The Council Ch. 10

"That suits me just fine," Freya spat standing up. "As soon as this little debacle is over and done with I'm going home to Japan and I won't be coming back until you come to your fucking senses and get that d....wolf out of your life! I was right all those years ago, Nors. You are a complete fuck up as a vampire and as a brother. You'd rather fuck a dog that give a shit about your own flesh and blood as well as your own people!"

The growl of pure fury that erupted from him had her stepping backwards swiftly. For a moment she thought he was going to attack her and then his expression closed down completely, his eyes going dull and lifeless.

"Leave," he said quietly, turning away from her and picking up a folder from his desk, his dismissal evident.

Freya furiously glared at him a moment longer and then spun on her heels and slammed out of the office. Just like that he was ready to push her aside for a bloody dog? She meant so little to him that it was so easy to push her away? She barrelled into a tall hard body and stopped in her tracks, looking up to see Caleb Cullen's cold, hard face peering down at her.

She swallowed hard, surprised to see the other Ancient at Nors' office and a bit concerned to see the hardness on his face. She didn't have much to do with Caleb but she did know to step lightly around him. Even she wasn't so foolish as to irritate him.

"Forgive me, Caleb, I didn't see you there," she said moving to walk around him so he could continue on to her brother's office.

"A word, Freya." His tone was hard, a hand gripping her arm halting her from moving. Her startled gaze flew to his before she nodded silently and followed him into the first available empty office he could find.

She watched him close the door quietly and felt a slight shiver of fear course through her. There wasn't much that frightened Freya Eriksson but the silent, hard man before her was managing to achieve it.

"Caleb," she started to say but he held a finger up, signalling he wanted her silence.

Caleb was furiously angry and struggling hard to contain it. He had heard every word between Nors and Freya and he was hard pressed not to slap the stupid woman around. He didn't usually go in for hurting women but he could cheerfully do so at the moment. It was only knowing that he'd disappoint his Annie so much if he did so that helped to contain his first impulse.

"You really are a total bitch, aren't you, Freya?" he finally said coldly, watching her eyes widen in shock and then indignation start to set in as her lips parted. "I strongly suggest you don't open your mouth right now," he added. "I also strongly suggest that you open your ears and listen to what I have to say."

He waited to see if she would hold her tongue and was relieved when she did so. He sighed deeply and tried to dampen his anger down to a more acceptable level.

"Nors doesn't deserve having a sister like you," he said quietly. "You've brought him nothing but heartache from the moment you were Sired to this life and yet still he loves you. Until he meant Ashleigh you were his very reason for existing. He would have done anything for you and probably still would despite what you've just put him through. Frankly I fail to understand why he even bothers with you. Part of me wishes that I hadn't warned him that you were about to be executed all those centuries ago. At least he would be over the pain by now instead of living it daily having to deal with you and your selfish little antics."

Caleb moved to a little table nestled in a corner with a couple of seats around it. He sat down as he kept trying to work on his temper. It was ratcheting down slowly. He no longer felt the need to react violently and he was glad of that because it would have hurt Nors if he had been unable to control his baser instincts.

"Sit," he growled and almost smiled at the speed she sat down in the chair across from him. He regarded her face intently, seeing a tinge of colour in her cheeks. Was it anger? Shame? He didn't care at this point.

"Nors has done everything for you, Freya. He has loved you and protected you his whole life and this is how you thank him? I don't think you even realise how distraught he was when he thought you were going to die. He cried, Freya. Nors actually shed tears he was so terrified that he was going to lose you. How can you do this to him? How can you shit all over the one chance of happiness he has because of your own petty prejudices? He's right you should fuck off back to Japan and stay there. He will be so much happier without you in his life dragging him down all the time."

He knew he was being harsh with her but he couldn't stop the words from tumbling out. She needed to hear the truth. If she didn't like it then tough fucking shit he didn't care. Nors would never say these things to her face. He would endlessly forgive her because he loved her. Caleb wasn't hampered by those same restraints and he was glad of it. He would hate to feel any kind of tenderness for the cold woman sitting before him.

Freya wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. For some reason Caleb's censure was cutting her deeply and she didn't know where to look. Nors had been so frightened for her he had cried? She could remember that time as if it had happened only yesterday. It was ingrained in her memory, all the hurtful spiteful things she had said to him as he had fought to keep her alive.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her face flushing scarlet as she raised her eyes to meet Caleb's. His golden brown eyes were hard and unforgiving.

"It's not me who deserves the apology," he answered coldly, standing up quietly. "Tell Nors I'll catch up with him later." He walked out of the office leaving her sitting in her own misery. If she redeemed herself he would make an effort to readjust his current opinion of her. If she didn't, then he would make sure she never again interfered in his friend's life.

Freya sat for a long time in the small office, her head bent as she mulled over everything Caleb had said to her. She didn't know why his words got through to her but she found herself rising and turning back towards Nors' office.

Nors tried to read through the folder in front of him but he couldn't get his mind off his sister and their argument. When she had called Ashleigh a dog the second time he had wanted to hurt her so badly that for a second he had almost done so.

He felt so ashamed of himself for wanting to hurt her. What she said was only words. Words could only hurt you if you let them and he had let her get to him. He knew what Freya was like. Her actions and words hadn't been anything he hadn't expected so why had he let them get to him the way he had? He was noticing a slight tendency towards getting a little out of control recently. Was it something to do with the wolf gene inside him?

Freya drove him insane most of the time and yet she was his little sister. He loved her so much even when she was breaking his heart. The thought that he could have physically hurt her made him feel sick to his stomach. Before Ashleigh she was the one person in his life who he would have died to protect, who he would never have dreamed of ever hurting physically.

He stiffened as his office door opened and his sister stepped back inside. "Freya, I can't do this again," he said quietly, not looking up at her. "Please, can you just leave for now. We can talk about this another time."

Nors' bent head and subdued tone was so unlike him that Freya just stared at him for a moment and then she closed the door quietly and stepped around the desk to him.

"I will try," she said through dry lips. "I'm not saying I won't make a pig's ear out of it sometimes but I promise I will do my best, Nors."

He turned to look at her, surprise and hope clearly etched on his face and she felt worse than she had been feeling a moment before. She hadn't thought that was even remotely possible. She'd had no idea her actions hurt her brother so much, that she had the ability to wound him so painfully.

"I'm so sorry, Nors," she whispered. "Please forgive me."

He had no idea just what she was apologising for but he hoped it was for what she'd said about Ashleigh. He was stunned at her sudden penitence. It was so out of character for her.

"I love you, Freya," he sighed wearily. "I may struggle to like you sometimes but you'll always have my love and I will always forgive you even if it does take me a little time to get there."

She smiled tentatively at him, reaching to wrap her arms around him and shuddering with relief when he returned her hug fiercely. "I love you too, Nors and I'm sorry I'm such a pain in the ass. I promise I'll try harder. If you're happy with Ashleigh then I'm happy too. You deserve something good in your life and I can adapt to having a wolf in the family. When I finally meet her I promise I will welcome her into the family. Just please don't send me back to Japan. I want to be part of your life."

The groan Nors issued was one of immense relief. He didn't need to choose between the two women in his life. He had no idea why his sister had had this sudden change of heart, he was just glad that she had.

"Thank you," he whispered quietly, holding her tightly. "Ash needs all the family she can get, Freya. She lost every member of hers in the war with Graves and she almost went Rogue because of her pain and grief. She's only now coming to terms with it and I couldn't allow you close to her for fear of setting her back. I want you to love her as much as I do. I want you to protect her as you would protect me. I know it's a lot to ask of you but if you could please try it would mean the world to me."

There was such a heartfelt plea in her brother's voice that Freya's eyes filled with tears which she didn't stop from falling down her face. She kissed him on the top of his head and clutched him tighter to her. "Oh Nors, I'm sorry," she said again, her voice catching.

She tried to imagine how she would feel if she lost her brother. It was totally unbearable to even think of it. That Nors' little wolf had lost everyone she had loved touched her on a level that she hadn't realised she was capable of experiencing. That the wolf had fought to stay sane after such an awful experience and succeeded was surely down to Nors' love and attention.

Freya had first hand knowledge of just how dedicated her brother was when he loved someone. She was under no illusions that he had suffered greatly trying to keep his wolf alive.

"I will love her just as if she were my own sister," she promised. She had no idea if she was capable of such a grand gesture but she would try very hard for her brother. She would try and be the kind of sister he truly deserved, to give him back the love and support he had always lavished on her.

The smile Nors gave her made her promise worthwhile. He looked so relieved and very happy that she mentally promised herself that she would manage to accept his wolf or she would die trying to.

She turned to leave, halting at the office door. "Oh, Caleb Cullen stopped by," she announced. "He said he'd catch up with you later."

She left with Nors staring thoughtfully after her. Caleb had been here? Was he the reason for Freya's sudden turnaround? If his friend had come to see him what had he wanted? And why hadn't he stayed to talk to him?

Nors sighed deeply and picked up the folder in front of him. It had turned out to be quite a day so far. Two arguments, a nightmare of a morning meeting he had been late for, and a disappearing friend. Could anything else go wrong?

To be continued...