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Blood Den had been one of their allies, and if they’d been demolished, the entire shifter world should know about it. So why didn’t they?
    Because they’re dead. All but Joanna.
    If he called in the troops and tried to save Jo anna too, Nathan would kill both women before he could reach the center of the clan to search for them. She had said he threatened to kill her, and Brody had never known a Long Claw alpha to bluff. If they said they would destroy something, they did, simple as that. Brody swallowed hard. Now Joanna was next on Nathan’s list of things to destroy.
    He tried to ignore the visions of her in Nathan’s bed tonight. It just wasn’t possible for him to think about it and not go after her. He needed back-up. Going after them now would be a suicide mission. Could he take Nathan one-on-one? Probably. But battling the entire Long Claw Clan, all trained for war? He’d die and wouldn’t do any good for either woman.
    Or should he just trust that she could get Hannah out?
    No. Riker needed to know about the lead in Hannah’s disappearance and if he had help extracting both of them, he wouldn’t have to follow through with claiming Joanna. She’d be better off that way.
    He opened the door to his truck as softly as he could, started the engine and hit the pavement. As soon as he felt safe, he dialed Riker.
    “What?” came the gruff, tired sounding voice on the other end.
    “I think I’ve found her.”
    ****
    The thought to escape with Brody had crossed Joanna’s mind. To beg him to take her with him right then, but she’d never forgive herself if this Hannah woman died because she’d been too scared and weak to try and save her. Plus, Hannah meant something to Brody and he’d never want a partner who didn’t have his back. She didn’t know where the assumption came from, but he just seemed like the kind of man who needed a strong woman beside him.
    What the hell was she thinking? She didn’t even know Brody. He was a complete stra nger. A sexy, kind stranger who made her stomach do flip-flops, but still—a stranger. And she’d all but thrown herself at him to become his mate? He’d only agreed so she would save his alpha’s mate. Like an idiot, she had jumped from one doomed and loveless relationship to another. At least she wouldn’t be here though.
    Freedom lay in a pairing with that man. Brody claiming her would make her unattractive to Nathan. He didn’t share his possessions. Was it a desperate deal made in the heat of the moment? Absolutely, but she’d try anything to escape and find a new life. Plus Brody was handsome, and strong, and most importantly, he seemed to care on a level she hadn’t found in another shifter here.
    He reminded her of home.
    Blake was right. Nathan would expect her to share his bed tonight, especially after she’d fought with him in front of his clan. He’d want to prove he could control a willful mate. But she wasn’t his, and she had to think of a way out of this.
    Back in the days of the guillotine, prisoners were marched in front of the town before their necks were stretched under the blade. The dread that knocked against her insides felt comparable as she walked through the community and to Nathan’s house. The other shifters had apparently heard about her outburst, because they whispered and stared. And even if Joanna held her head high, her stomach was being shredded by nerves that felt like shards of glass. So Nathan’s bedroom wasn’t exactly a guillotine, but a piece of her would die in there tonight.
    Blake paused at the bottom of the stairs and she closed her eyes and mentally shook herself. She would think of something, excuse herself somehow and find the woman, Hannah. And by tomorrow night, she’d be free. Her wits just had to hold until then.
    At the top of the stairs, she halted in confusion. She’d halfway expected Nathan to be naked, draped across his bed or thro ne in his typical fashion. He was naked, yes, but he was standing