Taming the Beast

Andreas stopped growling, but he didn’t appear to be backing down from the challenge he’d made. He didn’t lower his body or hang his head. He looked at the newcomers head-on.

Please don’t embarrass him.

“Mary, I’m going to arc around to you, okay?” the other man said. “We’re not going to let him hurt you.”

“I’m not worried about him hurting me. I think he’s angry because you’re intruding and I’m…his mate.”

The one with the eye patch stilled. His mouth opened then closed wordlessly. His brow furrowed. “His mate?” He turned to the other man, as if in silent conference.

The other man cocked a dark brow. “And how do you feel about that?” he asked her.

“I think—” She shook her head. She more than thought. “No, I know I’m fine. I can handle him.” There was no one else for Andreas. She’d decided that, and Andreas would just have to cope with having a nosy Valkyrie as a girlfriend. “Am I a little freaked out right now, though?” she asked, grimacing a bit. “Absolutely.”

“We’ll fix this,” the second guy said.

“How?”

“Our energy—our magic, I guess you’d call it—will keep his at bay until the two parts of him are back in sync.” As he’d said, he arced the long way around and approached Mary from the rear.

Andreas was so busy watching him that he didn’t pay attention to the guy with the eye patch.

He grabbed Andreas around the neck and forced him to the floor.

“Please!” Mary shouted.

“It’s all right,” the other guy said. “Anton’s not gonna hurt him, and trust me, we’re not going to tell anyone about this except my dad.”

“Your dad?”

He grunted and extended a hand to Mary to shake. “I’m Vic Carbone. Adam’s my father.”

“Oh!” She shook his hand and then turned her attention back to the scuffle nearby.

Anton was working very hard not to hurt Andreas, but Andreas wasn’t giving him any such courtesy. He was trying to nip and claw at the man—trying to wrest himself free of his grip—but Anton had obviously had practice.”

“You’ve done this before?” she asked Vic.

He nodded. “A few times.”

“What’ll happen afterward?”

“That’s up to you, I guess. My father thought the best course of action would be for us to bundle him up and take him back to Norseton with us until he’s better able to control himself, but we’re not going to force him to do anything.”

“He’s not in a good place to be making decisions. I mean, look at him.” She indicated toward the snarling beast, who was meaner, angrier, than Andreas on two legs would ever be. He might have been antisocial and reclusive, but he wasn’t violent.

“You can decide,” Vic said. “If you trust us to help him, we’ll help him, and we’ll take our lumps later on if he’s pissed. If you don’t trust us to take him, we’ll go.”

“You’re not taking him.”

Vic grimaced, then nodded.

“Don’t get me wrong,” she said, body coiled tight with fear at the still-raging scuffle, “I want you to help him, but I’m not going to let you take him alone. I’m going, too.”

“To Norseton?”

“I was going to go anyway. Maybe not so soon, but now’s as good a time as any. If you can help him, take him. And please…” She gestured to the fight. “Can’t you stop this? Can you help?”

“Yeah. I can help. Close your eyes.”