Лори Девоти - Unbound

Risk stared him in the eyes. “You’ll figure something out.”

Sigurd lowered his head in thought. “And Lusse?”

Risk growled. “If all goes well. She won’t come back.”

Sigurd laughed, his tail twitching to one side. “And I’d still be alpha?”

“I won’t challenge you, and Lusse’s other offer…” Risk stared at Sigurd knowing he’d realize Risk meant the ownership of the other hounds “…will be void.”

Sigurd tilted his head in consideration, then glanced at the garm. “And you, wolf?”

“You keep your part of the bargain I’ll keep mine — but with one more restriction.” He shifted his gaze to the group of males behind them. “No hounds in my bar — ever.”

Sigurd tilted his head. “As if we’d choose to come here.”

“Swear it, or no deal.”

A growling rumble escaped Sigurd’s throat. “Sworn.” After giving the garm one last hate-filled glance, he turned his head back to Risk. “Anything else?”

Risk glanced at Lusse, then back at Sigurd. He had to ask one more thing. “Once we’re through I want you to free the whelp, Venge.”

Sigurd raised a canine brow. “He is yours.”

Risk leveled his gaze. “Agree?”

“He’ll still be bound to Lusse, you know that.”

Risk nodded. “As I said, if all goes well, she won’t be coming back.”

The three males turned to stare at the witch, her face pale with exertion, curses streaming from her mouth.

With one last nod, Sigurd stepped out of his way, and Risk moved to her side.

Within seconds, the portal opened and Risk shoved Lusse, still cursing, through the doorway.

Lusse fell forward. Risk quickly stepped in front of the witch, keeping her from landing on the floor.

She shoved off his back and righted herself.

“What happened?” she heaved out, her hair disheveled and her breath coming in angry puffs.

“We did it. We’re through the portal,” he murmured to her.

Risk scanned their surroundings. It was dark, raven’s-breast black actually, but with his hellhound vision, he had no problem making out where they were.

“It’s a tube, I think.” He stepped forward, leaving Lusse leaning against the now solid doorway they had entered through. “It isn’t long and there’s another door ahead.”

“What do you mean tube?” Lusse shoved her hair away from her face and unhooked her cloak. “Why is it so hot? I despise heat.”

Risk pressed his nose against the tube wall. “We’re in a passageway, but it’s round, like a tube. I think the walls are clear, but I can’t tell what is on the other side.”

“What a waste of time. Let me.” Lusse pulled back her sleeves and held up one hand. “Lyse.”

A faint glow bubbled in her hand, like the dying embers of a campfire. Lusse stared at it, the glow just enough to light her shocked face.

“What did you do to me?” She swung toward Risk, the power in her hand pinging off the sides of the tube like BBs.

How Risk wished he had the ability to drain her powers, but not now. Now he needed her to be strong — strong enough to tempt Jormun.

“It’s nothing. You’re just tired after battling your way through the portal.” He prayed this was true. “No one has ever done that before,” he added, hoping to cut off her anger.

Lusse fisted her palm and pulled it to her breast. “True, and Sigurd now has the garm, right? No one except the gods can claim ownership of a garm.” She smiled.

“And you,” Risk prompted her.

“And we are near Jormun?” she asked, her hand relaxing to press against the tube’s curved wall.

“Very near.” Risk padded forward, leaving Lusse to fend for herself. The witch wouldn’t take offered aid easily, and he had no real desire to ease her journey.

He reached the end of the tunnel and turned to look for her. She struggled along, trailing her cape and tugging her gloves from her hands. “What now?” she asked, coming to a halt beside him.

“Another door,” Risk said. “It’s guarded. Can you feel the energy?”

She shot him a scathing glance. “Of course I can. Your only advantage here is your hellhound sight, and that I’m a bit worn. Don’t be getting any ideas, alpha.”

“Never, Lusse.” Risk sat back on his haunches. “What is our next step?” Risk waited. It was important that Lusse feel confident when they arrived in front of Jormun. Let her think she was in control.

Lusse dropped her cloak and gloves, then lowered herself on top of them. “We wait. My powers will rebuild and I will blast our way in, or someone will open the doorway before then. Either way, I’ll soon learn what Jormun has been up to.”

His body rigid beside her, Risk turned his gaze to the doorway.

Let Sigurd and the garm keep their parts of the bargain, he prayed, or he might be stuck in Jormun’s realm with Lusse forever.

A sharp pain shot through Kara’s shoulder. Blinking, she sat up. It was bright again, and the hissing had stopped.

She rubbed her shoulder then her neck. She must have fallen asleep sometime while the giant snake was still twined around their capsule.

Something flopped against her leg, causing her to jump.

Just Kelly’s hand, lying limply across Kara’s thigh. Kelly always had been a bed hog. Moisture welled to the back of Kara’s eyes. Thank God she had found her.

Moving to the side, she carefully lowered her sister’s hand to the floor and stood up.

Within seconds, Kelly rolled to her feet and landed in a fighting pose, legs braced apart, one fist guarding her face, the other ready to strike.

“You’ll make a wonderful mother some day,” Kara drawled.

Still in attack mode, Kelly didn’t reply.

“Kelly.” Kara waved her hand in front of her sister’s face.

Kelly tilted her head, her expression softening. “Sorry. I’m a bit on edge.”

Like she needed to explain her state of mind to Kara.

Kara watched as her sister shook out her arms and then proceeded to twist her body into a series of yoga moves. “Kelly?” she prompted.

Concentrating on a point somewhere out in the Midgard Sea, Kelly didn’t reply.

“I need to tell you something,” Kara continued.

Kelly twisted her body into a triangle position, then stood. “Tell.”

Kara took a deep breath, her eyes focused on her sister’s face. “Maybe we should sit.”

Kelly stared at her for a moment, then turned and walked to the other end of the tube.

“Kelly?” Kara called after her, surprised.

“Don’t say it,” Kelly replied.

“Don’t say what?”

“What you’ve been trying to tell me since you got here.” She turned, the pain on her face shooting through Kara like a spear. “You know something, don’t you? Something about Linda — why I haven’t seen her here. Why those other capsules are all empty now.” She walked to the wall and pressed both palms against it. “I don’t know what happened to all of them. I don’t think I want to know.”

Her black jumpsuit clung to her body, emphasizing the line of tension running down her back. “That’s terrible, isn’t it? Not wanting to know? Being…afraid.”

Kara took a step toward her sister, her hand raised to reassure her.

Kelly spun, her eyes bright with anger. “I was so stupid. That bartender told me I was when Linda and I went in there the first time, but I didn’t listen to him. I talked Linda into going back — to keep looking.” She stood there, her body shaking, her eyes staring unseeing ahead of her. “And now…” She looked at Kara. “She’s dead, isn’t she? I killed her.”

Kara stared at her sister, the strong one — the one who had saved her over and over and who now stood shaking at the thought of her failure — and dropped her hand to her side.