Page 26 of Auctioned Wolf Bride

“Well, then I’m flattered.” Heat flooded my face as my stomach clenched. I pushed away from the pancakes and stood, filled with a nervous energy.

“You should be.” He moved to stand in front of me. “It takes a lot for me to open up to someone.”

“You say that to all the girls?” I asked, though the words came out quiet, almost breathless.

He shook his head. “Just you.”

When had he gotten so close? His scent surrounded me, making me dizzy, exciting my wolf. I wanted to get closer, to push my body against his, to feel his muscular arms around me. Looking into his eyes, I could see something that might have been lust or longing. I hadn’t realized just how close we were until I realized I could count every one of his eyelashes.

His hand reached out, and I knew it was moving to my cheek, that any minute he would swoop in and kiss me, and that, despite my best judgment, that’s what I wanted. But before it could happen, his phone rang, breaking the spell.

Taking a step back, he pulled out his phone.

“It’s Mark,” he said, as if nothing had happened. He pressed the answer button and put the phone on speaker. “Hey, Mark, you got both of us.”

“Hey, Tannen. Hey, Thea. I’ve got Malcolm on the phone, too,” Mark said. “I told the Silver Wolves what happened.”

“All of it?” Tannen asked, glancing at me.

“Oh, yeah,” Malcolm said. “Rand wasn’t looking forward to explaining the situation to Astrid. You’re probably going to get a phone call with some very colorful language in it.”

“I’ll worry about that when I get the call,” Tannen said. “In the meantime, tell me you’ve got some good news.”

“We got the girls,” Mark said. “A few of them were exhausted and didn’t look like they’d had a good meal in a week. But they looked all right for the most part.”

“No issues there?” I asked.

“Nope. No one was coming after them, no one’s come looking for them.”

“Thank god,” I said, shoulders sagging.

“Don’t be too happy about it,” Malcolm warned, his tone grim. “It means they’re probably still after you. You guys are going to have to be careful.”

Tannen and I looked at one another, and I could read in his face he was thinking the exact same thing I was. We didn’t have that time.

“We need to get back,” Tannen growled. “And soon.”

“Let’s try and get a ping on their location before you come back,” Malcolm said. “I don’t want you two wandering into a group of them by accident. I agree, though. We’re running out of time to get rid of that claiming bond.”

“Do you know anything yet?” Tannen asked. “I’ve been trying to do research, but the internet’s been spotty.”

“We’re still looking,” Malcolm said. “I’ve got a few books I’m running through. Wish you were here. You’re the one with the knack for finding whatever information we need.”

“Wish the internet weren’t so spotty here,” Tannen grumbled. “Otherwise, I’d try and help more.”

“Once those guys are fully off your trail, you can head back here and make up for lost time,” Mark said. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure this out.”

Tannen nodded. The three of them spoke for a bit longer, mostly about logistics and things like that. I watched, but it soon became clear that I wasn’t focusing on what they were talking about. I just stared at Tannen, the set of his sharp jaw and the piercing intelligence in his blue eyes. His scent wafted toward me, making my wolf stir with interest. After a bit, he hung up.

“Doing okay?” he asked.

“Yeah.” I looked away quickly, hoping that he hadn’t noticed just how much I had been staring. “Yeah, everything is fine.”

The phone rang again, saving me from having to say anything else. I saw the caller ID and snatched the phone from Tannen’s hand.

“I’ll take this one,” I said before putting the phone to my ear as I walked into the other and closed the door. “Astrid?”

“Thea! Thank god you’re okay. I’ve been so worried,” Astrid’s voice was like a soothing balm after everything that had happened. A sort of touchstone. “Now, put that piece of shit on the phone.”

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