Imminence Page 13

  The howl of a wolf sounded over the plain, full-throated and powerful. It held no hesitation at all. It was the howl of a hunter. Adam felt a frisson of fear. Gunward was closer than he had thought. He prepared to flee on, but suddenly decided to stop and turn around. Brashly he readied himself to confront Gunward. He was fully convinced that Gunward would be no match for him and that he could make short work of the other wolf. Gunward was old and it had been a long time since his latest fight. Adam permitted himself to revel in the feel of prospective victory and imagine how the rest of the pack would have to submit to his leadership. He would finally become the alpha and he would have Clarissa by his side, though reluctantly at first. The other shape shifters wouldn’t dare oppose him, except possibly Sofia, but Adam was ready to destroy her as well. He would banish her back to Sarek with Gunward and order the pack to forswear them.

  Adam yowled in pain. He felt someone invading his mind and causing him stabbing pain. He felt Sofia’s rage. So Sofia could penetrate his shield even from a longer distance. Interesting. Why had she not done it before? She could have located him at any time. Perhaps he would keep her in the pack after all, and exploit her talents. Adam gorged on thoughts of what he would do as the alpha and, above all, what he would do to Clarissa. He would bind the girl to himself for all her life. Seduce and charm her. She would probably be easily charmed and he could be charming if he wanted to. He yelped again. Damn Sofia! She tore cruelly at his mind and disrupted his concentration so that he didn’t notice Gunward silently appearing in front of him.

  Gunward bared his teeth and growled menacingly. His intelligent eyes penetrated Adam with their glare. The two wolves circled each other, emitting low growls of challenge, and as if by unspoken accord they shifted into men. Adam prepared to attack but Gunward only laughed scornfully and took a step back. He stared sternly into Adam’s eyes, his body appearing relaxed. Adam didn’t avert his gaze; he returned it, challenging the other. For a short moment Gunward allowed Adam to see into his very core and Adam trembled. He saw how easily Gunward could annihilate him. How swift the fight - if it could be called a fight - would be. Adam knew now that Sofia was all that prevented Gunward from becoming a killer. A shape shifter couldn’t be killed, but there were worse fates than death.

  An alpha could force a shape shifter to transform into a spirit. A spirit might live in the wind, water or air and wait to be released. It could only be set free by the alpha, not by any other means. Being a spirit was like being in a state of dreamlike hibernation where it was possible to drown for thousands of years. The right word or the right moment might never come. A shape shifter was also at its most vulnerable in hibernation. Its capacity to transform would keep weakening, and each moment, each year, each millennium would weaken it so that it may eventually not be able to shift even should the alpha set it free, but forced to live the rest of its days as a spirit. Sometimes a shape shifter might ask its alpha for leave to take the form of a spirit, but that was extremely rare. Now, however, Adam sensed that Gunward was waiting for the tiniest sign that would justify his sentencing Adam to transform into a spirit. Adam allowed himself to sink a little deeper still into Gunward’s mind. He now encountered a darkness, an evil kept shackled by Sofia’s love. Without Sofia, Gunward would no doubt have become one of the most feared killers in the world and that knowledge scared even Gunward himself. A growl rose from deep in his throat and he kept himself in check with obvious difficulty. Adam quickly withdrew from his mind. He felt his strength wane and his courage crumble. Gunward forced Adam to obey him with a mere look and Adam fell onto his knees in front of Gunward. He held his aching head and howled out his pent-up rage.

  Gunward kicked Adam down to the ground and viciously attacked his mind. He investigated all Adam’s thoughts and some of them made his skin crawl. Adam shrieked in pain but Gunward paid no heed. Layer by layer he penetrated deeper into Adam’s mind until it was completely open to his assault. Sofia let out a yelp of pain in Adam’s mind and at the same time Gunward withdrew in shock.

  “You love her!” Gunward accused.

  “You want to bind her to you because you can’t bear the idea of someone else having her and her rejecting you. Why? She’s a mere mortal and you have no connection with her.”

  Adam lay silently on the ground, staring angrily at Gunward.

  “Answer me!” Gunward raged. “Why? Why won’t you just give up? What makes that girl so special?”

  Adam’s glare darkened and he furiously tried to get up, but Gunward kicked him back down. Adam still held his silence. Sofia was shouting within his mind. Somehow she had managed to penetrate into his innermost. The very core of him that Gunward hadn’t known to look for. Sofia had seen why Adam had fallen in love with Clarissa. Just as Sofia was Gunward's soul mate and Marie was Tiamhaidh's, Clarissa was Adam's. Only Clarissa didn't know that yet. She would have no choice in the matter. Adam had already bound her to himself with such ties that she would give in to him even against her volition. Sofia would never permit it, though. Gunward swept through Adam’s mind with ferocity. He experienced Adam’s thoughts of Clarissa and was taken by surprise. Adam’s mind was full of images of a sleeping girl burrowed deep under her duvets. Clarissa walking in the woods, the wind fluffing her hair so that her lovely scent spread through the entire forest. Clarissa shouting at him and touching him. Adam’s mind was haunted with thoughts of Clarissa. Gunward yowled, pained.

  “Get up!”

  Adam did as he was told, keeping his wary gaze on Gunward’s eyes.

  “You have to break yourself free of her,” Gunward grunted.

  Adam lowered his eyes submissively.

  “I can’t. Don’t you understand? I’ve been looking for her all my life. She is a part of me.”

  “You can never have her. Do you understand? She is not for you,” Gunward growled menacingly and threw his fist on Adam's chest with ferocity.

  “Why not?” Adam shouted, “How is my choice different from Tiamhaidh’s? Where is your famous sense of justice? Doesn’t Clarissa have a say in this?”

  “That’s exactly the point. Clarissa is half dead with fear of you. Don’t you see? She has not chosen you. She is terrified. You have to leave her alone.”

  “I don’t believe you,” Adam said quietly. “Clarissa cares for me.”

  “Clarissa is incapable of deciding her future right now. You will have to forget her and give her a chance to live a normal human life.”

  “Is her life really normal if her mother is a shape shifter and her sister has bound herself to one? Why should she be allowed to choose? Isn’t it enough that I’ve chosen her?” Adam roared.

  “That’s not the way it works and you know that very well. You sound like a child begging for a toy. Stop it and drop the matter already. You won’t touch Clarissa,” Gunward glared angrily at Adam and shook his head with incredulity.

  “Can you honestly claim you don't know Clarissa is afraid of you? Love, at least true love, is not born out of fear,” Gunward spoke calmly, and Adam saw the wisdom of centuries reflected in his eyes.

  Adam stared at Gunward again with his burning black eyes. He would not survive another mutiny. He had already defied Gunward once and it was a miracle he was still here. But he was not ready to let go of Clarissa. Without Clarissa he would be lost. He'd be no more than a brawler, so fearsome that no one would dare challenge him, but a mere cur nonetheless. When he was near Clarissa he saw what he might become. What a glorious future he could have with the girl. He couldn't be with any other girl and thus it was really neither here nor there what Gunward's verdict would be. If he couldn't have Clarissa, he might just as well live in exile. Gunward gave him a searching look. The entire forest seemed to hold its breath. It was completely quiet.

  “One year,” Gunward said firmly.

  “And then what?” Adam asked.

  “One year and then you may approach Clarissa.”

  “You must not force her into anything. You’ll have to play by
human rules. You may not resort to scare tactics either, and if she doesn’t choose you you’ll have to be satisfied with that,” Gunward held out his hand, convinced that Adam wouldn't take it.

  “Done,” Adam said and firmly grasped the proffered hand.

  They sealed the pact in the ancient manner and Adam knew that if he now screwed things up he would not have another chance.

  “Not good enough. You will swear it by all you hold sacred and then you will go with me to the elders on Senja. You’ll be spending the next year there, learning and listening to the elders. It’s time for you to understand the meaning of pack and to discover your past before you’re ready for the future.”

  “Senja! Have you lost your mind? I’m not going to spend a whole year on Senja! Absolutely not!” Adam roared and swiftly snatched his hand out of Gunward's, as if Gunward's hand had burned his.

  “Take it or leave it!” Gunward thundered. “Don’t you understand you have no choice?”

  “One year,” Adam said quietly, looking defeated. “And then I will have Clarissa?” He asked almost soundlessly.

  “Aren’t you listening to me? The choice is not yours to make. It will be for Clarissa to choose!”

  Adam weighed his options. Gunward was right. If he wanted Clarissa for himself he would have to obey Gunward. If he refused to go to Senja, Gunward would probably deny him the right to change shape and force him to forget himself. Did he then have any choice except swear the oath and go to Senja? Adam shrugged, pretending nonchalance.

  “Very well. I will swear it.”

  “An oath can’t be taken back. Remember that, Adam,” Gunward reminded him.

  “I know that!” Adam snapped. “You can be sure that exactly a year from now I’ll return and then Clarissa will be mine.”

  “On her own terms,” Gunward insisted.

  “On her own terms,” Adam affirmed.

  Gunward gave Adam a long, searching look and tried to determine whether or not he could trust the younger man. Adam returned his gaze levelly, and Gunward decided to take a risk and trust him.

  “Clarissa will make the final decision?” Gunward reaffirmed.

  “That’s what we agreed. Clarissa will decide,” Adam replied.

  Gunward gave Adam's hand another firm shake and the agreement was sealed. The men changed into wolves in silence and started a leisurely trek back to Sofia’s house. From time to time Adam felt Gunward’s mind poke his own and ponder whether he had struck a good bargain or a bad one, but otherwise they kept to their own thoughts. They were both worried about Sofia’s reaction to their agreement. Sofia might still oppose them and rage at them, but they were ready to face her wrath. The oath had been given and Sofia could not overrule the alpha male even if she wanted to.

  CHAPTER 22

  Clarissa lay in her bed. Her duvet had fallen halfway to the floor and her long bare legs gleamed goldenly as the sun caressed them. She extended her arms far behind her head and stretched luxuriantly. At last all the terrifying events were over and she could enjoy the beautiful early autumn. On the other hand, even though some of the recent goings-on had been truly frightening, Clarissa had to admit she had enjoyed some of them. It had felt glorious to walk around the town with the young males. Unrefined though their manners yet were, they still made heads turn. All of Clarissa’s friends had seemed to transform into drooling idiots whenever even one of the males had been with her, and other boys seemed irredeemably dull. Clarissa couldn’t see herself ever again yearning for the company of human boys. Their adolescent bodies were still undeveloped and their heads so full of youthful male hormones, their thoughts so focused on sex, that the trim, trained figures of the young males appeared even more enticing by comparison.

  Clarissa sighed. Perhaps she would finally have to face facts and forget the young males. After all, she was a human. What chance did she have of being with a handsome shape shifter male? None. Besides, none of them except Adam had made the slightest move to seduce her. They treated her as a family member, so she would either have to change her attitude and set her sights back on boring human boys, or become a nun.

  Last night had been downright chaotic. Gunward and Adam had returned, but for some reason Adam appeared to have evaded punishment for stalking her. David had yelled at Gunward, but Sofia had been calm and collected. From the numerous looks exchanged between the shape shifters Clarissa knew that something was going on. She was also aware that Marie knew what was afoot, but she’d had no opportunity to talk to Marie alone. Tiamhaidh and the other males had always blocked her way whenever she’d tried to approach Marie, and Marie had obviously avoided meeting her eyes.

  Adam had seemed in no way repentant. On the contrary, his dark eyes had stared feverishly at Clarissa all night and she had tried to fight both fierce spasms of desire in her lower belly and creepy frissons of fear on her skin. She was not ignorant of matters between boys and girls, but she had never allowed anyone more than a few kisses and some touching. But Adam’s gaze aroused in her an insufferable desire to join with him. And yet he frightened her. She wanted sex, real sex, no furtive teenage fumbling under the duvet but passionate sex with the gorgeous Adam – and yet she wanted to run as far from him as she could, wanted to flee and hide. Was that even normal? Were Adam a tad more gentle and humble, Clarissa might consider dating him. On the other hand he wouldn’t be Adam then, and Clarissa couldn’t say whether or not he would interest her if he were tamer. Luckily she could forget him, for she had found out that Gunward would take a part of the pack and go to Norway, and Adam would be among those going with him. Clarissa shrugged indifferently. She would miss the pack. It was somehow strange to feel such kinship with unfamiliar young men, but Clarissa felt as if a part of her family were going away. The males were so refreshing compared to ordinary human boys. They didn’t pretend and they didn’t lie. They might be shockingly blunt-spoken at times, but they never purposefully hurt or deceived anyone. Unlike human boys. They seemed to have no room in their heads for anything except thoughts of how they could get into bed with her, and they were ready to deceive, lie, and use any other possible means to get what they wanted. The young males said what they wanted up front and if she said no, the matter would be closed at least for the time being.

  Clarissa lifted one perfect leg up and started slowly stretching the back of her thigh. While doing that she scrutinized her leg. What would it feel like to wrap it around Adam? Would she shiver if Adam touched her? She switched legs and let her fingers slide slowly along her calf towards her ankle. How would it feel to be able to change shape? Could she decide what shape to shift into, or would she be able to change into one animal only? What an embarrassment it would be if she could only shift into a sheep or a chicken! Clarissa sat up and shook her head in confusion. She couldn’t understand where all these strange thoughts were coming from. She stretched her arms and then opened her arms as wide as she could, stretching her pectorals as well as her shoulders. Her gaze wandered around the room and she tried to even her breath. Then her eyes met the mirror and stopped there.

  “Impossible!” she shrieked and jumped up. She ran to the mirror and looked at herself. Her eyes were golden brown!

  “Really impossible!” she shrieked again.

  She explored her face with her fingers, looking for signs of other changes, but found none. She stripped off her thin nightgown and stood naked in front of the mirror. She twisted to see herself from every angle but no matter how she tried, she saw nothing different except her eyes, which had changed from bright green to golden brown. To the eyes of a wolf, her subconscious whispered.

  “No,” Clarissa whispered in horror. “No! This can’t be true!”

  “Mother!” Clarissa shouted. “Mother!”

  I rose swiftly from the armchair. I heard Clarissa’s voice becoming hysterical and I automatically glanced at Adam, who was sitting at the table and calmly eating breakfast. Adam lifted one eyebrow questioningly. I leapt to the stairs and ran up them two at a time
. I pushed Clarissa’s door open and stood in the doorway, baffled. Clarissa was standing in the middle of her room, stark naked, staring with horror at herself in the mirror. I heard the others running up the stairs and hastily wrapped Clarissa in a bathrobe. I couldn’t understand what was wrong. I wrapped my arms protectively around Clarissa and stroked her back soothingly. David ran to us and all six males flocked into the room. Gunward and Adam remained in the doorway and when I lifted my eyes to Adam I noticed a smug smile on his lips. He stared at Clarissa in admiration and she returned his stare with a bewildered expression.

  “Sofia, look at your daughter,” Gunward said.

  I looked at Clarissa but noticed nothing special about her. I looked questioningly at Gunward, who smiled irresistibly at me.