War of Hearts(61)

Something flared in his eyes. “I know someone who might be able to give us the answers we need. About you … about the Blackwoods and this Eirik person. Will you trust me to take you to this man?”

There was still a part of her that wanted to flee the truth, to flee trust, hope, but Thea accepted that everything had changed when Conall came into her life. There was no going back now.

“Okay …”

“He’s a friend but he’s also a vampire.”

Surprised by this information, Thea could only nod. She’d been under the assumption that vamps and wolves tolerated each other but weren’t exactly friendly.

Conall tugged on her hand and led her out of the courtyard of death. “Then we’re taking a detour.”

“To where?”

He flashed her a quick grin over his shoulder. “Ever been to Norway?”





“I still can’t believe you have a fake ID,” Thea said as Conall drove north.

He shot her a look, wondering at what point she stopped seeing him as most people did. Everyone else would take one look at him and immediately think “That is a man with a fake ID, a Harley, and a knife collection.”

“Most supes I know have fake identification. Strange things happen around us. We need to be untraceable if the authorities poke around.”

She nodded, seeming to accept this.

Conall had used said fake ID, an ID that Ashforth did not know about, to rent an SUV in Düsseldorf. They were traveling toward Neumünster in northern Germany. It was over a five-hour drive, so they’d stop at a hotel for the night before continuing in the morning through Denmark to Frederikshavn. That drive would be followed by an almost ten-hour ferry crossing to Oslo.

“Ashforth used to scare me with the threat of the government. That they were interested in me after the plane crash and it was only his protection that was keeping them at bay. Do you think the government knows about supes?”

Conall didn’t like that Ashforth had held government exposure over her head like an axe, but he also wouldn’t lie to the lass. “It would be na?ve to think they arenae aware of our world. I’ve heard stories of certain governments … experimentation, captivity, recruitment, that kind of thing.”

“Doesn’t that concern you?”

“As long as they stay out of my way, I’ll stay out of theirs.” He wasn’t looking for a war. His whole mission in life was to protect his pack from that very thing. Conall thought of Callie, whom he’d called from a pay phone before they’d left Düsseldorf. She hadn’t answered, and it was Ashforth who rang the pay phone back.

“The Blackwoods attacked again,” Conall had lied to Ashforth. “They were using the cell to track us.”

“And yet you survived,” Ashforth had murmured. “You’re proving yourself to be quite impressive, Conall.”

He’d almost choked on his bile as images of Thea’s back flitted across his mind. This man had used a vampire to whip Thea with a cat-o’-bloody-nine tails. She’d been nineteen years old. Rage had welled inside Conall just thinking about it, and he’d pulled the phone away from his ear, taking deep breaths and ignoring Thea’s questioning eyes.

Finally he’d pulled himself together. “I’m going to bring Thea back without your help. Your people cannae be trusted.”

Ashforth had sounded affronted. “I assure you they can.”

“Well, that doesnae assure me. I’m doing this my way, which means I’ll be taking an out-of-the-way route back to Scotland to shake any tail we might have. I’ll not lead a dangerous coven into my country and anywhere near my pack. It’ll probably take us a few more days to get home.”

“Frankly,” Ashforth had spat, “that’s not good enough. I’m a businessman, Conall. I have fucking responsibilities elsewhere. You get back here immediately.”

The wolf had risen from inside easily after having been let loose earlier. The grizzle of the wolf made his voice coarse. “Dinnae ever dare speak to me that way. You’re not alpha here. I call the shots.”

“And I have your sister.”

Conall had let rip a feral growl, not caring who around them heard it. “Aye, but I have Thea. And I think I might only now understand just how important she is to you, so we’re even in that respect. Do you know where we’re not even, Ashforth? I have your scent. There is no amount of money in the world that can protect you from me. Nowhere for you to hide. If you touch one hair on either Callie’s or James’ heads, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth and fucking skin you alive. And that’s not a figure of speech.”

Ashforth had gone silent, and Conall had flicked a look at Thea leaning against the wall beside the pay phone, staring at the ground. A small, darkly satisfied smile had curled her lips as she’d listened to Conall’s threat. It’d made him feel about ten feet tall to give her that moment.

“Like I said, we’ll be a few days yet. I’ll call again when we’re getting closer. Now I’d like to speak with my sister.”

And so Conall had a few moments with Callie to hear her voice and assure himself she was okay. She sounded tired and bored, but beyond that, fine.

Afterward Conall made Thea move quickly, knowing Ashforth would no doubt trace the call and try to follow them.