She met Brand’s sharp gaze. “What?”
“Not that way. You’ll hurt yourself.”
He shifted to stand behind her and reached around to put his hands on top of hers around the axe handle. He raised both their arms higher, then allowed them to drop. This time the axe made a sizable cut in the dresser. They made the next strike together as well.
Brand had just lifted the axe for a third time when a loud, animalistic growl sounded behind them. Cydney turned her head to see what had made the sound, but the man at her back blocked her line of sight.
“Relax,” Brand said as he let go of her hands and stepped away. Now she was able to see Wulfric who stood just inside the bedroom. Brand continued. “Your woman was going to hurt herself. Now she knows how to use an axe the right way.”
Without another word, Brand walked out of the room. Cydney went to Wulfric and gave him a kiss. “When you told me about Brand you neglected to say how he doesn’t take no for an answer. And what’s with this ‘your woman’ crap? Does he think he’s from the Dark Ages?”
The tension in Wulfric’s shoulders seemed to loosen as he cracked a smile. “More than you know. In some ways we’re all like that, but Brand has always done his own thing regardless what people think or say.”
“Well, he was quite insistent he supervise.”
Wulfiric placed the cans of paint he carried on the floor and crossed over to her.
He cupped her face and gave her a lingering kiss. His mouth moved over hers as his tongue stroked inside. After he lifted his head, he said, “But Brand is right, you are my woman.”
Not wanting to get on the topic of her not going home again, Cydney smiled, and said, “You’d better watch the ‘your woman’ thing, buster. I have an axe, and thanks to Brand, I know how to use it. I would hate to suddenly confuse you for your dresser.”
Wulfric dropped his hands from her face, then reached around and gave her a swat on the ass. “Be nice. At one time a woman liked it when a man claimed her as his, to protect her and take care of all her needs.”
Cydney snorted. “Like I said, Dark Ages. As a modern woman, the only need I want you to take care of in the near future is the one for sex.” She took a step away.
“Now if you don’t want to get hurt, I suggest you give me some room. I have to put this dresser out of its misery.”
Once Wulfric was no longer in range of getting hurt, Cydney lifted the axe as Brand had showed her and brought it crashing down on the dresser. She let out a whoop as it split in half and fell to the floor. Giving Wulfric a look of delight, she attacked the fallen pieces until they were chucks littered around her.
Chapter Eight
Stephen slowly worked his way around the large, open room. The loud music blaring out of the speakers played havoc with his sharp hearing, but he did his best to ignore it. His gaze shifting from left to right, he searched among the mortals for exactly what he looked for. The males, he didn’t pay much attention to. The females, they were what interested him. Not finding what he sought, Stephen circled back to the bar and ordered a beer. It was still relatively early. He had all night if needs be.
He’d just taken a swig from the bottle of beer when three women walked past him. One of them had him trailing her with his gaze. She definitely could be the one he wanted. Leaning with his back against the bar, he watched her sit at one of the tables not too far from where he stood. She talked and laughed with her friends, all the while not knowing he, one of mortals’ predators, had her in his sights.
The longer he watched the woman the more she appealed to him. She would be the one. There was an innocence about her, a goodness, that he would enjoy stripping from her. And a woman like her was always the type to scream and cry. He was more than looking forward to breaking her, teaching her not everything was bright and cheery in the world. That bad men like him did exist.
All night he kept his gaze on her, and when she got up to leave the nightclub with her friends, he followed at a discreet distance behind them. As if he’d planned it himself, the two other women walked off down the sidewalk while his prey went to the parking lot.
He took a quick look around to make sure no one watched him as he increased his pace. She’d just reached her car when he came up directly behind her. His hand on the door stopped her from opening it. With a gasp, she turned toward him. Stephen gave her an evil grin.
“Hello, beautiful. You and I are going to have some fun.”
She opened her mouth as if to scream. He clamped his hand over the lower half of her face and shook his head. Pulling back his other hand, he slammed his fist into the side of her head. She crumpled against him.
He gathered his prize in his arms and forcibly put her in his own car. He’d take her to his pack’s den and really see how loud she could scream.
Cydney came awake slowly after Wulfric gently shook her. She was stretched out on her side on top of his bed, which had been covered in an old sheet to protect it.
Rolling onto her back, she blinked up at him and looked around. As if she suddenly remembered where she was, she sat up.
“Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. After I cleaned up the brushes and paint tray I only thought to sit and relax until you came back.”
The room smelled of paint and the walls already had the first coat on them.
“No need to apologize. It’s late, or should I say very early in the morning.”
“What time is it?”
“Almost four o’clock.”
“I guess I really did fall asleep. I’ve been out for three hours. So what do you think of the color?”
Wulfric glanced around the room. “I love it. The room is looking better already.”
“I just need to do one more coat of paint and then the day after that I can rip up the carpet.” Her last word ended on a large yawn, which she covered with her hand.
He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I think I should take you back to Maggie’s place. You don’t want to wear yourself into the ground. Or better yet, you can just stay with me in the spare bedroom.”
Wulfric felt a flutter of hope that she would agree when she looked as if she seriously considered his offer. But in the end, she shook her head.
“I’d better not,” she said sleepily. “I told Maggie’s parents I would come home late. And since they are more than likely still asleep, I don’t want to call them to say I’m staying here overnight. And if I don’t call, they might worry if they wake up and find I’m not there.”
He nodded. “All right. I understand, but I do want you to seriously think about staying here on the nights you work on the room late. You’re not going to get much sleep if I have to wake you up just to take you back to Maggie’s place.”
Cydney yawned again. “You’re right. Interrupted sleep isn’t going to do me any favors. When I come tomorrow, I’ll make sure I bring some extra clothes with me, and I’ll let Maggie’s parents know ahead of time.”
“Good. Now let’s go before you end up falling asleep again.”
He ushered Cydney out to his car and they were on the road in a matter of minutes. Halfway through the trip, Wulfric glanced over and saw she’d rested her head against the seat and had shut her eyes. She sighed softly in her sleep. He smiled at the small sound.
As he turned onto the street where Maggie’s parents lived, he gently shook Cydney awake. “We’re just about there,” he said once she opened her eyes.
She sat straighter as he pulled his car over to the curb in front of the house.
“Something is up.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Both of Maggie’s parents are standing outside.”
He leaned forward and looked out the passenger window. Sure enough, Maggie’s mum and a slender man stood at the front of the house. Even from this distance, he saw the concerned expressions each of them wore. “Let’s go talk to them.”