Read Online Dangerous Lovers by Jamie Magee, A. M. Hargrove, Becca Vincenza - Free Book Online

she was. “What do you mean you need blood? ”
    Jackson popped his head up from the backseat. “I knew it. That’s why you were able to Search me back in the cave.”
    “Shut up, wolf-boy. No one was talking to you.” I had never seen Nelly so defensive. Once again, it scared me.
    Then I processed what she was saying. “Wait, wolf-boy?” I took another deep breath. “Alright, explain, Nelly. Now.”
    She blew out a heavy breath and pushed her hair out of her face. “Fine, I need to drink blood to survive and he’s—” She jerked her head toward Jackson. “A werewolf.”
    “Better than being a blood-sucker,” Jackson mumbled.
    This was just too much. “What, did I just step into the Twilight Zone?” That was funny on more than one level, but no one laughed. I pushed on.
    “Nelly, do not tell me you are one of those… things.”
    She gave me a hurt look that turned instantly into one of anger. “It’s not like I chose to be this way! I can’t help it. Besides, I’m only half.”
    “Half what?”
    Nelly threw up exasperated hands. “Alexa. I. Drink. Blood.”
    “Nell, what the f—?” I stopped mid-curse as a thought came to mind. I was almost afraid to ask my next question. “Does that mean that I’m—?”
    “No. You’re… Well, you’re something different.”
    I considered this a moment. “Does that mean we’re not—?”
    Nelly reached over and grabbed me by the shoulder, nails digging into my skin. She had a panicked look on her face. Hell, I probably had a panicked look on mine. “No! How could you even ask that? Don’t ever think that! You’re all I have left.” She was pleading now.
    I didn’t want to hurt her. Ever. And she was obviously hurting now, so like always, I pushed aside my questions so I could comfort her.
    I reached up and gently removed her hands from my shoulder, looking her directly in the eyes. “Okay,” I said. “Okay. Blood, you need blood.” I swiped a tear off her face with my sleeve. “Where are we going to get—?”
    The backpacks. I had forgotten about the backpacks. There were four pints of blood in them, and I hadn’t really thought about it, seeing how I was fearing for my life at the time. Or rather, Nelly’s life.
    “Jackson, hand me the blue backpack.”
    He reached behind him into the trunk space of the SUV and passed me the bag. Rummaging through it, I pulled out one of the bags of blood.
    “Here.” I handed it to Nelly.
    “Where did you—? Oh, right… Mom.” She ripped it open and tilted it up. I turned my head and stared straight out the windshield. I couldn’t bring myself to watch this; my stomach was already queasy as it was.
    I pulled out the other three bags of blood and handed them back to Jackson without turning my head. “Put those in the cooler, Jack. They may already be spoiled as it is.”
    “They are,” Nelly said. I snuck a glance at her to see her folding the now empty bag and placing it in the plastic trash bag under her seat. “It’s okay, though it might make my stomach a little queasy”—that made two of us—“but it’s better than nothing.”
    She was looking better already, having regained some color to her cheeks, and her eyes were open and alert. I nodded. “Okay, let’s go.” I checked the GPS. “We still have another six hours before we reach our destination.” The clock told me it was one p.m. “We should make it before sundown if we don’t make any more stops.”
    Silence settled over us once again, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Or rather thought . Something in particular Nelly had said stood out in my mind. You’re… Well, you’re something different. I pushed my foot down a little harder on the accelerator. All that lay between me and my answers was a long stretch of highway.

Chapter Fourteen
     
     
    Five and a half hours later, we parked outside of a small yellow house in a tidy little suburb of Ohio. The house was modest but well kept, and it seemed to have plants sprouting