Page 20 of Wolf's Bane
He watched Solenne scurry away, delighted at the obvious discomfort in her tone, and even more delighted in how her trousers clung to the curves of her ass.
He remained enough of a gentleman that he did not express his appreciation. Unfortunately, he was not enough of a gentleman to avert his eyes. He had a wicked beast inside him.
Wash complete, he returned the tub to its peg on the wall of the cottage. Other than the air of neglect, the building had not changed in the last decade. The roof was sound, and the walls were sturdy enough to keep out monsters. Or keep one contained.
Being so close to Solenne, catching her delicious scent, riled his beast. He heard her heart, steady and true.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She had not recognized him, which stung, but that wonderful smell helped to ease the hurt. He had purposefully removed his shirt, knowing she watched. She had no comment on the bite. This close to the summer solstice moon and the nexus, the bite was red and raw. He suspected that she only failed to recognize the bite for what it was because she felt the same disorienting attraction as he.
Godwin would recognize the bite at once.
Very well. He’d try his best to remain clothed in the presence of his old mentor. In a few days, as the moon waned, the bite would look as unremarkable as of the other scars on his person.
In a wooden chest, he found a medical kit stocked with wolfsbane. He took the bottle and a few more useful-looking tonics. The wolfsbane would be enough to keep him under control for this cycle.
He had such a clever mate.
Chapter 6
Aleksandar
Boxon Hill
Marechal House
The house remainedunchanged in that timeless quality he always associated with the Marechal family. They were a fixed point in his life, staying as they had been a decade ago.
It perched near the midway up Boxon Hill, a squat building with honey-colored stone walls and faded green shutters, surveying the lord’s domain. The stone glowed in the late afternoon sunlight. He knew from experience that the house was frightfully cold in the winter, but remained pleasant throughout the summer. The scent of a wood smoke drifted from the chimney.
He could not shake his surprise when Godwin limped down the front steps, leaning heavily on a short staff.
“Aleksandar. Solenne said a disheveled traveler surprised her at the old cottage, and she nearly shot him full of arrows,” his old mentor said, obvious pride in his voice. He wore an eye patch. The flesh surrounding it appeared red and swollen.
“How bad is—” Alek stopped himself from finishing the question. He knew how detrimental it could be when a hunter lost their vision. Even partially. Skills honed over a lifetime would have to be relearned. Fighting stances and preferred weapons adapted. It was bad, bad enough for the proud Godwin Marechal to ask for help.
Or at least for Solenne to ask for help.
The man aged poorly in the last ten years, and not just from the recent injuries that put the shuffle of pain in his walk. Alek suspected the tragic death of his wife aged Godwin faster than any beast. His hair was more iron gray than dark. Wrinkles and worry set heavy on his face. Godwin Marechal had been fierce and proud, indomitable in spirit and unbeatable in a fight. This man? This man was frail.
Godwin’s good eye glared at Alek. For a moment, he thought Godwin would tear away the patch and demand Alek to gaze on his ruin. No such dramatics occurred.
“The last I heard, you went to the West Lands,” Godwin said.
“For a time.”
“They have not done you any good.”
“I disagree,” Alek replied. The West Lands were unsettled and wild. Not wilderness, exactly, but lands lost to uncontrolled nexus points. Some smaller farmsteads and villages scraped out a living there, and Alek scraped out his own meager existence, turning in bounties for whatever slipped through the nexus. It hadn’t been profitable, but the hard work forged him into a stronger person. He could not have survived as long as he had with the curse if not for the experiences of the West Lands.
“I’m back to my family’s land now,” he said.
Godwin nodded. That said enough about Alek’s fortunes, meaning he had none. “Nothing has changed,” Godwin said.
Alek drew his shoulders back to stand at his full height, angry that Godwin had to be blunt. Of course nothing had changed. Alek was still the same penniless hunter he had been ten years ago, when he asked Godwin’s permission to court Solenne.
And Godwin was still the proud fucker.
