Page 79 of Conall


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You’re right,she said finally, her shoulders sagging slightly.I just… I need answers.

We’ll find them.He paused.Do you want to go back up to the mesa tonight?

Do you?

He shook his head.The mating ceremony is done by now.And I’m guessing you’ve had all the Sunburst socializing you’re up for right now.

She heaved a relieved sigh.I really am tired.

Then let me walk you back to your apartment?

Yeah.I don’t feel like being alone with my thoughts right now.

Of course.

The walk to her apartment above the Sunburst Diner should have taken five minutes.They stretched it to ten, moving slowly through the quiet streets as if neither wanted the evening to end.

Tell me what it was like having a twin?Nadine asked.

Conall considered the question, aware this was the first time she’d asked something personal that wasn’t directly related to their investigation.

Like having a constant companion who always understood exactly what you were thinking,he said.We never needed words for most things.A look, a gesture—that was enough.

Must have made dating complicated,she observed with dry humor.

Heat crept up his neck.A few women complained about feeling like they were dating both of us.Said they could never tell if I was actually listening to them or just having a conversation with Quinton in my head.

Were you?

Sometimes,he admitted.It’s hard to explain to someone who doesn’t have that connection.The twin bond was…everything.My entire world.

Was.Past tense.

When had that changed?When had Nadine become the magnetic north his inner compass oriented toward?

They walked in silence for another block before she spoke again.

I used to envy people who had that kind of connection.Gregory loved me, but he was always holding something back.Always protecting me from parts of his life he thought were too dangerous.

He was trying to keep you safe.

I know.But he also kept me isolated.Made me feel like I was living on the periphery of his real life.She glanced at him sideways.The irony being that his ‘real life’ was probably just as manufactured as the stories he told me.

They’d reached her building, the diner’s neon sign casting red and blue shadows across the sidewalk.Nadine stopped at the external staircase that led to her apartment but made no move to climb it.

Thank you,she said quietly.For walking with me.For listening.

Thank you for letting me.

Something shifted in the air between them—a subtle change in her scent, a dilation of her pupils that made his wolf sit up and take notice.

Conall, I—She stopped, shaking her head.This is complicated.

Everything about this is complicated,he agreed, stepping closer without conscious thought.

Your brother thinks I’m manipulating you.

Quinton’s protective.He’ll come around.