Page 23 of Wolf Marked

“I saw it run off into the woods,” she replied. “Do you think it’ll try for another surprise attack?”

“Not with all of us here,” Kalle said, running a hand through his curly hair. “They aren’t that stupid.”

He was right. There had to be about twenty of them with the prisoners. Trying to fight this many shifters, some with weapons, would be suicide.

“But that doesn’t mean he won’t run back to Jerrick and tell him what happened,” Erec said, body rigid. “We need to start our journey back now.”

“What about that one?” Bec pointed to the brown wolf with his axe.

“Claus. He’s going to be coming with us.” The way he spit the name hinted that he was very familiar with the shifter.

“Do you know him?” Astrid asked.

“Jerrick’s personal pet.” His tone hardened. “He is responsible for hundreds of deaths.”

Oh.

“Almost caused my own, too.”

A loud bellow filled the air as Claus’s wolf form shuddered and began to shrink. The long fur pulled back, revealing tan skin as well as the curse’s blue markings under his one eye and down his cheek. His ear was missing. The wound had split during the shift, and blood gushed down the side of his face and neck. As a human, Claus was a giant of a man with a square, muscular frame and legs as wide as tree trunks. Through the entire change, a sickening, red-stained grin stayed planted on his face. The twisted amusement in his expression made a chill run down Astrid’s spine.

“I didn’t expect to run into you again,” he said to Erec, then barked a laugh at his own joke. “How lucky am I?”

Clenching his jaw, Erec gripped the spear’s staff and yanked it from Claus’s hip without so much as flinching. He spewed out a string of curses and swung his arm at him,but Erec moved out of the way before the blow could make contact. Bec and Kalle gripped Claus by the arms and wrenched him to stand up. He roared once his weight was applied to his wounded leg.

Gunnar and Darek padded over, baring their teeth at him. Claus only threw his head back and laughed. He wasn’t afraid at all.

Did she expect anything less from Jerrick’s right-hand man?

When Claus’s gaze found Astrid, that terrifying smile reappeared. Something animalistic glinted in his eyes. “That was a nice shot you had there,” he drawled, licking his lips. The suggestion in his tone made Astrid feel sick. “But I didn’t even get a chance with you. I wanted to play a little more. What do you say?”

Erec thrust the end of the spear to Claus’s throat and growled loudly. Raw hatred burned in his eyes. “Don’t talk to her.”

In an instant, Claus’s expression contorted as he whipped back toward Erec. “You can’t do a thing to me,” he snarled. “You need me. Alive.”

“Yes, but I suggest you save your voice,” Bec said. “It may be the only thing that’ll save your skin once Boden gets through with you.”

For the first time since he’d shifted, fear flashed across Claus’s face. Good. It seemed her father’s warrior reputation still preceded him.

“Let’s start back,” Erec called, waving the timid survivors forward. Bec and Kalle pulled a limping Claus past the trees using rough hands. Gunnar and Darek followed close behind, trailed by Henrick and the others.

When alone, Erec turned to Astrid, his face grim. Without saying a word, he handed her back the spear, took her arm, and looped it over his shoulder so she could lean on him for support.

“I can walk, you know,” she insisted, but at the same time, she hoped he wouldn’t let her go. She liked his closeness. Especially with the sudden exhaustion she felt.

“I’m sure you can,” he replied but started taking short steps forward anyway, holding her firmly by the arm and waist. “Doesn’t mean I’m going to let you.”

This time she didn’t argue, and the smirk that curled Erec’s lips told her he was taking it as a small victory. Then, with arms intertwined and bodies pressed against each other, they entered the darkened woods and started the long trek to Svanna Rock.

Chapter Nine

“Your brother is going to kill me.” Erec laughed, glancing down at Astrid as they limped their way through the forest. “Then again, there might not be anything left after Boden has his turn.”

Astrid looked up to see that familiar crooked smile lifting the side of Erec’s mouth, the one that made her heart flutter, and she forgot about the pain gnawing at her calf for a moment. They had been traveling northwest for over an hour, and during all that time, Erec kept his hand firmly on her waist, letting her lean on him for every step.

She didn’t want to admit it to herself, but she liked the warmth of his body against hers; she liked the feeling of his strong arms holding her up every time she put pressure on her wounded leg. But what she liked most of all was the playful smirk he gave her this time, instead of the conflicted look he’d worn when they’d kissed before by the pomple tree.

“It’s just a small bite wound. It’ll heal by tomorrow,” she said. One of his eyebrows lifted, and she couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’re right. You’re a dead man.”

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