War of Hearts (True Immortality 1)

He pulled back, and she almost exhaled with relief.

His expression was … tender. “After everything you’ve been through, it’s amazing how together you are, Thea. I think you’re exceptionally strong.” He gave her a sharp nod. “And I dinnae just mean physically.”

Something welled up inside Thea’s chest, something that felt too big to contain and she wondered if that feeling was in her eyes for him to see.

Don’t betray me, Conall. Please don’t betray me. Not you too.

And then Thea smiled sadly. Because of course he would betray her. That was the plan they’d decided on together. Conall had to hand her over to protect the people he loved.

Questions filled the wolf’s eyes as he studied the play of emotion across her face, but thankfully, they were suddenly in the city.

“We’re almost there,” she said, avoiding his gaze.

“We need something to eat and a change of clothing,” Conall decided. “There’s a shopping area I remember from my last visit. Callie dragged me to what felt like a million stores that day.”

That got her attention. “You visited with Callie?”

He pinched his lips together before saying, “She’d been talking to …” He lowered his voice. “A wolf. Online. On a dating site.”

Thea’s eyes widened. “There are supernatural dating sites?”

Conall grunted. “Aye. She met one from Düsseldorf and arranged to meet him. It was more to piss off my beta, James, than anything, but she was adamant. And I couldnae let her go meet this arsehole alone.”

Amused at Conall flying to mainland Europe to chaperone his little sister on a date, Thea tried not to chuckle. “What happened?”

Conall sighed. “We got on the plane and when we were in the air, she burst into tears. She couldnae believe James had let her get on the bloody plane. I dinnae think even she realized how much it had been about trying to force him to admit there was something between them. She canceled the date, but I decided we should stay anyway. She needed a break from James, so I let her torture me as she dragged me from shop to shop around Düsseldorf.”

That feeling in Thea’s chest was about to explode. It had to be. It ached so badly. “You’re a good brother.”

They shared a look, and he sighed. “It’s what family is supposed to do.”

“But they don’t always. You know that.” She shrugged off her melancholy. “Isn’t James the guy with Callie at Castle Cara?”

“Aye.” Conall frowned. “He finally pulled his head out of his arse but Callie was diagnosed before they could be together. I’ve forbidden a relationship between them.”

That seemed out of character. “Why?”

“Because it’ll only cause them more pain in the long run.” His voice was gruff with emotion. “If we lose her … if he loses her, at least he doesnae have to live with the torturous memories of what it was like to be with her.”

“And what about her?” Thea found herself angry.

Conall turned, surprised by her tone. “What do you mean?”

“She’s dying, Conall, and you’re denying her the chance at the only happiness she’ll ever have.”

“That’s not what I’m doing. I’m protecting them.”

“You’ve never been in love, have you? If you had, you’d know you’re wrong.”

He scowled down at her so ferociously, anyone else would quake in their seat but Thea was too pissed to care if he was annoyed.

“And have you been in love? Fallen for some Italian arsehole on your escape across Europe?”

She huffed in disbelief at his insensitivity. “No, I’ve never been in love. I don’t trust anyone that much. But I know what it’s like to lose people I love. So do you. Are you telling me you would rather you hadn’t given them all of your love knowing they would die?”

“Of course not.”

“It’s the same thing, Conall.”

Thea knew her words had penetrated because he was glowering fiercely at the seat in front of him like he wanted to punch through it.

“I think you’re so used to managing people’s lives, you don’t know when you should stop.”

His head whipped toward her. “And apparently, you dinnae know when you should stop talking.”

Thea grabbed her backpack from the floor as the bus pulled into the station. “Yeah, well, the point is moot. I’m going to save your sister’s life, Wolf Boy, but to do that we need to move.”

Growling under his breath, Conall grabbed his own backpack and stood up, stretching to his full height. “I’ve got six years on you, lass. Stop calling me boy.”

Thea thought it was amusing he wasn’t averse to the wolf nickname, merely the boy part. She considered adjusting the nickname but decided she enjoyed needling him too much to bother.

A young woman a few seats down glanced over her shoulder, spotted Conall, and her eyes widened. Then she dragged her gaze up and down his body. She did not look scared of the werewolf.