tight. “You sure you wanna do this? Whether she’s a doppelganger or a changeling or something else, she might know what really happened to your Ember.”
I swallowed against Connor’s grip as heat blazed through my blood and across my skin. Even in the past, when she’d escaped my hold, Fire had never burned him. Maybe her presence was the only way to convince him I was real, that I wasn’t an imposter. I lifted my gaze.
Connor’s eyes met mine. He drew in a sharp breath and his power rippled over me. Still I held his gaze. Seconds passed and I willed him to believe me. No one else could see the flames in my eyes, he held me too close. He flinched away, shaking his head.
“Connor?” I could barely get enough air past my vocal chords to whisper his name.
He loosened his grip and my feet touched the ground.
I panted, gasping air into my deprived lungs.
“Stay away from me. I don’t know what you are but you have taken her face and her gift. Fuck knows how you’ve done it, but you carry the stink of her killer, so if you come near me again, I’ll kill you.” He didn’t look away from me as he addressed grey eyes. “Owen, get this thing out of my face before I kill it.”
My legs were weak, but I forced my knees to stay strong. He didn’t believe me, and why would he? I’d deliberately sacrificed my last wolf to convince Doherty I was dead. I hadn’t known he’d use her corpse to wound Connor so deeply, I’d thought he was dead. Now his wolf had taken control and grief wouldn’t allow either of them to consider I was telling the truth.
Ensnared by his icy stare, I knew pleading my case would be a mistake. The veins in Connor’s neck bulged, and the waves of fury coming off him made me want to cower away. Those around us dropped their heads and moved back, all except Korea and Owen, who seemed less affected by his anger. I kept utterly still and swallowed, trying to ease my throat, which was still in his grasp. There was no doubt, Connor was now a more powerful predator than he had ever been. Maybe he would never accept me. The thought made my heart hurt, but at least he was alive.
He curled his top lip and thrust me away. I stumbled but recovered quickly, balanced and ready to fight. Not willing to be treated like that, even by Connor, I snarled back. His eyes narrowed and he growled a low warning, but I didn’t listen. I understood his grief, gods, I’d grieved for this man for years and my heart couldn’t repair itself in a matter of moments, so I certainly didn’t expect his to, especially when this wasn’t the Connor I’d grown up with. No, this was someone entirely different. A cold and distant man who allowed his wolf far too much power. He saw me as an imposter because he scented my wolf, and she had once belonged to the woman who had killed me in those woods. My stupid heart squeezed painfully. I wanted him to believe me, but I knew I’d have to work hard to gain his trust enough to get a chance to explain.
His attention moved to something over my shoulder, and his frown deepened.
A blonde haired woman prowled forward and wrapped herself around him, resting her hand in a proprietary gesture on his chest.
I lifted a brow, hiding the pain at seeing another woman touch Connor. “Well, doesn’t this day just keep getting better and better?” My voice was hoarse, and I had to force my words out, shocked to see my old enemy in front of me, let alone making like a second skin to the man I loved. He might hate me right now, but that didn’t change the way I felt about him, it only made me more determined to prove who I was.
Shannon smiled and cocked her head, rubbing her generous breasts against Connor’s impressive upper arm. He kept his gaze on me and wrapped that arm around her waist.
“It is you.” Shannon smiled, her eyes calculating as they rested on me. Her gaze perused my body, weighing up the challenge to what was obviously her territory.
I didn’t react. What the hell had she done to be chucked in a prison that her father ran? Finding out was going to be a challenge, but I added