Marked by the Moon (Nightcreature 9)
“Wasn’t me,” he said with the quickness of a seven-year-old accused of breaking into the cookie jar. “And no one from our village would ever hurt anyone from theirs.”
“Because of the agreement.”
Cade bobbled the needle, barely managing to keep from sticking himself or dropping it. “Julian’s been chatty.”
“Barlow’s a lot of things. Chatty isn’t one of them.”
“Yet you know about Awanitok and our agreement with them after being in town for barely a day.”
“I’m easy to talk to.” And a really good liar. “If no one here would dare defy him…” Except Alex, and she hadn’t eaten anyone lately. “…then whatever’s doing it is a rogue.”
“Must be.”
“But a rogue, by definition, is…” Alex cast about for a word.
“A scoundrel?”
“If you live in the seventeenth century.” Alex narrowed her eyes. “Did you live in the seventeenth century?”
“Among others.”
“Where were you born?” she asked, suddenly curious.
“Norse land.”
“Never heard of it.”
“The land of the Vikings.”
Alex looked him up and down. “You were a Viking?”
His face became distant. “I wasn’t a very good one.”
“Let me guess. You were from Norway. Like him.” Cade nodded, and Alex flicked a finger to indicate his eyes. “Did he boink your mama, too?”
Cade jerked, mouth pulling into an expression of horror. “Why would you say such a disgusting thing?”
“Your eyes,” Alex said. “They’re like his.”
The scuff of a shoe had them both glancing toward the doorway where Barlow leaned, the nonchalance of his posture belied by the flare of fury in his all-too-familiar blue gaze.
Chapter 16
“He’s my brother,” Julian said, and stalked across the room.
Alex’s hand tightened around the hilt of Cade’s sword, but she didn’t take it up. Smart move. He’d disarm her quicker than she could say boink your mama.
How had she gotten the weapon away from Cade in the first place? His brother might have been a bad Viking, but he was a Viking. You’d think that would be good for something.
“Your brother,” Alex murmured. “The dead one?”
Julian swung
his gaze in her direction. “As you can see, he’s not dead.”
“You said he fell in battle, and that in your fury you shifted into a wolf.”
“I did.”