Soul Avenged (Sons of Wrath, #1) by Keri Lake

live. Now’s not the time to get picky over
underwear.”
    He dropped his
arm, the briefs barely clinging between his fingertips, and his
stare settled upon her. “You do realize this is breaking a cardinal
rule of manhood, right? You never borrow underwear from another
man.” He shook his head. “Never.”
    “I couldn’t
give a shit about your cardinal rules. Put them on and get your
man-sharing ass to bed.”
    “Thanks, but
no thanks.” He threw them at her.
    She hurled the
briefs back. “You’ll put them on, now! I’m not interested in having
your package peek out from under the sheets. Neither is
Annabelle.”
    “For one, I’ll
be wearing pants. And I’m pretty sure Annabelle wouldn’t mind.”
    Ayden gritted
her teeth together. “Put. Them. On.”
    “You are
something else.” He shook his head. “Can’t even spare a little
dignity for a dying man.” He paused, still gripping the towel
around his waist. “Some privacy, if you don’t mind.”
     
    ***
     
    Ayden stepped
to the side, just outside of the bathroom and slammed the door
shut. Ooh, that lycan crawled right up under her skin.
    Everything is
a goddamn joke to him! We’ll see who’s laughing…
    When Kane
emerged from the bathroom, Ayden still stood in the same position
by the door but quickly shuffled to the other side of the room. He
inched along the wall, the chair and the nightstand, back to the
bed. The gray slacks he wore looked a little silly and a bit
uncomfortable, but what did she care?
    She stood over
him as he settled in. “Arms above your head.”
    Brow raised,
he fell back against the pillow, raising his arms above his head as
ordered.
    Ayden pulled
out a pair of black fur-lined handcuffs. The slow upward arch of
his eyebrows made her want to slap him. “Shut up. They’re Calix’s.
Not mine. And this is just to keep you from roaming about.” She
moved cautiously, trying her best not to touch his arm, a task that
required more concentration than she had to spare under the
circumstances.
    “Have you ever
used handcuffs before?”
    “Of course
not,” she sneered. “I’d never allow someone to restrain me.” She
locked each cuff to the bedpost. “That would make me vulnerable and
weak, like you.”
    Kane shrugged.
“I don’t mind it, actually. Truth is, it’s kinda nice for once not
to be calling the shots.”
    “You make me
sick, lycan. You’re so …”
    “Weak. I get
it.” He glanced up at his chained arm and gave a tug before his
gaze returned to her. “So, how do you think you’ll go about killing
me?”
    Stupid
question. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
    “What?”
    “What kind of
question is that?”
    “I don’t know.
Just curious to know how you kill a lycan.”
    “It’s
incredibly violent.” She clicked the last cuff around his
wrist.
    Kane flinched
then gazed up at her again. “How so?”
    Damn if his
green eyes didn’t show the slightest hint of fear. What the hell
is this, some kind of trick? “I’ll sever your head from your
spine. How does that sound?”
    “Sounds …
quick and painless.” He sighed. “After the hell I’ve been through
already, anyway.”
    She smiled,
one full of fakeness. “Well, I’ll be sure to take your suggestions
into account when it comes time to kill you.”
    “Suggestions?”
    “To remove
each of your limbs first. And have you watch as my demon friends
chew on them.”
    A blurt of
laughter escaped him. “Annabelle was so wrong about you.”
    “Annabelle?”
Her eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”
    “She told me
you weren’t scary once people got to know you. That you were
actually sweet of all things. Yeah …” He slid down further
into the bed, head back against the pillow. “… personally, I think
you’re serial-killer-in-a-clown-suit kind of creepy.”
    “Awww, lycan,
that’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me all day.”
    “Why did you
bring me here? Why not kill me last night?”
    She crossed
her arms. “Because