"Listen —" he started to say, only to freeze at the sound ofa doorbell trilling in the distance.
“Keeann, go get that, will you?” the cold voice said behind me. "That will be our package."
“No! Don’t answer it!” Panic shredded my chest, and I rose from the seat to stop this Keeann guy from answering the door.
Only to be gently pushed back down into it. By the kind giant.
“Relax," he said, pinning me to the chair with just a hand on my shoulder. "Everything will be okay.”
“No, it won’t be. You don’t understand.” I struggled to get back up but to no avail.
The man with the kind eyes kept me pinned in the seat even though I was a wolf and supposed to be stronger than any human male. Even one that was twice my size.
What was happening? Had the ocean sapped my strength? Or…
“What are you?” I demanded, realizing that while he wasn’t a wolf, he definitely wasn’thuman either.
He pushed his glasses up on his nose. “Everything will be all right. I promise you that.”
“Don’t go making their she-wolf promises you can’t keep,” the much darker voice behind the chair warned.
Their she-wolf.
My heart dropped into my stomach, and dread curled around me. These males weren't wolves, but they somehow knew I was one.
“Get yer hands off her!" Wild's voice suddenly growled out from behind the no-longer-friendly giant. "Ye shouldn’t be touching her!”
The large male lifted his hands as if he’d been caught stealing more than his share of meat from the icehouse. The most repugnant crime back in St. Ailbe.
“Sorry about that, Wild King. Was afraid she’d pull another runner before you could secure her.”
The giant moved out of the way, and Wild appeared in front of me, his eyes nearly frantic with worry. “Ye crazy girl! What were ye thinking, jumping into the sea like that? Should I hug ye or strangle ye?”
Despite his harsh tone, he cupped my face with a tender smile. "Have ye any idea what ye did to my wolf when ye pulled that trick?
He sounded so worried about me, and I was so confused and cold. My eyes fluttered closed, and I leaned into his warm hand, almost forgetting he was the enemy. But no…
“Where am I?" I asked him, jerking away from his touch. "Who are these people?”
“None of yer concern." Wild lowered his hand, and his expression became hard as stone."This is just a stopover to pay our debt before we take the rest of you on home.”
… the rest of you.
His words tugged at some suspicion I couldn’t quite name. “What do you mean?”
Wild looked away and stood up to his full height. “C’mon then, ye psycho. Let’s get ye to a washroom. I’m a fan of cozy fireside tea myself, but C’s got some clothes for ye to change into before we push on.”
He helped me up from the chair and started escorting me back toward a foyer located beyond an arch on the other side of the sitting room.
Cold and defeated, I let him pull me along.
Until I saw the other Irish king standing with the giant who'd given me the towels. Along with two other extremely tall and wide males. They were all looking down at something on the floor.
No, not something.Someone, I realized when a glint of the clear casing caught the light.
Sadie!They were all looking down at Sadie in her clear Snow White coffin.
“Sadie,” I screamed. “Oh, my wolf! Sadie!” I leaped forward. “What are you doing with her? Let her out of that box!”
