Polar Fates Read online

  “And we found some books on an abandoned island a little further West.”

  That makes both of them perk up. Ben points to one of the chests his mates have carried onto the beach.

  “Take a look. They’ll cost extra, of course, but I’m sure we’ll come to an agreement.”

  Both of our hosts immediately head to the box and rummage through the books inside. I’m tempted to go and look as well, but I wouldn’t have anything to trade with. We’re relying on our hosts’ generosity too much already. At least we’ve been able to supply them with some fresh meat. Alis is an excellent hunter and so are my guys. They’ve also started helping out with doing some repairs to the house that Bertrand and Arnold had put off. I’ve put some of the skills my father made me learn to good use and sewed some of their clothes. Back when he forced me to learn the ‘things any woman should know’ like sewing, cooking and knitting, I hated it. I still hate doing it, but at least it helps giving something back to the bears.

  “So what brings ya to this island?” Ben asks.

  “We wanted to check if our uncles were alright,” Torben says immediately. He’s already put together a story for us. Trust him to think of everything. “We’d not heard from them in a long time so we decided to take a trip up North and persuade them to come with us. No luck so far.”

  Ben laughs heartily. “I don’t think ya’ll ever get them off this island. We’ve been trying for years to have them join us on the ship but they keep refusing.”

  Torben plays along. “Yes, they’ve always been stubborn. But at least we now know that they’re alright.”

  “Anyway, do ya want to trade as well?”

  Torben shrugs. “We don’t have anything with us that would be of interest to you. But thanks for the offer.”

  I’m beginning to find it strange that Ben is the only one of his crew to talk. The other three men are standing behind him, disinterested in what is being said. The woman is the same, examining her fingernails. The only one looking at us with obvious curiosity is the girl.

  She meets my eyes and smiles. A shiver runs over my back. What is wrong with me? This is a young girl trying to be friendly and I feel… scared?

  Listen to your instincts. She’s trouble.

  How can she be trouble? They’re going to leave soon and then she’ll be gone.

  I don’t know but she feels familiar. I don’t like it.

  Bertrand and Arnold join our little group, arms laden with books.

  Ben smiles, his expression turning greedy.

  “That’s a lot of books. Tell you what, take the whole box in exchange for 200 of the small batteries.”

  “Done,” Arnold agrees without even trying to haggle. I look at him curiously. He didn’t strike me as someone who’d trade without driving a hard bargain. He puts his books back into the box which I guess is now his, except for one small book which he slips into his coat pocket with a smile.

  He pats his pocket with a smile. “Reading for later,” he explains to Ben but gives Bertie a meaningful look. This book must be special.

  Two

  We get to find out how special the book is once the traders have left and we’re back in the warm living room. I’m glad they’re gone, it was strange having other people on the island. Especially the girl. Even thinking of her gives me a funny feeling in my stomach.

  “It’s about bears,” Arnold announces as soon as we’re all sitting. “It’s the Ursa Chronicles.”

  Maybe our feeling of excitement this morning wasn’t about the traders after all. Maybe it’s connected to this book.

  “But they were never printed,” Bertrand mutters sceptically. “They were passed on from bear to bear, from parents to children. That’s why they got lost in time and only fragments remain nowadays. It was too dangerous to write them down.”

  “That’s why they haven’t made it obvious,” Arnold smirks and shows us the cover of the book. I can’t help it, I have to laugh.

  “The Three Little Bears? Seriously?”

  I’m not the only one finding it hilarious. My men are all trying to stifle their laughter, although Finn is almost on the floor, giggling wildly.

  Bertrand takes the book from his partner’s hands and opens it dubiously. His eyes widen as he flicks through the pages.

  “That’s genius. Nobody would ever pick up this book and expect it to be written in code.”

  “Code?” Húnn asks and Bertrand hands him the book. Húnn frowns as he reads the first page. “I don’t get it. It’s badly written but it’s the tale of the three bears, just like my nan read it to me.” He blushes.

  “Read every third word.”

  “The… bears… book… the… first… bear… was… son… of… call… is… to… Callisto!”

  I’m in the book! Alis cheers in my head.

  “That’s going to take forever to decipher,” Húnn grumbles. “The grammar is all over the place.”

  “Give it to me,” Ràn tells his brother. “I’ll do it, I just need some paper.”

  We all look at him in surprise. Our grumbly, quiet bear is flicking through the book with interest, a smile beginning to curve on his lips.

  Bertie gets pen and paper from a side table in the corner and hands it to Ràn who’s already deep in thought.

  “Let’s leave him to it,” Torben says, no, commands. “Isla, up for a run?”

  Always.

  I let Alis take over and watch in the passenger seat as we run over the fresh snow covering the hills of the island. It’s going to be spring soon so I’m enjoying the snow while it lasts. It feels like it’s been winter for a long time. And so much has happened. Fleeing from Salvation Island, meeting the guys, becoming a bear shifter myself. And Alis. She’s told me a bit more about herself in the past few days. How she was human once but lived with Gods. I’m having trouble getting my head around that. I’ve never been religious; my uncle was the only one we had to serve and fear when I grew up. So to hear that Gods are real… were real… I’m not quite sure about that. Back when Alis was alive, they walked among humans, at least among upper-class humans. The Goddess of the Hunt, Artemis, was Alis’s best friend back then.

  At first, I thought Alis was lying, but then she showed me some of her memories. And that’s when I first saw magic. Or divine powers, if you wish. Artemis’ arrows were made of light, not wood, and would find whatever target they were directed at.

  There were other Gods in Alis’s memories, but Artemis was the one that stood out in all of them. I think there was more between them than just friendship, but Alis won’t tell me. Just like she won’t talk about Raoul, the man she loves. He seems to be still alive, but that’s all I know. For someone usually so chatty, Alis completely shuts down when I ask about him.

  “Alis?” I ask her in my mind. It’s a strange feeling. I’m not really in my body and yet I still feel it. I feel both my human body and Alis’s bear form. I could probably try and take over the bear, if Alis let me. We’ve now run together often enough for me to know how the four paws function.

  Yes?

  “You said that Gods once walked on Earth, and may still,” I resume our earlier conversation. “But what about the Fates?”

  They don’t.

  I wait for her to continue but she stays silent. “Want to expand on that?”

  I don’t know, she admits. Before I was sent to you, they’d talk to me, but I never saw them. Even back in Greece, nobody knew anything more than rumours about them. We know they exist, we know their names, we know what they do, but that’s about it. And we know they sometimes mess up. Like with the bear shifters.

  “So you know for sure that it’s their doing?”

  Yes, they more or less admitted it before they bound me to you. They sent me to right their wrong. They messed with the threads of the bear shifters and made a mistake which is why no bear cubs are born anymore. But I have no idea what to do about it.

  “Can’t they just fix it themselves?”

  I don’t know
. Either they can’t or they don’t want to. Maybe me trying to figure this out is their way of getting entertainment. Maybe they all see this as one big joke. But I gave birth to the first bear shifter and I’m going to make sure that there will be cubs once again.”

  “They don’t sound very nice.”

  I don’t think they aspire to be nice. If you’ve lived for as long as they have, all you probably want is a way out of the monotony of spinning and cutting the threads that determine our destinies.

  “I still don’t like the idea of them deciding what we do. What happens to us. It’s wrong. We should have a choice.”

  Remember how I told you that some people manage to cut their own threads and determine their own fate? Well, I believe it’s possible. If you can figure out how to do it. Maybe that’s what’s needed. Someone who isn’t bound by their will.

  I chuckle. “I don’t think Torben would like the idea of not being able to choose his own destiny.”

  Alis laughs. Yes, and neither would his bear. They’re very similar.

  I like that about him. He can be stubborn, but he’s strong and reliable. Protective. And my mate.

  I watch through Ali’s eyes as Torben jumps through the snow, his white fur blending into the landscape. I assume that’s what Alis looks like. Her fur is even paler than his. The other two are running behind us, I can hear their breaths as they try and keep up. Alis is fast and Torben is too proud to let her take the lead. For now, Alis is letting him think that he’s the faster one. I think she doesn’t want to take over from him completely, not yet, anyway. As long as they all know that she’s the oldest and wisest. Which they do. She takes care to remind them at every opportunity.

  That’s because I’m their female. They need to know that we’re the ones who rule the sleuth.

  “Stop reading my mind!”

  Stop thinking so loudly!

  We both laugh. This isn’t the first time we’ve had this exchange. I think she can’t help hearing my thoughts when she’s in her bear form and I’m just the passenger. At least she refrains from commenting on them – most of the time.

  You may want to look away.

  Oh no, not again. There’s a hare running away from us.

  Lunch.

  “Please make it quick.”

  I’ve not got used to hunting and killing yet. Of course, the bears need to live off something, and with no other predators on the island, there is an abundance of wildlife just waiting to be eaten. But still… it’s bloody. The crunch when her teeth bite her prey’s bones… Yuck.

  I focus on not looking out of Alis’s eyes as she catches the hare. She makes hunting look easy. The others are yet to catch something, but this run isn’t about food. It’s about getting outside and enjoying the wind in our fur, the snow under our paws, the fresh air filling our lungs. It’s about being a bear.

  I shift in front of the guys and walk into our house, still naked. I don’t bother covering myself. They know what a naked Isla looks like.

  We moved into a house in the village on the day after I returned to Arnold and Bertie. We wanted our own space, but not be too far away from them, so the little hut I’d stayed in by myself was out of the question. This place still needs some work and cleaning, but it’s slowly turning into our home. And once we build a bed that will accommodate all five of us, it will be even better. For now, the living room floor will have to suffice.

  Húnn follows me into the bedroom. While I stand in front of the wardrobe, trying to decide on what to wear, he wraps his arms around my waist.

  “You looked beautiful, running like that. But you’re even more beautiful now…”

  He runs his lips along my shoulder, not quite a kiss, more a teasing breath on my skin.

  “Stop it or I won’t get dressed,” I chuckle, but I lean into this embrace nonetheless.

  “Then don’t. Ràn will need more time to transcribe the book, so what else is there to do?”

  He grazes my skin with his teeth and I shiver.

  “You’re making a good point,” I whisper. “So you think I should stay here with you?”

  “I do.”

  His voice is husky and I can feel his hard cock press against my back. It’s good that we’re both naked already or I’d have to claw off his clothes, which could hurt. Alis and I are still working on achieving a partial shift.

  “Then I better stay.”

  I turn around and kiss him before he can say anything else. He welcomes me in, playfully nudging my tongue with his when I open my mouth. He puts his hands on my hips and pulls me closer, his erection rubbing against my belly. He is ready for me and judging from the little lightning bolts buzzing in my lower body, I am too.

  We break apart to take a deep breath and he uses that opportunity to wrap me into his arms and carry me to the bed. This time, it’s big enough for us.

  Húnn lays me on my back and gently spreads my legs, before kneeling between them. I watch him in anticipation as he lowers his head and – does nothing. He stops just above my mound, breathing on my flushed skin. I growl and he chuckles.

  “Impatient, little bear?”

  I growl again, reaching out until I touch his head. I push him down between my legs until his tongue is finally where it belongs. Obediently, he starts to lick and I sink back onto the sheets as pleasure overwhelms me. He knows exactly where to lick, suck and flick. I moan and arch my back before I even realise what I’m doing.

  He grips my thighs and parts them further, giving him better access. His tongue is getting closer to my entrance, playfully drawing circles around it. I need more, I need him inside of me. Deep inside.

  Suddenly, he stops and I’m about to complain when his teeth press against the skin on my right thigh. I freeze, not knowing what he’s up to.

  He bites me and I gasp as pain mixes with pleasure. He gently licks the sensitive skin that now probably shows an imprint of his teeth. I moan again, showing him how much I liked it. He takes it as an invitation to bite me again, a little further down this time.

  His teeth are sharp and I’m pretty sure they’re no longer entirely human. Is he drawing blood yet? I don’t think so. Bite after bite, he works his way back down to my core. I’m squirming, his bites turning me on beyond measure. I didn’t think I’d be into something like that, but Húnn is showing me that I am.

  Finally, his tongue is back, touching the most sensitive spot between my legs. My moan turns into a growl as he only gives it a quick flick and then gets up, straightening his back.

  The only way he can apologise for stopping is by… yes. His cock is already positioned at my entrance and with one sudden thrust, he’s inside me.

  I scream as he starts to move, clinging onto him until we both come at the same moment, united in that sweet bliss that is ripping us apart and putting us back together.

  Three

  Are we bound now like I am with Torben?”

  I’m wrapped around him, my head on his chest. I’m tired but happy.

  Húnn smiles. “Would you like to be?”

  I run my hands over his smooth abs and resist the temptation to lick his skin. Think like a human, Isla, not like a bear.

  “I think so. I want to be bound to all of you, not just one. You’re my sleuth… although we really need to find a prettier word for that.”

  He chuckles in amusement. “Got any good ideas?”

  “Not yet. I’ll let you know if I think of something. But are we bound now or not?”

  His smile turns a little more serious. “I don’t think so. I believe we need to exchange blood to make it a proper bond. But we can always do that the next time, if you’re sure.”

  I like how he’s already thinking of the next time. My nipples harden at the thought, but the sensible part of my brain is telling me we should really join the others to find out more about that strange book.

  “I’d like that. Next time.”

  I get up with a sigh, missing his touch already. I walk to the wardrobe and laugh as
I remember that this was why I came to the bedroom in the first place. To put on clothes, not to stay naked with Húnn.

  I quickly put on a simple shirt and linen trousers – as I no longer feel the cold as I used to, I can wear whatever I want now despite the icy temperatures – and follow a now dressed Húnn downstairs into the living room. Finn is sitting by the fire, reading.

  “Where are the others?” I ask, taking a seat next to him.

  “Ràn’s still over at Bertie and Arnold’s place and Torben is outside hacking firewood.” He grins surreptitiously. “Did you two have a good time?”

  I blush and smile at Húnn who clears his throat. Is he embarrassed as well? I still need to get used to the idea of being with all four of them and none of them being jealous of each other.

  “We did. What are you reading?”

  Now it’s his turn to blush. He hands me the book and I have to laugh.

  “Pride and Prejudice?”

  “There’s not much choice in this house, I think only women lived here. It’s a paradise for any Mills and Boon fan. Nothing but romance.”

  He shudders in mock horror. “But shall we go over and take a look at a much more interesting book? Maybe Ràn has finished by now.”

  Bertie has made tea already when the three of us arrive at his home.

  “I was just about to get you. He’s finished.”

  Ràn is sitting in front of a stack of papers, looking exhausted and elated at the same time. I plop on the sofa next to him, totally excited. If they’re all making such a fuss about this book, it has to be important. Maybe it will get us a step further in our quest. Not that we’ve managed to take a lot of steps so far. We found Inchbrach, but that’s about it. If there was a big secret hidden here, Arnold and Bertie would have known. They’ve had years to explore the island on their search for resources to trade. Maybe it’s fate that this little book made its way to us. Or one of the Fates.