The Pacifist Read online

  Books in this series

  PROLOGUE

  The Bet

  CHAPTER 1

  Falling

  CHAPTER 2

  The Obstacle Course

  CHAPTER 3

  The Announcement

  CHAPTER 4

  Poking a Bear

  CHAPTER 5

  Secrets from the Council

  CHAPTER 6

  How to Kiss

  CHAPTER 7

  The Theme Park

  CHAPTER 8

  Magni’s Miracle

  CHAPTER 9

  Arson

  CHAPTER 10

  Passion

  CHAPTER 11

  Heading Home

  CHAPTER 12

  How to Win an Election

  CHAPTER 13

  Saying No

  CHAPTER 14

  Answers from Anne

  CHAPTER 15

  Jonah’s Speech

  CHAPTER 16

  Licking Wounds

  CHAPTER 17

  No Means No

  CHAPTER 18

  Recruitment

  CHAPTER 19

  The Vote

  CHAPTER 20

  Suicide Mission

  CHAPTER 21

  Forever

  CHAPTER 22

  Legendary

  CHAPTER 23

  Tribal Nature

  CHAPTER 24

  Treasures

  CHAPTER 25

  Outrage

  CHAPTER 26

  The Final Vote

  CHAPTER 27

  Men of the North

  CHAPTER 28

  Party

  CHAPTER 29

  Revolution

  CHAPTER 30

  Mayhem

  CHAPTER 31

  Tournament

  CHAPTER 32

  Election Day

  Epilogue

  The Picnic

  What’s next?

  About the author

  Copyright © 2019

  By Elin Peer

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author, excepting brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.

  Asin: B07NCQ5W12

  The Pacifist – Men of the North #10

  First Edition

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons or organizations is coincidental and not intended by the author. Recommended for mature readers due to adult content.

  Cover Art by Kellie Dennis: bookcoverbydesign.co.uk

  Editing: www.martinohearn.com

  Books in this series

  The Men of the North series can be read as stand-alone books – but for the best reading experience and to avoid spoilers this is the recommended order to read them in.

  Forbidden Letters – Men of the North #0.5

  The Protector – Men of the North #1

  The Ruler – Men of the North #2

  The Mentor – Men of the North #3

  The Seducer – Men of the North #4

  The Warrior – Men of the North #5

  The Genius – Men of the North #6

  The Dancer – Men of the North #7

  The Athlete – Men of the North # 8

  The Fighter – Men of the North # 9

  The Pacifist – Men of the North #10

  To be alerted for new book releases, sign up to my list and receive a free e-book as a welcome gift. www.elinpeer.com

  PLEASE NOTE

  This book is intended for mature readers only, as it contains a few graphic scenes and some inappropriate language.

  All characters are fictional and any likeness to a living person or organization is coincidental.

  DEDICATION

  To Smilla Vanilla

  Mila’s character was always based on you.

  Your large blue eyes, warm smile, and those cute dimples that get me every time.

  It’s a privilege to be your mother.

  Keep spreading sunshine wherever you go.

  I love you!

  Elin

  PROLOGUE

  The Bet

  Northlands Year 2447

  Mila

  It’s hard to know who to cheer for when your parents are fighting.

  I sat with my back against the wall watching my mom, Laura, wave a hand at my dad, Magni, signaling for him to make the first move. They both looked confident and he gave her a smug smile.

  My nine-year old brother, Mason, was standing with his hands on the side of the boxing ring, eager to go in and fight himself. “Mom, bend your knees, be flexible.”

  “Stop poking me.” Aubri, Mason’s twin, was getting annoyed with our youngest sister, Dina, who was only five and couldn’t care less about the fighting.

  “Hey Dina.” I leaned down and whispered into her ear, “I bet that if you ask Aubri really nicely, she’ll braid your hair.”

  The strategy worked and soon my two younger sisters were occupied.

  “Don’t fall back, Mom, attack!” Mason was jumping on the side and it amused me since he would have to be delusional to think that Laura had a real chance of taking our father in a fight. She might be the best fighter of her generation, compared to other women, but Magni was known as the best fighter in the world. Close to seven feet tall, strong, athletic, flexible, and fast – he was lethal and men had always feared him.

  For a moment my thoughts went back ten years to when I’d met Magni for the first time. I’d been a student at the first school integrating children from both sides of the border. Like most of the students from the Motherlands, I had a traumatic past. It wasn’t that the founders of the school had deliberately sought out traumatized students, but rather that, almost no parents had been willing to let their child go to the Northlands.

  It was the fact that I’d lost my mom that made me a candidate.

  When I arrived, I had longed for someone to love me like she had. Magni was huge and brooding, but I’d taken his protectiveness toward us girls as a sign of affection.

  When I couldn’t sleep at night, he would talk to me and hold my hand, and if he saw me looking sad during the day, he’d pick me up and swing me through the air or tickle me.

  It had been the most wonderful day when Laura and Magni had adopted me and made me part of their family.

  I winced and gave a loud shriek when my mom kicked my dad and he made an “umph” sound of pain. My disruption made Mason turn his head and scowl at me. “Stop screaming like that. You’re ruining the fun.”

  “Sorry!”

  He rolled his eyes. “Seriously, Mila, if you don’t like fighting, then don’t watch.”

  “Mason, shut up.” Laura was jumping from foot to foot. “Stop bothering your sister.”

  “But she always ruins it. I bet in a minute she’ll be tearing up like she always does. It’s fucking annoying.”

  “Mila will be fine.” Magni kept his focus on Laura and took a few jabs at her. Even I could see this was light sparring for them, and I should be used to it since they did it often.

  Mason turned his back on the boxing ring and leaned against it, giving me a curious glance. “What are you going to do at your tournament? You know men will probably die while fighting for you. Are you going to cry for them too? I bet you’ll faint.”

  “I said, shut the fuck up, Mason.” This time Laura moved fast to the ringside, bent down, and pulled Mason’s hair back to make him look up at her. “Do you want to come up here and have both of us kick your ass?”

  He made a low comment that I didn’t hear, but Laura did and she raised her eyebrows. “Oh, is that what you think? Then come prove it.”

  As always, I was quick to come to my brother’s defense. “It’s okay, Mom
, I know Mason didn’t mean any harm.”

  My dad swung his legs over the rope surrounding the boxing ring and jumped down onto the floor. “Don’t worry, sweetie, your mom is just going to knock some manners into Mason.” Looking over his shoulder he called back to her, “You got this, right, babe?”

  “Yep, I got it.” Laura began circling Mason, who was putting on protective gear with eager movements.

  I pushed off from the floor and looked on with worry when my brother clapped his hands together, gesturing that he was ready. “But he’s only nine.” It was a silly thing to say since Mason was taller than my mom and he’d been training for years.

  “I’ll be ten soon.”

  My dad was pulling off his thin protective gloves. “We know. We were there when you were born, remember?” He smiled down at Dina and Aubri. “That’s a beautiful braid.”

  I didn’t hear their response because my eyes were glued on Mason, who attacked Laura without a trace of fear. She rewarded him with a counterattack and rained punches down on him.

  “Mason, demand your space,” Magni instructed and instantly, the boy moved forward, forcing Laura back.

  “Whose side are you on?” Laura huffed out while moving.

  “Sorry, hon.” Magni chuckled next to me and it made me smile. My dad was handsome and exuded such strength and safety that it always soothed me to be near him.

  “Mila, sweetie, don’t worry about what Mason said about your tournament. It’s rare for anyone to die in fights nowadays. You’ll be fine.”

  “But I don’t want a tournament.”

  He frowned down at me. “Of course you do. We’ve talked about it. A tournament is the only way to make sure you get the strongest protector as a husband. Your mom couldn’t wait to have her tournament. It’s a highlight in a woman’s life.”

  I fiddled with my earlobe avoiding his gaze.

  “I know you’re not ready to get married yet, but in a few years, you will be.” With a soft movement, my dad moved a lock of my hair away from my face. “You should marry on your birthday in two years. Then you’ll be twenty-two. That’s a perfect age to get married.”

  I agreed, but the violence that came with a tournament made me look away.

  “What? You don’t believe you’ll be ready in two years?”

  Giving a loud sigh, I met his eyes. “The violence at a tournament is as appealing to me as it would be for you to wear beads in your beard."

  Magni snorted. “Don’t say shit like that.” He looked down at my sisters. “Beads are for pretty Momsi men, not us badass Nmen warriors. Isn’t that right, girls?”

  They nodded.

  “I’m sorry, Dad, but it’s the Motlander part of me that objects to the concept of a tournament. What if someone got hurt? It would be on my conscience.”

  “No, it wouldn’t.” He placed a strong hand on my shoulder. “Mila, you’re a Northlander now and my daughter. These are our traditions.”

  I looked down. “I know, but tournaments don’t feel right to me. Marrying a stranger would be awkward.”

  For a moment we stood in silence watching Laura push Mason to his limit in the boxing ring.

  “He’s a good fighter,” I commented.

  Magni squared his shoulders with pride. “Yes, he is!” Putting his arm around me, he pulled me into his side and called out to Laura. “Use more force. Mason can take it.”

  Mason kept his hands up to block our mother’s punches.

  “That’s it, my boy. Use your feet and fight back. You’ve got this.”

  Magni grinned when Mason moved out of Laura’s reach and kicked at her. With a wink to me, he muttered, “Someday, his mad fighting skills will serve him when he fights for his bride.”

  I knew it was his way of coming back to the subject of my having a bridal tournament and without thinking it through, I sighed and said, “Tell you what, Dad, I’ll make you a bet. If you wear at least one bead in your beard for a full year, I’ll have a bridal tournament.”

  It was impossible not to burst into laughter with the grimace of disgust that Magni produced. “Exactly! So let’s not talk about it anymore. Deal?”

  I had expected Magni to laugh with me, but he narrowed his eyes a little. “Hang on a second. You’re saying that if I wear a bead in my beard for a year, you’ll let the strongest warriors in our country fight for you.”

  I was still smiling. “Sure, but we both know you would never do that.”

  “Bet accepted!” His eyes shone with a determination that washed away my smile.

  “Dad, no, I didn’t mean it. It was just a stupid bet.”

  “A bet is a bet, and now you must honor it.”

  Staring at my tall dad, I swallowed hard. He was serious.

  A loud sound of pain made me turn to see Mason taking punches to his stomach and when he bent over protecting his core, it felt eerily like a visualization of how I felt myself. Why had I spoken so lightly about something so important?

  “Are you okay, buddy?” Magni moved to the ring.

  Mason was in obvious pain, but managed a groan and a low “Uh-huh.”

  Laura kneeled down in front of him and caressed his hair. “Do you want to stop?”

  “No. Just give me a minute.” A second later he shook it off and continued sparring with Laura, who gave him a proud smile.

  Magni’s stance eased in front of me. In a fluid movement, he turned and placed his large hands on my shoulders. “Mila Vanilla. Every woman deserves a great lethal warrior as her protector. Don’t worry, dear. One day you’ll come to thank me for having a tournament. You’ll see. And don’t go worrying about your husband being a stranger at first. You love everybody. Even big brutes like me. If anyone can do it, it’s you.”

  CHAPTER 1

  Falling

  The Gray Manor – February 2449

  Mila

  “Mila… wake up, sweetie. You’re dreaming.”

  The distant sound of my mother’s voice brought me back from a violent nightmare and I sat up in my bed. “Dad – where is Dad?”

  “Shhh, Mila, relax. Breathe.”

  The light was dimmed in my room but the door was open and bright light shone in from the hallway.

  “You had that dream again, didn’t you?” My mother brushed my hair back with sadness on her face.

  “It’s the same one over and over.” I pulled my knees to my chest and felt my heart rate slow down. “I see the drone explode with Dad in it.”

  “You see him die?”

  “Yes. Every night.”

  Laura sighed and took my hand. “I have nightmares too. So does your dad.”

  “But why do I keep dreaming that he died?”

  My mother brushed her long red braid back over her shoulder and gave me a worried look. “I don’t know. Did you talk to Athena about it like I suggested?”

  “Yes.” I looked down. “She thinks it’s my way of processing that the father I knew died that day.”

  Laura leaned back. “I see.”

  “Athena says I’ll probably keep having that dream until I accept that the old Magni is never coming back.”

  My mother’s eyes showed signs of moisture and she quickly looked away. “He’s still here. We just have to be patient.” Releasing my hands, she petted two of my dogs that lay stretched out on the foot-end of my bed. “You spoil them.”

  I answered in a yawn. “I’m their mom. I spoil them just like you spoil me.”

  Laura gave me a small smile and rolled off the bed. “I don’t spoil you. You’re just very easy to love while your father is challenging my patience.”

  I rubbed my eyes. “Did you have another fight with him?”

  “Yes. The things he says, Mila...” She shook her head. “It’s like his sanity was in the limbs that got amputated after the crash. He makes no sense.”

  “I know.”

  Laura bit her lower lip with her eyebrows drawn close. “I hate to burden you, but would you try and talk to him, again?”

&nbs
p; “I’ll try.”

  Leaning down over my bed, my mom cupped my face and pressed her lips to my forehead. “Thank you.”

  As she left my room, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stretched my arms with a loud yawn.

  Thirty minutes later, I had showered and walked my dogs. Knocking on the door to my parents’ suite, I called out, “Can I come in?”

  I took the groan from inside as a “yes”, and pushed the door open. Before my dad crashed in a drone, it would have been impossible to find him in bed in the afternoon. He had always been active and loved physical work.

  “How are you doing?” I asked and crawled up to sit next to him.

  “I’m bored out of my mind.”

  “No wonder. You’ve been cooped up in here for almost four months, not to mention the month you spent in the hospital.”

  “I don’t remember much of that time.”

  “Probably because you were in a coma for the first week.”

  Magni turned his head away and it hit me that he never asked how I was doing anymore.

  “Mom said that you two had another argument.”

  He nodded and scratched what was left of his amputated left arm. “It’s not your job to smooth things out between us.”

  “That’s okay.” I took his right hand. “I’m happy to be the voice of reason that reminds you how much Mom loves you.”

  Magni scoffed. “Why the hell would she?" He nodded to his missing legs. “I’ve told her, she should get a divorce.”

  “Dad, that’s just your pain medication talking. You don’t mean that.”

  Magni jerked his head back. “I’m not going to force her to be with a ghost of a man.”

  “But you don’t really want Mom to give up on you, do you?”

  He looked away again and it made me squeeze his hand tighter to connect with him. “Dad, I know this isn’t what you wanted, but why not get robotic limbs and start walking again?”

  “Why is everyone so eager to make me a bloody cyborg?” He pulled his hand away.

  “Because we see how unhappy you are. You need to get out and live your life again.”

  His tone turned sharp. “No robotic legs are going to replace what I had.”