fanning in an arc around us, alarm all over his face. “I just saw a flash of something in the trees.” His arm went up, pointing directly into the forest next to the passenger side of the car.
“Where?” I asked, immediately at attention, scanning the trees. The moon was out, but it was cloudy, which made it harder to see.
“It looked like two people, but then they were gone before I could see what they were doing.”
I squinted. “I don’t see anything.”
“The only reason I haven’t sped off in the other direction is because they weren’t focused on us, and it could’ve been two humans.”
“If they were humans, we’d still see them bumbling around.” I leaned forward in my seat, still searching.
“Maybe they were apparitions.”
I raised my eyebrows, turning to him. “Are you talking about ghosts? I’ve never seen one, but that seems highly unlikely. You know, all we need to do is open a window and scent the area.” I was sick of this hermetically sealed car. It was time to make a break. “We’re getting out anyway. Let’s see who’s here and then we can decide what to do.”
“Let me straighten the wheels out first,” Rourke answered, resigned.
The hairs on my arms started to rise to attention. “Hurry,” I said. “I’m starting to feel something.” Otherness was seeping through the witch’s spell on the car. Every supernatural had the ability to detect the other. I had no idea how it worked, I was just happy it did.
“I can feel it, too, but it’s muddled in here.”
“I’m cracking the window,” I said as Rourke put the car into park. “You ready?”
He’d angled us into a semisheltered place on the side of the road. “Fine, but I’m keeping my foot on the gas pedal, so don’t get any ideas about leaving until we find out what’s going—”
My window went down less than a centimeter and I knew who was out there and so did Rourke.
I flung my door open before anything else could register.
“Naomi! We’re here!” I yelled as I ran headlong into the forest.
6
I slowed to a jog, turning my head from side to side trying to search for Naomi’s scent trail.
“ Jesus Christ , you can’t keep doing that,” Rourke growled, running up alongside me. “In the future, I’m going to have to shackle you to my wrist with some spelled handcuffs.”
My wolf barked at the word “handcuffs,” but I was too preoccupied. I stopped and inhaled as I spun in a slow circle. “Why isn’t she here?” Then I picked up a new scent. It was familiar, yet changed. I grabbed on to Rourke’s sleeve. “Do you smell that?” I started running again. “Naomi!” I called. “Where are you?”
Rourke moved behind me, keeping pace with me easily. “He smells pissed off.”
“I know.” Ray’s signature had changed, but he still smelled like his usual malice. But I guess that was to be expected. At least we knew he had survived the transformation. Ray was going to be angry whether he lived or died. He always smelled pissed off. Now he just smelled like a pissed-off vampire.
We both jogged farther into the forest, into thicker tree cover, our noses finally leading us in the right direction. We covered a mile in a few minutes, running parallel to the river, heading toward the sulfur. Their scents were stronger here, even though the sulfur was doing its best to interfere.
“There’s a break in the trees.” Rourke pointed. “Let me go first.”
“Let’s go together.” I slowed next to him. “I’m not breakable china.”
Rourke snorted as his hand shot around my wrist, bringing us to a stop. “Just be prepared for the worst. He smells lethal.”
I tried to steel myself. Get ready , I told my wolf. This is going to be ugly. “If Naomi was forced to bring him here early, there must have been major complications. It’s lucky we arrived when we did.”
“There’s a possibility something went wrong with the transformation process,” Rourke said.
I didn’t want to
“Where?” I asked, immediately at attention, scanning the trees. The moon was out, but it was cloudy, which made it harder to see.
“It looked like two people, but then they were gone before I could see what they were doing.”
I squinted. “I don’t see anything.”
“The only reason I haven’t sped off in the other direction is because they weren’t focused on us, and it could’ve been two humans.”
“If they were humans, we’d still see them bumbling around.” I leaned forward in my seat, still searching.
“Maybe they were apparitions.”
I raised my eyebrows, turning to him. “Are you talking about ghosts? I’ve never seen one, but that seems highly unlikely. You know, all we need to do is open a window and scent the area.” I was sick of this hermetically sealed car. It was time to make a break. “We’re getting out anyway. Let’s see who’s here and then we can decide what to do.”
“Let me straighten the wheels out first,” Rourke answered, resigned.
The hairs on my arms started to rise to attention. “Hurry,” I said. “I’m starting to feel something.” Otherness was seeping through the witch’s spell on the car. Every supernatural had the ability to detect the other. I had no idea how it worked, I was just happy it did.
“I can feel it, too, but it’s muddled in here.”
“I’m cracking the window,” I said as Rourke put the car into park. “You ready?”
He’d angled us into a semisheltered place on the side of the road. “Fine, but I’m keeping my foot on the gas pedal, so don’t get any ideas about leaving until we find out what’s going—”
My window went down less than a centimeter and I knew who was out there and so did Rourke.
I flung my door open before anything else could register.
“Naomi! We’re here!” I yelled as I ran headlong into the forest.
6
I slowed to a jog, turning my head from side to side trying to search for Naomi’s scent trail.
“ Jesus Christ , you can’t keep doing that,” Rourke growled, running up alongside me. “In the future, I’m going to have to shackle you to my wrist with some spelled handcuffs.”
My wolf barked at the word “handcuffs,” but I was too preoccupied. I stopped and inhaled as I spun in a slow circle. “Why isn’t she here?” Then I picked up a new scent. It was familiar, yet changed. I grabbed on to Rourke’s sleeve. “Do you smell that?” I started running again. “Naomi!” I called. “Where are you?”
Rourke moved behind me, keeping pace with me easily. “He smells pissed off.”
“I know.” Ray’s signature had changed, but he still smelled like his usual malice. But I guess that was to be expected. At least we knew he had survived the transformation. Ray was going to be angry whether he lived or died. He always smelled pissed off. Now he just smelled like a pissed-off vampire.
We both jogged farther into the forest, into thicker tree cover, our noses finally leading us in the right direction. We covered a mile in a few minutes, running parallel to the river, heading toward the sulfur. Their scents were stronger here, even though the sulfur was doing its best to interfere.
“There’s a break in the trees.” Rourke pointed. “Let me go first.”
“Let’s go together.” I slowed next to him. “I’m not breakable china.”
Rourke snorted as his hand shot around my wrist, bringing us to a stop. “Just be prepared for the worst. He smells lethal.”
I tried to steel myself. Get ready , I told my wolf. This is going to be ugly. “If Naomi was forced to bring him here early, there must have been major complications. It’s lucky we arrived when we did.”
“There’s a possibility something went wrong with the transformation process,” Rourke said.
I didn’t want to
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