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“Fuck.” Duane starts pacing now, running a hand through his dark hair.
“He’ll come looking,” Lenox says.
“Unless he’s dead,” Duane counters.
I gasp.
Lenox tsks. He starts cursing, his voice rising again, “How do you steal a mate, Duane?”
“Their village broke out into a war zone, and she was drowning. I grabbed her and ran.”
“Hold up. Seith has no idea where she is, then. He’s going to come out of the battle all jacked up on the blood he spilled, hungry for his mate’s pussy, and find out she’s not in her nest that he likely spent the entire fucking night defending.”
“She was bleeding. He’ll smell it,” Duane says.
“You’re saying he thinks I’m dead?”
Lenox nods. “This is good. This is something we can work with.”
“How is it good?” I ask.
“Because we’ll wash you, heal you, and put you right back in his territory.”
“Are you sure he won?” Duane asks.
Lenox pauses, then says, “Pretty sure. He’s a strong Alpha. If we clean you up and put you back, he’ll even consider it a favor. It would be, however, for the best if he never knew you were here.”
“He’ll know,” Duane says.
Lenox stills, and the way he’s looking at Duane and how his body’s poised makes me think he’s bracing for impact and reaching for the control he’ll need to rein in his instinct to rip into Duane.
I retreat onto my sofa.
“I pissed on a couple of his trees,” Duane says.
Lenox closes his eyes and exhales a long painful breath. “You did what?”
“It was before the battle. When I first arrived. I just wanted to let him know I’m watching and won’t let anything bad happen to Marybell. I didn’t know she was his mate.”
Lenox can clearly barely contain himself. He’s red in the face and when he speaks, he whispers, “Take your boys and get back to the docks and sail until I say you can return.”
“Are you exiling me?”
“Get out.”
Duane leaves, shutting the door behind him.
“Marybell,” Lenox snaps in a voice that tells me his orders will follow.
“When the barrel arrives, bathe well and wash all scents from your body. If Seith comes…”
“When,” I interrupt him, hitching breaths from crying.
“When Seith comes for you, you tell him everything. You tell him the truth. Don’t try to cover for Duane.”
“Okay.”
“Promise me.”
