Page 56 of Witch Undecided
Chapter Sixteen
Leif
Tor sits on the couch staring into the flames flickering in the hearth. He’s barely spoken a word to me since I got off patrol an hour ago. Cora’s upstairs getting ready for me to take her to Vita for the hunt with the female wolves, and Rune is baking himself by the fire, eyes half closed, but I can sense his attention is also on Tor.
I know better than to push Tor when he’s in a mood, but now that we’re bonded to Cora, his shitty mood affects us all. I look to Rune and take a deep breath.
I’m going in. “What’s wrong with you tonight?”
“Nothing.”
“Liar.”
“Nothing I want to talk about.”
It’s something to do with Cora, Rune says.I can feel it. Did you two argue?
Tor sighs and leans back against the sofa. “The opposite. We got close.”
What? “How close?”
He makes a sound of exasperation. “Nothing like that, fuck. I promised her I’d keep the boundaries and I have, but I don’t know how long I can do this.”
I get it. I feel it too.
What happened?Rune asks.
Tor sighs. “I almost kissed her. It took everything I had not to.”
I look away. No need for them to know I’ve already crossed that line. Not for the past two weeks, but the kisses we’ve shared are seared into my mind. I ache for her, but more than that I want to make her happy, I want to see her smile. I look forward to coming home to her every evening and spending time with her. She’s under my skin in ways no female has ever managed.
Tor’s right. It’s only a matter of time until one of us slips up, but… “This is what she wants. This is what she needs, and we have to give it to her no matter how difficult.”
“I know,” Tor says.
I suppose there’s a benefit to being me,Rune says.
Fuck, Tor and I have it easy in comparison. I hate this. “Rune, you need to tell her.”
And have her pity me? Worry about me? No. This is my life, and this is my choice.
There’s real anger in his tone.
“Okay.” I hold up my hands. “Whatever you want, Rune.”
He lowers his head and closes his eyes. His anger is always a flash in the pan, not like Tor, who can stew and simmer for days if he wants. Rune is the peacemaker, the sunshine, the glue. He didn’t deserve this.
We should be discussing the varga and their recent attacks. The wolves are exhausted from all the extra patrols. We need a better solution.
“There is no better solution,” Tor says. “They’re up to something, and we need to be there to stop them, which means extra patrols. They can’t sustain this for much longer. They will eventually exhaust themselves.” He sounds and looks confident on this, but that’s Tor all over. It’s what makes him a great leader. He instills confidence in his pack.
I’ve always admired that about him and strive to emulate him when on duty.
And what if they don’t?Rune asks.
It’s the same argument we’ve been having for weeks. The varga are a scourge, a blight, and ever since they found a way out of their prison realm, they’ve been entering ours to feast on humans.
The varga tear holes in the fabric of our reality to get into our world. It takes a huge amount of energy to hold one open, which is why they usually only attack once or twice a month. It’s more like once a week now. And instead of one rift, they’re tearing several with every visit.
