turned to me. His wolf shone through again. Okay, maybe I was pushing my luck. Then I saw blue seep back into his gaze and though his face remained cold, he studied me closely, his eyes bouncing between mine. The muscles of his jaw tensed as his gaze moved down my body and back up again.
“You will leave now. Do not discuss Shannon with anyone. If you do, I will snap your neck before you know I’m near you. Are we clear, Ember?” He sneered my name, but his eyes were even more blue now, his wolf was losing its hold on him.
I’d lost my bargaining point and I needed into this gym, it’s possibilities were too much to ignore, but at least I’d got through to Connor a bit. Surely he realised no imposter would know about my name for Shannon. I’d only ever used it when I was with him.
“Come on, time to leave, while you still can,” said Owen. He went to grab my wrist, but I’d had enough of being manhandled. I spun and jabbed my elbow into his face. His jaw snapped shut, his teeth banging together. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Korea move. He launched through the air with a perfectly executed sidekick, but I was from the school of cheat to win, so, although I could appreciate his technique, I also knew how to stop him. I dropped and slid along the mats under his flying body and jabbed a fist up into his balls. He howled and landed heavily in a crouch. His eyes flashed with fury as he fell to his knees, clutching his junk.
“No need for such tactics, boys. I can find my own way out.” I addressed my comment directly to Connor who watched me with vivid blue eyes.
His face was blank. “Remember what I said.”
I dipped my head in acknowledgement as I stepped around a furious Owen and Korea. I walked quickly and efficiently, not stupid enough to linger. I’d done some damage to two males who definitely wouldn’t appreciate me showing my skills at their expense. Particularly in front of a room full of others. Hell, it probably meant a whole shit load of challenges coming their way. Tough, I decided, trying to take control of my rattled nerves.
Charlie’s eyes widened as I stepped out of the training area unharmed. And that’s what it was, a training area. I’d no idea what for, but I was going to find out.
I glanced back over my shoulder. Connor stared right at me. The weight of his scrutiny sent a wave of awareness through me. My heart skipped a beat. He looked like an unattainable god; stunning, powerful and dangerous. It was impossible to hide my relief at him being alive, even if he despised my existence. I gave him a small smile, unable to stop it from forming on my lips. I had so much I wanted to ask him, but as he stood there, cold and removed, it was obvious that I wouldn’t get the chance—yet. I’d just have to work on it. I was sure I’d planted a question in his mind, and I had Shannon to thank for that. I had promised to go back and save Blue, and I wouldn’t give up trying to find a way out of here, but I’d be damned if I’d lose Connor now that I’d found him again.
Chapter 5
Ember
* * *
“So what did you do before you were locked in this place?”
Charlie and I sat on the floor of one of the big halls with our backs up against the wall, as always.
Charlie smiled and tipped her head back, staring at the ceiling. “I worked from home.”
I raised my brows. “Really? Doing what?”
“Oh, this and that with computers.” She winked at me.
I grinned. Som had employed an IT geek on his team too. “Right. You hacked systems.”
“Me?” Charlie affected an innocent look, placing her hand on her chest.
“Yeah, you, Miss Innocent.”
“Okay, you got me. I did. Sometimes, I did it for money, which is how I got caught, and sometimes, for the challenge it gave me.”
“Wow, how long had you been doing it before you got caught?” Charlie didn’t look to be much more than eighteen or perhaps nineteen, years old.
“I’ve been working for myself since I was eleven. I only got caught because I hacked into a system I thought was a bank, but ended up being a subsidiary company of the SBI. There