Two things seemed to happen at once. Nathan let loose a howl as the larger werewolf launched himself at Brand. Behind Nathan, five more beasts in werewolf form ran from the trees to attack the rest of the warriors. The ambush came so quickly his men had no time to will their swords into their hands. Shifting to his werewolf form as the rest of his men did, Raed met one of his prey head on. He grappled the other werewolf to the ground and used his sharp teeth to rip out the beast's throat. He then willed his sword into his hand and shoved the blade through the werewolf's heart.
Raed shifted back to human form and tried to find Lexi amidst the small but vicious battle that had erupted. She stood on the edge of the fighting with Nathan still holding her. Nathan locked gazes with Raed and smiled evilly. As Raed tried to push through the others to get to her, Nathan roughly pulled Lexi into his arms so she stood in front of him. He cruelly yanked her head to the side as he used his other hand to pull away the collar of her t-shirt. Nathan opened his mouth and his teeth grew longer, sharper. He then sank them into the top of Lexi's right shoulder. She cried out in pain.
He licked her blood from his lips, gave her a hard shove to the ground and took off deeper into the trees.
With a bellow of rage, Raed forced his way over to Lexi. Nathan was long gone.
Lexi had pushed herself into a sitting position with her hand covering Nathan's bite mark. Tears streaked down her cheeks as he lifted her and held her to him. His body started to shake.
"He bit me," Lexi said, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"I know." Raed looked up to find the fighting had ended. Werewolf bodies littered the ground as his men stood panting in human form. They all looked at him with pity. They all knew what a bite from a werewolf sired by Fenris did to a mortal.
He met each of their gazes. "Get rid of the bodies. I'm taking Lexi. Algar, come with us."
As the others started to call down the god-fire to get rid of the dead, Raed picked Lexi up in his arms and carried her back to the manor with Algar at his side. He sat Lexi down on one of the kitchen chairs and soaked a tea towel in the sink. "I need to see the bite, Lexi."
She sat with her arms wrapped around her waist. Algar stood at her back.
"What's the point?" she asked. "You told me what a werewolf bite would do.
Come the next full moon, I'll turn into one."
"No!" Raed bellowed. He took a deep breath, and then said more calmly, "No, you won't. I won't let it happen."
Lexi looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. "How are you going to stop it? Are you going to put me out of my misery before I turn?"
Raed squatted in front of Lexi as Algar took the wet tea towel from him and set to work cleaning the bite mark on the top of her right shoulder. "No. Never. I would turn my sword on myself before I harmed on hair on your head. I'm going to fix this. I'll talk to Tiw. He may be able to reverse the bite."
"Ah, Raed," Algar interrupted, "you have to see this. Tiw may not have to do anything."
"What are you talking about?" Raed asked as he moved to stand beside Algar.
Algar pulled the collar of Lexi's t-shirt away from her back on her right shoulder.
Raed looked at the mark on her back. It looked identical to the one Tiw had placed on his left arm. Tiw had marked Lexi as one of his own? Raed looked at Algar, who shook his head and shrugged.
"What's the matter?" Lexi asked. "What do you see? The two of you have gotten awfully quiet. Is it something bad?"
Raed came around to face Lexi. "When did you get that mark on your back?"
"You mean the bruise? I noticed it the morning after you broke into my flat and we had sex against . . . ." She let her words trail off.
"It isn't a bruise."
Raed helped her up and led her to the main floor powder room. Algar followed.
Raed turned Lexi slightly so her back faced the mirror hanging on the wall above the sink and pulled her t-shirt down. She gasped when she turned to look at her reflection.
"Like I said, it isn't a bruise."
Her shocked gaze met his. "What does this mean? It's like your mark."
"I know. Tiw is the only one who could have done that to you. If he has marked you as one of his own, you may be immune to a werewolf's bite the same as we are."
Lexi looked at the mark on her back one more time. The design was an exact match for the one Raed and his men carried. The same stylized man with two stylized wolves on either side of him done in black. "I don't understand. Why would Tiw mark me?"
Algar blew out a breath. "I think the bastard got it right, Raed. Lexi is your mate.
It makes sense, what with the mark and the other things that have happened to you since you've been with her."
Her gaze shot to Raed. "Your mate?"
Raed searched her face. "I don't know for sure, but I've never felt this way toward a woman before. While in bed with you . . . the sex is different as well. I have to talk to Tiw."
"What are you trying to say, Raed?"
He pulled her into his arms. Lexi watched Algar leave the powder room before she looked at Raed.
"What I'm trying to say is that I love you, Lexi. I want to have forever with you."
She looked at him suspiciously. "Is it because Tiw marked me that you now, all of a sudden, have this need to proclaim your love for me?"
"No. When Dolf told me two werewolves held you captive, I knew then I couldn't lose you. I would lose a piece of myself if I did."
Lexi's heart thudded against her ribs. Raed loved her. While she had sat on the bench at the cathedral, she knew she had been close to admitting to herself that she had fallen in love with him. She hadn't allowed herself to feel committed to him mostly because she'd been afraid if she told Raed she loved him first he would feel obliged to say he returned the sentiment. Now that he had told her he did love her, it felt as a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She no longer had to fear it would be a mistake to leave her life in Florida and move in with him.
She went up on her tip-toes and threw her arms around his neck. Bringing her mouth a hairsbreadth away from his lips, she said, "I love you too."
Raed closed the space between their lips and took hers in a heated kiss. He kissed her hungrily, as if he couldn't get enough of her. Lexi threaded her fingers through the sides of his hair, and he angled his lips across hers. They quickly pulled apart when a deep voice filled their heads.
I only waited to hear you both say those three little words.
Lexi looked at Raed. "Did you hear that?"
He chuckled. "Yes. Tiw, is it true? Lexi is my mate?"
Yes. You, and the rest of my warriors, have been alone for far too long. I decided the time had come for you to find your mate, the one who would stand at your side for the centuries to come.
Lexi cleared her throat. "But I'm mortal."
Tiw chuckled. If you accept Raed as your mate, Lexi, I will make you as immortal as he.
As Raed and Algar already figured out, my mark has made you immune to a werewolf's bite. If you want the rest, all you have to do is say, yes.
"You're going to turn me into a werewolf too?"
No. You're job won't be fighting werewolves. Your job will be to look after the new life growing inside you.
Lexi gaped at Raed. He wore an equally shocked expression on his face. "I'm pregnant?"
Yes. Now what say you, Lexi? Do you want to live forever with your king?
She looked down at her still-flat stomach and then back up at Raed. She smiled broadly. "I couldn't ask for more. So my answer is yes. Definitely yes."
Then so it shall be.
Lexi stiffened as what could only be described as a surge of energy shot through her body. Her bruised jaw stopped aching, and the bite mark on the top of her shoulder stopped throbbing. She yanked aside the collar of her t-shirt and gasped. The bite mark slowly healed, leaving no trace of it having ever been on her skin. She laughed with happiness as she jumped up into Raed's arms and kissed him for all she was worth.