bounced around her head, echoing and repeating until she grabbed her ears in desperation.
Lanterns hung from nails on the walls, but in the darkest corner flickered movement. Just the outline of a person before it disappeared again. Asmund cast a narrow-eyed glance back at the corner, but he had missed that flicker of life.
“Sons,” he snarled.
In through the door walked three men, all pale-skinned and dark-eyed. All similar height and build, all dark-headed, all fanged. And all of them, every single one, resembled Garret.
The smattering of breaking bones echoed through the barn, and Sadey roared through her Change. Snarling, she struggled from her clothes, shredding them on the way out. Dawn had never seen her snow leopard, and for a moment, she was awed. Sadey had cream-colored fur with perfect dark spots, and a tail that was long and thickly furred. It was twitching with fury, and her ears were laid flat as she hissed and paced in front of Dawn.
Asmund’s sons flanked him.
“Out-numbered, out-manned, out-gunned, and out-skilled, I’m afraid,” Asmund said in that strange accent of his.
“Let Sadey go,” Dawn negotiated. “She had nothing to do with this. It’s me you want.”
“Wrong!” Asmund yelled, the power of his voice booming through the cavernous room. “I don’t give a shit about you, you self-righteous little human. I want Geir. I want him to see how badly he has failed me. Look around me, Torunn .”
Something flickered in the corner again—the outline of a woman. The outline of Dawn. No…the outline of Torunn. She wore furs and a cloak, and her hair was braided with feathers down to her waist. Her eyes were full of fury and aimed at Asmund’s back. He was conjuring Torunn’s ghost every time he uttered her name.
Terror seized Dawn as Asmund and his sons approached slowly.
“Garret!” she screamed.
“Garret,” one of his sons repeated in a high-pitched, whiny voice.
“Garret, Garret,” the others chanted, taunting her.
“Garret can hear you fine,” Asmund murmured through a wicked smile. “His entire coven can. You made sure of that little kitty, didn’t you?” He hissed at Sadey and clawed up his fingers. “You called out to your mate. To your king. The mind control in that one. The power. He’s the first I’ve found who is like me, but he is still no match. He’s young, and I’ve had a millennia to learn to control my powers. I must admit, though, you almost broke my hold over him. He is very powerful for his age, and perhaps in time, he would be able to block me out like Geir used to. I would respect the King of the Winterset Coven if I didn’t hate him for fighting me. Even now I can feel him and Garret fighting me. Your men are on their knees in the woods, watching through my eyes the terror in yours. It’s beautifully orchestrated, no? Geir will watch me Turn you as I Turned Torunn, and then he will watch me slowly drive a stake through your heart. I killed Torunn too quietly. I made that mistake only once. No one heard her screams. No one saw the blood. No one watched her rise from the dead the monster Geir so despised. No one watched me slide the stake through her ribcage or witnessed the tears streaming out of her eyes as she murmured his name one last time. I was alone in my victory, but not with you. This time I’ll do it right. I’ll let Geir watch before I give him the final death he’s always wished so hard for.”
“Why are you doing this?” she asked, pressing her back harder against the wall.
“Because he betrayed me! He was my first son. He was supposed to be by my side for eternity. He was supposed to banish the loneliness, and what did he do? He pined for sunlight and goodness like a weakling, and I knew I had failed with him. I gave him everything. I gifted him eternal youth, eternal power. I gifted him the darkness, and he turned his back on me!”
Stall! “So you Turned them to replace him?” Dawn asked, gesturing to his
Lanterns hung from nails on the walls, but in the darkest corner flickered movement. Just the outline of a person before it disappeared again. Asmund cast a narrow-eyed glance back at the corner, but he had missed that flicker of life.
“Sons,” he snarled.
In through the door walked three men, all pale-skinned and dark-eyed. All similar height and build, all dark-headed, all fanged. And all of them, every single one, resembled Garret.
The smattering of breaking bones echoed through the barn, and Sadey roared through her Change. Snarling, she struggled from her clothes, shredding them on the way out. Dawn had never seen her snow leopard, and for a moment, she was awed. Sadey had cream-colored fur with perfect dark spots, and a tail that was long and thickly furred. It was twitching with fury, and her ears were laid flat as she hissed and paced in front of Dawn.
Asmund’s sons flanked him.
“Out-numbered, out-manned, out-gunned, and out-skilled, I’m afraid,” Asmund said in that strange accent of his.
“Let Sadey go,” Dawn negotiated. “She had nothing to do with this. It’s me you want.”
“Wrong!” Asmund yelled, the power of his voice booming through the cavernous room. “I don’t give a shit about you, you self-righteous little human. I want Geir. I want him to see how badly he has failed me. Look around me, Torunn .”
Something flickered in the corner again—the outline of a woman. The outline of Dawn. No…the outline of Torunn. She wore furs and a cloak, and her hair was braided with feathers down to her waist. Her eyes were full of fury and aimed at Asmund’s back. He was conjuring Torunn’s ghost every time he uttered her name.
Terror seized Dawn as Asmund and his sons approached slowly.
“Garret!” she screamed.
“Garret,” one of his sons repeated in a high-pitched, whiny voice.
“Garret, Garret,” the others chanted, taunting her.
“Garret can hear you fine,” Asmund murmured through a wicked smile. “His entire coven can. You made sure of that little kitty, didn’t you?” He hissed at Sadey and clawed up his fingers. “You called out to your mate. To your king. The mind control in that one. The power. He’s the first I’ve found who is like me, but he is still no match. He’s young, and I’ve had a millennia to learn to control my powers. I must admit, though, you almost broke my hold over him. He is very powerful for his age, and perhaps in time, he would be able to block me out like Geir used to. I would respect the King of the Winterset Coven if I didn’t hate him for fighting me. Even now I can feel him and Garret fighting me. Your men are on their knees in the woods, watching through my eyes the terror in yours. It’s beautifully orchestrated, no? Geir will watch me Turn you as I Turned Torunn, and then he will watch me slowly drive a stake through your heart. I killed Torunn too quietly. I made that mistake only once. No one heard her screams. No one saw the blood. No one watched her rise from the dead the monster Geir so despised. No one watched me slide the stake through her ribcage or witnessed the tears streaming out of her eyes as she murmured his name one last time. I was alone in my victory, but not with you. This time I’ll do it right. I’ll let Geir watch before I give him the final death he’s always wished so hard for.”
“Why are you doing this?” she asked, pressing her back harder against the wall.
“Because he betrayed me! He was my first son. He was supposed to be by my side for eternity. He was supposed to banish the loneliness, and what did he do? He pined for sunlight and goodness like a weakling, and I knew I had failed with him. I gave him everything. I gifted him eternal youth, eternal power. I gifted him the darkness, and he turned his back on me!”
Stall! “So you Turned them to replace him?” Dawn asked, gesturing to his
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