She swallowed hard. "He was here?"

"I didn't see him." Alastair drank some water. "I guess Shanna gave him a key. He must have dropped these off before we arrived."

Elsa stared at the huge box of two dozen donuts. He'd brought enough for everyone. "That was kind of him."

"Yes." Alastair gave her a curious look. "He seems like a decent chap. I can't help but wonder why you refuse to see him."

She screwed the top off her water bottle. "It's a long story."

"Well, I must say he looked absolutely devastated when I told him."

She winced.

"But he gave me his word that he would honor your wishes."

She nodded. So instead of knocking on her motel room door, he'd left a note for her in the office.

"Has he kept his word?" Alastair asked.

"Yes." He's a gentleman He's a gentleman. Or was he a beast?

"Well, good." Alastair plucked another donut from the box. "I could get seriously addicted to these. I hope he brings them every morning."

Elsa gulped. What if her aunts caught him making a donut delivery? The poor guy could end up shot just for being nice. Or what if he dropped by to check on their work? As Shanna's representative, it was his job to stay informed.

Loud shouts and footsteps sounded in the foyer as Oskar and The B Boys made their noisy entrance.

"In here!" Alastair shouted.

The guys crowded into the kitchen and attacked the donuts. They were so busy eating that Elsa slipped unnoticed into the formal dining room. She peered out one of the front windows. Greta and Ula had opened the trunk of their car.

"Oh no," she breathed. Were they checking on the weapons, or did they intend to take them out and go hunting?

What if Howard was nearby?

She should warn him. She had his phone number in her handbag. But if she called or texted him, he would have her number. With a wince, she leaned against the wall next to the window.

She didn't want to talk to him. He'd want to know why she was avoiding him, and she didn't know what to say. He'd probably ask her out to dinner, and how could she respond? By the way, are you intending to kill me? By the way, are you intending to kill me?

She peeked out the window. Greta was loading sh.e.l.ls into her shotgun.

"Oh G.o.d, no." She had to warn Howard. He'd behaved like a perfect gentleman. He didn't deserve to be shot down in the driveway.

With trembling fingers, she retrieved her cell phone and his note from her handbag. Call or text?

Text. Hearing his voice would make her all quivery inside. She started a message three times and erased it. Finally, she wrote, Not safe for you at the gatehouse. My aunts are here with weapons Not safe for you at the gatehouse. My aunts are here with weapons.

She hesitated with her finger above the Send b.u.t.ton. Once she pushed it, she couldn't take it back. He would contact her. With a grimace, she pushed Send.

Seconds ticked by with her heart pounding. She glanced out the window. Greta was loading the hunting rifle.

Her phone jangled, and she jumped. Oh G.o.d, it's him. Oh G.o.d, it's him.

She glanced around the room. It was empty. The guys were still in the kitchen. The phone rang again.

Biting her lip, she took the call. "h.e.l.lo?"

"Elsa?"

She groaned inwardly when his deep, s.e.xy voice shuddered through her. "Yes."

"We need to talk."

"No. My aunts are with me constantly. They're armed."

"I should meet them."

"No! They want to shoot you! They think you're a berserker."

There was a pause, then he replied, "I would never hurt you."

She winced. He hadn't denied being a berserker. "Just stay away from me. Okay?"

"Wait. Why are you refusing to see me?"

"Good-bye, Howard."

"Is it because of the curse?"

"Don't call me." She hung up.

She rested her head against the wall and took deep breaths, waiting for her heart to stop racing.

Her phone dinged, signaling a text. Ignore it. Ignore it.

It dinged again. With a groan, she opened his message.

I believe you could be the Guardian of the Forest.

Her heart lurched. He knew about the guardians?

He sent another text. That's why the animals are following you. That's why the animals are following you.

Tears gathered in her eyes. Why couldn't she just be Elsa? The same Elsa she was a week ago? Amazon Ellie who built beautiful cabinets. Why was she suddenly floundering in a supernatural world where nothing was what it should be? Children could secretly teleport. She and her aunts were secretly guardians. Handsome men were secretly beasts.

She sent him a message. I believe you are a berserker I believe you are a berserker.

A message came back. A descendant A descendant.

He admitted it. Her heart sank, and she wiped a tear from her cheek. Her hand shook as she typed out the next message.

Wolf or bear? Her finger hovered over the Send b.u.t.ton. A tear splattered onto the screen. Her finger hovered over the Send b.u.t.ton. A tear splattered onto the screen.

G.o.d help me, this can't be happening to me. She erased the message. She erased the message.

He sent a new text. I believe our family curses are connected. I believe our family curses are connected.

She gasped. Was he admitting his ancestors had murdered hers? She texted back. Stay away from me! My aunts will kill you. Stay away from me! My aunts will kill you.

The phone rang.

Her heart jumped up her throat, and she turned the phone off. A message appeared in her voice mail.

She dropped the phone into her handbag and pulled out a small pack of tissue to blow her nose. "I won't listen. I don't care what he says."

She stuffed the tissue back into her handbag.

"Dammit." She couldn't stand not knowing. She grabbed the phone and hit voice mail.

"Elsa, I would never hurt you!" Howard's voice sounded strained. "We don't have to live our lives according to some d.a.m.ned curse! It's making us live in fear. All we have to do is reject the fear. We can break the curse. If we love each other."

Love? A tear rolled down her face. Could she trust Howard enough to love him? He'd admitted he was a berserker. Could she risk loving him when he might go into an animal-like frenzy and kill her? A tear rolled down her face. Could she trust Howard enough to love him? He'd admitted he was a berserker. Could she risk loving him when he might go into an animal-like frenzy and kill her?

She dropped the phone into her handbag. Was Ula right? Did he actually become an animal?

She glanced out the window. Her aunts were marching up and down the driveway, carrying their weapons, ready to shoot the berserker. Howard.

Wolf or bear?

Chapter Fifteen

Howard checked his phone for missed calls or texts. Nothing. A week had pa.s.sed since his last conversation with Elsa. An agonizingly slow week where each day had dragged by, crushing his hopes that she would contact him.

Had she simply dismissed him from her thoughts? Was he that easy to forget? Or was she keeping a distance in order to protect him from her aunts? She had texted him that warning. Did that mean she cared?

What had the aunts told her? That as a berserker, he was a murderous beast? Since they wanted to shoot him, they had to believe he wanted to attack her. Had they convinced Elsa to be afraid of him?

Dammit, he wanted her to trust him. But how could he prove himself to her if he never saw her? Right now, his strategy was to prove his worthiness by honoring her wishes and staying away from her. But that was frustrating the h.e.l.l out of him. It seemed lame, even cowardly. The bear in him wanted to barge into her motel room and demand respect. Unfortunately, a move like that would probably terrify Elsa. And it might earn him a few bullets in his stubborn hide.

He continued to deliver two dozen donuts to the gatehouse at dawn each day. And he did a quick inspection of the house so he could report to Shanna. In the past week, the construction crew had dug out the bas.e.m.e.nt floor, lowering it by two feet. Then they'd laid a vapor barrier and a concrete floor. They'd reinforced the walls and rebuilt the staircase to the cellar.

He'd gone to the house for two meetings with Alastair and Oskar, and one interview with the camerawoman, Madge. All three times, Elsa and her aunts were nowhere in sight. Apparently, she was given a warning to vacate the premises before he arrived.

Angus, Emma, and all the guys on the mission in Mexico had returned after successfully rescuing the American hostages. Ian and Robby were delighted to be back at the school with their pregnant wives. Connor had asked Howard if he and his wife could borrow his cabin nearby in the Adirondacks. Apparently he and Marielle had fond memories of the place. Carlos was happy to be back, helping his wife with their newborn twins.

Howard sighed. It seemed like everyone was in a happy, loving relationship but him. He pushed that miserable thought aside and turned his attention to the plan to wreak vengeance on Rhett Bleddyn.

Harry sent him updates every day from Alaska. He was printing daily exposes on Rhett in Northern Lights Sound Northern Lights Sound Bites, Bites, and the mainstream media was scrambling after his tasty tidbits like a pack of vultures. Rhett was followed everywhere, hounded by the press. Television and newspaper reporters interviewed people who confirmed that Rhett was hara.s.sing their towns and trying to force them out of their homes. and the mainstream media was scrambling after his tasty tidbits like a pack of vultures. Rhett was followed everywhere, hounded by the press. Television and newspaper reporters interviewed people who confirmed that Rhett was hara.s.sing their towns and trying to force them out of their homes.

As more bad press built up, more disgruntled people came out of hiding. Former employees who'd felt mistreated. Women who claimed Rhett had s.e.xually a.s.saulted them. The s...o...b..a.l.l.s Harry had thrown were quickly becoming an avalanche.

Howard called his friend to congratulate him. "You're doing great, Harry!"

"Thanks." Harry laughed. "I wish you could see Rhett's face these days. He's looking so whipped."

Howard smiled. "It's about time he suffered for all his crimes."

"Yeah. He'll never be able to run for office. And the politicians that used to be in his pocket, they're all trying to distance themselves. I wouldn't be surprised if his minions start to mutiny."

"That would be perfect." Howard couldn't think of a better way to hurt Rhett than making him lose his status as Pack Master. Without all his minions to order around, he'd be rendered virtually powerless.

"I may be hard to reach for the next few days," Harry said. "I'm going up the Yukon River to the site where our fathers had their logging company."

Howard tensed. If his friend's suspicions were correct, their fathers had been murdered. "I don't know if you'll find much. The buildings burned down thirty-four years ago."

"Yeah. But I'm looking for people. Anyone who remembers anything."

"All right. Be careful. I'll talk to you when you get back." Howard hung up.

Was Harry right to suspect foul play? Who would have wanted to kill their fathers? Howard had been four years old when the men had died, too young to know if his father had been plagued with business problems or enemies.

He reached for a donut and, as usual, his thoughts returned to Elsa. Was she eating the donuts he left every morning? Maybe he should try something different, like leaving her flowers. Clearly, his current strategy was yielding zero results. Time to shake things up.

The flower strategy was off to a lousy start. The next morning, after picking up donuts at dawn, he'd discovered the only place in town that sold flowers was the small grocery store, and they didn't open until 7:00 a.m. He'd eaten four bear claws in his SUV waiting for the store to open.

Now, at 7:05, as he was returning to his vehicle with flowers and a card, he spotted Alastair driving down Main Street in the rental car. Elsa and her two aunts followed in another car.

Dammit, he was late! He tossed the flowers onto the pa.s.senger seat and turned on the engine. Wait Wait. He'd better not catch up with them. If they saw him, they might think he was stalking them. And he couldn't park in the driveway next to them at the gatehouse.

He needed to give them a few minutes. To pa.s.s the time, he took a pen from the glove compartment and wrote Elsa a note on the card. Then he slipped it under the ribbon that was tied around the flowers and tissue paper.

He turned onto Main Street and drove slowly out of town so he wouldn't catch up with Elsa. He pa.s.sed the driveway to the gatehouse, then pulled over and parked at the head of the trail that led to the house. With his arms full, he hurried through the woods. The trail ended at the driveway, but he stopped before that, keeping himself hidden behind some trees. There, on the driveway, he spied two cars in front of the house.

Elsa and her aunts were standing by a car, talking. One aunt looked middle-aged, and the other older with silvery blond hair, but they were clearly related to Elsa. Both were tall and fair, still pretty. As he watched, one of the women opened the car trunk and pulled out a shotgun.

Holy c.r.a.p. Elsa hadn't been kidding. Her aunts were armed and dangerous.

He circled to the back of the house, keeping himself well hidden, then set his gifts on the steps to unlock the back door with his key.