Marisa Chenery: Love Everlasting

Brand heard the sound of the mewling cries of a newborn baby coming from upstairs as he headed to the kitchen to grab a quick breakfast. Finding that room empty, he put some bread into the toaster before pouring himself a cup of coffee from the coffeemaker that had been programmed to run around the time the occupants of the manor house awoke.

He’d just sat at the large kitchen table with his food and coffee when Nika walked into the room carrying her two-week-old son, Luke. Brand noticed she looked tired.

“Did you get much sleep last night?” he asked.

“Not really,” Nika replied as she pulled out a chair from the table and sat. “Luke still wants to eat every two hours. Garrick got up a couple of times with him since I’m now supplementing Luke with formula, but it wouldn’t be too fair of me to make Garrick do more than that after hunting Fenris’s get all night. Garrick needs his sleep too.”

The baby made some fussing noises, and Nika put Luke up on her shoulder and patted his back. The infant soon settled.

“Give Luke to me,” Brand said, and held out his arms across the table for Nika to pass him the baby.

She shook her head. “You’re eating.”

“Nika,” he said, “give me the baby. I can eat and hold him at the same time. You need some food as well.”

“Fine. I’m sure you won’t take no for an answer. You never do.” She handed Brand the baby. “I’m not all that hungry, so I’ll be quick. I know you want to go out again, and I won’t hold you up.”

Brand positioned Luke on his shoulder and rubbed the baby’s back until he stopped squirming. Brand turned his head and kissed Luke’s soft cheek as he dragged in the infant’s scent. Even though he hadn’t told anyone, he loved the smell of babies and hoped one day to have one of his own.

“It’s fine, Nika,” he said. “Don’t rush. I have nothing pressing to do.”

As she put some bread into the toaster, Nika asked, “Where is it that you go when you leave? You never say a word about what you do. You’re gone all day and come back to have dinner then go hunting.”

Brand took a sip of coffee before he answered. He liked to keep his daily excursions his business. “Around.”

Nika turned to face the table. “Around? That’s it? I have a feeling Maggie knows, but she isn’t telling.”

Maggie, Dolf’s mate, was the only person he’d said something to about what he’d kept hidden for so many years. And he’d only done it to try to convince her how Dolf would feel if she continued to hold her mate at arm’s length, afraid to accept Dolf as hers.

In way of answer, Brand picked up a piece of toast off his plate and took a big bite. That just caused Nika to shake her head.

He knew she’d hoped to get him to talk, but he wasn’t ready to do that. Maybe one day, though the chances were pretty slim. He wasn’t much of a talker and kept his emotions close. Even as a mortal, he’d been that way.

Brand waited until Nika had finished her breakfast before he handed the baby back and then headed out the front door of the manor house. He went to the large, detached garage and got into his silver Lexus LFA sports car. It didn’t take him long to pull out onto the long, gravel drive and onto the road.

He drove to middle of Norwich and parked at the side of the road two blocks from his destination. On foot, he traveled the rest of the distance as he did day after day. At least today it wasn’t raining, and he wouldn’t end up soaked to the bone from standing out in it.

Slowing his pace as he neared the small building containing a number of flats, Brand looked toward the window on the second floor that faced the road. He came to an instant stop and shifted closer to the wall of the building beside him, though he could still see what took place at the smaller one.

A woman had her head stuck out the window as she yelled at a man who stood on the pavement looking up at her. Brand’s gaze greedily soaked up the sight of the woman—his mate. Though she didn’t know that yet. With his acute hearing, he heard every word she said.

“I told you to come for your shit last week, Teddy,” the woman said sharply.

“Oh, come on, Elsa. Just because I didn’t come and get my stuff when you wanted doesn’t mean you can stop me from picking it up today.”

“Fine,” Elsa called down. “You want your shit right now? I’ll give it to you.” She disappeared for a few seconds, then returned and pushed an armload of clothes out the window to rain down on Teddy. “Don’t go just yet. There’s a little bit more.” Elsa disappeared again just before more clothes went sailing through the air.

“Do you know how much of a bitch you’re being right now?” Teddy called up to her, anger tingeing his words. He scrambled around, picking up his belongings off the pavement. He then shoved the lot into the car parked on the side of the street in front of him.

Brand stiffened, not liking the tone the other man used. Elsa was Brand’s mate, and as such, he wouldn’t tolerate another male abusing her so. But he kept his silence for now, wanting to watch how this played out.

“I’m being a bitch?” Elsa yelled. “Then I guess that makes you an asshole, Teddy. You’re the one who decided to dump me, your fiancée, to take up with your old girlfriend. You’re lucky I haven’t done more than throw your clothes at you. And by the way, I’m keeping the furniture. I paid for most of it, anyway. So sod off. I can’t stand the sight of you.”

“The way you’re acting now, I’m thinking I made the right decision. You can keep the bloody furniture, but I want the laptop. I bought that. And don’t you dare throw it out the window.”

“Will you go away if I give it to you?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll be down in a minute then.”

Brand shifted his gaze to the entrance of the building. Elsa stepped through the door less than a minute later, carrying a laptop. She shoved it at Teddy. “Take the damn thing and leave.”

“I think I should come up and make sure there isn’t anything you’ve forgotten to give me that is mine,” Teddy said as he tried to sidestep around Elsa.

She moved with him, blocking his attempts. “No way in hell are you coming up to the flat. It’s mine now. I even had the landlady take your name off the lease.”

Teddy put out his arm to shove her aside, and that was enough to have Brand closing the distance between him and the other two people. Once Elsa had come down from the flat, he’d inched closer to the couple.

“Everything okay?” Brand asked, his question directed at Elsa.

She nodded. “Yes. He was just leaving.”

“No, I’m not,” Teddy said sharply.

Teddy went to step around Elsa again, but Brand shifted so he stood directly in front of the smaller man, who ended up bouncing off Brand’s chest. Brand took great satisfaction in the fact that he had twice the muscle mass Teddy had, and that he towered over the man.

Brand bent his head slightly, looked Teddy direct in the eyes, and said, “Leave.” He spoke the one word with a hint of a growl and a snarl of his lip.

The other man audibly swallowed, clutched the laptop he held close to his chest, and quickly turned on his heel. Without looking back, Teddy got into his car and drove away, cutting off traffic in his haste.

Brand turned back to Elsa. He couldn’t help but run his gaze over her gorgeous face, taking in her long, light brown hair and slim, curvy body. She stared at him with her hazel eyes. This was the closest he’d been to her in the past seven years. The first time they’d met she’d only been sixteen. Now she stood before him a mature woman and obviously one who was sure of herself.