Chapter 19 #2
I cleaned my muddy hands, changed clothes and brushed the brambles out of my hair.
Still , no Bear .
Ah , well. I was hungry. I made short work of a quick chicken stir fry. And waited on the rice I’d tossed into the cooker. I should have timed it better. The vegetables softened as they simmered.
Then the distinct rumble of motorcycle and the clatter of the garage door announced Bear’s arrival.
The door opened as the rice cooker beeped, letting me know the food was done.
“ You’re just in time.”
Bear sniffed at the air. His eyes scanned the house like there were threats in every corner. “ Dinner’s ready?” His tone was cautious, as if he didn’t trust the timing.
I ignored him and set two plates on the table. “ You don’t have chopsticks, do you?”
He grunted and bumped me as he shoved his way to the sink to wash his hands and face. “ I don’t fucking use chopsticks.”
“ I take that is a no. Rough day?”
He glared at me like his bad mood was my fault.
I sent him a placid, but neutrally firm stare back, daring him to start the fight. His body was tense. It caused his movements to slice through the space around me, leaving a wake of anger.
Something had set him off.
I quickly gathered utensils and pulled out two beers.
It had been that kind of day for both of us.
He sighed as he studied the table and the food I plated.
“ How’d you know when I was coming home?”
“ I didn’t. Just coincidence.”
He glanced at the clock. His forehead creased, grooving the narrow path between his eyebrows deeper.
“ Do you think this is enough? Should I heat up—” My hands fluttered through the air as I spoke.
“ Rose . Stop . I’m not fucking Carl .”
I swallowed. He picked up on that? I hadn’t even clued in on my nerves until he bludgeoned me with the truth. “ Okay .” I slid into my chair and tried to calm my mind to thank the Gods for the fortune I had.
Bear was a little more vocal. He cracked open the beer first, raising it high.
“ Hail , Thor Odinson . I raise my ale to you. Grant me strength through nourishment and grant me peace through alcohol.” He slugged down a good portion of the can, then burped loudly.
The can rattled, near empty, as he set it on the table with a heavy sigh.
I lifted a forkful of food. “ I call to thee, Freya , the mistress of bounty and war. Thank you for your blessings of food and insight. May both bring this house peace.”
Sure , that was a subtle hint. One that wasn’t lost on Bear .
He shoveled food into his mouth, pausing as he chewed. The next bite was slower, more reverent. After the third, he set his fork down and looked skyward. “ Thank you, Freya .”
His eyes fell upon me, studying me as I ate.
“ Is everything okay?”
The intense stare fell away as Bear looked inward. “ Not really, but that’s a me problem.” He ate a little more. “ The food’s good. I appreciate it.”
“ I’d planned for more, but I got sidetracked today.”
“ By what?” His tone had gentled. I was loath to ruin the moment with my afternoon, but if I kept it secret, it would blow back on me.
I set the fork down carefully. “ After I got breakfast cleaned up and did some cleansing spell work, I took a walk down to the river again.” For an unknown reason, I smiled. “ The dock’s almost completely gone now.”
“ I’m surprised it didn’t break while you were dancing on it.”
“ I wasn’t dancing.”
He chuckled quietly. “ That would have been a nice bonus, just saying. Me fishing you out of the water all naked and shit.” He peeked at me through his heavy eyebrows and licked his lips. The mischief in his expression displayed blatantly.
“ I was going to pick berries but someone was on the path.” I paused, parsing the subtle lie for truth. “ Not exactly on the path, more like taking the path to get here. I hid.”
His forkful of food fell back onto the plate when he froze. “ Who ?”
I weighed assumption versus fact. “ I think it was Carl , but since I hid really well, I didn’t get a good look.”
“ And ?”
This was going south quickly. “ I worked my way back here through the woods, so I wouldn’t be seen, and got a little lost. When I finally made it to that hill behind the house, someone was in the yard. I waited until they left before coming back.”
“ Probably a good idea. Anything missing?”
No . Nothing was materially missing. “ My blanket sense of security?”
There was silence between us.
I continued because he needed to know more before he walked out there and discovered it for himself.
“ You’ll see it tomorrow, but Carl , or whoever it was, dug a pentagram in the yard and scattered my shit all over to make it appear like I was using black magic.
And , you will need to watch your step. He scattered some presents for us. ”
I left the table to collect a caltrop he’d dropped. “ I found seventeen of these in the grass.”
Bear took it from my hand and admired it for a moment. “ Nasty fuckers. I used a bunch like this to hijack a semi-truck. Seventeen , you say?”
I nodded, ignoring his admission of a crime.
“ They sell ’em online in twenty packs.” He tossed it to the table.
That meant there were three more out there. “ Be careful then.”
He laughed as if the danger was nothing. But it was very real.