“Those aren’t the rules. Concession isn’t required. I marked you.”
“And yet,” she said, tilting her head to glance up at him from beneath her lashes, “there was no echo of your victory.”
Ethan held still, realizing what she said was true. The skies weren’t rumbling. The ground didn’t shake. He sucked in a deep breath. “You’ve already been claimed. By whom?”
Her smile was without humor, a thin-lipped curve that made his chest tighten nearly as much as her brimming eyes. “I was claimed by Merrick.”
Ethan sat back on his haunches. “The hellhound?”
Bryn nodded. “I escaped. We all did.”
“Your sister witches were also claimed?”
She shook her head. “Betrothed. When they saw how I fared with Merrick, we plotted.”
“It’s impossible to escape the bond. How could he not track you?”
“We made use of another blue moon. All our entreaties concentrated on one desire. Freedom. And now, you’ve ruined it all.”
“There was no echo when we climaxed. If you and your coven already broke the bond—”
“We broke nothing,” she shouted, her voice harsh. “We simply hid our trail. Muted it. But now, you and your friends know our secret. The truth will leak out.”
Ethan squared his shoulders. “Then I’ll face Merrick. Force him to release you.”
“He’ll kill you,” she said, her voice thickening with tears. “And then he’ll kill me. For betraying him and making a fool of him when I escaped. And my sisters will be returned to their owners.”
“A witch bond isn’t enslavement.”
Bryn snorted and a tear ran down her cheek. “It is when you belong to a council member. They’re entitled bastards. They don’t respect us.”
His jaw tightened. “And how did you fare with the hellhound?”
Her glance fell away.
His stomach dove. “I meant no harm to you.”
“And yet you have.” She scrambled to her knees and wiped her eyes with her fingertips. “Renner?”
“A draugr.”
Her mouth curved into a bleak smile. “And my sisters are all bent on seducing him.”
Ethan raked a hand through his hair. Damn, he wished Renner hadn’t been so eager to lay claim to the coven. “We should get back. You’re about to have more company.”
Her eyes rounded. “What have you done?”
“I invited friends of ours.” Her expression was bleak, but when he stood and held out his hand, expecting her to ignore it, she laid her hand inside his.
“Ethan?” she asked, raising her face to stare him in the eyes.
“Yes, Bryn?”
A shaky breath blew through her pursed lips. “You have to protect me.”
“I will.”
She squeezed his hand hard. “You have to protect my sisters. You stole my choice and have likely filled me with your child. But I will make a bargain with you.”