“I need to go to my son,” he said, trying to force himself to walk away as he watched her curl into herself as she struggled not to cry.
“It’s okay,” she mumbled into the towels as he told himself that she would be fine.
More than fine.
They’d removed the tracker, got the bitch off her trail, and he’d make sure that she could stay here for as long as she needed. She wasn’t his responsibility, he reminded himself even as he found himself closing the bathroom door to block out the light from the television in the other room and shut off the bathroom lights before he sat down on the floor and pulled her into his arms.
“Thank you,” she mumbled against his chest.
“You’re welcome,” he said as he closed his eyes and slowly exhaled.
“What’s your son’s name?” she asked after a while.
“Trace,” he said as he absently ran his hand over her back, noting that she was still warm.
“How old is he?”
“Three hundred and seventy years old,” he murmured, wondering what kind of man his son had grown up to be.
“That’s pretty old,” she mumbled sleepily, making his lips twitch.
“Yes, it is,” he said, wondering how she would react if he told her how old he was.
“Where’s his mother?” she asked, snuggling closer to him.
“She died giving birth to him,” he said, still wondering when it was going to stop hurting to think about her.
“I’m sorry, Ethan.”
“Thank you,” Ethan murmured absently.
“Is…is he the reason why you came after me?” Indie asked after a slight hesitation, making him frown until she explained, “I heard you talking about him on the phone the morning you grabbed me.”
“Yes, he is,” he said, wishing th
at he’d been able to find her sooner so that he could have traded her for his son to save him even as his arms tightened protectively around her.
“What did they do to him?” she asked as she absently traced circles on his chest.
“They buried him alive in a tomb and left him there,” Ethan said coldly.
“And you were hoping to use me to find him,” she said quietly.
“Yes,” he answered flatly.
She didn’t say anything for a long time and then…
“I would have done the same thing,” Indie said when the first click reached his ears and by the time he realized what was happening, it was too late.
The bitch had found them.
Chapter 27
“Wait. Can I ask you one more question?” came the question that had Trace pausing mid-massage of his temples to glare at the woman that hadn’t stopped interrogating him since this morning.
“No,” Trace bit out with a murderous glare that the small woman looking lost in thought simply ignored.
“If I get bitten by a werewolf, will I become one?” she asked, worrying her bottom lip.