“London.”
“Never heard of it.”
Arlo scrunches up his face. “Erm… Wessex. Northumbria. Mercia. Any of those sound familiar?”
At that, I nod. “Aye. Last summer we raided a monastery in Wessex. Easy targets as they’re unguarded and have plenty of loot and thralls to bring home, back when we still kept and sold thralls.”
“You’ve led an interesting life,” Arlo says and takes a big bite of his fried fish. The grease makes his lips shine.
“We do what we must to survive. Come spring, we’ll go raiding again. I admit, I miss being out on the sea.”
Arlo smiles. “Dad liked to take me fishing when I was little. I was always bored stiff until he caught a fish. I never seemed to catch more than some trash.”
“It takes a bit of practice, aye, but there’s nothing more satisfying than eating fish you caught and cooked yourself.”
Hunt for him,my wolf insists,catch him fish! Many fish!
“Really? You should take me fishing sometime, then. What’s a good time to go?”
“This late in the day, they won’t be biting. Early morning’s a good time, or in the evening when they’re looking for supper. How about this evening?”
“I’d love that,” Arlo says with such sincerity, it makes me momentarily speechless. I can’t imagine why he’d enjoy being stuck in a boat with me.
Cheeks heating, I shrug. “You wished to talk?”
“I did.” Arlo lifts his fingers to his lips and sucks on each one. Heat simmers in the pit of my stomach. “I think I’ve found a way for this to work for both of us.”
“How so?”
“So, you know that I’m working on a potion that could cure your berserkism entirely, without the need for a mate at all. I need one more ingredient and my nan has it.”
“Then why isn’t it done?” I ask.
Arlo lifts his eyebrows. “To annoy you, obviously! Ugh, the problem is that she won’t give it to me. She’s worried I’ll get hurt again—”
My shoulders stiffen. “Again?”
Arlo bites his lip. “Yes, there was an incident with me and a berserk wolf, but that was a long time ago. Anyway—”
My claws bite into the table’s wooden surface. “Who? Tell me their name.”
Arlo leans in and flicks me hard on the nose, shocking me out of my rage. “Down, boy! The wolf who did it is no longer a threat.” Sadness clouds the air around Arlo. Whoever this wolf was, he cared for them.
“So you need an ingredient for this elixir, but this nan person won’t give it to you?”
“Bingo.” Arlo conjures up his usual carefree smile. I hadn’t realized it was a mask, not until now. “So I was thinking, what if I convinced my family that werewolves could be trusted?”
“I expect this is where I come in?” Not sure I like the sound of this.
“Precisely! I’ll introduce you to them as my betrothed.”
My French fries get stuck in my throat. I manage to choke them down, eyes watering. “Your…what?”
“I thought about pretending we’re dating, but being engaged sounded much more permanent. They’d have to accept you as a part of my life. And, once Nan sees beyond your grumpy exteriorto your soft marshmallow center, she’ll feel comfortable giving me the last ingredient I need.”
I shake my head. “That will never work.”
“Well, not with that attitude, it won’t!”
