Page 11 of Claim My Soul

“Oh, well, in that case, I guess I should know what to do.”He gave Alexia a stony stare.“Anything else he said I should know about?”

“No.”She looked thoughtful for a moment then said, “It occurred to me we know little about one another, so let’s remedy that.”

Herleif cocked his head and felt his brows furrow.“And how is that supposed to help us?”

“Knowing lineage, background, abilities, it all matters, and it may give us a clue as to how we proceed with this mission.”She moved around the counter to stand by his side.Only she grabbed the tray of food and started to walk to the living room.“Nonia, say goodbye to Herleif and go rest.I’ll call you if I need you.”

The wolf-dog quickly nuzzled against him before disappearing.

Alexia then called out, “Please grab the mugs and join me on the couch.Might as well get comfortable.”

Herleif chuckled and did as asked, carefully handling the mugs with his beefy hands and bringing them to the table in front of the couch.After placing them down and not spilling a drop, he sat, watching Alexia as she picked up her tea.She then curled her legs beneath her bottom and seemed to relax.

“Now, tell me all I need to know about Herleif.”

Chapter Six

Alexia watched Herleif, his brow wrinkling once again, and oh, how she wanted to smooth those deep furrows.

She knew little about the many shifters and paranormals, having had minimal contact with any until she’d arrived in New York.Her knowledge came from her mother as well as reading, and even then, accurate information had been limited.

Trolls, for instance.She’d read they were usually large beasts, unappealing in appearance.They were known for their aggression and trickery, and most often solitary creatures living underground or in darkness.

Herleif was certainly large but in no way was his appearance unappealing.He was rather handsome in his brutish way.His hair was wild, and she longed to tangle her fingers it.His skin reminded her of fresh spring grass—one of her favorite colors—and the marks and scars added to his ruggedness.Sure, he’d initially been rude, trying to intimidate her, but she was seeing a civil side to him, and she knew they’d be able to work together.

But the way he spoke about himself, as a troll, made Alexia wonder if there was something wrong with her in finding him physically attractive.When he’d been in human form, it’d been a striking form, but truth be told, she preferred him as his true self.

And when he’d said he was seducing her, had he been teasing?What purpose would that tactic serve?He couldn’t have been serious, could he?In wanting her?

She silently chastised herself for doing nearly the same as Herleif had done.While there was no self-loathing, there was self-doubt.Other than being inexperienced, there was nothing wrong with her.She was caring, smart, and attractive.Wasn’t she?

Maybe he was teasing and didn’t want a human like her.Maybe—

“Why are you scowling?”

Herleif’s question snapped her out of her internal discussion.She met his curious gaze and tried to steer the topic back to him.“I’m just wondering why you’re delaying in telling me about you.We must trust one another if we’re going to work together.”She took a sip of her tea while he remained quiet.“If you’d rather I go first...”He still said nothing.

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