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)
Exhaustion infused every part of my body, my limbs too heavy to lug around, anyway. I leaned my head against a sturdy branch, mashing my lips together to cut off a sob. My eyelids slid closed. The cold bothered me less and less as I drifted away on a cloud of—
“You are the most stubborn creature in existence.”
The low, irritated voice yanked me to the present. My eyelids popped open. Callen! At my side, he bent down and scooped me into his arms. He’d come to fetch me!
He marched through the maze, carrying me close to his chest. And mmm. He radiated the most delicious heat. I nuzzled closer.
Stumbling a little, he snapped, “I should let you suffer for pulling a stunt like this.”
“Stunt?” I peered up at him and huffed a breath. “I got lost.”
“Really? That’s your story?” A muscle jumped in his jaw. “You walked it before, Isobel.”
Oh. “Stress adversely affects the memory. It’s science, look it up.”
The muscle jumped again. “You wished to avoid the clan meeting, nothing more.”
“Wrong. That was just a bonus,” I muttered, too tired to mind my tongue.
He carted me over a threshold, entering an empty castle ballroom. More commanding than usual, he said, “You will attend tomorrow’s meeting.”
“Maybe.” I had more thinking to do.
“You will.” A growl rumbled in his chest. “What are you doing now—stop.”
The cuddling? “Sure. As soon as you stop blasting such amazing heat,” I told him, too cozy to be intimidated.
He missed another step but recovered gracefully. “Careful, wife. You donna wish to provoke my beast.”
Forget cozy. I went still and cold at once. Beast? Was that an admission or a simple reference to a normal raging temper? As we moved through the hallways, I intoned, “You can put me down. I’ve got it from here.”
He didn’t argue, and he didn’t speak. No, he did what I’d requested. Put me down and stalked off, leaving me behind. Not exactly the behavior of a living conduit of rage.
With a huff, I headed for Isobel’s room. I wasn’t any closer to answers, but at least I’d lived to see another day. I called that a win.
Chapter
Six
Snooping For Survival: Peek Behind Closed Doors To Avoid Disaster
From A Beginner’s Guide to Berserker Bliss
Author Unknown
Bright and early the next morning, I fed Thora, gazed longingly out my window at the stable, then called Isobel, only to discover the redheaded body snatcher blocked my number. Or hers. Whatever. Just, how dare she? I had questions concerning these clan meetings. And complaints! School started in exactly eight days. I should be preparing my classroom.
Instead, I was forced to wonder if Isobel was doing the job. And if she and Callen were expected to consummate their relationship at some point. At the reception, he’d told me he’d never asked for sex, but what if I was supposed to offer within a certain timeframe? They’d made a bargain about breakfast, why not bedroom activities, too? Did the unhappy couple intend to share a room in the future? He hadn’t entered this one again. Maybe I was required to go to his. Although he might not have come home last night.
Fuming but determined to speak to someone, even my non-husband husband, I showered, dressed in a pale pink trouser suit, and donned ridiculously sparkly heels I once again turned into flats. Armed and ready, I marched down the hall. But oh, how I hated Isobel’s sense of fashion. Where were the T-shirts and jeans? The cardigans and yoga pants? The tennis shoes?
As if my uncomfortable attire wasn’t bad enough, my bodyguards leaped back into action, swooping from the shadows to trail behind me. Considering they hadn’t come to my rescue last night, I decided they weren’t here to oversee my protection or keep me confined. They were spies, plain and simple.
Except, when a thirty-something man carrying a stack of linens nodded a greeting at me, Buzz glowered a threat of death, and the man paled.
When an even younger maintenance worker glanced my way for a split second too long, Ponytail shoved him.
Well, well. Apparently, their main job revolved around keeping Isobel separated from other men. Though they hadn’t been this demonstrative yesterday. What had changed?
“Keep your hands to yourself, boys,” I said in my no-nonsense teacher voice. “In my classroom, we settle our disputes with clam, rational words.”
They both grunted a response as we descended the stairs.
“I mean it.” I aimed for the dining room, ready to chow down during the coming chat. Yes, it was Callen’s allotted hour. No, I didn’t care. Isobel agreed to that timeframe, not me. Besides, I had a plan to execute.
To my consternation, Hubby Dearest was already gone. Only a tray of muffins and pastries waited on the table. How could I win over Callen or prove we weren’t meant for each other if I never interacted with him?