Marisa Chenery: Love Everlasting

That’s when Elsa noticed that some of them did indeed fight with swords. She didn’t know who was who, except for Brand. She soon spotted him. His fur was the same color as his hair—pure black.

Despite the anger and fear she felt toward him, Elsa couldn’t stop herself from watching Brand. A part of her didn’t want to see him get hurt. She’d spent two days making love to him, and they’d become close. It wasn’t something she could totally forget.

Soon darkness closed in, and it was harder to see. The only light was from the almost full moon and the manor’s outside lights. Where the warriors and werewolves fought was at the end of the drive, which was a fair bit of distance away. It made it harder for Elsa to follow everything.

But soon only four werewolves remained standing, all of them holding swords. Elsa stepped even closer to the window when a blue fire engulfed the bodies of the downed creatures. Something else she’d never seen before.

“What is that fire?” she asked.

Maggie answered her. “It’s Tiw’s god-fire. It burns the bodies of Fenris’s get until nothing of them remains. The men’s swords have silver mixed in with the steel, which is deadly to the beasts. They bring them down, and Tiw cleans up after them.”

Elsa watched the men shift to their human forms. Then their swords disappeared into thin air, except for Chris’s. He carried his with him as he walked toward the manor with the others.

The men walked into the living room a short while later. Elsa remained at the window as Maggie and Cydney went to their mates. Brand hung back with Chris and didn’t make an attempt to come to her. Not long after that, the other three warriors and their mates joined them.

“They’ve all been taken care of?” Raed asked.

Brand nodded. “Yes. Chris no longer has to worry about them trying to take his place as pack leader.”

“Same with the ones we fought. If there are others who sided with them, they’ll know what fate they met when they don’t return.”

“Can I go home now?” Elsa asked, drawing everyone’s attention. “Is it safe for me to leave the manor?”

Brand looked at her with no emotion showing on his face. “Yes. I’ll take you back to your flat. Let me just go get your bag from my bedroom.”

She nodded before he walked out of the living room. Elsa found the others looking at her. The women wore sympathetic expressions. She had a hard time meeting their gazes.

Lexi came to stand in front of Elsa. “If it’ll make you feel any better, we, all the women, have been in the exact same position you are now in with Brand. It’s hard to accept, but it is possible. You just have to give Brand a chance. And in his defense, you have to remember the day and age he was born in. He was a warrior then and still thinks like one.”

“I can’t deal with this right now,” Elsa said.

“I understand. Just remember that we’re here for you. That, if you decide to stay with Brand, we can help you transition into our world.”

Spotting Brand waiting just outside the room with her bag, Elsa nodded before she left to join him. Neither one of them said a word as they walked out of the manor and headed to the detached garage. Once inside his car, she buckled her seatbelt and then turned her head to look out the side window. She kept as close to the door as she could get.

At her flat, Brand stopped the car in front of the building. Elsa silently grabbed her bag from the backseat before she opened the door and stepped out onto the pavement. She didn’t look back as she walked to the front entrance and let herself inside.

Brand gripped the steering wheel so tightly it creaked. He followed Elsa with his gaze, feeling as if he lost more of her with each step she took. He’d give Elsa her space, but he didn’t think he’d be able to stay completely away from her. He’d just have to go back to hiding in the shadows, remaining out of sight, as he watched over her from afar.

For the first time in his life, he was actually afraid. He was afraid he’d lose Elsa forever. That she’d never come to accept him as her mate. This was worse than when she’d become engaged to Teddy. Then, Brand hadn’t tasted her, hadn’t held her in his arms, hadn’t made love to her until they were both satiated and unable to move. If she rejected him, it would hurt so much worse. He’d survive it, but he’d never be the same again. He’d have endless days and nights to spend alone. Even now he ached to have her in his arms.

Brand waited until he saw a light turn on in her second floor flat. At least he knew she was at home safe and sound. He put the car into gear and slowly pulled away from the curb. It was all up to Elsa now. How the rest of his eternal life played out was in her hands. He’d give her a couple of days, and then he’d confront her to see what her decision was.

Two days. It had been two days of hell for Elsa. She’d probably spent the majority of them either crying or arguing with herself about what she should do about Brand. Every time she looked at Tiw’s mark on her back, she thought about Brand, her mate. Did he hate her for leaving him as she had, or did he still love her and only waited for her to make the first move? As for making a decision, she was no closer to one. It was driving her crazy.

She had to talk to someone other than an individual from Brand’s “family.” She needed someone who could look at things from her perspective and would be able to help her sort out her feelings. The only person she could think of was her big sister, Renea. Growing up, they’d both confided in each other, told each other secrets that neither had broken their promise to never tell. The only thing holding Elsa back from talking to Renea was the fact she didn’t know if her sister would believe her when Elsa told her werewolves existed.

Renea knew there was something bothering Elsa. Only this morning when Renea had called, her sister had mentioned how Elsa seemed out of sorts. How she sounded a bit depressed. Elsa had been so close to telling Renea the whole story about Brand over the phone.

The sound of someone putting a key into her flat’s door had Elsa’s heart beating at a fast rate. Could it be Brand? He still had the set of keys she’d given him. She tensed, not sure how she would react if it was indeed him. Once the door swung open, Elsa breathed a sigh of relief to see it was Renea, not Brand.

Her sister shut the door behind her. “All right, time for a sister-to-sister talk. No more telling me you’re fine when I know you’re not. Something is bothering you, and you’re not going to get over it until you’ve told someone.” Renea crossed the distance between them and then sat on the couch next to Elsa. “So out with it. You know I’m a good sounding board.”

“I doubt you’ll believe what I have to say.”

“Maybe, maybe not. You won’t know until you’ve told me.”

Elsa took a deep breath. “You’re right; something is bothering me. Something that most people would think is a tale of fiction. And it has to do with Brand.”

“I had a feeling it did since you haven’t mentioned him for two days.”

“Here comes the crazy part. I’m just going to come right out with it. Brand is an immortal werewolf warrior who has been alive for over thirteen hundred years. He hunts the bad werewolves.”

Renea didn’t say anything for a few seconds. “Brand is a werewolf?”

“Yes. And apparently I’m his mate.”

“And how do you know that?”

“I’ve been marked as one.” Elsa turned, pulled her right arm out of her shirt’s sleeve, and lifted the material at her back, giving her sister a good look at Tiw’s mark. “This says I am.”