Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 95196 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95196 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
First, I really disliked this woman. Second, the procedure could be reversed. Third, I would be reading her notes and texts the moment we hung up. Fourth, what measures had she taken to guarantee Callen’s continued ignorance? Did it have something to do with his comment about my accents, plural?
It’s worse than the others.
I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth. How many accents had she butchered on purpose? How long had she planned to dupe some poor, unsuspecting woman?
“You have a deal,” I grated. Why not tackle this from another direction? “But what makes you think I won’t convince Callen of the truth, then fly to Oklahoma to handle you?”
She laughed. Actually laughed. “Now you’re just being silly. You can’t mention soul switching without earning a death sentence.”
“I know!” As if I’d ever forget the threat of execution. At least I had a name for what we’d done. “You’re going to pay for this.”
“Hardly. He won’t let you leave Scotland without him, and he won’t leave Scotland, period. I tried and tried to convince him to use an alternate dimension, but he’s stubborn. Also, I burned all my identification and bridges to make it more difficult for you to travel. No one there will help you.”
My hand flew to my—nothing. I closed my eyes and breathed deep. “I get why everyone hates you so much, but why does Callen?” And what did she mean, an alternate dimension?
“Oh. That. Well, there’s a slight possibility it might have something to do with his brother.”
I glared at one of her portraits. How dismissive she sounded.
Hmm. Could the brother be that Roderick guy I’d heard about?
When Isobel said nothing more, I prompted, “Go on. You owe me this, at least. I’ll even up the ante and pamper your hobgoblin with a treat.”
She gave a little huff. “Is my Thora despondent without me? She is, isn’t she? I knew she’d sense the switch. She’s brilliant.”
My gaze slid to the fluff ball, who had all but folded in two to lick her own butt. Thora sensed the attention and stopped to intimidate me with a snarl.
“Just spill what I want to know, Isobel. You didn’t even leave me a list of who’s who.” Hope sparked. “Or did you?” Had I missed it?
“Of course I didn’t. Risk being found out before I escaped? No. Your new life, your problem.”
Argh! “Tell me something before I…I…”
“No need to throw a tantrum. I’ll give you the information you seek.” She paused, as if bracing herself. “See, Callen believes fate picked me as his firebrand. I was to be his exclusive property, but then I met his only sibling, Roderick. To claim me as his own, Roddie needed to become king. With no other option, he challenged his brother to a death match. Which Callen accepted just to spite me, I’m sure. Aye, the law states he cannot refuse a challenge without losing his crown but come on! Roddie was more than his brother. They were best friends, too. The least Callen could’ve done was step aside and let the man have his heart’s desire.”
King. Death match. Crown. “Stop! Just stop. No one engages in death matches anymore.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. That was seriously my first response? “What’s a firebrand?”
“Guess I began my story in the wrong spot,” she said with a little laugh. “I should’ve mentioned Callen is immortal and king of berserkers. Well, Scotland’s berserkers. Congrats! You are now the only person in the world able to soothe him from the worst of his fiery rages. Maybe. It depends on whether the body or soul is responsible for said soothing. Time will tell. I suggest you do your best to keep him calm.”
What the—what? I squeezed the phone, fighting the urge to hurl it across the room. She had not just thrown out words like ‘immortal’ and ‘berserkers,’ ancient warriors known to slip into a violence-fueled trance during battle. Callen, some mythological ruler? Hardly. For starters, no one had called him by a royal title. But they had treated him with reverence. And some of the servants had curtseyed.
“You’re lying.” Had to be. Outside of myths, movies, and books, there was no such thing as berserkers. Although, granted, before yesterday, I hadn’t known souls could switch bodies, either.
“Usually I am, but not today.”
Panic brewed, preparing to fill a pot with trouble. What if she had told the truth? Callen considered Isobel— me—the catalyst for his brother’s death. He must long for my misery. And I couldn’t blame him. Considering Isobel’s callous attitude, he probably harbored all kinds of pain and resentment over the incident.
I massaged an ache in my sternum. Sadly, things might get worse for me if he learned my real identity. Isobel claimed soul switching was a death sentence; even Callen had hinted at it.