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Authors: Marly Mathews
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down on this Tavern like the Pack of Slithering Snakes in Wolves clothing that they are. They will make us pay dearly for your big mouth.”
“You shouldn’t live in fear, Neri. I am not afraid of what they might try to do.”
“I’m not afraid for myself, you moron. I’ve been to hell and back. I’m not about to be afraid of those pathetic creatures. I’m afraid of what they might to do everyone else in this village and the county for that matter. When someone speaks out against them, they make sure to kill as many as possible to make an example—to breed fear in all of our hearts. To make us feel as if we were the ones that were the killers. I won’t have more blood on my hands, Lucan, I can’t do it! This heart of mine has seen enough sorrow to last me several lifetimes!”
“Only cowards do business the way Lord Ulwyn and his men conduct themselves.”
She sighed heavily, put her arms down to hang limply at her sides, while she bunched her hands into fists.
“The men we are dealing with are the lowest of the low, Lucan. They are extremely unpredictable. They have no honour, they have no code! Chivalry for them is dead! And yes, they are the biggest group of cowards I have ever seen. They rule through fear. They have no heart. They are merciless. They only gain enjoyment out of the suffering of others. They will not behave the way you expect them to behave—they have no code of chivalry the way the men from your time did. They are mad—they are more animal than anything else!”
“For a long time—longer than I’d rather admit, I was more animal than human,” he said softly.
“Don’t even think about comparing yourself to these demons disguised as men. No matter how many character flaws you might possess you could never be in their league.”
*****
Lucan didn’t know whether or not he should be flattered or insulted by her broad statement. He was pretty sure she meant it as a slap in the face, but then he hadn’t been out amongst the general populace for that long. Two months was hardly enough time to acclimate himself to the world as it was today.
So many things had changed—and then again so many things had stayed the same. The world was still filled with bastards who needed their asses handed to them on a regular basis.
“If Lord Ulwyn behaves the way I think he’ll behave when he hears that I’ve returned, you won’t have to worry about him going on a killing spree. He’s going to attempt to charm me into joining his brethren before he goes totally ballistic. As Alpha, he’ll want to size up the only other wolf shifter that might be able to take away his seat of power. As the 3 rd Earl’s son, I am that somebody.”
“Or he might just try to send a few assassins after you to eliminate the threat. Lord Ulwyn is very volatile, Lucan. He has a sneaky cunning that most wolf shifters don’t possess. He won’t abide by the code of honour that wolf shifters followed over one hundred and fifty years ago.”
“Why don’t we agree to disagree on that matter, Neri? I think I’m right, you think I am talking out my ass.”
She pursed her lips and crossed her arms defensively against her chest. “Please don’t try telling me what I think about you. You have no idea what I am thinking. I might be an old soul, but unlike you, I have been a part of Shardizar for the last century and a half. I’ve seen how the world as you knew it changed. You can’t even begin to predict how anyone will think now, and you damn sure can’t get inside of the head of someone like Lord Ulwyn.”
“Why don’t we make a friendly wager?” he asked, thinking of a way to get what he wanted without having to work too hard at it.
She cocked her head at him, and bit her lip. The small gesture made him want to cross the distance to her in two strides and kiss those luscious looking lips.
“What kind of a friendly wager?” she asked, apprehension filling her voice. She chewed nervously at her bottom lip,
“You shouldn’t live in fear, Neri. I am not afraid of what they might try to do.”
“I’m not afraid for myself, you moron. I’ve been to hell and back. I’m not about to be afraid of those pathetic creatures. I’m afraid of what they might to do everyone else in this village and the county for that matter. When someone speaks out against them, they make sure to kill as many as possible to make an example—to breed fear in all of our hearts. To make us feel as if we were the ones that were the killers. I won’t have more blood on my hands, Lucan, I can’t do it! This heart of mine has seen enough sorrow to last me several lifetimes!”
“Only cowards do business the way Lord Ulwyn and his men conduct themselves.”
She sighed heavily, put her arms down to hang limply at her sides, while she bunched her hands into fists.
“The men we are dealing with are the lowest of the low, Lucan. They are extremely unpredictable. They have no honour, they have no code! Chivalry for them is dead! And yes, they are the biggest group of cowards I have ever seen. They rule through fear. They have no heart. They are merciless. They only gain enjoyment out of the suffering of others. They will not behave the way you expect them to behave—they have no code of chivalry the way the men from your time did. They are mad—they are more animal than anything else!”
“For a long time—longer than I’d rather admit, I was more animal than human,” he said softly.
“Don’t even think about comparing yourself to these demons disguised as men. No matter how many character flaws you might possess you could never be in their league.”
*****
Lucan didn’t know whether or not he should be flattered or insulted by her broad statement. He was pretty sure she meant it as a slap in the face, but then he hadn’t been out amongst the general populace for that long. Two months was hardly enough time to acclimate himself to the world as it was today.
So many things had changed—and then again so many things had stayed the same. The world was still filled with bastards who needed their asses handed to them on a regular basis.
“If Lord Ulwyn behaves the way I think he’ll behave when he hears that I’ve returned, you won’t have to worry about him going on a killing spree. He’s going to attempt to charm me into joining his brethren before he goes totally ballistic. As Alpha, he’ll want to size up the only other wolf shifter that might be able to take away his seat of power. As the 3 rd Earl’s son, I am that somebody.”
“Or he might just try to send a few assassins after you to eliminate the threat. Lord Ulwyn is very volatile, Lucan. He has a sneaky cunning that most wolf shifters don’t possess. He won’t abide by the code of honour that wolf shifters followed over one hundred and fifty years ago.”
“Why don’t we agree to disagree on that matter, Neri? I think I’m right, you think I am talking out my ass.”
She pursed her lips and crossed her arms defensively against her chest. “Please don’t try telling me what I think about you. You have no idea what I am thinking. I might be an old soul, but unlike you, I have been a part of Shardizar for the last century and a half. I’ve seen how the world as you knew it changed. You can’t even begin to predict how anyone will think now, and you damn sure can’t get inside of the head of someone like Lord Ulwyn.”
“Why don’t we make a friendly wager?” he asked, thinking of a way to get what he wanted without having to work too hard at it.
She cocked her head at him, and bit her lip. The small gesture made him want to cross the distance to her in two strides and kiss those luscious looking lips.
“What kind of a friendly wager?” she asked, apprehension filling her voice. She chewed nervously at her bottom lip,
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