I could have taken that so many ways, but it didn’t sound as though Thorin meant his comment as a slight against my character. I preferred not to take his money, though, compliment or not. “No, The Pits is fine. I don’t want your money.”
“Be quiet,” Val said. “I want his money, and I’m not too proud to take it.” He slipped the bill into his pocket and held his hand out for me.
“What about this stuff?” I asked, motioning to the stockroom.
“Come back and finish it tomorrow,” Thorin said. “Whether you want my money or not, I’ll pay you for your time. It would be a favor to me.”
“A favor?”
He raised his hands in mock surrender. “Really. I mean it.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t strike me as the kind of guy who needs a lot of favors.”
Thorin chuckled, but said nothing else as Val took my hand and tugged me out of the storage room and back into the store. Skyla stood behind the counter, thumbing through a magazine. She looked up and winked at me. “Hey, Mundy.”
“Hey, Skyla,” I said, studying her through the filter of information I had learned about her in Mani’s journal. He was right—she did have a nice smile. “You working late tonight?”
She shrugged. “Store closes at 9:00. That’s not so late. Sun’s barely setting by then.”
“Do you usually work the closing shift?”
Her brows furrowed, and she probably wondered about my sudden interest in her work schedule. “Just tonight. Tomorrow I have the afternoon shift.”
I started to say something else, but Val tugged on my hand. “Sorry to interrupt, but my stomach’s growling.” He patted his stomach for emphasis.
Skyla motioned to Val. “Look, Mundy, you be careful with him. He’s a heartbreaker.”
“Hey,” Val objected. “Just because I’ve never asked you out.”
“Puh-leeze,” Skyla said. “Like you would ever have the balls.” Skyla leveled her gaze at him. “Be good to her, Wotan. I know where you sleep at night.”
Val’s lips split into a suggestive grin. “Who says I’ll be sleeping?”
Chapter Six
After dinner, Val drove me to the apartment and walked me to the door. As I slid my key into the lock, I debated whether to invite him in. I was in the mood for conversation and companionship, but Val might have interpreted it as an invitation for something more. I turned to say something that would clarify my intentions, but then I caught sight of a pair of yellow eyes gleaming in the woods at the parking lot’s opposite edge.
“What is it?” Val asked when he noticed that something had stolen my attention from him.
“Look over there,” I whispered, motioning with my eyes.
“What? I don’t see anything.”
“I think it’s a dog.”
Val stepped closer, putting himself between me and the parking lot. “Seems kind of big for a dog. Looks more like a wolf.”
“Mani was trying to make friends with a skittish dog right before, well, you know. I think that might be it.”
“Why would he still be coming around here? Mani’s been gone for a while.”
“I don’t know.” I took a step back. The dog noticed my movement and hunkered low in the shadows. He was bigger than I expected. Much bigger. My heart thudded, bass drum beats, an animal fear response to something my higher brain wanted to dismiss as improbable.
“Don’t mess with it, Solina.” Val stepped closer, trapping me between his big frame and the doorway. “It might have rabies or something.”
“I’m not going to mess with him. He seriously freaks me out.”
“Don’t worry,” Val said, grinning. “I’ll protect you. Don’t you know I’m an expert at defense against wild animals?”
“Did you bring your big gun?” I said and immediately regretted it. A statement like that provided too much opportunity for Val to think of creative innuendo. I changed the subject before he could say anything to make the moment awkward or uncomfortable. “Thanks for dinner, Val, or maybe I should thank Thorin.”
Val pouted. “Is it more important who paid for it, or who provided the company?”
“The company was superb.”
“Was? Is it over already? Don’t I at least get a goodnight kiss?”
Some of the greatest tragedies have started with a kiss. Romeo and Juliet, Antony and Cleopatra, Christ and Judas. Okay, maybe that last one was a stretch. I reminded myself I was supposed to be taking some chances, engaging in the world. “A kiss,” I said. “Then you’re going home, and I’m going to bed.”
A low growl rumbled in Val’s chest, and it sent my heart racing. “Dream of me?”
I didn’t get a chance to answer before Val pulled me in and pressed his lips over mine. A twinge of heat shot through me, but as I gave myself over to pleasure, a brief image seared across the backs of my eyes. I yelped and stumbled away.
“Solina?” Val reached for me, but I was unable to make sense of him. I saw the wolf in my dreams, snapping and growling as he tore into flesh. Val took me by the shoulders, giving me a gentle shake, and the vision faded. “What happened?”
“I-I don’t—a headache.”
“A headache?” Val sounded doubtful. “Come on, let’s get you inside, and I’ll get something to make you feel better.”
