5. Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Kieran
Damn stupid Viking werewolf. Such an asshole has no right to be so hot without his clothes on. As pissed as I am with his shitty personality and this whole soulmate crap, if Wulfric weren’t such an ass, I’d have jumped on his dick in a heartbeat.
To make matters worse, I’m starving. I didn’t eat the bread or cheese Helga gave me. I don’t know if the thralls bake the bread or make the cheese, but I can’t eat food prepared by unfree people with a clean conscience.
I’ve got to get out of here and back to my own time. I can’t believe only a few days ago, the worst thing in my life was that my asshole boyfriend had cheated. I’d take that over being stuck in the past where everything is so backwards. Once I’m back in my timeline, things will be different. I’ll find a guy worth my time. Someone with Wulfric’s looks but a far better personality. I’ll start writing music again.
If Wulfric thinks I’m going to tolerate his surly ass, he’s got another think coming. He thinks we’re soulmates, that I’m going to settle for him because I need his protection? Fuck him. I settled for the last guy and look how that turned out. Never again.
But I’ll play nice a little longer. Make him think I’ve accepted my role as his mate. Then when I’ve earned his trust, I’ll make a break for it. If I can just get a proper look at my surroundings, and get out of these damn chains, I could figure out where to go.
Once the sun rises, the day begins. Well, for Wulfric and his people. Wulfric gets up, and it’s unfair that his hair looks good straight out of bed without any effort on his part. Dickheads like him don’t deserve nice hair. Or fantastic asses.
Stretching with a low groan that absolutely doesn’t make my cock twitch, he pads over to the fireplace and throws in a few fresh logs. There’s a sharp click as he strikes what I assume are two stones together. Behind my closed eyes, firelight blooms and warmth caresses my body.
Yawning, I feign sleep, peeking from beneath my eyelashes until he’s out the bedroom door. I pretend I don’t notice the way the muscles above his ass ripple with every step he takes. Once he’s gone, I sit up, the sheepskin sliding off me. Did he… light the fire for me? That was awfully nice of him. Or maybe he just wanted the room warm while he’s gone.
He didn’t lock the door. Ugh. But my chains are still attached to the damn bed. Before I can stew in frustration, the door swings open and Helga strides in with a sunny smile. “Good morning, lad!”
“Morning!” I infuse my voice with as much false cheer as I can.
“I hope you’re hungry. I had the thralls prepare a meal.” Any appetite I did have diminishes just imagining those poor people slaving away in the kitchen for my benefit. Yet when she sets a plate stacked with grilled leeks and salted fish on the table, my stomach moans in longing.
“Thank you.” She’s the only kind soul among these rugged barbarians. I really should use that, even if it is scummy to take advantage of a nice lady like her. I stand up and make a show of wincing as the cuffs jerk around my wrists. “It’s hard to eat with these on.”
She looks at my cuffs, then follows the chain to where it links to Wulfric’s bed. “He chained you up like a dog?” she asks, eyes wide in horror.
“He wanted to make sure I wouldn’t run.”
Helga tuts her disapproval. Bustling about the room, she checks every nook and cranny until with a triumphant cry, she produces a key from inside a vase above the mantel. Kneeling, she unlocks the chain from the bed, then crosses over to me. “Let’s get those off you.”
This is what I wanted, but I hesitate to hold out my arms. “Won’t you get in trouble if he finds out?”
She sniffs. “Let him fuss. He’s got to learn that he can trust his mate not to stray.” She unlocks my cuffs, and I sigh in relief. My wrists are chaffed but being able to stretch out my arms feels so good I hardly notice a thing.
“Do you need any help around the house today?” I ask.
“Oh, don’t you worry about that.”
“I’d like to help. If I’m going to be…” I nearly gag on the words. “Wulfric’s mate, I should get to know the village and the people in it.”
“Aye, I suppose there’s no harm in that. As it happens, I’ve got to pick up a few things from the market. I’d be happy with your company. We’ll leave as soon as you’re done eating.”
My stomach gurgles, but I think of the thralls stuck in the bowels of the ship, how dirty and terrified they were. “I’m not feeling very well. Must have been something I ate.”
I regret my words when pity softens her face. “Oh, poor dear! I’m sure we’ll find something at the market to ease your troubles.”
Anything sounds better than being stuck in the longhouse. But first… “Could I have a bath before we head out?” I can’t remember the last time I bathed, and my clothes reek.
She smiles. “Certainly, and I’ll have some clean clothes prepared as well. Wulfric must have something that will fit you.”
Another brain zap hits me when I stand up too fast, making the room spin. Damn it. I need to get back on my Zoloft. I hope my withdrawal symptoms don’t get too bad.
“Are you well, lad?”
Drawing in a deep breath, I close my eyes and feel like I’m spiraling down a whirlpool. “Y-yeah. Just a sec.”
Once the dizziness passes, Helga leads me from the bedroom and to the outdoors. The grass is stiff with frost, and my breath streams in the air as I follow her toward the back of the house. As we walk, the air warms.
We arrive in a clearing with steaming geothermal pools. Wulfric has a natural hot spring right in his backyard! How he’s so grumpy is beyond me.
“Here you are, lad.” Helga lays some fresh clothes and a bar of what looks like soap on a rock near the pools. “Come and find me when you’re done.”
Once she’s gone, I look both ways. There’s nobody around, only rugged mountains and forest for miles. It’s incredible. Shedding my clothes, I step into one of the pools and submerge myself, sighing as heat envelops me from neck to toe. I fumble for the soap I left on the ground behind me. It’s hard as a rock, more like stone than a bar of soap, but when I dip it in the water, it softens and becomes sudsy. It doesn’t have a fragrance, but historians are always talking about how clean medieval Scandinavians were for their time, so I’ll trust in their weird soap.
Standing, I lather myself up quickly so I don’t freeze, then sink back into the water. The suds foam and fizzle on the surface. Now would be a good time to make a break for it, but the vast wilderness that surrounds me looks more formidable than even Wulfric. If I got lost, I could freeze or starve. I’ll have to think of something else.
The frosty grass crunches behind me. Heart lurching, I whirl around.
“Oh! My apologies.” It’s one of Wulfric’s brothers. And he’s naked. Wulfric may be an ass, but his genes? Fucking impeccable. This brother, whoever he is, is just as stunning as Wulfric, though he has ebony hair and bright green eyes. He’s also completely confident in his nudity, the kind of confidence that comes with knowing he’s hot.
“Did you want to use this?” I rise from the springs, shivering as the cold air nips my damp skin. I cover my crotch with my hands.
A soft laugh escapes him, snide and mocking. “Are all humans so reserved? You’ve nothing on you I haven’t seen before.” Those eyes flick up and down my bare skin, his lips pulling up into a predatory smile with too many teeth. “I can see why my brother is so taken with you.”
I laugh more nervously than I mean to. “Oh. Um. Thank you?” Ugh, Kieran, just shut up… “I can leave if you want. I’m meeting Helga anyway.”
“Don’t run off on my account. Stay. Enjoy the springs. I know I will.” He prowls toward me, muscles rippling, cock bobbing between his thick thighs. I tear my eyes away and look anywhere else until he sinks into the water… beside me.
Great. Just two naked guys sitting in a hot spring. Right next to each other. And one of them’s a werewolf Viking. Totally normal.
“You’re one of Wulfric’s brothers?”
“Aye. Anders,” he responds. He runs the soap over the thick black hair on his chest. “There are four of us. My twin Lyall and I are the oldest. Then Gunnar three years later. Then two years later along came the beloved Alpha Wulfric. Don’t tell them, but I’m the fun one.” From a nearby basket, he produces a bottle and flashes me a grin. “You should have been fated to me. Wulfric can be a boorish brute.” After taking a long swig from the bottle, he offers it to me. “Mead. You’ll need it if you’re going to be stuck with Wulfric.”
I gulp down a mouthful. When I go to hand the bottle back, Anders is staring right at me, a curious tilt to his head. Maybe it’s knowing that he’s a wolf, but I can’t unsee the wolfish qualities he possesses. He’s more animallike than Wulfric.
“There’s something different about you. Everything from the way you speak to the way you dress yourself… You aren’t of this time, are you?”
The steam tickles my throat, and I cough trying to reply to him. “Did Wulfric tell you?”
“No. But it isn’t hard to guess.” He takes the bottle back and has a gulp, swiping his tongue over his lips. “Lyall travels back and forth from this time to the other, and you walk, talk, and act just like you waltzed right out of one of his stories from the future—but don’t tell anyone I said that. Wouldn’t want him to get in trouble.” There’s a note of sincerity in his voice. Maybe he and Wulfric don’t get along, but he clearly cares for his twin.
My heart skips. “Really?” I lean in before I can stop myself. “How is Lyall able to travel between timelines?”
Anders’s smile widens. “Has Wulfric told you about Yggdrasil? The sacred tree that binds the nine realms together?”
I nod and he passes me the bottle.
“Yggdrasil connects our worlds, allowing travel between the realms. It’s said that Yggdrasil is an ash tree. There are no trees as special as Yggdrasil, but it’s birthed many mighty ash trees. Using the branch of an ash tree, one can travel between realms.” Lowering his voice, he leans in close, his breath cool against my ear. “Don’t tell anyone, but Lyall still keeps such a branch to travel to the future.”
My heart thuds faster. “Would he give me the branch if I asked?” I hand the bottle back.
With a snort, Anders takes a drink then sets the empty bottle aside. “Not likely. It’s his only connection to the future. But don’t you worry about that. Leave it to me.”
“You’ll… you’ll help me escape? Why?” He’d go behind both his brothers’ backs to help a stranger? He could endanger himself by helping me.
Anders runs his soapy hands through his mane of wet hair. “It’s quite simple: you belong in your world, not ours. Your kind has caused our people enough trouble. It’s better for everyone if you return home safe and sound.”
But can I trust this man to get me there? It’s not like I have a choice. He’s my only hope. “Can’t argue with that. But how will I get out of Wulfric’s longhouse without being spotted?”
He rolls his eyes. “Do you want me to hold your hand through every step of the process? Figure out where he keeps the cuff keys. Free yourself while he sleeps. While you are making your getaway, I will ‘acquire’ Lyall’s branch. Need I explain further?”
Without waiting for a reply, he rises from the hot spring and gives me an eyeful of his dick. Sweeping his wet hair over his broad shoulder, he walks away from the pools.
“Meet me by the stables. They’re the second-biggest building in the village aside from the longhouse.” He throws a barbed look over his shoulder at me. “Don’t get caught.” He disappears into the trees.
Excitement makes my stomach churn.
It’s happening. Before sunrise, I could be back in Reykjavik.
I can go home to my time, and this nightmare will finally be over.
My mind is elsewhere, planning my escape, while Helga and I visit the market. I don’t know if I trust Anders. Humans and ulfhednar are enemies, but he’s willing to help me? Something’s up. Unless he just really wants me gone, I should expect him to demand something in return. Unfortunately, I’m not in a position to refuse his help.
What could he want in exchange for helping me? The uncertainty makes my stomach churn as I follow Helga along the pier. She does all the talking to the fishermen and I offer to carry the hefty bags of fish, but she insists on doing it herself. She barely breaks a sweat carrying three whole huge fish around. Must be her supernatural strength. I know I’d be winded hefting around fish half the size of my body.
When we get back to the house, Wulfric still hasn’t come back from wherever he went this morning.
“Where did Wulfric go?” I ask Helga.
“Off to hunt.”
“Will he be gone long?”
She looks out the window. “He usually returns before sunset, and we can prepare whatever he’s caught for supper. It’s important that he exercise his wolf. It eases his berserker rage. Make yourself at home.”
She pours us some mead and we quench our thirst. Outside the garden windows, people pass back and forth. There are a few pens with livestock out back, and the thralls are tending to the goats, cows, and chickens. A few thralls appear to be plaiting baskets or lugging weighty armfuls of firewood to the house from the woods, chains around their hands and feet rattling as they walk. A scowling man walks among them, armed with a lash. Dirt smears the thralls’ faces, their hair disheveled, bags heavy under their eyes, and their clothes hang off their thin frames.
“When’s the last time they had a proper meal?” I ask.
She just shrugs. “They eat plenty of whatever is left over.”
“So table scraps.”
My distaste must show because she frowns at me. “We can’t just give them the food from our table. There’s only so much to go around. Do you not have thralls where you’re from?”
“No,” I say, incensed. “It’s illegal. But that doesn’t stop people from selling and buying humans for sex or forced labor.”
“How do you get anything done? Don’t you need help tending to your crops or livestock?”
I shake my head. “Things are different in my time. If farmers need help, they hire people and pay them for their hard work.”
Her eyes go wide. “Oh, aye? You have the means to pay them?”
“Yes. It’s illegal not to.” I turn away from the thralls, unable to watch them work. “Where do they come from?”
“Many of them were born into this life, but a few others were prisoners of war who agreed to serve rather than die at the sword.”
“And they’re all ulfhednar?”
She nods. “Aye, but we took away their furs and without them, they cannot shift.”
“Do you go hunting with the men? What about the other women in the village?” I’m not sure how many rights the women of this time have.
Her eyes light up. “Aye, in the days of my youth, I once hunted the biggest bear to ever venture into these parts. He’d slaughtered many of our best hunters, my father among them.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
Folding her wrinkled hands in her lap, she goes on. “I was determined to avenge my father, so I left with the other hunters. We tracked the beast for days until we finally caught it. We shifted and fought the murderous creature for what felt like hours before it was too worn down to fight back. The hunters gave me the honor of being the one to end the creature’s life.” She bares her teeth in a smile. “So I tore out the bear’s throat with my own fangs.”
“Whoa. That’s awesome.” I’d never have guessed this kindly older woman would have ripped out a bear’s throat.
“They called me Helga Bear-Slayer. But that was long, long ago. Many of the women in our village go hunting with the men. Those who are capable. Used to be only men were considered worthy of becoming ulfhednar, but Wulfric’s great-grandmother decreed that we needed every able-bodied warrior to take up arms and hunt or fight to defend our village. Outsiders are not allowed to share in our gift, not usually, but I’m sure Wulfric will make an exception for you.”
I look up, shocked. “I need to become ulfhednar?”
“Of course, lad! It will be expected of you. How do you expect to survive life out here if you can’t take the form of a wolf? There will be backlash, of course, but Wulfric will put any dissenters in their place.”
I lurch out of my seat. “I won’t become some monster.”
“You wouldn’t be a monster, lad. You’d be a wolf. Mighty and fast. A lethal hunter.”
A laugh escapes me. “I’m not any of those things. The only hunting I do is foraging for snacks in my kitchen at three in the morning.” And maybe I killed a mouse once that got into my apartment and squashed a few cockroaches under my boot. It’s good I’m leaving tonight. I wouldn’t last a second in this life.
Leaving the kitchen, I return to Wulfric’s room and try to rest. Since he isn’t here, I curl up in his bed. The furs smell like him. I’d thought he would smell bad, but he doesn’t. His scent is woodsy, crisp mountain air, dirt, and grass. It’s… not unpleasant. His clothes are big on me, which I expected. I had to belt the breeches because they sag on me, and the tunic is practically a dress with how far it flows down to my knees. The woolen sweater I wear over everything is so large I’m swimming in it, but it’s warm enough until my clothes are clean and dry. Helga told me she was washing them.
Hunger gnaws at me. My limbs are shaky and weak, and I’m exhausted just from the short walk around the village. I can wait a little longer for food. The first thing I’m eating when I return to my timeline’s going to be the biggest cheeseburger I can get my hands on, a mountain of fries, and a milkshake from my favorite fast-food place. Fuck the calories. God, I miss modern food not prepared by enslaved people. I miss my home and even my shitty jobs. I miss the familiarity of modern living.
Soon I’ll be free.
When I open my eyes, the room is stained red with the light from the setting sun. Something smells good, and my stomach cramps with hunger so intense, I groan in pain. No, I won’t eat. I just need to hold out until I can go home.
The door bangs open and I jump out of my skin.
Wulfric crowds the doorway, glowering like always. “Come and eat.”
I grind my teeth. “I’m not—”
“Don’t tell me you aren’t hungry!” he snaps. “I sniffed out the cheese and bread you hid. You haven’t eaten in days.”
“I’m not eating food your thralls made.”
He stomps over to my bed. “You will eat. That’s an order from your Alpha.”
“You’re not my anything,” I snap back.
A smirk quirks his mustache. “Oh, but I will be soon and until we are equals in our mating, you will respect my authority.”
Folding my arms over my chest, I hold his glare. “What are you going to do, tie me down and make me eat?”
He tilts his head, his smile widening. “Why, would you enjoy that? Being tied up and at my mercy. Unable to do a thing but lie back and let me please you.”
My mind says no. My dick says fuck yes.
My brain latches onto his phrasing.
Let me please you.
I would be at his mercy like he said, but he would be pleasing me, not himself.
Oh fuck, why does that sound so tempting? Not so much the bondage thing, not really my scene, but giving up control to another person. Mark couldn’t understand that giving up control to someone I trust helped so much with my anxiety and self-doubt in the bedroom. My life is so busy, the last thing I want in bed is to be in control. But Mark never respected that and, stupid me, I gave up on asking him to give me what I needed every once in a while.
Planting one boot on the bed, Wulfric leans over me, nostrils flaring.
“No, I wouldn’t like that,” I insist, looking away.
A raspy chuckle rumbles from him. “You can’t hide a thing from me, lad. I can smell how much you love the idea.”
Fuck me. Heat flames my cheeks, but I refuse to look away from his narrowed eyes. My trousers are huge, so I don’t need to worry about him seeing how hard I am, but knowing he can smell the effect his words have on me makes me vulnerable in a way I’m not used to.
“Aye, I think you’d enjoy that very much, wouldn’t you?” His voice is practically a growl. “Perhaps a rag in your mouth, too, so you can shut up and let me give you what you need.”
Oh fuck. I all but whimper at the thought.
“And… what do I need?” My voice is dry, my cock twitching in my oversized trousers.
Leaning in until our noses are inches apart, his breath hot on my lips, his beard tickling my skin, he whispers, “Food. Now.” And yanks me out of bed.
I yelp indignantly as he tugs me from the bedroom. “I told you I’m not—”
“Yes, you are eating, because my thralls didn’t prepare the food. I did.”
I stop walking. “You… What?”
Rolling his eyes to the back of his thick head, he growls out, “I. Made. Supper. Now sit down, shut up, and eat.” He wrenches out a chair, stomps to the other side of the table, and plops down in his own seat with all the dramatics of an overgrown, beardy teenager and not the adult Viking warrior he is.
Wulfric didn’t make supper. He made a whole damn feast. “What is all this?”
Wulfric points from one dish to another. “Bread. Boar stew with turnips. Vegetables from the garden. Now eat.”
My mouth salivates at the sight of so much delicious food. “Is… is this what you were away all day doing?”
Sighing through flared nostrils, he nods so hard I’m surprised his head doesn’t fall off his shoulders. “What do you think? I hunted the boar for the stew, harvested the grains. The turnips came from the garden.”
I’m astounded. I can’t even remember the last time someone cooked for me. Mark sure never went to the effort. Maybe early in our relationship, yeah, and for a while after we moved in, but then he started finding excuses not to, all the while being happy to make me cook even if I was dead on my feet after a long shift at work.
There’s a suspicious lump in my throat when I say, “Wow. Wulfric, this is incredible.”
Wulfric’s too busy shoveling food in his mouth to talk. At her seat, Helga hides a smile behind her hands, eyes twinkling when she meets my gaze.
“I can’t believe you went to such trouble for me.”
He says, “It isn’t any trouble. It’s a privilege to hunt and provide for you.”
That’s not what he said during our fight last night. “But you said—”
“I know what I said.” Regret is heavy in his voice, and he doesn’t meet my eyes. “I was ill-tempered, and I took it out on you. It wasn’t right. Human or not, the Norns brought you to me for a reason. I have to respect and trust their judgment.” Exhaling, he looks up at me like a big kicked puppy. “It would be an honor to dine with you.”
I don’t know what to say. He must have done a lot of soul-searching during his hunt. I wouldn’t have expected such a hot-headed, proud warrior to admit to a mistake. Wulfric has completely caught me off guard. Maybe there’s more to him than meets the eye.
“I will. Thank you.” I sit and take my time choosing from the array of dishes before me. Wulfric’s eyes are on me but when I look up, he’s staring at something on the floor. I take a bite of the boar stew, and flavor bursts across my tongue. It isn’t as sophisticated as food from my time, but it’s all homemade and just for me.
“Do you like it?” he asks.
I’m too busy stuffing my face to answer right away. “It’s fucking delicious.”
A smile quirks his mouth. “I’ll take that for a yes.”
Nodding, I dig in and we eat in a silence that isn’t heavy with frustration or dislike.
It’s almost… nice.
It’s a shame I’ve got to throw his kindness back in his face by leaving tonight. The thought makes me pause mid-chew. I have to. I’ve got no choice. I don’t belong in this world, and I never will.
After dinner, I head to Wulfric’s room while he and Helga clean up. I tried to help, but they sent me to bed. Lying on the furs by the fire, I tuck an arm beneath my head. My heart begins to race. Soon I’ll be able to leave and return to my timeline. Once everyone is asleep, I’ll go.
The door creaks open and Wulfric comes in. Fabric rustles as he undresses, no doubt stripping down to his underwear like yesterday. I can just imagine the way the firelight would flicker over the ridges of his abs. Desire makes my cock twitch, but I ignore it. First order of business when I’m back in my time? Find a hot Icelander to have a one-night stand with.
“Aren’t you going to cuff me?” I ask when he walks by me to the bed.
He pauses. “You had ample opportunity to run today.” Then he snuffs out the candles and settles into bed. Looks like he just made things easier for me.
I lie awake unmoving for a long time until he begins to snore. As quietly as I can, I stand and tiptoe to the door. I twist the knob inch by inch and open the door as slowly as I can, praying it doesn’t creak. When the door is just wide enough to squeeze through, I slip through the gap.
The house is dark and empty as I tiptoe to the front door. My clothes dried during the day, so I pull on my coat and shuck off my huge trousers in exchange for my jeans. I tug on my boots and tie them, then lift the latch.
The frigid night air draws a shudder from me. There’s no one in the village, though candlelight still flickers in the windows of some houses. Distantly, farmyard animals cry in the night. More alarmingly, wolves howl. The sound is both haunting and terrifying, seeming to come from everywhere all at once as the sound travels through the vast wilderness around us.
I need to hurry before those wolves decide to return to the village. I stick close to the trees on the outskirts of the village just in case people might be patrolling the streets. I can make out the stable roof in the dark and even though it’s close, it feels far away as I slowly make my way toward it. Any second now, I expect to hear a door open as Wulfric pursues me or for someone to lunge at me from the shadows and drag me back.
Nobody stops me. I make it to the stables and ease open the door. Horses snort in the darkness as I strain my eyes to make out if there’s anyone else here. I trip over something and nearly fall on my face.
“All that crashing around must be you, human.” Anders sounds amused at my expense. “Fenrir’s balls, be louder, why don’t you? I don’t think the deaf old man in the cottage a mile away heard you.”
Scowling, I stomp up to his silhouette where he’s reclining against a stall door. “Did you get the branch?”
“Of course I did, and Lyall wasn’t any the wiser. Did anyone see you leave?”
“No.”
Humming his approval, he opens the stall door and leads out a black horse, the pelt blending perfectly with the shadows. “We need to find a spot where one of Yggdrasil’s roots twists beneath the soil.”
I step into the stirrup and try to heave myself over the horse’s back. “How will we know when we’ve found it?”
“There’s a rune carved into the branch. When it glows, we know we’re in the right place. Lyall frequents a spot not far from here. I know the way.” Before I can climb into the saddle, he leads the horse toward the door, ignoring my frantic whispers of protest. “Take this.” He shoves something wrapped in cloth into my free hand. I unwrap it, revealing a silver dagger. “In case we encounter trouble.”
“I can’t fight,” I hiss, still with one leg over the horse’s back and the other caught in the stirrup. “What’s out there that I’ll need to stab anyway?”
“Whatever you can think of. Creatures that snap and growl.” A grin curls his lips, revealing his pointed fangs. “Like this.” And he lets loose a rumbling snarl that sends the horse into a panic.
With a squeal of fright, the horse shoots out the doors. I wrap an arm around the horse’s neck, fingers clawing at the mane, too shocked to hold back my holler of fright. The horse bucks, and I tumble from the beast’s back. The collision knocks the breath from my aching ribs and for a few agonizing seconds, I can’t move.
When I find my feet, Anders is marching toward me. Something’s wrong with him. His eyes are flashing, fangs sharp, claws ready at his sides. My fight or flight instinct kicks in. I choose flight. I’ve only run a few steps when he hurls himself on my back, crushing me to the ground. Pinning me down, he howls loud enough to wake whoever wasn’t already woken up by my panicked shouting.
The son of a bitch planned this. He’s going to get me caught!
“You tricked me,” I snarl, struggling to push him off.
Anders laughs, a grin splitting his face. “How naive could you possibly be, human? Letting you walk out would be far too boring. This? This makes a point! When the whole village sees what you’ve done, they’ll realize how foolish Wulfric really is.” He grabs me and hauls me to my feet. “Go ahead, try and fight back! Run, and I’ll make you regret it.”
I point the dagger at him and it shakes in my grip. “S-stay back!”
Anders grins through his fangs, eyes wild and bright. I’ve never seen a human look so much like a monster before. He doesn’t stop. He charges me and all I can do is thrust out the dagger, close my eyes, and look away.