She was only grateful that he wasn't telepathic. That would have made her job infinitely more complicated.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) She stood up and went to the cabinet to get a bowl for Zarek, and very carefully, she ladled the stew into it. Then she took it to the counter, not far from where Zarek had been standing.
He reached out and took the bowl from her. "You live alone?
"
"Just me and Sasha." She wondered why he'd asked that.
Her sister Cloie had warned her that Zarek could turn violent with little provocation. That he had been known to attack Acheron and anyone else who came near him.
Dark-Hunter rumor said that his exile inAlaska had been caused by his destroying a village he'd been responsible for. No one knew why. Only that one night he'd gone mad and murdered everyone there, then razed their homes to the ground.
Her sisters had refused to elaborate on what had happened on that night for fear of prejudicing her viewpoint.
For Zarek's crime, Artemis had banished him to the frozen wilderness.
Could Zarek merely be curious about her living arrangements or was there a more sinister reason for his question?
"Would you like something to drink?" she asked him.
"Sure.
"
"What do you prefer?
"
"I don't care.
"
She shook her head at his words. "You're not very picky, are you?
"
She heard him clear his throat. "No.
"
"I don't like the way he's looking at you.
"
She arched a brow at Sasha's angry words in her head. "You don't like the way any man looks at me
."
The wolf scoffed. "Still, he hasn't taken his eyes off you, Astrid. He's watching you now. His head is bent down, but there's lust in his eyes as he stares at you. Like he can already feel you under him. I don't trust him or that look. His gaze is too intense. Can I bite him?"
For some reason, knowing that Zarek was watching her made her hot and shivery. "No, Sasha. Be nice
."
"I don't want to be nice, Astrid. Every instinct I have tells me to bite him. If you have any respect for my animal abilities, let me put him down now and save us both ten more days in this cold place."
She shook her head at him. "We just met him, Sasha. What if Lera had deemed you guilty on her
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) first encounter with you all those centuries ago?"
"So you believe in goodness again?"
Astrid paused. No, she didn't. Most likely Zarek deserved to die, especially if half of what she'd been told was true.
And yet Acheron's quote haunted her.
"I owe Acheron more than ten minutes of my time."
Sasha scoffed.
She poured Zarek a cup of hot tea and took it over to him. "It's rosemary tea, is that okay?"
"Whatever."
When he took it from her hand, she felt the warmth of his fingers brush hers.
An incredible rush went through her. She felt his surprise. His heated need. His unsated hunger.
That truly scared her. This was a man capable of anything. One of almost godlike powers.
He could do anything he wanted to her…
She needed to distract him.
And herself.
"So what really happened to you?" she asked, wondering if he would breach his Code of Silence and tell her that he was wanted by the others.
"Nothing."
"Well, I hope I never come across Nothing then if it's capable of putting a hole in my back."
She heard him pick up his tea, but he didn't speak.
"You should be more careful," she said.
"Believe me, I'm not the one who needs to be careful." His voice was sinister as he spoke those words, reinforcing his lethalness.
"Are you threatening me?" she asked.
Again he said nothing. The man was a total wall of silence.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com) So she pressed him once more. "Do you have anyone we need to call and let them know you're okay?"
"No," he said, his tone hollow.
She nodded as she thought about that. Zarek had never been granted a Squire.
She couldn't imagine being banished the way Zarek had been. At the time of his incarceration, this area of the world had been very sparsely populated.
The climate harsh. Inhospitable. Desolate. Bleak.
She'd only been living here a few days and it had taken some getting used to. But at least she had her mother, sisters, and Sasha to help her adjust.
Zarek had been denied anyone.
While other Dark-Hunters were allowed companions and servants, Zarek had been forced to endure his existence in solitude.
Alone.
She couldn't imagine how he must have suffered over the centuries as he struggled through his days, knowing he would never have a reprieve of any kind.
No wonder he was insane.
Still, it was no excuse for his behavior. As he had said to her earlier, everyone had their problems.
Zarek finished his food and then took the dishes to the sink. Without thinking, he rinsed and cleaned them, then set them to the side.
"You didn't have to do that. I would have cleaned them."