Page 27 of Auctioned Wolf Bride

I paused. “You know, then?” I glanced over at Tannen through the glass door, hovering in the corner of my vision as he watched me intently.

“Rand gave me the general gist. He figured I’d want to know. I want to talk to him.”

“It’s not his fault,” I said. “It’s not as though we had many options.”

“I don’t care,” Astrid said. “He should have figured out another way. One that didn’t involve a claiming bond.”

“He saved me, Astrid,” I said. “If it wasn’t for him, I’d be married and claimed by a random creep who just happened to be the highest bidder.” I decided not to mention the fact that Tannen was also the reason I had run off into the woods in the first place.

“Claiming bonds are dangerous,” Astrid said. “Tannen’s a good guy, but everything becomes more intense. All emotions. Both good and bad.”

Again, I looked over at Tannen, whose eyes hadn’t left me since I’d picked up the call. Heat flooded my face as I realized I didn’t want to say this next bit in front of him. I held up a finger, telling him to wait, before darting into the bedroom and closing the door behind me.

“I’m already starting to notice it,” I admitted, keeping my voice low so he couldn’t hear anything. “A couple of days ago, I would have said I pretty much hated the guy. But now I’m starting to think he’s not all that bad. He actually seems like a good person, even if we don’t agree on everything.”

A long pause followed. I glanced at the phone to make sure we hadn’t lost the connection. Finally, she said, “I don’t think that’s how claiming bonds work.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“You know Evelyn got forcibly claimed, right? She still hated the guy. That never changed.”

My brow furrowed as I processed the information. I shook my head. She had to be wrong.

“Regardless, we’ll get it taken care of,” Astrid said. “I’ve got to get going, but I’ll stay in touch, all right?”

“I’m sure you will,” I said through a smile.

“Be safe,” Astrid said. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Oh, and Thea? Tell Tannen that if he does anything to hurt you or lets anything happen to you, I’ll cut off his balls and feed them to him.”

I bit back a snort. “Little excessive, don’t you think?”

“Maybe. The point still stands.” There was a short pause. “Be careful, all right? About all of it.”

“You know me. I’m the soul of caution. Normally.”

I hung up and walked into the main room where Tannen was waiting. He raised his eyebrows. “Was that who I think it was?” he asked.

“Astrid,” I confirmed.

Tannen smirked. “She threaten to claw my throat out or my guts?”

“Feed you your balls, actually,” I said.

He laughed, a rich, deep laugh. His eyes met mine, glittering with something that made my heart thud faster and my toes curl. For the briefest of moments, I thought back to what Astrid had said about claiming bonds. Surely that’s all this reaction was, right?

“In that case, I promise I’ll be on my best behavior,” he said.

***

I didn’t realize how much I hated being cooped up until I was forced to stay in a secluded cabin for several days with no one to talk to but a guy I hated. Even worse when said guy has stepped out and left you all alone with nothing but your thoughts.

I paced back and forth, every inch of me screaming to get out, to do something. I couldn’t stand this feeling of waiting, of not knowing. Up until now, I’d always had the option to run through the woods or wander through town. Here, there wasn’t even a TV to keep me from going stir-crazy.

Tannen had been gone for an hour. Part of me had begun to panic, wondering if something had happened to him. Iimagined Damien or one of the others had caught up to him and attacked him. Maybe even killed him.

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