“Better?” she asked with a sneeze.
“Yes,” I answered with a sigh. “But that’s not really much of a consolation. It’s pretty obvious that Luce is trying to find us.”
She nodded as she put the vial back into her backpack. “But that isn’t a surprise, right? We expected that, right?”
I shook my head. “No, it’s not a surprise but I don’t know if I managed to keep him out of my head.”
Betta nodded. “Did you resist him?”
“Yes,” I answered with another groan. “But I don’t know if I fought hard enough. He might have managed to get a read on our location.” I fell silent as something occurred to me. “How much of that powder do you have left?”
“Another three vials,” she answered.
I nodded, but a new worry began to gnaw at me. “That won’t last us very long. Maybe a week at the most.”
“Maybe,” she answered.
“Um, how come you didn’t bring this to my attention earlier?” I inquired, feeling annoyance creeping up.
“I did.”
“I don’t remember us having that conversation,” I said with a frown.
“Well, I guess I sort of did,” she corrected herself. “It was when we first met Sinjin and we just set out in the Porsche. I told you we had to go back to Kinloch Kirk and you said we didn’t and that no one was going to change your mind. And then you said that going back to your sister’s wasn’t an option.” She took a breath. “So I sort of figured nothing was going to change your mind.”
I felt like wringing her neck but then figured it wouldn’t help the situation any. Instead, I sighed and tried to figure out another solution to the problem. “So what do we do now?”
Betta shrugged, and when she spoke, her tone sounded deflated. “I thought we’d be heading to see your sister so I didn’t really plan too far in advance. I told my friend just to give us enough to get through the trip to Kinloch Kirk.”
“Ugh,” I grumbled, starting to get irritated all over again. “Why in the world would you have thought that we were going to see my sister in the first place?”
“She’s the only family you have,” Betta replied with a shrug. “It made sense to me. I figured once we got there, the combined magic of you and your sister would be plenty powerful enough to keep Luce at bay. I didn’t realize we would be on our own.”
“It’s okay,” I said, figuring there was no reason to dwell on it now. The situation was what it was. And she was right—Jolie was the only person I could think of who might have been able to help me keep Luce away. It also wouldn’t have hurt to seek the help of the highest witch, the prophetess. Or, for that matter, the oldest of the fae, Mathilda.
“I figured my part in all of this was to break us out of the compound,” Betta continued as if she were on trial. “I guess I thought that once we got out of there, you’d take over.” Then she took another deep breath. “I’m sorry, Bryn, I guess I should have planned better.”
“Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault,” I said. Her thinking made sense; as little family as I had outside the compound, Betta had none. So, of course, in her mind, the only safe place we could go was to my sister.
“Then what are we going to do?” Betta asked.
I shrugged. “It looks like the only option we have left now is to go to Kinloch Kirk. Otherwise, Luce will definitely find us.” Even as it was, I wasn’t sure how bulletproof our plan was because I had my doubts where the Protectant was concerned. It would just be a matter of time before Luce figured out how I was keeping him out of my head, and once he did, I hoped I was as far away from Montana as possible.
Betta nodded immediately. “I think you’re right.”
I sighed at the thought of the impending reunion with my sister and all the questions that would, no doubt, follow. But there was no sense in worrying about it now! Not when I was still thousands of miles away from her. No, I had to stay grounded in the present and, more specifically, making sure we escaped “The Bar” without Sinjin causing too much of a scene.
“I’m glad you made the decision to see your sister,” Betta continued, her voice starting to grate on my nerves. “I’m sure Sinjin will be delighted as soon as he hears about it too.”
“Speaking of,” I started as something occurred to me, “if Luce did manage to get a read on us through my thoughts, then that means he could be on his way.”
“Hmm, good point,” she agreed.
“We have to find Sinjin and get the hell out of here.” I opened the door and started to step into the dark night air. “I’m going to look for him,” I announced to Betta, who faced me with wide eyes. “You just sit tight in here, okay?”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she argued. “I mean, shouldn’t I go with you?”
“You’d be more of a liability,” I said, not meaning to offend her, if I had, but it was the truth. She was human; ergo, she couldn’t protect herself.
Betta didn’t say anything, but just nodded. I pushed the door lock on the passenger door and closed it behind me. I immediately felt the chilly air wrapping around me and crossed my arms over my chest, wishing the loose-knit cable cardigan were warmer. But as they say, beggars couldn’t be choosers.
“How you doin’?” one of the bikers asked as I walked by, his gaze resting on my bust.
“Good,” I answered, without bothering to look up at him. I figured no eye contact was the way to go; I didn’t want to encourage him or anyone else, for that matter.
Pushing through the double doors of The Bar, I was quickly engulfed by thick cigarette smoke. The twang of country music filled the small place, which couldn’t have been more than twenty feet long by fourteen feet wide. The bar made up the majority of the room along with four small wooden tables, each of them occupied.
I immediately scanned the corners for Sinjin as I made my way farther into the bar. Not seeing him right away, I strode up to the bar and tried to ignore how every man’s attention was suddenly centered on me. Swallowing down the gulp of anger that accompanied my thought, I forced myself to concentrate on my mission.
No one is going to touch you, Bryn, I resolved. You have your magic to protect you.
“What’ll it be?” the bartender asked me. His mouth didn’t move from beneath his handlebar moustache. He had red hair that matched his ruddy complexion. A round face and an even rounder body, he resembled a toad—bloated with bumpy skin.
“Where’s your restroom?” I asked, thinking that maybe Sinjin preferred a little more privacy than what was afforded him in the crowded and rowdy room.
“At the back; go through the door and make a right,” the bartender answered.
I nodded my thanks and headed toward the rear of the bar as I wondered where the hell Sinjin could be. The image of him kissing a random woman dropped into my head like a bomb. I had to beat the visual away as jealousy started to writhe within me. Then I was flooded with anger over feeling jealous in the first place. There was no reason for me to be experiencing the feelings I currently was because I’d promised myself that I would never be subjected to another man ever again. But somehow I couldn’t shake the feeling.
I reached the rear of the establishment and opened the door. It led to a long hallway. Crudely painted on the wall was the word “Men” with an arrow pointing to the left, and the word “Ladies” with an arrow pointing to the right. Since Sinjin claimed he only fed on women, I quickly took a right and started down the corridor. Coming to another door, I pushed against it and found myself in a small, dank bathroom with two stalls. One of them was free, but the other one was definitely occupied.
“Honey, you are the besht lookin’ man I have eva sheen,” chimed a woman. Her Southern drawl might have been more fetching if I hadn’t known exactly whom she was talking to.
“Flattery will get you everywhere with me, my dear,” Sinjin replied with a deep chuckle. Seconds later, his laughter died only to be replaced by the sounds of heavy breathing and feminine moans.
br /> I suddenly felt frozen in place—my feet wouldn’t shift, and I couldn’t move. I just stood there, my stomach plummeting to my toes. I felt like I was going to throw up. My hands grew clammy as bullets of sweat broke out across my forehead.
What are they doing in there? I wondered, even though I obviously didn’t have an answer. If Sinjin drinks her blood, does that mean they’re going to have sex too?
Probably, my other voice responded. Sinjin seems about as lustful as they come; why wouldn’t he take more than just her blood?
That thought preceded a heavy veil of anger, which soon overcame me. My hands started to fist at my sides and I could feel my cheeks growing hotter. There was no way in hell I could just stand there and allow Sinjin to violate a woman who wasn’t in her right frame of mind. Not after everything I’d been through, and all the pain and anger I’d suffered.
And just like that, my immobile feet freed themselves from the tar pits of my mind. I went on autopilot and shot forward. I gripped the handle to the stall and threw it open. Sinjin turned around to face me, obviously taken by surprise. The woman eyed me too, but there wasn’t any expression of surprise on her face. Instead, she looked indignant, even angry. But I couldn’t really say I was concerned.
“Bête Noire,” Sinjin chuckled, seemingly not in the least bit irritated by my rude interruption. “How nice to see you again, although your timing could have been improved upon.”
“Get away from her,” I warned him, nearly seething. My chest rose and fell with my rapid breathing as my heart hammered away intensely.
“Go find jer own man,” the woman railed, slurring each of her words in a way that meant she had to be very inebriated. “Thish one’sh already taken.”
“You heard the lady,” Sinjin retorted with a smirk.
“I’m not playing games,” I stated, my voice frosty. “I won’t let you force yourself on her.”
“Force myself on her?” Sinjin repeated with a mocking laugh. He glanced at the woman who was now clinging to him as if she were drowning in the sea and he was her life buoy. “Whatever gave you that idea?”
“Honey, he ain’t forshin’ himshelf on nobody!” the woman prated. She had a difficult enough time trying to focus on me, so I figured she had no idea what she was talking about. In fact, she probably had no idea where she even was.
“You know what I mean, Sinjin,” I fumed. “Let her go now, and then, you and I are going to have a little conversation about this.”
“We have nothing to discuss,” Sinjin said as he stood up straight and pushed the woman’s arms away from him. She immediately started to pout, but I doubted Sinjin even noticed since his eyes were riveted on me. “You knew the reason we stopped here.”
“Yes,” I agreed since I couldn’t argue that point. “But that doesn’t make it right.”
Sinjin chuckled again. “If you intend to try to convince me of the advantages in becoming a vegetarian, I am afraid your idealism will be in vain.”
“I don’t intend to try to convince you of anything,” I replied, glaring at him all the while. “What I am saying is that I will not allow you to exploit someone who can’t think properly given her …” My voice trailed off as I noticed the woman had passed out in the corner of the stall. Her head rested on the top of the toilet, but somehow, she’d managed to wedge her body between the toilet and the stall door. “It looks like dinner might be delayed, since it just passed out.”
Sinjin glanced back at her with little interest. “So it appears.” Then he faced me again. “If anything, that simply makes dining etiquette unnecessary.”
I vigorously shook my head. “I refuse to allow you to touch her!” Crossing my arms on my chest, I stood with my feet shoulder-width apart and hoped I wouldn’t have to fight him. It wouldn’t have been much of a fight—Sinjin was infinitely stronger than I was. But, either way, I wasn’t going to allow him to take anything from this woman—neither her blood nor her pride.
“You do realize, pet,” Sinjin started as he took a few steps toward me, “that this woman practically seduced me as soon as she saw me?”
“I don’t care,” I answered, refusing to let his words evoke any sort of reaction from me. I remained steadfast in my decision. “She isn’t in the proper frame of mind to make any decisions.”
“So, you intend to make them for her?”
“Yes,” I nodded. “I intend to.”
“And what of me, then?” Sinjin asked as he took another few steps closer, smiling all the while. “If the hunter is forbidden to hunt, what becomes of him?”
“I don’t care,” I replied, unmoved.
“He dies,” Sinjin answered immediately. “Would you allow me to starve to death?”
“You’re already dead.”
He cocked his head to the side as if he were actually pondering that fact before shaking it. “I am not as dead as you prefer to believe,” he finished. He swiftly closed the gap between us until maybe only three inches of air separated our bodies.
“Luce attempted to invade my thoughts,” I said, deciding to change tactics because the first one obviously wasn’t working. “And I don’t know if I managed to keep him out.”
“And why should that little tidbit worry me?”
“Because!” I yelled anxiously. “Because he could be on his way here right now!”
Sinjin yawned with deliberate purpose. “If that is the only information you wish to convey, you may be on your way now,” he said. Glancing down at the woman, who was now snoring despite her uncomfortable position, Sinjin added, “I fear my dinner is getting rather cold.”
“I meant what I said,” I persisted, my lips tight. “I won’t allow you to feed off her.”
“Then what can you offer in her place?” he demanded. “Your own neck, perhaps?”
Swallowing hard, I considered the question. “Yes,” I answered after a few seconds as I remembered the sound the woman made as Sinjin did whatever it was he was doing to her.
THIRTEEN
Sinjin leaned down and looped his arms around the woman. She was still snoring despite appearing completely uncomfortable. He pulled her up, freeing her from the wall and the toilet. Then he carried her out of the stall into the main restroom, lifting her as if she were as light as a feather. It was just proof of his incredible strength because she was a tall woman and rather stout. If I had to guess, I’d say she weighed more than one hundred seventy pounds. But Sinjin made it look like she weighed no more than five pounds.
I watched him gently place her on the floor of the restroom, carefully resting her head and back against the wall. He checked her pulse as well as her respiration before smiling at her still-sleeping form.
“I do hope you have pleasant dreams of raven-haired men with very long … fangs,” he semi-whispered to her before turning back to me with a self-satisfied grin.
“Really?” I replied, shaking my head to avoid showing him any encouragement. Sinjin’s ego already exceeded all bounds.
Since it appeared we were finished in the bathroom, I started to walk out of the stall. But Sinjin quickly caught up to me and planted a hand on my right shoulder before pushing me back into the narrow stall. Once again ensconced in the small area, Sinjin reached over and slid the latch on the door so it was locked.
“Do we really have to stay in here?” I asked wearily as I glanced down at the toilet and then back at him with a frown. “It’s not exactly inviting.”
“Privacy, pet, privacy.”
“Whatever,” I grumbled. “Let’s just get it over with.”
“I am pleased that you have not changed your mind.”
Sighing, I didn’t say anything more and neither did Sinjin. After eyeing me for a few seconds, his expression became one of tempered hope. The seconds ticked by, and so did the silence, neither of us saying anything. Instead, we just stood there, facing one another, with only a few inches of air to separate us.
I wasn’t sure if it was due to our close proximity, or the realiz
ation of what I was about to put myself through, but my heart suddenly started to pound faster. Sinjin smiled down at me, and his countenance was surprisingly one of understanding and encouragement. Seeing his expression, I knew he was aware of exactly how nervous I was. Even if he couldn’t hear my heart’s rapid beating, he would have sensed my anxiety simply by my panting.
“I trust you will allow me to anesthetize you?” Sinjin asked finally, breaking the silence between us. His voice came out more as a whisper, which did nothing to allay my nerves.
“If by that, you mean, will I let you bewitch me before you bite me,” I started, challenging his gaze, even while trying to appear completely in charge, “then the answer is no.”
At hearing my response, his lips immediately tightened. “You have my sworn word that I would never attempt anything … untoward.” Either he was seriously bent on making me numb, or he really intended to bewitch me so he could do whatever he chose to.
“Your word isn’t good enough,” I barked back, although I actually believed he wouldn’t take advantage of me. Yes, my bravado was a complete façade, which was swiftly dissolving second by second.
“Very well,” he replied, and I saw something in his eyes, or maybe it was in his upturned lip, but it was fairly obvious he knew my bark was worse than my bite.
He reached for my hand, and as soon as his skin made contact with mine, a shiver shot up my arm. From there, it spread through my core, and all the way down to my legs and toes. Lifting my wrist, he rotated it so that the inside faced him before running the pad of his thumb over my veins. Goose bumps immediately broke out over my skin and soon covered my entire body.
“There now,” he crooned while stroking the inside of my wrist, something which only caused more shivers to convulse through my body. His eyes were plastered on mine, and his gaze dared me to break contact with him.
I suddenly couldn’t resist the urge to touch him, to trace the outline of his lips and rub the rough shadow that colored his cheeks, jaw and his chin. I found it hard to restrain myself from leaning forward and inhaling his crisp, clean scent.