Page 78 of Trapped for Her Blood

“Pardon me?”

“You’re pardoned,” he says. “You probably can’t help it.”

“Help what?” I ask. “My inability to discern your guttural utterances?”

“Asshole.”

I stop. He stops too, and we glare at each other through the darkness. This conversation is going nowhere fast.

He is angry. Clearly I have offended this bear man in some manner, and if there is one fault I know about myself it is my tendency to be overly blunt.

“I apologize.” I bow my head slightly. “I believe we have gotten off on the wrong foot as they say.”

He grunts again.

“Iknowwhere to get clothes,” Axel says. “Ichoosenot to wear any.”

“I see.” I try to hide my disgust. “That must be…exceedingly… comfortable.” I cannot imagine anything worse.

“Itiscomfortable.” He leans back against the wall of the stone passageway, and I study the massive creature more closely. At its fullest, his chest is more than a meter wide, and he towers over my height of six foot two and three-quarter inches.

His body is also very hairy compared to mine, but I suppose that is typical of his kind, and not uncommon even among males of some ethnic groups of non-supernatural, Homo sapiens.

“What type of…” I do not want to offend him again. Will the wordbreedbe offensive?

“Grizzly clan,” he says gruffly, clearly deducing what I was trying to ask.

I nod. “And you have been trapped in this dungeon for a very long time?”

He nods slowly, and his hair falls forward to partially shield his face, but he makes no attempts to tidy it.

“And all the time down here you have found no route of escape?” I ask.

“Stopped trying.” Shifting his weight, he stares at the ground.

“Why?”

“No point.”

I may not be adept at sensing the emotions of others, but can tell that he is in pain and I do not want him to feel shame for his lack of motivation. Especially since I believe I have deduced the reason.

“You lost someone,” I say with as much feeling as I can.

“Everyone,” he says.

“I am very sorry for your loss.”

He glances up. “It was a long time ago.” He pushes himself off the wall. “Let’s get going.”

“Lead on,” I say.

He starts walking and I follow alongside. “It’s been a while, but I know where the guardsusedto put clothes and other shit.”

“We have no need for shit.” I grin, trying to lighten the mood between us.

He half-grins, and I am glad. Not everyone appreciates my sense of humor on the rare occasions I use it.

“Psycho mentioned a supply closet near the sunlit exit.” I tell him. “Is that where we might find clothing?”