Wolf Slayer (The Order of the Wolf, #2)(10)
Smooth. Way to play it cool. “I carried it upstairs didn’t I? I’m no stranger to hunting. I know the feel of a recurve over my shoulder.”
She held his gaze. “You could tell it was a recurve just by carrying it in a bag?”
Damn it! No, I could tell it was a recurve because I saw you take a shot at a werewolf. “Dave said you mentioned it in your interview, a hobby.” He lied. Darcy made another move toward her but Jay gave a minute shake of his head. At this rate, Aubrey would be so hopped up on whatever spell Darcy kept pumping her with that she’d soon forget why she was there at all.
“That’s right!” Dave nodded. “You did mention it briefly and it’s on your resume.”
Aubrey glanced at Dave. “I did?” Her frown deepened, as she almost certainly wondered why she would put something like that on her resume. It wasn’t really a skill that would come in handy for a personal security job.
“Heightened perception will be an asset. It’s a valuable skill to have. Dave will get whatever security clearance is necessary for the weapons needed.” Mayhem nodded in Dave’s general direction. “Any other questions you have can be answered by Darcy. We’re late for work.” He nodded at each of the men, leaving Jaylon for last. “Downstairs in five. We’ve got a few new songs to work on.”
Jaylon knew what that look meant. Get your ass downstairs and stop f*cking shit up with Aubrey. But he couldn’t help it. It was like his brain shut down when he was near her. He needed, with every ounce of his being, to touch her, especially now as a tendril of her wet hair fell loose from the rest, and slipped across one eye. He wanted to be the one to brush it back behind her ear, to run his fingers down her cheek, along her jaw. He wanted to see if her skin felt as silky smooth to the touch as it looked.
Aubrey glanced from Mayhem to Jay and held his stare once again, those blue eyes of hers piercing him with questions. She opened her mouth and he snapped out of his reverie. “There’s a gym in the basement with everything you might want for a workout.” He shrugged as he dragged his gaze down her luscious body. “You look fit. I figured you’d want to know.”
Her eyes widened for a moment before crashing into a look of utter confusion. “Um…okay…thanks.”
“And if you’d like to do some target practice with the bow, the west lawn is safe. No one goes there.” He left before anyone could argue—more importantly, before he would say anything stupid or insulting. Besides, he had some shit to do.
Chapter Seven
Aubrey checked the time. Nine a.m. Darcy liked to sleep in. That was emphasized as one of the most important aspects of the day. After spending a few hours getting to know her a little better, Aubrey discovered a couple interesting things. One, Darcy really was a pretty awesome lady, and two, she was a total night owl, staying up to near dawn with Raven. Odd, perhaps, certainly not the kind of schedule Aubrey was used to but it worked for her. She was an early riser, her body in tune with the sun. In the hours before Darcy would wake, Aubrey figured she would have enough time to sort the logistics of whatever was planned for the day, debrief the rest of her team once she hired them, and get a workout and some training done.
It would be a bit of an effort to remember she was getting paid for the job. She’d already toed the line of professionalism with Jaylon and now, spending time with the vivacious Darcy, she was in danger of growing too comfortable. Darcy was the kind of woman she’d want to have as a friend in the real world: strong, confident, intelligent and so very welcoming. It was like Darcy wanted her to join the little band-family, treated her like she belonged—something Aubrey desperately missed with her own family so out of reach. Scheduling her mornings with work-related activities would help to keep her mind straight about her role, her duty and her responsibilities. When all was said and done, it was a job, and the job would end as soon as the tour was over. She needed to remember that.
With her to-do list fully stocked, Aubrey worked the morning away, knocking item after item off and feeling good about the progress she was making. By the time Darcy woke up, Aubrey would be ready to join her in whatever plans she had for the day. A pleasant thought that had Aubrey checking the time on her phone. Eleven. That meant an hour left to herself. She closed her laptop and glanced at her bow. It had been two weeks since she’d had an opportunity for target practice and her fingers were itching to get a few shots out.
Jaylon had said the west lawn was safe for practice and the property was surrounded by trees—not the most ideal method of training, but she could make do. She put on a pair of runners and grabbed her bow, eager to get outside and shoot a few arrows.
The mansion was huge with rooms of exquisite art and sculpture, a maze of wonders that she could get lost in. In fact, she did get lost, sort of, following a series of paintings that were so beautifully crafted, unlike anything she’d ever seen before. And then there were the sculptures. Unreal artistry. Like the one Aubrey stood admiring now, a veiled woman—weeping it seemed—as she cradled the head of a giant wolf. Beautiful and haunting, it actually sent shivers down her spine, prickling her in a way that made her feel like she was missing something, her instincts knocking at her awareness but just out of reach. It was maddening and yet as suddenly as it came upon her, the feeling skittered away, leaving her even more confused.
What was it about this place that she couldn’t hold onto her thoughts properly? There seemed to be this constant nagging feeling that became increasingly irritating with each passing hour. She stared at the sculpture, reaching to trace the cold, smooth surface of the woman’s face. Such sadness captured, such loss, very much depicting the way Aubrey felt. She’d lost and she was lost, it seemed.