ont size="3">I’d made the right decision. A door stood before me and in my mind’s eye, it shone like the Holy Grail. I bolted, too close to freedom to travel the distance slowly. Grabbing the doorknob and turning, I stepped foot outside.
I was free.
The cold night air met me like an old friend. The moonlight carved a path that led through a grassy backyard into a bank of trees. No fences, gates, or anything separating me from certain escape. Just a football field’s length of grass.
This would be the toughest part of my escape. The grassy area was about four hundred feet until it reached the haven of the trees. If anyone were awake and happened to look out their window, they’d easily spot me. Lucky for me, most the windows in the house had been sealed over—vampires aren’t especially fond of windows. Freedom was so close, I could taste it. And it was a taste that rivaled apple pie.
I took a deep breath and like a sprinter, well, more like a girl who’d never run before, but was hell-bent on getting away from an evil witch and two vampires, I took off.
I’m not sure why, but I ran in zig-zags, almost like my brain thought someone was going to shoot me. Weird what your body does when under duress. I reached the cover of the trees and felt the start of tears in my eyes. Had I done it? I leaned my hands against my thighs and panted. If I got out of this unscathed, the first place I was going was the gym.
Thinking I needed more distance between me and the house of horrors, I jogged in between the trees. I had a stitch in my side that wouldn’t allow for running, still, I couldn’t help the grin that stole my face.
Holy crap! I’d done it! Take that, Bella!
Feeling pretty confident and proud of myself, I continued forging my way through the thick forest. I had no idea where I was—away was enough at this point. I considered changing into a fox, but I wasn’t sure how far Bella’s spell prohibited me from using my magic. Maybe trying to use my own magic might set off some unseen alarm? I wasn’t about to take any chances.
No, I was going to do this all on my own. No reliance on my witch powers. This was going to be Jolie Wilkins au natural. Getting my second wind, I started running again. I wasn’t on any sort of path, and the tree branches snapped against my face and body, but they didn’t slow me down. As dumb as it sounds, Rand kept me going. I just pictured his beautiful dark eyes and dimpled smile when it seemed my resolution was waning.
After intermittently running and walking for what I imagined was well over an hour, I was exhausted. I wouldn’t admit that I was lost…not yet. I’d been hoping the forest would thin out or I’d come across a path—anything to make my progress easier. But the forest was just as thick and foreboding as it had been, and there were no signs of cars, streets, houses or anything that might bring me comfort. My energy waned. I pictured Rand, but it didn’t work.
Okay, I was lost.
The hoot of an owl in the foliage above nearly caused the death of me and I pressed my hand to my heart, thinking it might stop.
“O God, you stupid bird.”
The bird just spun his head around like he was impersonating Linda Blair.
I collapsed against the bird’s tree and tried to catch my breath. Deciding I needed a break, I dropped into a seated position amid a pile of pine needles. What in hell was I going to do? I was lost, hopelessly lost. I’d never been good with directions. Just last year I’d learned to tell East from West by memorizing the mnemonic: Never (North) Eat (East) Shredded (South) Wheat (West).
God, I was going to die out here.
“It seems you have been quite a naughty girl.” Sinjin’s voice was like a spike right through my ear.
I screamed and jumped up from the bed of needles but couldn’t see him. “Goddamn you!” I yelled, pressing my hand to my chest again. My dad had died from a heart attack—I wondered if he’d ever known any vampires.
He stepped out from behind the tree I’d been sitting under. The bastard must’ve been tracking me all the way, playing a game of cat and mouse. Then it was clear—the unlocked doors, no one around…he’d set it up. Suddenly I was livid. “Why track me all this way and let me think I was getting away, you asshole?”
He wore a smirk on his arrogant face. “Poppet, what language!”
He took a step toward me, and I jumped back, not wanting to be within grasp.
“I’m not going back there,” I said between gritted teeth. “You’ll have to kill me before I’ll go back there.”
He laughed. “That can be arranged, Love.”
“I’m not going to make this easy on you. I’ll fight you tooth and nail,” I seethed.
“Let the games begin.”
I braced myself, but it didn’t make any difference. Sinjin moved so quickly, he was directly in front of me before I knew what happened. I didn’t even get a chance to gasp before his iron hand wrapped around my throat, pushing me against the tree. The bark lodged into my spine as I tried to fight the vampire, my legs and arms flailing.
He wasn’t exerting much pressure on my throat because I could breathe and frolic about as easy as you please. I think it was more just a show of what he was capable.
“I tire of games, Pet,” he said drolly.
His arrogant tone annoyed the crap out of me, but it was no use. I stopped flailing and accepted my defeat by dropping my head.
Sinjin chuckled. “Ah, Poppet, do not look so miserable.”
As soon as he separated himself from me, I called on my fox. I didn’t miss the pure shock that registered on the bastard’s face when I dropped into a fox and scurried away, darting into the undergrowth of the forest.
“Very smart, Love.”
He was after me. I could hear leaves crunching under his feet, while he moved as quickly as the wind. Now I zig-zagged with purpose, trying to throw the vampire off. The protection of the forest served me well as I scurried between bushes.
Apparently, Sinjin was pretty smart. He intimated which direction I would go and landed on me like a football player would the football. I grunted which came out as a squeal in my fox voice.
Righting himself, he held my small furry body up to his chest, and even though I didn’t want to, I knew I’d have to change back to my human likeness soon. It was too exhausting to maintain my fox shape. Truth was, I was already exhausted. I toyed with the idea of sinking my sharp little teeth into him but I didn’t want to swallow any of his blood, afraid I’d be turned into some sort of pseudo-vampire.
I wasn’t sure if Sinjin knew what happened when someone shape shifted, but he was about to find out. I shook my head, shaking off the fox likeness and suddenly felt cold and exposed. When he realized I was no longer furry and now naked, his hands coursed down my spine, pulling me into him. If he were capable of breathing, he’d be panting about now.
“You have a…delicious body,” he growled.
I couldn’t subdue my automatic reaction, which was intense pleasure. I wanted his hands all over me, and the idea made me livid. Here he was, botching my escape, and I wanted to have sex with him? I had to be the dumbest woman alive.
I desperately tried to envision myself in clothes but I couldn’t concentrate. He attempted to push me away from him—no doubt, so he could take in every last naked inch of me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and refused to budge. He apparently didn’t mind, his hands continuing to caress my naked backside.
“It is soft here, My Pet,” he said, tapping his foot against the bed of pine needles. “We could do it quickly.”
“Shut up,” I hissed. “I’m trying to focus. Stop talking.”
He laughed, and I was finally able to envision myself in jeans and a sweatshirt. I smiled when I glanced down and found myself attired. Sinjin sighed his displeasure. I attempted to push away from him, but he held me tightly. “Not getting away so easily, Poppet.”
I pulled my knee up, thinking I could get him in the goodies, but such was not the case. He just laughed and in a split-second move, cornered both my legs between his. I wasn’t going to b
e able to do any bodily harm to him. He was just too strong. Way stronger than Ryder.
“Calm down,” he started
“Let go of me!” I yelled and batted my ineffectual hands against his steel chest. I wanted to hate the bastard, but even now, I couldn’t. And I also couldn’t help the intense heat I felt from being so close to him. The realization pissed me off—how could I have the hots for someone who was going to return me to Bella?
He couldn’t seem to shake the grin from his mouth. It was infuriating. “Quiet, Poppet. Be civilized and we can be on our way.”’
“I’m not going backd aa’s with you.”
He released me. “Good, I am not going there anyway.”
I was too surprised to try to run away. Well, lot of good it would do me anyway. He was faster than I would ever be. “Where are you going?”
“I am en route to a petrol station three miles from here that has a vehicle waiting for me and for you.”
“With Bella in it, no doubt.”
He shook his head. “Sorry to mislead you, Poppet, but I do not work for Bella.”
I laughed with as much sarcasm as I could muster. So, not only did the asshole think I was physically weak, but now he was going to add salt to the wound by assuming I was a nitwit? “You’ve got to be kidding. Is there a sign on my forehead that says dumbass?”
Sinjin’s chuckle was rich and throaty. “No, Love, there is not. Start walking and I will explain.”
I didn’t make any motion to follow him. “You expect me to believe you don’t work for Bella?”
“Yes I expect you to believe it and no, I do not work for Bella.”
He continued forward and when I didn’t follow him, he turned to face me with mild annoyance. “You can come with me or you can stay in the forest and wait for Bella to find you.”
Even though I had no idea what Sinjin’s plan was, I made the split-second decision to go with him. It came down to the fact that I trusted him more than I trusted Bella. The other added bonus was being as far away as possible from Ryder.
I followed Sinjin as best I could through the dense forest, but had a tough time seeing him in the dark night. After fighting against branches that lashed out and caught my face and hair, I relied on my arms to guide me through the shadows of the forest. I’d rather have scratches on my arms than my face. I tripped on something and caught myself before I fell. Thank God, I was wearing jeans otherwise my legs would’ve been cut up like all hell.
A branch managed to avoid my extended arms and nailed me right in the cheek. “Ow, dammit, I can’t see anything, Sinjin.”
He slowed down and faced me. “Jump on my back, Love, and I will carry you.”
I hesitated, heat flushing my cheeks at the idea of being so close to him. With a sigh, I hopped up on his back, and he braced his arms around my thighs.
“Lean into me.”
I rested my head against the expanse of his back and couldn’t help inhaling the scent of him. It was a mixture of something spicy and cool. The coolness could have just been his body temperature. It felt pretty damn good to be so close to him—even if it was odd not to feel any heat radiating from him. It was sort of like riding on a statue.
“Are you comfortable?” he asked.
“You’re a bit cold.”
He chuckled. “You feel as if you are on fire.”
He tightened his grip around my thighs making me very aware of his physical power. He was so strong, there’d be no way I’d be able to defend myself if he did decide to attack me. I suddenly wondered why I’d gone with him. Why did I trust him?
After another few minutes, something buzzed in his pocket. He stopped walking and dropped his arms from around my thighs. I slid down his body. Leaning against a tree, he fished in his pocket and produced a cell phone.
“We are en route,” he said, his voice suddenly matter-of-fact and all business. “Perhaps ten minutes.”
Immediately my instincts were on alert. Who the hell was he working with?
He hung the phone up and returned it to his pocket. His eyes glowed slightly yellow as he glanced at me. “Ready?”
I shook my head, crossing my arms against my chest. “No, not until you tell me what’s going on.”
“We do not…”
I took a step back. “I’m not going with you until you tell me what the hell is going on.”
He sighed and was quiet for a moment before shaking off his annoyance. “I was never working for Bella. I have been allied against her since I met you.”
My mouth fell open. I wasn’t sure what to think right away. Did I dare believe him? “Then who are you sided with?” I couldn’t keep the wariness from my voice.
“That is not important now.” He bent down and motioned for me to resume my place on his back. I hesitated. “The longer we wait here, the better chance Bella has of finding us, Poppet.”
I was quiet as I considered it. The call to avoid Bella was stronger than the call to learn what Sinjin’s plan was. As soon as we were in a safer place, I would insist he tell me everything. Well, that’s what I promised myself anyway.
“Sinjin?”
“Yes?” His voice almost sounded like the hiss of a snake.
“Will you promise me something?”
“Depends on what it is.”
I wasn’t sure why I attempted to get him, a vampire, to promise me anything. If what he said was true, he’d betrayed Bella without a second thought. Who’s to say he wouldn’t do the same to me?
“Promise me I won’t get hurt.”
“I promise you.” His answer was immediate, his voice solid and unwavering.
I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad, but for some strange reason, I believed him. Maybe I was just gullible and naïve. Probably such was the case. For all I knew, he could promise to keep me safe and turn around and eat me for dinner in the same breath.
I forced thoughts of Sinjin feeding off me to the deep recesses of my mind. It wouldn’t do me any good to think about such things now. It would be better to focus on escaping from Bella.
“Do you think Bella knows we’re gone?” I asked.
He laughed. “I imagine she is figuring it out.”
“Where were you when I was escaping?”
“Keeping Bella pre-occupied,” he said, and I could hear the smile on his lips. There was no way I was asking in what ways he was keeping her pre-occupied. The answer was pretty apparent by his tone.
“How did you find me?”
“I have tasted your blood; I can track you anywhere.”
I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Granted, it had helped me out in this instance, but now Sinjin could keep tabs on me. Hmm, and Ryder could too, for that matter. If I thought I wanted Ryder dead before, the thought was never as strong as it was now.
I will kill him. I vowed to myself. I didn’t know how, and I didn’t know where, but as long as there was breath in my body, I would find and kill that damned asshole.
“Why so quiet, Pet?”
I wasn’t about to share my morose thoughts with Sinjin, so searched for something else to say. “So, you what, teletransported here?”
“Yes, Love.”
We reached a clearing in the woods, and lights in the distance heralded some sort of civilization. I couldn’t help the elation that filled me upon realizing we’d managed to escape the forest and were on our way somewhere.
“Nearly there,” Sinjin said as he climbed up a bank. As soon as we reached the wide expanse of grass, he put me down, apparently thinking I could manage on my own the rest of the way. He rubbed his arms against his pants and faced me with a smirk. “You have gotten my legs hot.”
I wasn’t sure what to say to that. “Sorry.”
“Makes me wonder in what other ways you can make me hot…”
I rolled my eyes. Unbelievable, we were running for our lives, and he was thinking about sex. Sinjin had to be the horniest creature I’d ever met. I’d heard somewhere that your average human male thinks
about sex on an average of ten times a day. It wouldn’t surprise me if Sinjin thought about it ten times a minute.
“Where are we going?”
“To an abandoned petrol station. There should be a vehicle waiting for us.”
“Who arranged that?”
“My employer.”
“Who is your employer?”
He smiled. “All in good time, Poppet.good tim
So, we were playing by his rules. I could demand he tell me or throw a temper tantrum, but I doubted it would do any good. And besides, I was looking forward to getting inside the car and turning the heat on full blast.
Sinjin brushed aside a low hanging branch, and we made our way into the clearing. Amid the rubble and ruin, an old British taxicab stood like a huge, black mushroom.
“I expected something better than this old banger,” Sinjin muttered. “But, I suppose beggars cannot be choosers.”
I laughed and watched him open the door for me like a gentleman. A blood-sucking gentleman. I crawled in, my attention immediately drawn to the dashboard as I tried to figure out how the heating worked. Sinjin sat down in the driver’s seat and started the old car without a problem.
“Okay, start splainin’ Lucy,” I said, doing my best Ricky Ricardo impersonation. I still hadn’t figured out how to turn on the damn heater.
Sinjin smiled and flicked my hand away, the chill of his skin sinking into me. He was basically dead for all intents and purposes. Sort of a weird thought when he seemed so entirely alive. What struck me as even weirder was the fact that I was lusting after a corpse. Oh, God…
He cranked a lever and depressed a button and heat sailed out of the vents.
“What do you want to know?”
“Well, for starters, where are we going?”
“I am taking you back to Randall.”
That was surprising to say the least. I wondered if Rand had been working with Sinjin all this time. The thought that Rand could keep such a secret from me made my stomach churn. “Have you been working with Rand all along?”