“My Granny Ledet is working on some extra protection for us.”
“You told her about what was going on?”
Tilly nodded. “I figured we could use all the help we could get.”
Jessica couldn’t dispute that. “We have to do something. There are twenty-four-hour rental places or we could spend the money on a cab.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Getting worked up wasn’t going to help anyone.
“We will if it comes to that,” Tilly agreed. “But I think we have enough time to find a ride from someone we know.”
“I’m scared,” Jessica blurted out. The minute the words were out she wished she could call them back. There was no room for doubt. The devil would use such misgivings against them. She had to be strong, to believe they could beat this threat away from their friend and from them.
Tilly bent down and hugged her, wrapping Jessica in her strong embrace. Tilly always smelled exotic, like sandalwood or jasmine or a combination of the two. It gave Jessica a sense of safety and bolstered her courage.
“We can do this thing.” Tilly pulled back and their eyes met. “We have to.”
“I know.” This was their destiny, and there was no outrunning it for any of them. “What about Jules? He’s always at his shop early and he has a truck. He did sell Sabrina the carousel animal that broke this whole thing wide open.” It was still hard to wrap her head around the whole idea of a shapeshifting warrior and a curse, but there was no time to question. There was only time for action.
Tilly nodded. “We can ask him.”
“What will we tell him?” That was the thing, knowing how much to tell anyone. Jessica didn’t want to involve anyone else and possibly draw them into the line of fire, but Jules was already a part of this.
“As little as we have to. I know we both want to get on the road, but it’s better if we give Jules time to wake up before we ask him for his truck. He’ll be in a much better frame of mind.” Tilly glanced at her watch. “Why don’t we go down to the cafe? That way I can organize staff for the day and we can grab a coffee and something to eat. If I’m going to be gone for a day or two, I need to schedule people in to work.”
Jessica almost protested, but knew Tilly was right. It wouldn’t do to rile Jules up and have him say no. If they didn’t have a car by the time the cafe opened for business, they could always rent a car. Plan decided on, Jessica was in a hurry to get going. She grabbed her bag and headed to the front door. “Let’s get going. I’ll help you at the cafe so we’ll be ready to hit Jules up as soon as we figure he’s at his shop.”
Chapter Ten
Arand watched the world speed by outside the glass window. The tension in the vehicle was growing with each passing minute, but he didn’t know how to diffuse it. He hated waiting, not knowing when or how Hades was going to attack them. The only thing he knew for sure was that it was only a matter of time.
The more he thought about it, the more unsettled he was about what happened back at her apartment. Sure, there was a lot of growling and noise outside her apartment door, but no demons had broken through and no demons had attacked them on their way to her friend’s house.
He cursed under his breath.
“What?” Sabrina asked, giving him a quick glance before returning her attention to the road.
“It’s a trap.” It was so obvious he should have seen it sooner.
“What do you mean?” The worry in her voice ripped at his gut. He wanted her somewhere safe from Hades’ grasp.
“We’re being herded out of the city toward a more secluded spot.” He couldn’t believe he hadn’t caught on faster. “Hades will have to expend less energy keeping the fight shielded from others if there is no one else around. We should turn back.”
Sabrina shook her head. “Not happening. No way am I risking any of my friends. They’ve already done enough. I’d rather be isolated and fight Hades on our own than to involve any innocent bystanders.”
Pride swelled in his chest. His Sabrina was loyal and courageous. It didn’t feel strange to refer to her as his. She’d freed him so she belonged to him.
A low growl vibrated in his chest. And if there was one thing he knew how to do it was how to protect what was his. He hadn’t been able to save the Lady or his friends from Hades, but he would not allow Sabrina to fall into the devil’s clutches.
“You okay?” she asked.
Was he okay? No, he wasn’t. If worrying about Hades wasn’t bad enough, being stuck in this small vehicle with Sabrina was becoming torture with each passing mile. He could smell her soap, the slightly musky perfume of her skin. He closed his eyes briefly and inhaled. His cock stirred, more than ready to take her and claim her once again.
He heard the soft brush of material when she moved, her soft breathy sigh as she waited for him to answer. He opened his eyes, swallowed hard and faced forward. No, he wasn’t the least bit fine.
“I’m fine,” he told her.
She snorted under her breath but left him alone, for which he was very grateful. It would be so easy to get her to pull the car over, drag her into his arms and rip away her clothing. It would be a tight fit, as space was limited, but he could manage. He was highly motivated.
A ringing emanated from her purse, breaking the uneasy silence. “Shoot. Will you dig out my phone for me?”
Arand reached into her oversized bag and found the ringing piece of metal and plastic. Phones had changed much over the years, but he’d never actually used one. He handed it to her and she gave him an apologetic shrug. “I usually would never talk on the phone and drive but these are extenuating circumstances.” She clicked on a button. “Hello?”
Arand focused his enhanced hearing so he was privy to both sides of the conversation.
“You almost there?” He recognized her friend Jessica’s voice.
“Yeah, not long now.”
“When you get there, run a circle of salt around the perimeter of the house. It will help keep the evil out.”
“Where am I going to get salt?”
“I had Tilly put some in the box of stuff in the backseat of the car.” Jessica paused. “There’s some incense there too. Burn it.”
“Okay.”
“Tilly and I will be there as soon as we can.”
“No.” Sabrina shook her head even though her friend couldn’t see her. “Stay away. I don’t want either of you involved in this. It’s too dangerous.”
Arand glanced at Sabrina and could sense her growing fear. There was so little they could do against the might of Hades. Right now, it felt as though he was toying with them, leaving them alone so their fears would build.
Sabrina ended the call and tossed the phone on top of her bag. He carefully tucked it inside in case they needed it later. Although, he had no idea what her friends could do, if anything. They were human and no match for a god.
“We’re almost there.” Sabrina turned off and drove on a narrow road before turning off onto a dirt-covered one. “I haven’t been here in a while.”
Arand reached over and took one of her hands in his. “We will get through this together. I will protect you.” He would die to keep her safe, but she did not need to know that. First and foremost, he should be concerned about his duty, about breaking the curse and finding the Lady. But his priorities had changed.
Sabrina was the most important person in his world. She’d given him freedom after years of imprisonment, she was ready to fight side-by-side with him against impossible odds, and she’d shared her body with him, giving him comfort after years of being alone. He would honor that gift, and her, always.
