Page 24 of Smoke and Moon

The door widened as her friend entered.Before Eilidh shut the door, Morlie noticed Liekki was no longer seated in a chair outside her door.

“Tell me the truth, Morlie.Are you really alright?Really?”Concern shadowed Eilidh’s features as she moved deeper into the room, holding a tray.

Morlie glanced down at the covered dishes Eilidh held.“You working in the great hall kitchen now?”

The other young woman shook her head.“No.I caught Tana on the way up bringing you something to eat.”

“I’m not hungry.”Morlie moved to the small seating area and claimed a space on the small couch.

“It’s understandable.I’ll set it on the table.Maybe you’ll want something later.”After Eilidh put the tray down, she crossed to her.“I’m sorry about earlier.”

Morlie looked at Eilidh as she sat in the chair next to the couch.“For what?”

“For not staying by your side the whole time we were out.If I had, that bear-shifter would not have grabbed you.”Eilidh wrung her hands in her lap.

Bear-shifter.Morlie felt that was the perfect explanation for why the two men were tall and wide.

“Don’t stress yourself.We don’t know that.It was my choice to go back to the truck alone.”

“But, if I were with you, I wouldn’t have let—”

Morlie waved a hand in the air.“I’m not a child.Even though having a guard posted at my door for hours would say differently.”She rolled her eyes.

“Those guards are not to keep you in, Morlie.But to keep people out.”Eilidh sat back, looking a lot less anxious.

“What people?”Morlie frowned.“Is someone in your Thunder after me?”That didn’t make much sense to her since everyone had been kind to Kai and her.They were under the Mckenna’s protection.“Has Aodh rescinded his protection for me?”

“What?No.”Eilidh leaned forward.“You are his mate’s family.He would never do that.”

“Oh.”Confused, Morlie ran a hand over her short curls.“Then who do they believe would come after me—?”

Even as she said it, Morlie knew.It was doubtful one of the bear-shifters would come for her again.The Vampires seemed cunning and crafty enough to flout rules or boundaries with their vanishing in a puff of black smoke.However, the tightening in her core declared only one possibility: the man with the golden-amber eyes.

The thought of him had her pulse picking up again.

“Liekki was pretty clear to the Thunder that we need to be looking for wolves invading the territory.”

“He was a wolf-shifter.”

“Yes.”Eilidh’s response let Morlie know that she spoke the words.

“You have mentioned Liekki more than once.Are Aodh and my sister still away?”

“No.They’re involved in something right now.So, as second, Liekki is in charge until Aodh is available again.”

Morlie found it strange that Kai hadn’t come to see her as soon as she returned, but Morlie let it go.She’d see Kai soon.Morlie was sure of that.

“I didn’t stay after I showed Kai the way to the meeting grounds,” Eilidh continued.“I knew I’d already had enough heat coming from Aodh because the bear took you.But when I went to see Liekki to get his permission to check in on you, I asked him what happened, and he said Chanin, the wolf Alpha, had claimed you.”

‘She’s mine.’

Chanin.She now had a name to go with the man with the wolfish grin who bit her.Morlie’s heart thumped hard and fast in her chest.

“Are you okay, Morlie?”Eilidh scooted to the edge of her seat and stared at her.

“Yes.Yes.I’m fine.”A broken chuckle came out of her mouth as she rubbed her hands down the front of the robe.She felt agitated and needed to do something.

Eilidh just stared at her.The crease in Eilidh’s brow showed her words didn’t convince the other young woman.

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