She inclined her head and ducked out of thetent before he could stop her again.
She was going straight to the operationsmaster and getting orders for the first scouting party leavinghere. She had stayed too long, and it was time to do what sheshould have done months ago. Leave.
Chapter Seventeen
“Shane, wait up.”
Shea turned to see who was calling her, buther feet didn’t slow a beat even when she saw Eamon ambling towardsher. She increased her pace until she was walking as fast as shecould without running.
“Shane, kid, wait up.” Eamon jogged afterher. Catching up, he placed a hand on her shoulder and forciblypulled her to a stop. “Why didn’t you stop?”
She jerked one shoulder up in answer andlooked down at her feet.
“Shane.” Eamon’s voice held a note ofwarning.
She looked him in the eye and said throughgritted teeth. “Was just in a hurry is all.”
His eyes narrowed as they took in her closedoff expression, and the way she immediately dropped her gaze afteranswering him.
“Bullshit.”
Shea glared at him while her jaw took on amutinous slant.
“Are you just now being released?”
Shea’s face froze as she squinted up at himbefore glancing over her shoulder at the tent she’d just left.Darius and Caden walked out and were heading for Fallon’s quarters.Caden tossed a glance her way, taking in Eamon’s worried stance andher angrier one.
She turned her back. “Just now? Do you meanto tell me you and the others were released earlier?”
“I was freed shortly after we were separated.Phillip was released even before that and Buck not long afterme.”
“What?” Shea semi screeched as her eyebrowsclimbed to her hairline.
That’d been hours ago. The sun had risen atsome point during her detainment and was now a giant ball of orangehanging low over the mountains as the sky lightened to an almostpainfully vibrant blue.
Shea’s stomach grumbled reminding her that itwas early morning, and her last meal had been the pastry the guardhad given her.
“I take it they just finished debriefingyou.”
She gave him a glare and spun on her heel.She was going to find one of the cook’s fires, get some breakfast,then head to her tent for a nap. Afterwards, she’d head for theoperations master and see what she could do about getting out ofhere.
Eamon’s long legs easily kept pace with hershorter ones, content to leave her to her thoughts as she strodealong, her face holding all the warmth of a thunder cloud.
“Your story couldn’t have been that differentfrom ours.”
“What?”
“I’m just trying to figure out why they keptyou so long.”
Shea turned her head slightly as if she’dseen something, not wanting him to see the caution that wassuddenly there.
“With us, they just asked why we thought toleave the main search. Once they thanked us for saving Hawkvale,they released us. Was it not the same for you?”
Shea shrugged, careful to keep her faceturned away. “I think they were a little more suspicious since I’ma Lowlander.”
Eamon frowned as he considered this piece ofinformation.
“They thought I might be a spy so I thinkthey checked out your stories before they debriefed me.” She triedfor a grin but only managed a half-hearted grimace. “Guess theybelieve that now, since they released me.”
