Page 57 of Cedarwood Cabin

He moves into the kitchen to prepare for his hunt and I watch silently as he gathers his gear.

After Dax leaves, I gather my courage and head to the barn. I’m hoping Lyka is out of his mood by now. I can see the barn doors slightly ajar. I take a deep breath and step inside. Lord Give Me a Sign by DMX plays on a speaker.

The pungent smell of sawdust and wood polish hits me. I glance to the side and see tools arranged on a workbench nearby. Several pieces of furniture around the barn are unfinished.

Lyka is at the far end, working on a chair. His muscles flex, making his veins pop out of his arm. The sight takes my breath away, yet it is intimidating.

I approach him and fiddle with my fingers. “Hey.”

He doesn’t look up, continuing his work with focus. “Grab some sandpaper and start standing down that table to the left of me.”

I find a piece of sandpaper and start working on a nearby table. The silence between us is heavy, punctuated only by the sound of sandpaper against wood.

Looking up at him, I muster the courage to speak. “Lyka… I’m sorry if—”

“Don’t,” he interrupts me. “Just work.”

I bite the inside of my cheek and feel a mixture of guilt and frustration. I keep silent as we continue to work. It feels like the minutes are stretching into hours.

A long metal rod with the letter F catches my eye. Curious, I walk over and pick it up.

“What's this?”

Lyka looks up and rolls his eyes. “It’s a branding iron. Once I’ve finished a piece of furniture, I brand it with that…F for Faulkner,” he explains and returns to his work.

I place the branding iron on the table and pick up the sandpaper. I start humming to the music, which apparently makes Lyka annoyed as he starts clenching his jaw. Anger and annoyance wash over me, making me huff in frustration. The tension between us has been building for days and I can't take it anymore.

“What’s your problem with me, Lyka?” I demand, gripping the sandpaper tightly in my hand. Lyka stops working and looks me up and down, clenching his jaw.

“I mean, you hardly talk to me. If you do, you’re blunt. Yet when you kiss someone, you look me dead in the eyes. What is that about? What do you get out of it?” I ask, my voice rising.

Lyka stands there in silence, his lack of response only fuels my anger. I walk up to him, closing the distance between us until we are face to face.

“Tell me, Lyka. What have I done to you? You’re acting like a fucking teenager…”

“Shut the fuck up, Flora. I’m warning you,” he says through gritted teeth.

“No, I won’t! Tell me. Why are you such an asshole to me?!”

Our faces are inches apart as his eyes bore into mine. It feels like the entire world has shrunk to just the two of us.

“I saw you watching me and Dax fuck in the shower. What is it…jealousy? Angry I didn't pick you?” I hiss.

Lyka's face hardens, his chest heaving as he breathes. The air is almost suffocating me, and I turn to leave.

“Asshole,” I mumble under my breath as I walk toward the door. I feel so frustrated I don’t even want to look at him.

Suddenly, I hear a whooshing sound. A small ax flies past my head, missing me by centimeters and embedding itself into the wall with a loud thud. I freeze, my mouth wide open in shock. I turn back, eyes wide with a mix of fear and anger.

“YOU COULD HAVE FUCKING KILLED ME!” I scream with rage.

“If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t have missed,” he says through gritted teeth. His eyes are dark and his face is full of fury.

My heart pounds in my chest and I breathe in and out, trying to calm myself down. “You’re insane!”

Lyka rushes towards me. I stumble backward, my back pressing up against the wall. The barn now feels small, as if it’s closing on me.

“You walk in here, say what you want, and push my buttons. What did you expect to happen?” Lyka says, his eyes never leaving mine. He places his hand above my head, pushing himself up from the wall as he towers over me, trying to intimidate me.

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