War of Hearts(72)

Thea’s panting grew faster, her rocking a little more frantic, until finally she tensed, her fingernails biting into his shoulders as she rippled in deep, throbbing tugs around him.

Conall let go, burying his hoarse shout of release in her breasts.

She trembled in his arms and he lifted his head to kiss her, but the shimmer of tears in her eyes made his heart stop.

He cupped her face in his hands. “What’s this, Thea?”

In answer, she slid her arms around his back and buried her nose in his neck. Tremors moved through her, different from those brought on by their lovemaking.

Worry pierced him.

He should never have touched her.

He’d let this go too far … and he was hurting the one person he didn’t want to hurt.

Fuck.

“Thea?” he asked, voice gruff with an emotion he hadn’t wanted to feel. He slipped his arms around her back, holding her tighter, closer.

She turned her face from his neck, just enough so he could hear her whisper, “It’s been so long since anyone just held me.”

His hold on her tightened, his throat thickening, burning. His eyes stung strangely too.

Who would hold her when he had to let go?

And why did the thought of Thea alone, without him, make him want to tear the world apart for its cruelty?





*



Conall knew before he even opened his eyes that Thea wasn’t in the room. He could smell her on the pillow beside him, but it was a lingering scent. Panic slammed through him and he bolted upright. Where was she?

He tapped into his connection with her, relaxing a little when he sensed her near. Of course she was close. They were on a bloody boat, for Christ’s sake.

Still, he didn’t like that she’d left the cabin without him.

The smell of sex was thick in the room as he got up to use the facilities he could barely squeeze into. He wished Thea were here. The scent of their time together was making him hard again.

Conall closed his eyes and hung his head as he stood over the tiny sink. Would this want of her never go away? Would it drive him fucking mad for the rest of his life?

Why her? He growled.

Why not Sienna, the dutiful werewolf he could have a future and family with? Even barring the fact that Thea was possibly immortal and would stay the same as he aged and died, there was also the fact they couldn’t have children, and Conall was bound by duty to produce an heir to Clan MacLennan.

But more than any of that was the reality that Thea Quinn had a massive target on her back and keeping her indefinitely among the pack was putting his people at risk.

Sienna Canid was the right choice for his pack.

Conall ignored the pain in his chest that might as well have been a fucking silver bullet.

The Canids were still in Torridon, waiting for Conall to return so they could sign the betrothal agreement. Conall scowled at his reflection in the mirror. There was no way he could take Thea back to Torridon without telling her about Sienna.

How would he feel if Thea introduced him to the man she would spend the rest of her immortal life with?

The cold water tap head snapped off in Conall’s hand. “Fuck.”

Well, that answered that.

However, that didn’t mean Thea would feel so strongly. It was possible her feelings were not his, and the better half of Conall hoped for it.

After he washed and dressed, a knot tightened in his gut as he strode out of the cabin to find her. He followed that tug on his mind and found her near the back of the ferry. She leaned against the railing, watching the boat push through the morning water toward Oslo. The low, mountainous coastline of the city grew steadily closer. Although it didn’t bother him, Conall could feel how cold it was, and Thea wore only a shirt and jeans.

Her dark hair blew in the breeze and he greedily drank in the sight of her as his muscles tightened with the memory of her wrapped in his arms. Unable to resist the urge, he slid in behind her, pressing the length of his body to hers as he covered her hands on the railing and nuzzled her neck. That floral, sweet, exotic scent of hers flooded him and heaviness filled his groin.

It wasn’t even about sex. Well, it was. But it was also just about wanting to be as close to her as he could get.

Thea rested against him, relaxing deeply into his body in a way that satisfied him beyond measure. “Morning.”

“Good morning.” He kissed her neck and rested his cheek against her temple.

“We’re nearly there.”

Aye. Soon they’d be at Vik’s place. Then once he, hopefully, gave them the answers they needed, they would be on their way back to Scotland so Thea could face Ashforth. But first they’d stop in Torridon.

Where the Canids were waiting.

“Thea,” he said, clearing his throat, “I need to tell you something.”

He felt her grow rigid before she slipped her hands out from under his and turned in his embrace. Conall didn’t move. He wanted to keep her there so she couldn’t run from him when he told her about Sienna. He needed her to understand and to do that she had to stay put and listen.

She trailed her fingers down his chest, her brows pinched together. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, really.” Then why was his heart pounding like fuck? “Just … you should know that before Ashforth approached me about you, I was just about to sign a betrothal agreement.”