A Bond of Brothers Read Online Free Page B

for letting me use her husband's hunting cabin. It was just sitting empty since he passed away. She also gave me this car to use. She's been very helpful since I've been here on my own."
    He frowned slightly. "You've just been here by yourself all this time?"
    "I didn't know what to do with myself. I watch TV and read. There's a very nice library in town and the librarian is friendly. But when the weather got cold, I didn't like to be out in it so much, so although I hunt sometimes, mostly I have been by myself. Is that...is that bad?"
    He reached for my hand and kissed the top of it. Setting it on his lap, he held it firmly and cast a smile at me. "No, lilenta, of course not. I'm just sorry you were alone for so long."
    "It wasn't so bad." I assured him.
    "Well, the den is anything but quiet and lonely. This is the first time that I can remember that I woke up on my own without someone's noises outside in the den waking me up first. Of course, I was also really, really worn out."
    "Well, you almost died."
    He chuckled, "That's not why I was worn out."
    "Oh." Oh . I blushed and he laughed a little harder, squeezing my smaller hand in his large one.
    As we drove, he told me about his life in the den. Some bears didn't like the den-life, like his brothers Ash and Axe. They had a tent they shared with their wife Elizabeth in the den, but their main home was outside on the property owned by the den. He and his brother Tavian were the last two children living with their parents. Their brother Griegs had disappeared after not being chosen by Elizabeth's powerful spell to bind herself to a bear as a guardian. They had not heard from him since that day, almost two years ago. Their youngest sister Daeton had been the object of an evil wizard's plan, and Elizabeth had saved her life by finding the mole in the den and then taking her to guards who would protect her. They'd not heard from her, either.
    "It must be hard, for your parents, and you guys, too, not knowing where your family is." I said, rubbing my thumb along the top of his hand. I leaned over and put my head on his shoulder, taking a deep breath of the scent of him.
    "It is. We know that Daeton is safe with her guards, but it would be nice to hear from her, though. But as far as Griegs goes, I just don't know what possessed him to take off the way he did. It really hurt my mom."
    "But you and Tavian are happy in the den?" His brother sounded like a nice man, but they sounded like opposites. Lynk had taken the place of his brother Griegs as the den's prime warrior. It was a job of great status, reserved for only the most powerful male in the den. It was his job to defend his father, the king bear, and to lead the warriors if there was a battle. He was also a weapons' maker, fashioning swords, knives, bows, and anything else others might need.
    My eyes widened. "How many battles have there been?"
    He laughed. "None since Griegs left. Our den is peaceful. We have alliances with the other were-animals in the area and bear dens don't fight each other for territory like wolf packs do. We actually commune with other dens on full moons sometimes."
    "Sounds nice."
    "It is nice, sweetheart. Tavian and I are both happy in the den. It's all we've ever known and I don't know that I'd be happy away from them. More than my duties as prime warrior, my heart is there. Do you know what I mean?"
    I did, actually. But I also knew from experience that a home could be made anywhere, and heart-wounds that went deep could heal. Like mine were healing just now. As Lynk talked animatedly about his family, I found myself growing more and more fond of him. It felt almost like love, as if I was standing on the edge of true love and he was waiting to catch me when I fell. In my old realm, I'd dated but I'd never had any very long relationships or anything that turned from casual to serious. I was actually glad for that at this moment, as I thought that Lynk might be the man that would be my first - and