Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 138217 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 691(@200wpm)___ 553(@250wpm)___ 461(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138217 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 691(@200wpm)___ 553(@250wpm)___ 461(@300wpm)
His hand cradling the back of her head, his breath warm against her temple. “Then we find out.”
A vow that rang through her bones. And she knew this man would keep his word. He’d do everything in his power to find her the answers she needed. For better or worse. Because at the end of it . . . she might yet discover herself a murderer who’d traded the lives of others for her own happiness.
* * *
* * *
YAKOV wanted to hold on to Theo forever, tormented by the image of her as a tiny helpless child strapped down and subjected to hurt by the very person who should’ve protected her to his last breath. She was so slender and small even now. Back then? Fuck. His claws threatened to erupt.
Fine strands of her hair whispered up in the wind to cling to his face. And he realized she must be cold out here so late at night. Cold and tired and heartsick. That did it. “I’m not leaving you alone tonight,” he said, willing to fight her tooth and nail on this. “And since I haven’t checked the security on your place, we’re going to a clan apartment we keep in the city.”
Theo didn’t stiffen, but said, “My apartment should be secure. It’s maintained by experienced staff.”
So much courage and steel to her. She left him breathless.
“I helped with the security on the StoneWater apartment myself,” Yakov countered. “I know it’s a fort.” He continued to hold her, shattered that she let him; that told him far more than her words.
His complicated, smart, tough Theo’s heart was broken. Had broken a long time ago and never healed.
“We also have hot chocolate and supplies of cookies,” he cajoled. “And if you like, I’ll turn into a bear and let you pet me.”
Her head jerked up. He’d said the last as a joke, but from the wonder in her gaze, he was about to be a very happy bear. The thought of her fingers stroking through his fur? Hell, yes. “Deal?” he murmured.
“Will there be anyone else at the apartment?”
“No.” Yakov could answer that without checking because he was the one in charge of the bookings. “Most places we have, it’s for any clanmate to crash in if they need it, but this particular one we keep for guests of the clan who’re only in the city for a short time and can’t make it out to the den. It’s empty this week.”
“Then, deal.” Theo’s hand flexed against his back, curled in again.
He wanted to purr—not like a cat, like a bear. That was a real purr. “Come on, in the car before you freeze.”
Chapter 25
LvrBoo: I’ve got a good one: Best cuddlers in the changeling world?
H2Imhot: Snakes. Tangle all around you silky and smooth and strong. You haven’t been cuddled until you’ve been cuddled by an anaconda.
4cubs: Um, H2Imhot, different strokes but yikes! Isn’t that how they kill their prey? Anyway, my vote is for tigers. They’re so prowly and that fur . . . mmm.
BB: Bears! Of course the answer is bears! Why is this even a conversation?!
—Forum of Wild Woman magazine
ONCE HE GOT the engine running, Yakov made the mistake of turning on the radio—right as the reporter made an announcement about the killer they were now calling “the Moscow Ripper.”
Wow, real original.
“That’s another reason I want you safe and secure,” he said after the bulletin was complete. “Blond hair, blue eyes, Psy, you fit the victim profile of the murderer stalking the city.”
“I’ll be careful, though if the newscast is correct and the Ripper stalks their victims for days prior to attacking, I’m unlikely to be a target—I haven’t been in the city long enough.” Theo yawned on the last word. “I don’t know why I’m so exhausted.”
Yakov wondered how she didn’t see it—she’d taken emotional blow after emotional blow today. He wouldn’t be surprised if she fell asleep in the car.
As it was, she was barely keeping her eyes open by the time he got them to the apartment. Grabbing her suitcase from the back of his vehicle after parking in the secure underground lot, he ushered her into the elevator operated by either a keycard assigned by building management or by an override code that Yakov was in charge of updating every month.
Because while StoneWater only used one of these apartments, they owned the entire building—and it wasn’t their only property in the city. One of Valya’s early business ideas that had taken off in serious fashion. Buy neglected properties with good bones, use clan labor and smarts to fix and polish them up to the highest specs, then flip them or hold them as long-term investments.
StoneWater properties were now some of the hottest on the market. Because bears knew how to build—and how to create homes that glowed with a sense of welcome. A few beers with friends on a lazy night in the den and Valya would proclaim himself a property mogul—but he only ever kept a straight face for about ten seconds.