Page 7 of Luna Cursed

An unexpected thrill ran down Ciara's spine at the thought. She had always wondered who would win if they went head-to-head. She smiled back at him and let the Wolf Slayer come into her eyes.

Tor chuckled. "Ah, there she is. Some fight left in you after all."

"A fight you're going to get intimately acquainted with if you don't give me your phone," she replied, not backing down.

Tor's head tilted in curiosity. He shook himself. "Yeah, you're not ready to take me on just yet. Here." He took his phone from his back pocket and unlocked it. "Just remember, wherever you go, I'm following whether you like it or not."

"We'll see about that," Ciara said, snatching the phone out of his hand. Layla's number was already ringing. Her instincts were screaming not to do it, but she still turned her back on the dangerous wolf in front of her and walked back towards the house.

"Tor? Is everything okay? How's Ciara?" Layla answered.

"Ciara is pissed and needs some clothes and for you to come and get her straight away," she replied.

"Cus! I'm so happy to hear your voice. Of course I can bring you clothes. Tor invited us around for dinner anyway."

He had? Why didn't he say anything? "Oh. Good."

Layla was quiet for a beat and then asked, "If you need clothes, what are you wearing?"

"One of Tor's shirts. Just bring me something. I can't bare ass it around any longer."

Layla cracked up laughing. "Yeah, okay. I'll be there soon. I hope you are feeling better because I will give you the lecture of your life when I get there. Okay, bye!"

Ciara let out a sigh. No one had issues with her hunting by herself before. She didn't know why it was an issue now.

Probably because you got hurt, unlike all the other times, she thought and flinched. She had reacted emotionally on a hunt for the first time ever, and it had almost gotten her killed.

"Get a hold of her?" Tor said from behind her. He was carrying an armload of wood like it weighed nothing.

Ciara opened the back door for him. "Yeah, she'll be here soon, and I'll be out of your hair."

Tor began stacking the wood into a neat triangle next to the fireplace. "Just because you keep saying it doesn't mean it's going to happen. I'm responsible for you until the full moon, and you need to accept it."

"I'm a grown-ass woman, Tor. I don't need a babysitter." Ciara put her hands on her hips, making her shirt ride higher up her thighs. "I can take care of myself."

"I can tell by the way you turned up at my apartment, bleeding and afraid." Tor's eyes skimmed over her legs, and a hot flush crept over her. "You need to tell us where you found Varg, and if we get some suitable answers, then we make a plan. Those ideas you have about going back after him alone? Forget them. It's not going to happen."

"I'm getting really tired of you trying to tell me what to do, wolf," Ciara said, eyes narrowing.

"You should've thought of that before you decided to come to me for help."

"Maybe you should've let me die instead." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. Tor growled so deeply that goosebumps broke out on her skin. She held her ground as he closed in on her.

"I'm never going to let that happen. It doesn't matter that you've hated me since the second we met. You came for help, and I gave it. Resent me as much as you like, Wolf Slayer. I'm never going to regret saving you." Tor leaned down until they were nose to nose. "You're stuck with me until the full moon, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it."

Ciara's heart was beating hard, and she knew he could hear it. She glared into his gray eyes, unable to think of a single thing to say. When Tor focused on you, it was as if nothing else in the world existed, and to be the center of that kind of attention was terrifying and thrilling at the same time. It made all thoughts stop working.

Words had never been Ciara's strong suit anyway. She didn't want to talk; she wanted to fight him. Throw him to the ground and show him just who he thought he could boss about. The anger in Tor's eyes shifted to a different kind of heat, and Ciara's mouth dried out. Her body must've been telling him something because a slight grin appeared on his full lips. Shit.

"Knock knock!" Layla called, making Ciara jump back from him. Her cousin all but bounced inside with a bag of gear swinging in one hand. She was happier than Ciara had ever seen her. "Look who is up and about." Layla caught Ciara up in a hug. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, or I'll get Tor to kick your ass."

Ciara snorted. "As if he stands a chance."

Layla handed her the bag. "Here, take these. Maybe once you're wearing underwear again, you won't be so grumpy."

Tor's grin turned into a full-blown smirk. Ciara snatched the bag and hurried back to the bedroom before he saw how red her face was. These were going to be the worst two weeks of her life.

5

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