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Forget cozy. I went still and cold at once. Beast? Was that an admission or a simple reference to a normal raging temper? As we moved through the hallways, I intoned, “You can put me down. I’ve got it from here.”
He didn’t argue, and he didn’t speak. No, he did what I’d requested. Put me down and stalked off, leaving me behind. Not exactly the behavior of a living conduit of rage.
With a huff, I headed for Isobel’s room. I wasn’t any closer to answers, but at least I’d lived to see another day. I called that a win.
Chapter
Six
Snooping For Survival: Peek Behind Closed Doors To Avoid Disaster
FromA Beginner’s Guide to Berserker Bliss
Author Unknown
Bright and early the next morning, I fed Thora, gazed longingly out my window at the stable, then called Isobel, only to discover the redheaded body snatcher blocked my number. Or hers. Whatever. Just, how dare she? I had questions concerning these clan meetings. And complaints! School started in exactly eight days. I should be preparing my classroom.
Instead, I was forced to wonder if Isobel was doing the job. And if she and Callen were expected to consummate their relationship at some point. At the reception, he’d told me he’d never asked for sex, but what if I was supposed to offer within a certain timeframe? They’d made a bargain about breakfast, why not bedroom activities, too? Did the unhappy couple intend to share a room in the future? Hehadn’t entered this one again. Maybe I was required to go to his. Although he might not have come home last night.
Fuming but determined to speak to someone, even my non-husband husband, I showered, dressed in a pale pink trouser suit, and donned ridiculously sparkly heels I once again turned into flats. Armed and ready, I marched down the hall. But oh, how I hated Isobel’s sense of fashion. Where were the T-shirts and jeans? The cardigans and yoga pants? The tennis shoes?
As if my uncomfortable attire wasn’t bad enough, my bodyguards leaped back into action, swooping from the shadows to trail behind me. Considering they hadn’t come to my rescue last night, I decided they weren’t here to oversee my protection or keep me confined. They were spies, plain and simple.
Except, when a thirty-something man carrying a stack of linens nodded a greeting at me, Buzz glowered a threat of death, and the man paled.
When an even younger maintenance worker glanced my way for a split second too long, Ponytail shoved him.
Well, well. Apparently, their main job revolved around keeping Isobel separated from other men. Though they hadn’t been this demonstrative yesterday. What had changed?
“Keep your hands to yourself, boys,” I said in my no-nonsense teacher voice. “In my classroom, we settle our disputes with clam, rational words.”
They both grunted a response as we descended the stairs.
“I mean it.” I aimed for the dining room, ready to chow down during the coming chat. Yes, it was Callen’s allotted hour. No, I didn’t care. Isobel agreed to that timeframe, not me. Besides, I had a plan to execute.
To my consternation, Hubby Dearest was already gone. Only a tray of muffins and pastries waited on the table. How could I win over Callen or prove we weren’t meant for each other if I never interacted with him?
I fisted my hands, swallowed my pride, and faced my bodyguards. “Did Callen go tothe office?” I air quoted the words.
“Nay. Tae see Mirren,” Buzz replied, smug.
Ponytail elbowed him in the stomach, as if he’d said too much.
Another mention of Mirren. The gal the gossipers had sympathized with at the party. Was she Callen’s girlfriend? Did he keep a mistress?
I bit my tongue. What did I even know about Isobel’s husband?
Chin high, I pilfered a couple treats—oh, what the heck. I took the whole tray. Recalling the office I’d discovered during yesterday’s tour, I aimed that direction. Thora spotted me as she trotted down the stairs. She stopped to glare, but she didn’t growl.
“Looking adorable as usual, Lady Thorn,” I said with a nod of greeting, sailing past her.
Nose in the air, she trailed me. Well, well. I’d scored a sidekick today.
Happy for the company, I shouldered past the tall double doors, entering the vast office filled with dark wood, shelf after shelf of leather-bound books, and an eclectic mix of antique furnishings. The desk itself proved a feast for the eyes. Hand carved and in the shape of an L, with gilt handles.
Buzz and Ponytail remained outside the door. Not supposed to enter enclosed spaces with me? Or stop me?Because why else would they allow me to infiltrate their boss’s private lair?
Breathing deep of the peat smoke, rainfall, and midnight fantasies scent that saturated the air, I placed the tray next to the keyboard and eased into a plush swivel chair. The dog tried to jump on the desk and failed, so I helped her out. Without getting bitten! She lounged across neatly stacked papers, watching me. How did she get cuter every time I glimpsed her?
