Was it all part of some hidden agenda? She didn’t want to believe it, but she remembered Ethan’s promise that she would do what they wanted because she would be one of them. Could this be part of a plan to get her allegiance?
She paced the small clearing in front of the shelter. The rain continued to fall, but she ignored it. If itwasa setup, then why would he say he wanted nothing more to do with her? She shook her head. None of this made sense.
Caleb watched for a few minutes then stood up abruptly and stalked toward her, coming to a halt only inches from where she stood. He was still naked. It was distracting. Regan whispered a spell, and he was dressed in a pink satin robe that stopped abruptly at mid-thigh. He glanced down, then back up at her his eyes narrowing. “Don’t do that,” he snarled.
She raised an eyebrow but ignored the comment. “Are you working with your father?” she asked.
“I told you, I have nothing to do with that world.”
“Why do I find that hard to believe?”
He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter what you believe. With any luck, we’ll never see each other again.”
“So, what does he want? Your father, I mean. Why did he change me?”
Caleb shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“What were you doing there, that night? You say you have nothing to do with that world, but you were there. Why?”
“My father asked me to meet him. He—”
“Here?” she interrupted. “Had you ever been here before?”
He frowned. “No, but he told me he had some information I wanted. Then when I got here, he started on about some world domination crap. Werewolves taking over. He said he was working with someone. They had plans, and this person was going to make it all happen.” Caleb ran a hand through his hair, then tightened the belt on the pink silk robe. “He wanted me to come in with him. I told him I wasn’t interested and left. I was on my way out of there when I heard you scream.”
“And came running to my rescue—how sweet.”
He scowled and turned away. “I should have left you to Ethan,” he muttered. “Would have served him right.”
Regan stared at his broad back. She didn’t know whether to believe him or not. She wished she knew what Ethan’s plan was. Obviously, he wanted something from her. But what? And who was the old acquaintance he’d mentioned? Was it the same person he’d told Caleb he was working with?
On balance, she decided she did believe Caleb. It had been so obvious that he wanted to get away from her, as fast and as far as possible, on both occasions they’d met. Still, she didn’t trust him. She didn’t trust many people.
She needed to get out there, hunt down Ethan Stone, and find out what was going on. And rescue her hounds, presuming Ethan had them. She hoped so, but how could she go now? She didn’t want to leave Catrin and Lola alone, not while Ethan might be sniffing around. He might just decide that one witch was as good as another and take one of her sisters instead.
On the other hand, she couldn’t just wait for Ethan to go ahead with his plan for taking over the world. No way was the world being taken over by a bunch of dogs. Even if she was one of those dogs now. It was enough to make her brain explode.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a movement behind her.
“Here,” Caleb said.
She turned to see him stripping off the pink robe. He tossed it to the floor between them and stood before her, naked. He was beautiful, and she didn’t even try to look away. She let her eyes wander over the tall, powerful body; if she wasn’t going to see him again, she might as well get her fill. She worked her way up to his face, as beautiful as the rest of him. His expression was blank.
She realized he was leaving. Right now, and a sharp pain stabbed somewhere in her middle. Always in the past, she’d been the one to walk away. But she remembered the feel of his hard body on her, in her, and she couldn’t bear to go. To never see him again.
Her brain struggled to come up with some logical argument as to why he should stay. And came up with nothing.
“Good-bye,” he said.
She opened her mouth to argue, but instead only one word came out. “Good-bye.”
He turned and walked away.
Regan watched until his tall figure disappeared into the trees, then she sank down onto the forest floor and clutched the pink robe, holding it to her nose and breathing in the last trace of him.
