Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 133191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 666(@200wpm)___ 533(@250wpm)___ 444(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 666(@200wpm)___ 533(@250wpm)___ 444(@300wpm)
It was obvious Thea didn’t want to talk about it, but as much as Conall wished this whole fucking situation between her and Ashforth was black and white …
Och, it wasn’t.
Before he returned her to Ashforth, he needed to know who whipped her so brutally her back was a checkerboard of scars. Then Conall had to find out what Thea was. The clue would be in whatever was used to harm her. Whatever was in those syringes. Her weakness would lead them to her origins.
Gritting his teeth in frustration at the mess he’d found himself in, Conall pulled out his phone as he exited the hotel and googled the nearest bus station. It was a two-hour walk toward Dresden. He’d have to go back for Thea but first, Conall wanted to check they had the all clear out of town.
Following his phone’s directions, Conall approached the exit onto the road that would lead out of the typical Saxon gingerbread town and abruptly retreated. There were two police cars stationed on the road out of town. Cursing under his breath, Conall disappeared up a side street.
The girl had probably given their description to the police. He didn’t blame the wee lass.
He considered their options. There was a huge possibility the police were stationed at all exits. After all, they were looking for not just two but four suspects. It would be a shitshow if anyone dug up those bodies before Conall could tell Ashforth about them.
Ashforth.
As much as he hated asking for help and especially asking that arsehole for aid, they were trapped. Conall needed to get on the road again so he could work out what the fuck was really going on.
It shouldn’t matter, he knew that.
All that should matter was Callie.
But if Thea wasn’t who Ashforth said she was …
“Fuck,” he bit out. Since when did he overanalyze shit? Indecisive arsehole, he huffed at himself. He called Ashforth, and the man picked up on the second ring.
“Is something wrong?”
“Aye, you could say that. Someone knew what car we were driving, Ashforth, so someone betrayed you.”
The man was silent for a moment. “I … see.”
“No, you dinnae see. They chased us off the motorway and caused a civilian accident. It was two female wolves. Thea killed them and I buried them in the woods. I’ll text you the coordinates and I’ll need you to clean that up.”
“Very well.”
“We’re also trapped in a town called Wilsdruff. There were witnesses and now the police are manning the exits out.”
“Witnesses? Who?”
Something made Conall hesitate. “I dinnae know who or how many,” he lied, “but it was quite a scene we caused.”
The usually stoic businessman let out a string of curses.
“Where are you now?” he finally snapped.
That rage simmering inside Conall began to build, and the wolf revealed itself in his voice when he replied, “I’d be very careful how you speak to me.”
Ashforth cleared his throat. “I apologize. It’s just a little bit of an inconvenience.”
“Can you get the police off our backs here or not?”
“Yes, but it may take a few hours. Do you have somewhere to hide?”
“We’re staying in a small hotel on the edge of the town but if the authorities come calling, the owner will identify me right away.”
“It’s a risk you’ll just have to take. I’ll call you when the coast is clear.”
Conall hung up and walked back the way he came, sticking to the shadows. He tapped into his connection with Thea without even thinking about it, and he took a second to realize that she wasn’t bloody where he left her.
Growling under his breath, Conall felt his wolf tremble for release.
She was trying to run from him.
Again.
* * *
The knot in Thea’s gut wouldn’t loosen. It just seemed to wind tighter as she hurried along the edges of town, hoping against hope she didn’t bump into Conall.
Rationally she knew that he could find her but the hope she was wrong about his ability to track her kept her moving. She couldn’t face him again. She couldn’t face the inevitable questions about her back.
And not because she didn’t want to tell him, warn him, just how evil Ashforth was, but because she thought he might not believe her if she did.
Why did he have to see her scars? Did they repulse him?
Oh, who gives a shit. She never had before.
Throwing the thought away, Thea realized she was wandering aimlessly. She had no idea where the bus station was or if there was one. She turned left down a street she was sure was only one or two over from the main square, thinking how glad she was to be without Conall—for many reasons, most important of which was that he was beyond conspicuous—when she felt the hair on her neck rise.
Too late.
A strong hand clamped down on her biceps and she looked up into Conall’s angry face just as he dragged her between the dark alley of two stores. “What the hell?” She ripped her arm from his and stumbled against the wall.