BREAKING RULES, Combining two worlds (Part 3)

A SECOND CHANCE

In their hearts, the brothers knew that it was unfair to blame their father for their grief, but to take revenge in secret, knowing full well that he would not survive...

Du'gan and Gunnar had already been unable to say goodbye to their mother and sisters, and now their father had been snatched from their lives without a farewell....

Yes, Gh'ara had been a huge jerk to them after they hit puberty, but he'd still been their father. And while he might not have been a great father, he had been a formidable warrior and Ikat, and had taught them a lot, at least as far as the martial arts were concerned.

Whenever the two brothers needed fatherly advice, they would go to Rhan, Gh'ara simply wasn't capable of it, so their uncle gave them the fatherly love they so desperately needed from time to time.

When they returned to Reh'tec's camp, Du'gan had gone on a drinking spree, which had always been his way of dealing with his grief and anger.

Gunnar, on the other hand, had concentrated on welcoming Wende's clanmates. Thanks to the unexpected presence of an old acquaintance, this had gone quite well for him, despite the mistrust that some of the female clan still harboured towards the Shri'Traccal men.

As he walked across the courtyard, the young warrior grinned at the sight of the two little girls gazing wide-eyed at the warriors passing by, and the giggles they let out as his clanmates and himself made exaggerated, deep bows to the two little ones.

Though the mother of one of the girls never took her eyes off them for a moment, she let them run around among the men, which surprised him greatly at first. But when he saw the stolen glances she exchanged with Koba, he suspected that the warrior and the woman shared a bond, and that was why she was more relaxed with the two children.

To enjoy the last rays of the sun before they disappeared altogether, Gunnar had cleared a section of an old, crumbling wall of snow and now, with a mug of hot tea in his hand, he sat down with a sigh.

Although he hadn't really known Ava, Wende's daughter, very well, he had shared Yh'ghul nah seiy with her and the pain he had felt at the sight of her silent, pale face had touched him more deeply than he had expected.

But what had really upset him was that he had felt the same emotion again a few days ago.

Staring at the steam rising from his mug and the wind blowing in the opposite direction, he did not immediately notice someone approaching him with an energetic stride.

"A penny for your thoughts... my mother would say!"

Gunnar's lips involuntarily curled into a smile as he heard the deep, sultry voice.

"Is it just me, or are you watching me, Sarell?" Gunnar's eyes slid up to meet the cheerful gaze of the pretty young woman.

Twenty-four-year-old Sarell had grown into an exotic, wild-looking young woman who had already managed to set the hearts of many a boy and man racing with her engaging nature and voluptuous figure... much to the dismay of her overprotective parents.

Her dark hair, like her grandmother's, had been shaved at the sides and the hair that covered the top of her head was divided into a dozen thick and thin braids, with shiny pearls and feathers here and there, adding to her already exotic hybrid appearance. The full lips she had inherited from her mother hid her sharp teeth, except when she started to laugh, something she loved to do and often did.

Smiling, she put her hands on her hips and looked at him flirtatiously. "Me? Watching you? And why on earth would I do that?" But her green cheeks turned a shade darker, something that didn't escape Gunnar's attention and his smile widened.

"Come, sit next to me, Bubbles, and tell me how things are with your parents and the rest of the clan." And with his free hand he patted the empty seat beside him.

Sarell rolled her eyes. She hated that name! Her father used to call her that when she was little, and still did when he talked about her to his men or other clansmen. "If you call me that one more time Gatorface, I... I... I will kick your ass so hard your tail will end up on your head!"

There was a moment of silence, then Gunnar burst out laughing. "You haven't changed at all, have you, you little hothead?"

Irritated by his laughter, Sarell leaned forward between his horns until her nose almost touched his. "Who are you calling little one?"

A shiver of excitement ran through Gunnar's gut. Without looking, he put down his mug and slowly rose to his feet, watching the young woman's eyes widen in surprise.

With her head tilted all the way back, she looked at the huge man who was half bent over her. When had Gunnar become so huge? Her mouth went dry at the feeling of his closeness and her heart started to beat like crazy. Fuck! How delicious he smelled!

She quickly took a step back and began to grin embarrassedly at the sight of his darkened eyes. "You ... uhh, you've had quite a growth spurt!" She would undoubtedly have throbbing armpits if she had looked like her mother at this point!

His first experience of Yh'ghul nah seiy had been with Ava, and her death had made him firmly believe that it would never happen to him again, although Koba had been another example. But now that Sarel was close enough to smell her, he couldn't deny it. Yh'ghul nah seiy had found him for the second time.

A deep, dark snarl escaped him, and when he saw the young woman swallow ostentatiously at the sound, his instincts kicked in.

As Sarell took a step back, he followed her like prey. Slowly he lowered his head, giving her time to move away if she wished, but the young woman remained motionless, staring at him with wide open eyes.

Sarell watched out of the corner of her eye as his large horns slid down either side of her face and her breath stopped as his face came close to hers. She felt his hot breath brush across her face and a tingling sensation blossomed in her lower abdomen.

"What are you two doing?!" Du'gan's roaring voice immediately broke the spell. Gunnar's head shot up and he let out an angry roar.

Sarell quickly moved away from Gunnar. "I'll talk to you later!" she said, turning to sprint away as fast as she could, cheeks dark green and heart beating fast.