Page 20 of Luna Cursed

"No, but we are leaving, so maybe you should cover up for public decency." Ciara ignored the way Bayn and Freya watched them spar. She needed to get to Onsøy, find Varg, and kill him. Then she would worry about her bond with Tor and focus on getting it removed. She had a plan and would stick to it, even if it killed her. With the way he was smiling at her, it probably would.

10

Onsøy was a peninsula located roughly an hour's drive south of Oslo. Ciara could barely remember the last time she drove there, poison and pain and blood loss robbing her of the smaller details. That night she'd had only one focus—getting to Tor. It seemed strange to be doing the drive again with him beside her.

It was afternoon by the time they drove through the town and out towards the forest and water. A spring storm was rolling in, the sky getting darker by the minute.

Ciara directed Tor down a small side road that led out to the site. She strapped a knife to her thigh. The chances of Varg being dumb enough to wait around for people to turn up were slim, but he might have left a guard or two.

"There's a small side road behind those trees," Ciara said, pointing at the track in the growing darkness. "This is where I parked. It's a short walk from here."

The muscles in Tor's jaw tightened. "I can't believe you came out here all by yourself."

"It's what I was trained for, Tor, whether you can accept it or not. I'm not an idiot. I knew what I was doing," Ciara argued. She jumped out of the car as soon as he pulled up.

The forest smelled clean and damp. She shut her eyes for a moment and breathed in. It was like everything was opening up, readying for the rain that was due to start falling. She could never explain the sensation to anyone, the way the trees seemed to be breathing around her. It calmed her and energized her at the same time.

"Which way, Ciara?" Tor asked, bringing her back to herself.

"Through here. Watch your step. Varg had someone lay bear traps on the perimeter, and they might still be there," she said and took the lead through the undergrowth. She had spent two days crawling around, hiding her scent and footprints in and out.

Behind her, Tor was a bundle of energy. She could feel it building; his alpha power was starting to leak with the tension of going into his enemy's territory. There was no sign of anyone, but the ground was trampled and wrecked from booted feet.

Tor let out a low, deep growl. "I can smell Linnea's scent." Without another word, he shifted and sprinted off through the trees, a giant silver wolf on the hunt. Ciara jogged behind him, careful of where she was placing her feet.

What had been a bustling camp by the water only days before was a churned-up mess of mud, cold fire pits, and squashed grass from where tents had been pegged. Tor was sniffing around a large muddy patch of ground that had been a pit the last time Ciara had seen it. Whatever they had been looking for must have been a dead end.

Count that as a blessing, Ciara thought. The last thing anyone needed was Fenris being free to go on a rampage. The sky opened up, and rain started to fall down through the branches of the pine and birch trees in a soft hushing sound.

The air went hot around Tor, and he shifted back. His jeans were in tatters but still mostly covered him. His shirt was gone.

"She was here not a day ago," he snarled, pacing the forest floor. His eyes were shining with wild anger. "I can smell hereverywhereand Varg too. He must have shamans working with him because I can feel dark magic all over this place. It's seeped into the ground and trees. There's blood too. Lots of it. Whatever they did, it was a fucking vile thing."

Ciara couldn't sense the magic, but his words made her blood go cold. Tor's alpha power was rolling out of him in thick waves. He whirled on her.

"If you hadn't been so fucking stubborn, we could have had them by now!" he shouted. Ciara stepped back from him. He had never raised his voice at her, and paired with the power coming off him, it made her want to bare her neck to him and submit. Fuck that.

"I was following my training and intuition, so I had enough information to ask for help with," she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

"You should have called us as soon as you found out that your target was working for Varg," Tor said, taking a step towards her. He looked like he would go full berserker, his whole body coiled with violent power. She should have run or been readying for a fight.

"I don't answer to you. I did what I thought was right at the time and gotthisfor my trouble!" she said, pulling the collar of her T-shirt back to flash the scars on her neck. The sight of them seemed to enrage him more. A low snarl rolled out of Tor, eyes glowing as they fixed on her.

"I know you want your sister back, but you better back the fuck off me. You wouldn't even know she was still alive if it wasn't for me." Ciara went to go back to the car, but Tor mirrored her moves, blocking her path. "Get out of my way. This is a dead end."

"You could have been a dead end for your recklessness," Tor hissed. "You really think I'm only annoyed about Linnea? You came out here, telling no one, and you stayed even when you found out Varg was involved. You're a good hunter but no match for a pack of wolves. You could've died. You almost did. Was your pride really worth your life?"

Ciara's hands clenched into fists. "You're looking for a fight right now, I understand, but you better back off me, Torsten."

"Or what?" Tor demanded, prowling right up to her so he could get in her face. Her heart was hammering too fast. The heat radiating from his body hit her like a brick. Water was trickling down his bare skin, and his eyes were still glowing with fury and challenge.

Ciara should've been scared, but she wasn't because shedidknow that he would never hurt her no matter how angry he got. He was so tall that he loomed over her, making her feel small. Still, she didn't run.

Tor leaned down and whispered in her face, "What are you going to do, Wolf Slayer? You going to try and stab me with that little knife of yours?"

"Fuck you, Tor," Ciara snarled and kissed him. It was like a bomb going off inside of her. Tor's lips were hot and angry on hers, his large hands pulling her up into his arms. Ciara wrapped her legs around him, her hands bunching in his wet hair as her mouth plundered his. Tor gripped her ass tight enough to bruise; his tongue invaded her mouth, and she melted into him. Alpha heat rolled out of him and over her, making her whimper as it hit her core. Fuck, she needed to stop but couldn't.

She clung to him, her nails scratching up his slippery wet shoulders. A growl rolled through him and into her, and Ciara's pussy pulsed. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. She couldn't stop.

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