A Bond of Brothers Read Online Free PDF Page A

last - real relationship.
    His brother Tavian was a den caretaker. He cooked meals for the den and also was a great hunter. "But you tracked me in the snow when I was almost dead, lilenta. I think you could give him a run for his money." Lynk’s lips split into an easy smile, showing a hidden dimple in his cheek.
    He shared more with me about his family and his life in the den. It sounded incredible and like nothing I'd ever heard about before. Unlike the cold fairy world I'd grown up in, where the wrong outfit could get you exiled from someone's home as if you'd stabbed them with a knife, the bear den was full of love and acceptance. It sounded more magical than anything I'd ever been privy too.
    “Why are we stopping here?” I asked as he parked in front of a large, red barn in the middle of a snowy field. In the distance, I could see woods but the only house I'd seen was behind us.
    “This is the entrance to our den.” He got out of the car, came around to my side, and opened the door for me. I peered around him as I took his outstretched hand and let him pull me from the car.
    “I thought that we would be stopping at the house back there.” I said as we started walking towards the barn. We'd passed a large white farmhouse a few hundred yards back.
    “That house belongs to my brothers Ash and Axe and their wife Elizabeth. Remember I told you they don't live underground in the den. They have twin sons who will be one this coming summer.”
    I said what I'd been thinking when he mentioned the trio the first time. “Your brothers share a wife?”
    He looked down at me with a smile. “It happens with our kind at times, but it’s not all that common. Sometimes two males will both feel the mate-call to the same female, and if they are all willing, then they will share her together, two husbands and one wife."
    "What if they're not willing?"
    "Well, it depends. If the female wants only one male, then the other would most likely step down completely. If the males aren't interested in sharing her and she would be pleased with either as a mate, they would most likely fight for her hand. The winner would become her husband and the loser would probably leave their den to save face."
    ”But it's not normal?"
    He chuckled. "Not really. But it happens. There are significantly fewer females born than males of our kind. Because of that, our kind occasionally mates with others outside of our were-bear species and they're brought into the den as a treasured member. My brothers' wife is a witch." I couldn't help but smile, thinking he told me that bit of trivia for my own benefit. After all we'd shared since he woke up, I had no doubt in my mind that I wanted to be with Lynk and that he wanted to be with me. The thoughts I'd had of the danger in my previous life were all but forgotten in his strong arms.
    He pulled open the large door enough for us to go inside and I was greeted with the inside of the barn and an opening in the floor with stairs that led underground. With his hand firmly in mine after he shut the door behind us, we walked together down a few dozen stairs until we stopped at the bottom and I was instantly in awe.
    The underground den seemed to stretch for miles. Traditional Native American style teepees were clustered in groups of three or four around a central stone-encircled fire pit. The clusters of tents circled a large open area in the center of the underground city where booths stood laden with goods and food. People were working or milling around. Behind the circle of teepees were animal pens and crops with growing lights strung over them.
    “This is incredible, Lynk.” I finally tore my gaze away from the sights.
    “I’m glad you like it, lilenta. Let me show you around.”
    We walked past the tents and into the center of the city which he said they called the market.
    He pointed to two men and a woman who were talking seriously in front of a small table that was laden with what looked like bundles of