Page 86 of Callen's Captive
“No,” Blade whispered. “Let them think I’m still out.”
Callen gradually lifted his head, to see how far Drake’s guards were. Drake had left three behind, but they had wandered off toward the stream. Far enough that he and Blade could whisper without being heard, but not far enough to sneak off unnoticed. All it would take was stepping on a single twig and the guards would be on them in seconds.
“Are you healed?”
“Artery yes, other injuries no. And I feel like shit. How much blood did I lose?”
“Enough.”
“That bad?”
A smile crossed Blade’s face, not his usual, but enough to ease the tension. It was a huge relief hearing him talk, knowing that he’d live.
“How long have you been conscious?”
“Long enough to realize I better keep playing the dying shifter until the guards lost interest. Drake said if I stepped back on his lands, he’d kill me himself. I’m rather surprised he hasn’t.”
“These aren’t his lands.”
“After what’s gone down the past few weeks, a small detail about whose territory I’m in wouldn’t make a difference. I think Kate’s presence stopped him. It doesn’t exactly impress a girl when you kill a dying shifter.”
“If I’d known you were past the danger point, I never would have let her leave with him.”
“Precisely. You would have started a fight you couldn’t win, and he’d still have her.”
“Two against five. Not the worst odds.”
“One against five. I can’t feel my legs. I landed wrong.”
Callen winced. Most spine injuries were curable, but healing the artery in his neck would have taxed Blade’s wolf, which meant the other injury wasn’t getting any attention. The longer it took his wolf to start healing his spine. . . Hell, it was never good to let a spine injury go long without treatment.
“There’s no need to keep up the pretense then.”
“I thought you might want to slip away while they think you’re still working on me.”
That would leave Blade vulnerable. Infiltrating was Blade’s specialty, not his. He would still have to come back for Blade, carry him out of here.
“We wait.”
“Are you sure?”
He wasn’t sure about anything lately. He was scared for Kate and with all the mistakes in judgment he’d made recently, he doubted every decision he was making. To add to his already failing confidence, his wolf was pacing, snarling, getting really pissed at him for letting her walk away with another male.
“There’s more going on here, Blade. Have you been home yet?”
Blade moved his head slightly and winced. “Damien relocated our pack, further from the other packs.”
“He wouldn’t let me in.”
“Me neither, not that I’d go. I have Anna to think about.”
Of course, the virus would kill her. “You have her somewhere safe. Good.” It’s what Callen wanted for Kate. Maybe Kate could stay with Anna. “Where?”
“No.”
It was all Blade said, but Callen understood. Drake’s guards were too close. Either that or Blade no longer trusted him. Hell, he’d nearly killed his friend twice now, in only three weeks.
“You and Kate?”
