Page 37 of Waifs And Strays
‘If the same person is responsible for all four attacks, it seems likely that abduction was their goal. It's easier to kill someone outright than to snatch them away.’
‘Should I ask how you know that?’ Lorna enquired.
‘No.’ I smiled; I could also be sweet when the situation called for it. ‘But they only attacked you once and they went after Thane twice. That suggests they thought they had a better chance of defeating Thane rather than you.’ I gave him a sidelong look. ‘At least until Nick came along. An inexperienced teenager would be easier to grab than either of you.’
Thane’s nostrils flared. ‘Whoever is behind this wants an unbounded werewolf. Alive.’
‘That's my theory,’ I said.
‘Why would anyone want a lone werewolf?’
I had no answer for that. Yet. There were several seconds of silence before Lorna spoke again. ‘I'm faster and stronger than I look, and I fight dirty. I might not remember what happened but I know I'd have fought tooth and nail against anyone who came for me. Thane is far stronger than me and more skilled, but he'd have held back.’
I looked at him again. ‘Because you'rethatBarrow werewolf,’ I said softly, finally understanding. No wonder he’d seemed so certain about how difficult it was to murder your own alpha. Thane Barrow hadn’t done that, but hehadkilled the beta werewolf of the Barrow pack – and he’d only been a kid when he’d done it.
‘He'sthatBarrow werewolf,’ Lorna answered. ‘The one who flew into a rage, killed his uncle by accident and was thrown out of his pack as a result.’
‘That was twenty-odd years ago,’ I said, morbidly fascinated. ‘I thought that boy was dead.’
‘Twenty-seven years ago,’ Lorna said. ‘He was fifteen at the time and has reined in his temper – and his natural abilities – ever since.’
‘And I'm definitely not dead,’ Thane added.
No wonder he'd been so keen for Nick to join the MacTire pack and swear allegiance to them. Thane hadn't had a choice; he'd been summarily thrown out of his pack at a similar age. He might not have wanted me to know but that information certainly filled in a lot of gaps. It wasn’t the sort of thing that happened often with the wolves; truthfully, I didn’t know of any other werewolves who’d suffered a similar fate.
I stood up. ‘Thanks for your time, Lorna,’ I said briskly.
‘My interrogation is over?’ She looked amused. ‘You've cleared me as a suspect?’
I nodded, but then I pointed at the cat magazine. ‘You don’t really like cats, do you?’
‘I can't stand the little bastards.’ She shrugged. ‘But Thane told me about you and I thought it might be wise to ingratiate myself. I’ve survived this long on my own for a reason.’
Given my strategy in dressing the way I had, I couldn't blame her. I wondered what her story was and why she was alone, but it was none of my business and it wasn't relevant toNick’s kidnapping. ‘What else did Thane tell you about me?’ I asked with narrowed eyes.
‘Nothing,’ he muttered tightly.
‘All he said was that you liked cats.’
They both seemed to be telling the truth. Just as well. ‘We'll take our leave,’ I murmured, relaxing slightly. ‘We've got other wolves to talk to.’
‘Come back for that G&T anytime.’ Lorna’s tone was warm.
I smiled. I reckoned I might take her up on that.
Chapter
Fifteen
Thane and I walked towards the nearest tram stop. ‘You were right,’ I said, conceding the point. ‘Lorna doesn't seem to be the kidnapper.’
He didn't reply, not even a snarky ‘I told you so’.‘Go on then,’ he said instead. ‘What do you want to ask me?’ His voice was dark.
I paused and turned towards him. ‘I don't care who you are or what you've done, Thane. All I care about is that you're not responsible for what happened to Nick.’
As his green eyes roved across my face, I wondered how many people knew his true identity. Were Lorna and I the only ones? ‘I'm hardly in a position to judge anyone for their past actions,’ I told him. ‘And whatever happened back then, you were a kid.’
His jaw tightened and he looked away.
