Free Blood Vow by Karin Tabke

feel completely depleted.”
    Rafe served her up a huge plate of rare venison. “This should help.”
    She devoured it in minutes and when she licked her fork wanting more, she looked up to find both alphas’ eyes on her. Lucien’s lips quirked at the corner, and Rafael’s eyes danced in amusement.
    “Excuse me, but I was hungry,” she said delicately.
    Rafe slid his untouched plate across the table to her. “Have mine, Falon.”
    Shaking her head, she pushed it back toward him. “You need to eat, too.”
    “There’s an entire deer left, Falon.” He slid the plate back under her nose. The delicious scent wafted temptingly up to her. She dug in and ate, this time slower as she savored the seasoned meat.
    Rafe and Lucien ate heartily and as she watched them under an appreciative eye, she smiled to herself. There were no vegetables or bread, just meat. Typical guy fare.
    “So tell me about this sword,” she said in between bites.
    “Gilda said—” Lucien started.
    “Whoa, slow down, cowboy. Who’s Gilda?”
    “She’s the druid witch that originally gave Fenrir his power,” Rafael explained.
    “In exchange for twin souls every century,” Lucien continued.
    “I don’t understand, how does she play in to this crazy scenario?” It was getting weirder and more complicated by the minute.
    “I was desperate to save you, Falon,” Rafael said, his voice cracking. “I would have done anything to that end. When the gods did not answer me, I called upon that maniacal wolf. I knew he could save you, and he did. For that I am eternally grateful but when he materialized, so did Gilda, and she wanted her souls.”
    “Fenrir was eyeing us,” Lucien said. “As payment, but she didn’t want just one century’s worth of souls, she wanted three centuries worth. Fenrir was having none of that, he zapped her and she was gone.”
    “Then he restored your life and took off with you. While we were trying to reconcile the shock of it all—” Rafael held up his hand with the Eye on Fenrir. “The ring started to go hot on me again. When I asked myself why, she showed up in the form of a spirit and told me I still held the power. She was pissed Fenrir killed her, and she told us if we go to where the persecution began, which we think is in Wales or close to the Welsh border, we’ll find the Cross of Caus, the only sword that can kill Fenrir. If we kill him, cut out his heart and hand it over to her, she’ll give us a pass by not taking our souls.”
    “So all of that to get a witch off your back?”
    “Not just any witch, a druid witch with power we cannot fathom. But more than that, by agreeing to her terms, she gave us what we needed most. The means to destroy Fenrir once and for all. He goes, the Slayers lose their magic, and finishing them off will be a cinch.”
    Falon saw the exchange between brothers as if asking if they should tell her everything. “What else happened?”
    “Thomas Corbet is alive,” Lucien said.
    She gasped, nearly toppling her glass of water. It
was
true!
    “He showed up at the dock, Falon. The bastard!” Lucien cursed. Abruptly throwing his napkin on the table, he stood. “He’s as arrogant today as the day he killed my parents. I cannot wait to get my hands on that bastard.”
    Rafe nodded. “I will not sleep peacefully until his entire bloodline is dead.”
    If she had been mule-kicked in the chest it would have hurt less. Struggling to remain calm was proving impossible.
    Lucien stopped his pacing and pulled out the chair he had been sitting in. Turning it around, he straddled it facing Falon. Taking her cold trembling hands into his big warm ones, he said, “He spoke of raising the dead. Slayers, angel face, like our ghost walkers.”
    “How will he do that?” she asked, not liking how terrible she felt. She knew she should tell them about her relation to Corbet, but if she did that now, she would lose them both forever. She could not bear it
    “I don’t know,” Lucien