talons came out and began to shred Asa’s skin. His energy seemed to be concentrated on the arm bearing the Freyja’s Redemption band he’d fashioned.
Eira was screaming and pulling Range back, her superhuman Valkyrie strength allowing her to make some headway as she kept her mate from ripping into Asa. Emme stepped between them. She looked from one to the other, back and forth, over and over. She had her hands up, one against Asa’s chest, the other positioned to stop Range if Eira failed to keep him away.
Asa had been frozen, stunned, not even reflexively defending himself against a brother who’d never so much as ever had a beef with him nor attacked him like this.
Chest heaving, Range was lunging forward, but not dislodging Eira’s grasp. Asa was sure if Range wanted to, he could break free. He had to be holding back so he didn’t hurt his mate.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Asa kept his tone measured.
“What did you do to your wolf?” Range spat the words out. His eyes had gone red. A red Asa had never witnessed on him before. A red that matched the color of his own wolf’s red after the experiment. A red that belonged to the time Asa called the crazy years. The years his wolf had dedicated his energies into killing Asa.
A thought occurred to him. “How do you know I did anything to my wolf?”
“Mine can’t find him.” Range snarled, his elongated canines showing how close to the surface his wolf was.
Asa pulled his shirt off and began to wipe at his scored flesh to staunch the blood. It would heal soon, wouldn’t it? Or did Freyja’s Redemption mess with his shifter swift healing abilities?
Range’s eyes narrowed. “Where did you get all those scars? Those were not there when we left the military.”
Asa didn’t answer him. “Why are you soul-seeking my wolf, brother?”
“I wasn’t.” Range clenched his fists. “Where is the wolf? Why won’t you tell me?”
Emme cleared her throat, opened her mouth.
Was she going to tell Range about Freyja’s Redemption? Had Range’s wolf already figured it out?
“Don’t,” Asa cautioned Emme, placing his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t get involved. This is far more complicated than it seems.”
Eira looked between Range and Asa, then between Asa and Emme. “Can we discuss this in a civil manner?”
Range growled his response, sidestepped.
Eira moved in front of him, took him by the shoulders. Her eyes had gone fully black. “Back off, wolf.” The threat in her voice was evident.
Asa wondered about the relationship between Eira and his wolf. Most shifters’ animals were as much into the relationship a shifter had with his mate as the shifter himself. Asa had thought Eira was on good terms with the wolf, but now she seemed to bear a measure of hostility toward the animal. Maybe he was wrong. Perhaps she was on such good terms with the wolf, if she could speak so to the beast.
Range had stilled with Eira’s words. He’d actually taken a step back, to Asa’s surprise.
“Bring me up to speed, please,” Eira beseeched her mate. Her eyes had gone back to violet.
Asa chanced a glance at Emme’s to see if they’d gone black, but they hadn’t. Maybe it was tied to emotions as well as battles. He’d have to ask her later. Then he realized he was actually thinking of Emme in terms of later. As though she might stick around, be a part of his—their—life.
Stunned by the thought, he stilled and reflected on it. In all honesty, he wouldn’t mind having Emme around. If he were even more truthful, he’d have to admit the idea of Emme being a part of life in Alaska made his heart beat faster. Not to mention it gave him a reaction farther south, one which he hadn’t felt for some time for any woman. He’d been too busy fighting off a dire wolf to be able to focus on any sexual escapades. When was the last time he’d—
He pushed the thought away because all it did was remind him how normal life had been before the study and how fucked up it was after.
Everyone was silent, and Asa realized all eyes were glued on him. “What?”
“Eira asked to be brought up to speed,” Emme said.
“Yeah, I heard that. I figured Range could tell her why the hell he attacked me. Tell all of us why.”
Range snapped an angry red gaze toward Asa. “Why don’t you start with what you did to our littermate.”
Eira did a double-take. “Littermate?”
Emme’s eyes had gone a little wider, betraying her confusion as well.
Eira took Range’s hand, running her thumb along his. “I thought you were the oldest. Anyway, what do you mean? Aren’t all shifters born as humans or turned from humans?”
“We are brothers,” Asa took charge of the explanation. “We are brothers, but our wolves are littermates. All four of them.”
Emme shook her head. “If you’re born as humans, then you’d be quadruplets, right? You wouldn’t be called littermates.”
Asa couldn’t stop checking out her curvy figure, those bow-shaped lips, a nose that tipped up just the slightest bit, wide cheekbones, and eyes the color of the Pacific. “Typically, but our situation is different. Our mother was a shifter in wolf form when she gave birth to us.”
Range took over. “We aren’t aware of all the details. She was stuck in wolf form for many years. Our father is unknown, at least to us. We were born wolves but have no memory of our early years.”
“Right,” Asa added. “The only memory we have is of Mae and our time with her.”
“How can you have no memory?” Eira insisted. “This is unbelievable.”
Range scoffed, a sound which resembled more of a growl. “Are all matters cut and dried when it comes to Valkyrie? Do you not have any mysteries, mythical lore, which doesn’t always connect?”