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Her cell phone rang, and she juiven hied in her phone to recharge

"Hello?"

"Ellie, sweetie," Aunt Greta responded "How are you? Are you all right?"

"I’m fine How are you?"

"Tired, but I ot off the phone with Aunt Ula She’s in Albany I’llto reach you by toht Can you reserve a room for us?"

"Yes, of course," Elsa assured her "Don’t push yourself too hard I’ tomorroith some of the crew"

"Good Stay in your rooroaned "I have a job to do I’ to cower in my rooo out today?"

"Of course I have a - "

"Oh no!" Greta’s voice rose in panic "I told you to stay in your room"

"I’m perfectly fine" And I’ this seriously enough!"

"Aunt Greta, please Cal on for centuries! It’s not only your grandrandmother, and asped

"And they all had the saave out, and she collapsed on the bed

"Ellie? Are you there?"

"Yes," she whispered She pressed a hand against her racing heart Her aunt was doing a good job of scaring her now "Theythey were all ht you would be safe in America, that you would never run into a berserker here"

"A what?"

"We thought they were all in Norway and Sweden," Greta continued "Darated over the centuries"

"Who? What?"

"The berserkers According to faend, only a berserker can activate the curse"

Elsa shook her head in confusion Hoas a berserker? "What?"

"In a way, I suppose it’s our own fault," Greta mumbled "It’s part of the curse We should have neverfor it Bad Kar about?"

Greta heaved a sigh "So you didn’t stay in your rooood sense to stay away from the man who activated the curse"

Elsa winced She’d just made out with him "Well, I didsee him"

"Oh God, no Didn’t I tell you to avoid him?"

"He seemed perfectly normal"

"Berserkers can always seeo berserk!"

Elsa recalled her aunt’s words froht before Did he seem wild or crazy to you? Was that what she meant by berserk? "He’s not like that He’s not wild or crazy"

"Berserkers kill," Greta insisted "They’re killing machines That’s what they were created to do"

A shiver ran down Elsa’s spine How quickly had Howard run off to kill those pigs? "No" She shook her head, refusing to believe he ild or crazy He’d only done it to protect the schoolchildren

"They go berserk and kill everything in sight," Greta continued "They’re like wild beasts"

Elsa’s breath caught I won’t ravish you in the woods like a wild beast

"Do you understand the danger now?" Greta asked "Will you stay away from him?"

Tears crowded her eyes She didn’t want to say yes She didn’t want to believe anything bad about Howard But she couldn’t leave her aunts in a panic Maybe after they ht They would see hoeet and gentle he was "Iwon’t see hiet so up

Get some rest? Elsa dropped the phone on the desk Did Greta seriously think she could sleep now?

She paced across the room Berserkers? She checked the lock on the door and paced some more What the hell was a berserker?

She booted up her laptop and did a search Berserkers were part of Scandinavian lore Fierce Norse warriors ent into battle, wearing the pelt of a wolf or a bear The term berserk could refer to a bear shirt They worked the indiscriminately

She jumped to her feet and paced across the roo the loud roar she’d heard that afternoon When Hoas doing battle with the pigs

Her skin prickled with gooseflesh Was that why she’d felt like those ladies knew so she didn’t know? They kneard could roar like an animal?

"No" She sat on the bed Hoas noro into an animal-like frenzy He certainly couldn’t think he was an animal That would be crazy

Wild and crazy Greta had said the berserkers were like wild beasts, killing everything in sight Was she right? Was Howard dangerous to be around? But ould Shanna trust him to watch over her son if he wasn’t safe?

Was this the duality she’d sensed about hih, but kind Human, but animal?

I won’t ravish you in the woods like a wild beast

"No!" She clenched her fists "I won’t believe it"

Hours later, in a fitful sleep, she started to dreae and powerful, he covered her body with his His big hands roa her on fire She wanted him She cried out for hi the length of her legs Fondling her breasts Stroking her neck Tightening their grip

Choking her

She thrashed against hi Too powerful

With a cry, Elsa sat up She panted in the dark, searching the roo hands, she turned on the light, then checked the room more carefully No one there

She splashed cold water on her face and looked at herself in thethere

It was just a drea to process the new infor to scare the hell out of her

It had to be a psychic thing Her brain was doing this to protect her It arning her what could happen to her in the future If she wasn’t careful