“But we hide how much you’re improving. They won’t worry about me escaping because they know I won’t leave you, not when we’re mates.”
Karl tensed, and it was all Leon could do not to react to his own words. Calling himself Karl’s mate had started out as a tactic.Now it sat under his skin like a brand, and he wasn’t sure it would ever stop burning.
“There isn’t time,” Karl said, and it sounded defeated. He’d never heard that tone from Karl before.
“There is,” he insisted. “Look, even if Michael wants to crack us on the skull and dump us in the river, he doesn’twantto do that.” He paused as he mentally replayed what he’d just said. “What I mean is, he may feel he has to do it, but he doesn’twantto. Which means he’ll put off the decision until he has no option but to face it.”
“Or he’ll make it quickly so that it’s not hanging over him,” Karl pointed out.
Which, shit, yeah, good point. And he remembered howannoyingKarl was, always being right. Just once, he’d like him to be wrong.
“So what doyousuggest?” And maybe it came out a bit snarky, but for God’s sake—how could Karl have pushed his buttons this much already when he’d only been conscious about five minutes? The man defied the laws of nature.
“You get out now, go back to the ranch, to your sister.” Karl’s eyes were fixed on Leon’s, sincere and urgent.
The thought of walking away from Karl—leavinghim—felt like tearing something vital out of himself. He swallowed, throat tight. He needed logic and a clean plan. Instead, he had a knot in his chest and the certain knowledge that if he left Karl behind, he’d never sleep soundly again.
“I’m sorry—what?” Leon tilted his head as he studied Karl’s face, smoothing his voice until it held no trace of the turmoil inside him. “You’re not seriously suggesting I waltz out of here unharmed and leave you behind. Are you?”
That last question was mild, not challenging. The kind of mild that he usually used in those last seconds before claws and teeth came out and he took someone down.
“Your sister’s going to need to know about the threat on our doorstep. Matt, too.” Karl reached out for Leon, grabbed his hand in one that was still too warm. He pressed it, pleading in his eyes. “You gotta tell Matt, warn him.”
“Yeah, okay,” he said soothingly. “We’ll get back to Matt as quickly as we can. You just need to be able to walk first.”
Karl closed his eyes for an instant, and when he opened them, they were as clear and alert as they always were. Just tired. So very tired.
“I mean it, Leon. Your duty is to get back to your sister. Now, while you still can.”
Leon’s hand was still wrapped around Karl’s, both of them breathing hard as if they’d just gone three rounds without either of them even moving.
Before Leon could work out how the hell he was going to get through to Karl, the door opened and Ruth walked in. There’d been no knock, not even a pretense of privacy.
“Time for his antibiotics,” she said.
With difficulty, Leon bit back his immediate response ofhello, Ruth, how lovely to see you, why yes, we are fine, thank you for asking.This underlined that they were powerless here. Prisoners. Even Ruth, who seemed fond of Karl, at least, was treating them that way.
She poured Karl another mug of water, gave him two tablets, and watched him so closely Leon was half-expecting her to peer in his mouth and check he’d swallowed the damn things.
“Thanks,” Karl said, voice hoarse, and her eyes warmed.
She nodded at him, glanced at Leon, and her eyes lingered on the way they were—were theystillholding hands? What the fuck?But Leon wasn’t going to let go when she was looking. It gave credence to the mate story.
She left, and as the door closed behind her, some of the tension went out of the room.
Karl turned over on his side and held Leon’s gaze with his, deadly serious.
“You have to get out of here while you can,” he said softly. “If you wait until Michael makes his decision, in the hope it’s in our favor, it’ll be too late. They’ll be ready for you to try.” He let go of Leon’s hand and drew his arm back under the blanket. Separating them. “Wait until they’re asleep tonight, then go.”
“I heard you the first time,” he said, voice quiet. “I’m just not doing it.”
Karl closed his eyes, exhaustion in his face. “You’re not listening.”
“I am,” Leon said. “You just don’t like what I’m saying.”
Karl breathed out sharply. It could’ve been a laugh, if it hadn’t sounded so close to a sob.
“You think this is a joke? You think I don’t know what they’ll do to you when the decision gets made?” His voice was rough, scraping at the edges. “I’ve seen what people like Michael do when they decide someone’s a threat. You think I could watch that happen to you?”
