"Sasha!"
The wolf growled. "Fine. But can I have one small bite of him? Just to give him a healthy respect for me?"
"No."
"Why?"
She paused at that as she entered her room. "Because something tells me that if you attacked him, it is you who would get the healthy respect for his powers."
"Yeah, right."
"Sasha! Please."
"Fine, I'm watching him. But if he does anything disgusting, I'm out of here."
She sighed at her incorrigible companion and lay down on her bed to try and get a little rest before she began her next battle of wills with Zarek.
Astrid took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She connected again with Sasha so that she could check in on Zarek. He was standing at her front window now, looking out at the snow.
She saw the ragged tear in the back of his shirt. Saw the weariness on his face. He looked daunted and at the same time determined.
There was an agelessness to his features. A wisdom that seemed somehow at odds with his sinister appearance.
"What are you, Zarek?" she wondered silently.
The question was morbidly followed by another. In the next few days, she would know exactly who and what he was. And if Artemis was right and he was truly amoral and lethal, she wouldn't hesitate to let Sasha kill him.
"Wake up, Astrid. Your psychotic criminal is playing with knives."
Astrid snapped awake immediately to Sasha's voice in her head. "What?" she asked out loud before she'd realized it. She sat up in her bed.
A mental image from Sasha flashed in her mind. She saw Zarek in her kitchen, rummaging through the drawer where all her cutlery was kept.
Zarek pulled out a large butcher knife, then tested the edge with his thumb. She frowned at his actions.
What was he doing?
He set the knife aside and returned to the others in the drawer.
Sasha growled.
"Shut up, Scooby," Zarek snarled. He cast a feral, vicious glare at Sasha that held more venom than a rattlesnake farm. "Did I ever tell you how much I love pooch stew? There's enough meat on you to last me for a week."
Sasha moved forward.
Halt! she snapped mentally at her companion.
C'mon, Astrid. Let me bite him. Just once.
No, Sasha. Stand down.
He did, but he was very grudging about it. He stepped back, his eyes never leaving Zarek, who pulled a small paring knife out. Zarek fingered the blade again, looking at Sasha. She could see the gleam in Zarek's midnight eyes that said he really was considering using the knife on her companion.
Finally, he returned the butcher knife to the drawer, then took the paring knife into the den.
Astrid's frown deepened as Zarek went to her kindling pile by the hearth and pulled out a large piece of wood. He took it over to her couch and sat down.
Ignoring Sasha, who followed him every step of the way and finally ended up sitting near Zarek's feet, Zarek started to whittle the wood.