Page 16 of Berserker Devotion
They needed to locate the enemy first. Where was Inessa?
She looked at her uncle again and was relieved to find him awake. His brown eyes narrowed as he gazed back and he shook his head, maybe to warn her. Or maybe because he hadn’t wanted her to come.
Only Arek could communicate with wolves through his mind, and only with the members of his direct pack, or the alphas in the western coalition. Uncle Karl was a rogue wolf. He didn’t belong to any pack. Not even Arek could reach Karl when he was in wolf form.
Inessa stepped out from what looked to be a small office in the back. She’d tied back her long white-blond hair into a high ponytail and she wore a tight leather outfit. The effect was more dominatrix than a dark witch. “I said to come alone,” she said in her heavy Russian accent as she sashayed toward them. “This will cost you.”
Uncle Karl snarled at the witch.
Without missing a step, or even looking his way, Inessa flung out her hand and a glowing ball of magic shot through the bars of the cage and hit the wolf inside.
Nora’s uncle whimpered, but then growled deep in his throat.
The witch moved her hand again.
“Stop,” Nora exclaimed. “Hurting him was not part of the deal.”
“You reneged the deal by not following directions,” Inessa shot back.
“You said no wolves,” Nora insisted. “I brought no wolves.”
Inessa frowned. “We’ll see about that.” She kept walking, her high-heeled boots echoing as they struck the cement floor.
“Keep her attention on you as much as you can,” Ulf mumbled out of the side of his mouth without looking at Nora, timing the words with each heel strike so the witch couldn’t hear him.
Nora tucked one side of her hair behind an ear as she dipped her chin once to show that she had heard.
Inessa stopped in front of them. She held out her hands, and two glowing orbs formed, hovering above her palms. “Don’t move,” she warned, closing her eyes. She inhaled sharply, held her breath, and then opened her freaky pale white-blue eyes again. An evil grin stretched across her lips. “You’re one of the special Vikings,” she said to Ulf.
“I’m not that special,” he answered back.
Inessa cocked her head, widening her grin. “Not only handsome, but funny too.” Nora’s wolf growled inside her mind and the dark witch pivoted her head, aiming her gaze on Nora. “Oh, your wolf has claimed him, has she?” She laughed, or more like cackled. “That’s too rich.”
She turned back to Ulf. “Show me your hand.”
“Nope,” he answered. “That definitely wasn’t part of the deal.”
“Fuck the deal,” she snarled, hurling one of the glowing globes at Nora.
She quickly turned, facing Inessa sideways to give her a smaller target, and took a quick step back. It wasn’t fast enough and the magic ball hit her shoulder.
Icy pain spread down her arm, making her muscles cramp and twitch. She doubled over and her wolf rose to the surface, snarling at the witch.
“If you change into your beast, I will kill your uncle,” Inessa said calmly, holding up the other ball, which glowed stronger and grew larger.
Nora fought to control her wolf. It clawed at the mental restraints, wanting to take over their body so it could fight the witch. The cold ache caused by the magic blast intensified as it spread through her body. She whimpered and sunk to the floor.
Her wolf howled its fury in her mind.
Nora struggled to regain control of her beast while fighting to not pass out.
She held her breath and gritted her teeth, fighting the paralytic agony threatening to take over her senses and her body.
CHAPTER 11
Ulf reached for Nora as she collapsed on the floor, but some invisible force trapped him in place.
The blonde woman smiled her creepy smile. “So, my power controls Odin’s Vikings and his wolves. That’s so good to know.” She encircled him where he stood paralyzed, his hand twitching over the pocket where he’d stashed a ceramic knife. He figured the witch could sense metal since she’d insisted they not bring guns or blades. But he’d gambled on her not considering other materials. “I’ve never met one of you,” the witch said, trailing her finger down his cheek.