My blood turned as cold as the blade against my jugular. My heart pounded in my ears. How could this happen? How did Angus get into the taxi? Why didn’t the driver …

The driver pulled off his cap and tossed it on the seat beside him. “I head straight down the M1, right, Angus?” It was Robbie. Of course it was. How did I not see that? How could I be so stupid?

“Get that knife away from me,” I said through gritted teeth. My fear came out as anger. I’d been on my own for less than an hour, and I’d managed to get myself kidnapped.

“And give you the perfect opportunity to escape?” Angus sneered in my ear. “I don’t think so, lassie.”

“We’re in a moving car. What am I going to do? Leap out onto the highway and get myself crushed under a lorry?”

“She’s right, Angus,” Robbie said. “We’ve got her now. Let’s not draw attention to ourselves.” I noticed his hands gripped the wheel so hard his knuckles had turned white. He was scared, too. I guess he would be. This was a kidnapping, after all. From everything Caleb had told me, he didn’t seem the kidnapping type.

Angus lowered the weapon. “Don’t try anything stupid,” he hissed against my ear. His hot breath made my stomach turn. I couldn’t believe this guy was Caleb’s brother.

Caleb.

His horrible words flashed before my memory again. In the cold reality of the taxi, surrounded by deadly wolves, they didn’t actually sound that bad. If Caleb had grown up with these two charming characters as role models, it was no wonder he said those things. His words had been awful, sure, but his actions over the last few days had been nothing but heroic.

He lashed out in anger because he was worried about you. Because you’d been cold to him all morning without explanation, and you foolishly ran off without telling him. And look how that ended up for you?

Nothing like a crazy werewolf holding a knife at your throat to make you reexamine your priorities.

It’s too late now. I’d told Caleb I never wanted to see him again. Now that he didn’t have to worry about protecting me anymore, he could focus on establishing his pack. I hoped one day he’d become the most powerful pack in all the United Kingdom, and he’d decimate the Macleans once and for all.

And I hoped he’d find someone to be his mate, someone who didn’t refuse his kindness because she was scared. Maybe he’d even find his fated mate one day.

I closed my eyes as Angus clambered out of the boot over the seat and slid down beside me, the knife still pressed against my skin. I had to stop thinking about Caleb. After the way I’d spoken to him, a guy who was only trying to protect me, Caleb wasn’t going to come after me.

Which meant that Angus was going to tear me to pieces. If I was lucky, that was all he’d do. I had to stay alert, in case there was a way out of this. Maybe I could convince them I was now useless to them …

“This is a waste of time,” I snapped at Angus, who’s settling into the seat beside me and leering at me with a disgusting grin, as though we’re just three good chums on a road trip. “Caleb and I are no longer together. In fact, he hates me. He’s not coming after me. I told him I never wanted to see him again.”

The words were like poison on my tongue.

“Aye, do y’hear that, Robbie? They had a lovers tiff. Tell me, lass, have you ever known Caleb to listen to anyone?”

I didn’t reply.

“I thought so,” he smirked. “Caleb will be on our tails in a matter of hours. But don’t worry, we’ve no intention of letting him catch up.”

“If he knows where you’re going, aren’t you afraid he’ll just take a flight and beat you there?”

Angus shrugged. “Unlikely. He’s on the no-fly list.”

“Why?”

“Because I put him there. Come on, Robbo. We need a little music, eh?”

Robbie fiddled with the radio dials, until he go to one of the local college stations. Jidenna’s “Long Live the Chief” boomed through the taxi. Under normal circumstances, I loved this song, but now the lyrics seemed ominous.

I stared out the window, watching the rolling countryside, gas stations, and villages speed by. Please Caleb, I pressed the thoughts against my skull, hoping like hell that by some miracle, he’d be able to hear me. I know I blew our fight out of proportion. I know I took everything you said too personally, because I was scared, and I was looking for any excuse to push you away. I have no right to ask you to put yourself in danger to save me. But please … please hear this. I might never see you again, and I want you to know …

I love you. And I wish … I wish I wasn’t going to die, so I could tell you to your face.

I love you.