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)
A potion. Finally, an answer to carry me to my goal!
“The way your eyes just lit up,” he said and chuckled. “Do you wish to switch back already? Does Mrs. Bruce not enjoy her new husband?”
“He’s not terrible.” And okay, yes, guilt flared. Despite everything, Callen had been kind to me. Mostly. I didn’t wish to cause him trouble. But. “I love my family, and I want to be with them again. As soon as possible.”
Tavish all but pulsed with glee. “You can return if I provide you with a potion and Isobel. For the switch to occur, you must be near each other. Something I can arrange. For the right price.”
Okay, so, he was a total sleaze. Buyable. I hated his type and didn’t appreciate the icky once-over he gave me as we stood in silence. But. With him, I had a possibility of success. “Out of curiosity and nothing more, what is the right price?”
“I’ll get back to you on that. In the meantime, we should get better acquainted.” He reached out, as if to pinch a lock of my hair, but I jumped away, avoiding contact. His shoulders hiked in a negligent shrug, as if my rejection didn’t bother him in the least. “I can be a verra good friend to you, darlin’. If you value your life, you’ll tell no one of your association with me.”
Let him intimidate me? No. I’d do whatever I thought was right. “Are you a rival berserker?” A question I never thought I’d ask. Who was he to Callen, exactly, besides an enemy?
Tavish grinned, his glee on full display. “No, sweet. I’m no rival, and I’m no berserker. I’m king of the wolves.”
Chapter
Ten
Planning Ahead: Locate The Nearest Emergency Exit Before Any Negotiation
From A Beginner’s Guide to Berserker Bliss
Author Unknown
Tavish was long gone by the time Callen strode into my bedroom. The berserker king hadn’t shed an ounce of his icy rage.
I lay on the bed, reeling but trying to hide it as I pet Thora, who I had indeed found locked in the closet, alive, well, and royally ticked off.
“Come,” Callen snapped near the foot of the frame. He wore his suit jacket, his slash tattoos hidden. What did those marks represent? “You’re accompanying me today.”
“No, thanks. I’m staying here.” I had much to ponder and research. Were wolf-shifters awful to everyone, or just berserkers? Was Tavish my enemy too, or an ally? Obviously, his moral compass had cracks. I mean, come on. He’d helped Isobel switch souls with an innocent woman. But. Even as creepy as he was, he believed he’d done me a favor, gifting me with a rich, handsome husband and the possibility of immortality. Plus, if crunch time arrived, and I required a collaborator, Tavish could be bought.
The biggest downside with greedy, morally compromised individuals? They screwed you over the second someone offered them more.
Callen scowled, the ice in his eyes melting as internal fires clearly raged. “You could no’ contain your curiosity about me at breakfast, yet you refuse to accompany me to the office to spend more time with me?”
I humphed. “I learned you’re the kind of man who sends his spouse to her room as if she’s a child. Consider my curiosity assuaged.”
A muscle jumped in his jaw. “I sought to protect you, nothing more. Now, for the good of my people, I will keep you with me.”
I don’t calm you, I wanted to bellow. Except, I couldn’t tell him without wrecking my plan. But dang it, he really needed to know what had happened, so I could reveal my suspicion that his security team had a weak link. A traitor. Otherwise, Tavish never would’ve made it into my room.
I’d bet big money this traitor had worked with Isobel, too. An offense I would be blamed for, if ever anyone found out. Was there a way to inform Callen of the breach without endangering my life?
On the other hand, as long as he remained in the dark, I could maybe possibly use this someone to further my cause.
Although, staying silent endangered Callen’s life. An undeniable fact. But he wasn’t a person I could trust with the truth. By his own admission, he executed innocent soul-switchers. And if anyone could protect himself, it was Callen.
Tavish might border on vile, but he didn’t despise me. No doubt I’d forever be at odds with Callen. He preferred his fated mate imprisoned at home, always at his beck and call; I sought to return to my real life.
“You will come with me,” he commanded, breaking the silence I’d allowed too stretch.
Further protesting his “invitation” would do me no good. Why not get something out of it? “Fine,” I said. “But you owe me a boon of my choice, to be named later.” I kissed Thora’s sweet face and rose from the mattress. Checked my pocket. Phone in place. All I needed really. “Well? Are we going or not?”