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)
Probably not. Are YOU?
A reply arrived only seconds later.
Definitely not. Now stop distracting me. I’m in the middle of a wolf execution.
No he was not. Was he? And did he have to be so charming, even now?
Heart thudding, I typed:
Did you capture Tavish?
Not adding a hundred extra question marks required a strength of will I hadn’t known I possessed.
I waited for a response.
Still waiting.
I tried a different route.
By the way. As queen, I’ve instituted a new law. Ladies choose their dates. No one chooses for them, not even a king. Say nothing if you agree.
Mr. Bruce: I will allow you to convince me of the law’s merits upon my return.
So. He refused to answer anything regarding the wolf king. Noted and accepted. Worry about Tavish would do me no good. Honestly, worry ruined everything, paralyzing my efforts to proceed with my goals, making me miserable in the process. Maybe Callen had captured the shifter, maybe he hadn’t. I would get my hands on the potion either way. Someone, somewhere, knew how to mix it.
Focusing, I got to work, going hard and fast, with zero distractions. Until three steps from the finish line, Mackenzie arrived with the tray of food.
“Because you’re pretending to be American,” she muttered, motioning with her chin to the hamburger and chips that overflowed from the plate. Red berries and clotted cream accompanied a shot of whiskey.
Mouth watering, I set Skye aside and cleaned off a spot on the desk. Mackenzie placed the tray in the now empty space.
“Thank you,” I said, waving to the chair across from me. “Hungry? Would you like half?”
“Nay,” she replied, easing into the seat. She wrung her hands.
Nervous? “Tell me all about you. Start with who you’re dating.” I’d get her talking freely before I mentioned the clan’s greatest enemy.
“Certainly. But first.” She reached into a large pocket of her uniform and lifted a small electronic tablet of some sort. “A messenger arrived with a gift from Mr. Bruce.”
A gift? For me? Speaking of, I still needed to check out whatever gifts Malachi had sent.
Frowning, I accepted the device and pressed the power button. Lights flashed on and a page opened up to reveal a digital library with seven books, each part of the cozy mystery series that featured the delightfully bonkers gravekeeper I adored. The series I’d looked up on Callen’s computer while snooping in his office. But, but. This was so sweet. So thoughtful. So personal.
Reeling, I petted the device. I didn’t have time to read right now. Not more than a chapter or three of the second book. Just the quickest of check-ins with the quirky cast of characters. Maybe a description or two of the blueberry pancakes they loved, because yum. Then I would jump into my plan of action with renewed energy and focus. Time was ticking, after all.
“I’ll be with you in a jiff. Only need a few minutes,” I muttered to my guest. Settling deeper into my seat, I keyed up the opening pages, stuffed a chip into my mouth, and began reading…
Dude. I finished the book. My eyes burned, my lids seemingly lined with sandpaper. And my poor, sweet back! It was far worse than before, but worth it. Ow, ow, ow. I stood and stretched, hoping to loosen the tight, knotted muscles.
Though I’d never heard Mackenzie leave, she was long gone. So was the tray of food I’d munched on while devouring every word in my tale.
Thora slept on the bed, curled up in a little ball.
A yawn nearly cracked my jaw. I checked the time on my phone. 3:46 a.m. Yikes! Time to finish Skye.
I worked the rest of the night. Or morning. Whatever. When the time came to head down to breakfast—please, please, please serve blueberry pancakes today!—I was exhausted but satisfied. The doll survived her surgery, with only the promised scar to prove she’d pulled through.
Showered and dressed in jeans and a T-shirt with grinning cartoon stars, I cast the sleeping Thora a fond glance. My snoozing darling hadn’t budged. Steps light, I strode from Callen’s bedroom, the repaired Skye in hand. Well, well. My two guards stood at their posts.
“Slacking yesterday, but not today?” I quipped.
“Just because you don’t see us, doesn’t mean we aren’t nearby,” Buzz responded.
Good point. Was he the mole or not? “Is Callen punishing you for something? Is that why you’re stuck guarding me while your brethren are out wolf hunting?” Such a circumstance might explain his allegiance to the wolf king.
He rolled his eyes and motioned me onward.
Okay, so, my attempt at an interrogation had revealed nothing. I made my way to the dining room, where Gavina and Mirren awaited me, eating porridge in silence. Two perfect ladies at their best, not a hair out of place. Gavina hadn’t borrowed my clothing but upped her elegance with a sunny yellow dress.