Aaaaand…cue me sliding even closer to the door.
Alisha, however, shifts from avenging she-wolf into academic mode in less than a nano-second, pinching her chin and saying, “Really? I didn’t know that. I mean, I’ve read about a few ancient societies with that rule, especially during times when she-wolves were in low supply, but I didn’t realize the Viking wolves allowed it. How did it work when the she-wolf went into heat? Did the bonded brothers, or ‘fast friends’ as you called them, take turns? Like, one claimed her for the first heat and the other for the next?”
I blink at Alisha, who sounds way more interested in the history surrounding FJ’s explanation than she should be, considering the “claim” they’re talking about directly impacts me.
“No,” FJ answers, easily enough, though I’d like to reiterate here that he and his brother are still staring at me like I’m on the menu at a five-star restaurant. “We will both claim her during her time of heat. We will both be as a father to any pup she bears. If a male, he receives my name first and then Olafr’s. And he will have all rights due to him as our son, including my title.”
“Well, that’s extremely interesting,” Alisha says, like they’re talking about this over tea. “I wish I’d known about this when I was in your village, because I definitely would have spent a week or two researching that.”
“Alisha!” I say, squirming with nerves. “I know you find this interesting, but I think now’s the time to talk about how I’m definitely not getting with two wolves from the Viking age, one of which is wolf-bound.”#p#分页标题#e#
But my words don’t seem to phase FJ one bit. “You will feel differently when your heat comes upon you,” he tells me, like I’m a child and not the woman he’s talking about MFMing with his wolf-bound brother.
“No, I really won’t…” I assure him with a shaky voice, taking another small step back toward the door.
Now FJ goes from all mansplainy to confusion. “Are you saying you do not accept our claim?”
“Yep,” I mumble, eyeing the door. “That’s pretty much what I’m saying.”
FJ shakes his head, still confused. “So you would have my brother and I fight to the death for you?” he asks.
Cue the sound of a needle scratching across a record, and I once again pause my slow scooch toward the door.
“What?!?! No, I don’t want you fighting over me at all, especially not to the death.”
I glance up at him, and FJ gives me what even I have to admit is a killer smile. “So you do care about your mates,” he says.
“Yes—I mean no. I mean…” I break off, feeling flustered under the double weight of his sexy smile and his brother’s intense gray gaze. “I don’t really want anyone to die. Unless it’s like a fake death on screen.”
FJ stares back at me, obviously confused.
And I mumble, “What I’m trying to say is you two should go back to where you came from. Without me. Because while I love me a good sandwich, I’m not into this kind of sandwich, if you get my drift.”
Huge silence, and then FJ asks, “What is a sandwich?”
Luckily Alisha chooses that moment to finally come out of academic blah-blah-blah mode to back me up again.
“It doesn’t matter what a sandwich is, FJ. You have your answer.” Then she fixes him with a stern, professorial look and adds, “And of course, Tee is right to feel as she does about this particular matter.”
She comes to stand between me and the crazy Viking brothers.
“While I respect the ways of your land and love you both as dearly as any of my blood nephews, you are in my land now. And Tee has rejected your claim. You and Olafr must respect this because those are the rules in this time and place.”
Alisha exchanges a significant look with Rafe who comes to stand beside her. He sounds both real official and like the kind of loving husband who always has his she-wolf’s back when he says, “We’re not going to let you to take Tee with you against her will.”
“That’s for sure,” Mag says, coming to stand with Rafe and Alisha, along with Grady, whose tank-like body completely blocks my view of the brothers.
Even Uncle Tikaani gets in on the wolf-wall action saying, “And I do not need the phone call I’d get from Tee’s dad if I let her get taken off by not one, but two Viking werewolves.”
I’m touched by all of these wolves going to bat for me. I truly am. And I’d be super relieved, too…if it wasn’t for the low growling sound now emanating from the other side of my protective wall of wolves.