Page 89 of A Token of Blood and Betrayal

“He knows.”

“Because you told him or he learned another way?”A long pause followed her question.Then a sigh.“You can’t love her, Blake.”Another wait for a response.“He’ll kill you, and that will kill her.”

Dream-Nora showed too much concern to be Real-Nora.

Skip.

Lehr.

He stood in front of me.Shelli’s body and the skeletons of her coven stained the ground red.I was alone among wolves, and Lehr’s expression was much too smug.My injuries weren’t a surprise.My gold eyes were expected, welcomed even, like this had all been inevitable.

He shook his head in mock sadness, his face flickering into Arcuro’s, then back to his own so quickly I almost didn’t catch it.

Dream-me was stupid.She did the worst thing she could have.She ran from a werewolf, and the werewolf’s words gave chase.I warned you…

Chapter Twenty-Four

Iwokeupangry.

Blake had warned me what would happen when the pack stopped patrolling the territory around The Rain.A few wolves had already shown up on our doorstep, demanding rooms.I’d allowed them to stay, and word of that likely spread.Since Lehr did absolutely nothing to discourage it, any malicious or deranged werewolf could run around with no restrictions.

Lehr was responsible for this.

The thought gave me the power to open my eyes.It took some time to focus, to realize I was in the master bedroom but in my own bed, not my parents.Someone had cleaned away the blood and grime from my skin and undoubtedly changed my clothes because what I wore felt soft, not stiff and uncomfortable.A bandage encircled my right arm from wrist to elbow.The bite still throbbed but nothing compared to how much it had hurt before.

“You’re awake.”

I turned my head toward Astrid’s voice.She was curled up in an oversized armchair in the corner.

“How long was I asleep?”I rasped.

She set aside the notebook that had been in her lap.“Three days.Two outside the Null.We brought you in last night.Your arm isn’t healed, but it’s getting better.We’re pretty sure you’re not going to die.”

“Or turn into a werewolf,” another voice said.

I blinked hard, then spotted Phedre.The Valkyrie sat on the edge of my dresser, toned arms crossed and a scowl on her face.Obviously unhappy, most likely because she’d missed the—

The fight.

“Thordis!”I pushed myself upright much too quickly.Had to wait for the room to stop spinning.

“I’m Phedre,” Phedre said.“You can tell because I’m competent.”

“Is she okay?Is Eli?”

“Eli is fine.”

It took effort to keep myself sitting up.“Thordis—”

“She’s fine too.”Astrid threw an annoyed look Phedre’s way.“Phedre is just pissed she let you get hurt.”

My next breath came a little easier.“She didn’tletthis happen.”

“Her orders were to protect you,” Phedre said.“She didn’t.”

“She went after another wolf.”

“She wasledaway.”