Page 5 of Laverna

"Aw, don't worry, I wouldn't have taken too much," Laverna teased, reaching over to give his tie a tug. "Just the tip to keep as a trophy."

"Stop it. You're going to frighten it again." Romulus laughed and batted her hand away. "Why must you provoke me?"

"Because it's fun. I've been trying to get you to lighten up since the day we met," Laverna replied. She had never seen this playful side of him. It was disturbing, but she didn't want to go back to them being at each other's throats either.

Her mind flashed to the feeling of his mouth on her neck, and her thighs pressed together. Fuck. Maybe it would be better if they were arguing. It would be smarter than trying to deal with the butterflies that had taken up residence in her stomach.

Romulus breathed in, and his eyes glowed behind his glasses. His smile widened a little. "If anyone could succeed, it would be you, goddess," he admitted.

"I'll take that as a compliment. You might even be able to convince me to help you pull the stick out of your ass if you ask nicely," she said and ate another handful of trail mix.

"You're welcome to search for it anytime you like," Romulus replied. Cashew nuts sucked into her windpipe, and Laverna coughed and choked while Romulus only laughed louder.

"Fates, I hate you," she croaked. She smacked him in the arm. "There! Don't miss the exit."

Romulus handed her a clean silk handkerchief. She wiped her eyes, blew her nose on it, and stuffed it back into his breast pocket.

"Thanks," she said with a naughty grin. "I hope you have some spare shoes besides the fancy ones you are wearing because things are about to get dirty."

4

Rom always carried a bag of spare gear with him in his cars, and he started to see why Laverna had said what she had about his shoes. The Riserva Naturale Valle dell'Aniene was a reservation with areas for family activities, picnics, walking trails, and wilder places that were part of reforestation programs.

Rom took advantage of a block of public toilets to change out of his suit and into boots, jeans, and a tight black T-shirt. Laverna was lounging against his car when he came back out. Her clever hazel eyes skimmed over him with an appreciation she couldn't hide.

His wolf rolled over, his ears twitching. It had smelled her arousal in the car, and it took all of Rom's self-control not to offer to do something about it. She was just as good as him at denying what was between them.

"Fates, Romulus, you look almost normal," she teased as he put his clothes in the back of the car.

"Get your ass off my bonnet," he said without any real venom.

Laverna shimmied her hips before jumping down, leaving a mark where her ass had been.

Rom didn't tell her where else she could park her ass, but it was a near thing. He locked the car and stuffed the keys into his pocket.

"Lead the way," he said.

Laverna smirked. "We might have to jump a few fences. Can a posh boy like you handle it?"

"You seem to be forgetting I was raised as a farmer," he pointed out.

"Yeah, thousands of years ago. Okay, this way," she said, cutting across the grass and heading towards a dirt walking track.

It had rained the previous night, and the clouds were gathering again. Rom hoped that it would keep pedestrians and park goers indoors and out of their way.

He inhaled deeply, letting the wolf inside of him rise to the surface. He could smell people and dogs, rabbits and mice. Mostly, he smelled Laverna, and his wolf wanted to roll in her secret myrrh scent like a puppy in fresh-cut grass.

After fifteen minutes, Rom jumped over a fence and into knee-high grass. There were trails through it from multiple people using the space as a shortcut to the water.

Rom turned, his hands going to Laverna's waist to help her over the fence. She was a lot shorter than he was. She felt so slight in his arms. Laverna made a noise of protest that he ignored as he set her back on her feet.

"Don't complain. I don't want you slipping over and breaking something," he said.

Laverna pulled her shirt and jacket straight with a huff. "I'm not one of your dumb damsels, Romulus. I can jump a fence."

Rom ignored her indignation. He shot out an arm to keep her walking in front of him. "Don't move. I can smell blood."

Laverna nodded, but her hand had slipped to the hilt of the dagger on her belt. Rom tore his attention away from her and back to the grass around him. His wolf woke up, sensing the hunt, and Rom let the heightened senses guide him. He made his way slowly through the grass until he came to the first splash of black blood. It was a few days old, so he assumed it had been a part of the attack on Laverna's people. He followed the blood, crushed grass, and torn-up earth until he came to what remained of their picnic area.

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