He led her to the airport’s small parking lot, where two sleek dark town cars awaited them. Jason and Damien climbed into the back of the first vehicle, while Elijah slid into the front passenger seat of the second one.
“Saint George,
“It’s a beautiful state.” He took the seat beside her and shut the door. The cars rolled into motion. “The southern half has some gorgeous red rock formations.”
“Where are we headed?”
“Not far. A little town called Her-ah-kun.”
Lindsay frowned. “Her-ah-kun? Weird name.”
Again, he almost smiled. “It’s spelled like ‘hurricane.’ ”
Resolve strengthened her.The city’s moniker couldn’t be a coincidence, not on top of everything else that had happened to her since she’d left Raleigh.
As they descended into the city, Adrian grew still and silent, but she felt his volatility gathering force with every mile that passed. His best friend was dead. As stoic as Adrian appeared, it was clearly a loss he felt deeply. His pain humanized him, made him more man than angel. It also made her wonder where he sought comfort when he needed it, or if he internalized everything. Surrounded by angels who would die for him, he still seemed so alone.
She set a hand on the seat between them and surreptitiously linked her pinky finger with his. Although he gave no outward sign of it, Lindsay felt the surprise that jolted him. He caught her hand in a fierce grip, his gaze trained out his window. She draped the top of her canvas messenger bag over their joined hands, shielding the contact from the rearview mirror’s reflection. He gave a quick squeeze of gratitude.
Oddly moved by being a source of comfort to him, Lindsay contemplated the closeness that had developed between them already. They were opening up to each other in ways they didn’t with others they’d known longer. Why? Why had Adrian planned on taking her to his home last night? A restaurant would have been the wisest choice to prevent her from discovering his secrets. And why was he so
Why did she let him? Why wasn’t she more guarded with him, as she was with everyone else whose path she crossed?
She stared sightlessly at the passing vista, wondering why she seemed to attract the strange and weird. Why did she move so fast when she was only human? Her dad had taken her to the doctor for every runny nose and minor rash. She’d had her share of dental and bone X-rays, routine blood work, and even a CAT scan when she’d gotten a concussion from falling off a friend’s backyard playground. There was no medical explanation for her abilities. But she was undeniably different, and her anomalies were fostering an affinity between her and Adrian. She couldn’t decide if that was a blessing or not.
They pulled off the road and into the parking lot of a small country hardware store. As the car slid smoothly into a marked space next to the vehicle carrying Jason and Damien, Lindsay looked around to gain her bearings.
“We’re here,” Adrian said, before exiting the vehicle.
Her door opened, and Elijah stood there, tall and impressively intimidating. Although he was a muscular man with broad shoulders, he wasn’t oversized, yet his presence made him seem so. Like Adrian, he clearly was someone you wouldn’t want to piss off.
Stepping out, Lindsay took a deep breath and scanned her surroundings. Hurricane seemed to be a small, one-main-street sort of town. In addition to the hardware store, there were a couple fast-food establishments, one chain grocery store, and a couple mom-and-pop shops.
The wind whipped through her hair, screaming. She gasped and took a step back from its vehemence. Elijah caught her arm to steady her.
Adrian was beside her before she could catch her breath. “What do you feel?”
She shivered. “This place crawls.”
“A nest, perhaps?” Damien said, joining them.
“I don’t know what that is.”
“A group of rogue vamps,” Adrian explained.
Great. Just what she’d always wanted. “There are definitely more than a few.”
Damien looked at Adrian. “You weren’t kidding. She’s hypersensitive.”
Adrian gave a curt nod.
She pulled herself together. “Do we want to dig around now? Or wait for reinforcements?”
Jason gave her a thorough once-over. “Can you pinpoint their location?”
She nodded, knowing the wind would steer her in the right direction if she gave it a chance. “The closer I get to them, the more I’ll feel it. I just need to wander around a bit.”
“No.” Adrian turned away as if that was all there was to say on the matter. “Now we know Phineas wasn’t followed; he walked into a nest. We can take it from here and track without risking her.”
Lindsay debated her next move. Challenging him in front of his men wasn’t an option for her, but she also wasn’t going to be denied the chance to help “for her own good.”
When no better idea presented itself, she went with the only solution that came to mind-she walked away.
She headed toward the main street, figuring the road most traveled was the best place to start; plus she was hoping the highly visible location would prevent Adrian from restraining her-she wouldn’t put it past him. She didn’t doubt that he was capable of tossing her over his shoulder and putting her where he felt was safest. As it was, she felt his gaze on her. For better or worse, her senses were as focused on him as they were on finding their prey.
Elijah fell into step beside her. His eyes were shielded behind shades, but she knew he was surveying the area with a predator’s meticulousness. “FYI: there are usually consequences for defiance.”
“I figured. I’m a big girl; I can handle it. Are
“I’m not supposed to let you out of my sight.”
“So you’re damned if you come with me and damned if you don’t.” Her lips pursed. “What do you think he’ll do?”
He shrugged. “Not sure. Insubordination is usually fatal, but I suspect he’ll go easier on you.”
Apprehension rippled through her, intensifying the disquiet caused by the frantic wind. She was certain Adrian was capable of things she couldn’t even imagine; he wouldn’t have been placed in charge of the Sentinels otherwise. Still, she didn’t fear him-after all, it was her safety he was concerned with in the first place. Worrying about the consequences wasn’t going to get her anywhere. The only thing she could do was what she’d always done: put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward.
Fortunately, that reasoning seemed to be doing her good now. With every step she took, Lindsay grew more comfortable. However Adrian felt about her mutiny, he was giving her the lead. She appreciated that. It gave her credit for having a brain and some experience. Considering the cavernous gap between her abilities and his, his show of trust meant a lot to her.
As she and Elijah walked past a Dairy Queen, she glanced through the windows. There were families and teenagers inside, laughing and eating and living so happily unaware. Lucky bastards.
“Do you have a girlfriend?” she asked. “Or a wife? Kids?”
“I’m not mated.”
She resisted the urge to see how closely Adrian was following. It would actually be better if she were alone; a group of intimidating hot guys in a town of this size was a dead giveaway that something unusual was going on. “Is that who you lost? Your mate? Sorry-I shouldn’t pry.”
Elijah looked at her. “If I’d lost my mate, I wouldn’t be alive now. Lycans languish when their mates die. Death follows swiftly.”
“Oh. Like wolves? The real ones. I read that they mate for life.”
He turned his attention forward again. “Yes.”
“That happens to humans, too, you know. With couples who’ve been married a long time. The surviving partner usually doesn’t last long after their spouse passes away. Does the same thing apply to vampires? And Sentinels?”
