Every inch of her body hurt. Although she didn’t know Shayne, she felt the need to talk about Iris. Her anguish overwhelmed her. She'd had nobody to confide in, and nobody who cared enough to listen and support her. Nobody who understood. Nobody who would have wanted to understand.
“My mom was the only family I had,” Anna said, in a hoarse voice, looking down at her hands. “We were on the run until I was ten because of something to do with my father. Now I’ve lost my mom, and I’m on the run for my life again.”
“I’m sorry,” he responded.
She bit her lip and nodded before continuing quietly, “She was a wonderful mom, and she loved to write horror. When I was ten, she somehow managed to get that cabin. It wasn’t long after that she submitted her stories and got published. We had a pretty good life until four days ago.”
Anna took a shuddering breath, fighting back the sobs. “If nothing else, at least we had each other. Now she’s dead because of demons, and it’s all my fault.”
Shayne gave her a sympathetic look before adjusting his weight in the seat. Then he released a long sigh. He looked uncomfortable. Anna felt embarrassed by her display of emotion.
Clearing his throat, Shayne said, “Several years ago, a man named Jesse somehow got caught up with a league of demons. It wasn’t against his will, although I don’t know the details yet. He was responsible for a lot of deaths, and he managed to escape us. Now, after all of these years, he’s suddenly back in the picture.”
Shayne glanced over at her, but she remained completely silent. “Does this ring any bells for you?” he finally asked. With a shrug of her shoulders, Anna didn’t respond. She didn’t know him well enough to share her humiliating history or what she knew of Jesse.
He didn’t volunteer any more information about Iris, either. After a moment of reflection, Anna realized she wasn’t ready for the details. Not yet. “Are you a friend or foe?” she asked carefully. Life for her had turned into a game of trying to survive another minute, and the odds didn’t seem to be in her favor.
“I thought we'd moved past this. If I wanted you dead, I wouldn’t have gone to this trouble,” Shayne replied in a testy voice. “Alaska is not my favorite place, not any time of the year. There are much easier ways than this to get rid of you, should I be of mind to. I'm here to help you. Not hurt you.”
The miles were quickly passing by, taking her further and further from her home. Anna briefly closed her eyes. She was tired, hungry, and scared. “Where are we going?”
“It’s safer for us if we stay on the move during the night. We are going to drive down to the southern part of Alaska and catch a flight to Las Vegas. I have a protected area there.”
His previous testiness was gone. In its place was a calm, soothing voice that would have made a counselor or therapist proud. “There are several of us there who can work to protect you. We will keep you safe, Anna.”
“Will I be safe until we get there, though?” she whispered, her voice wobbling.
Shayne didn't appear to have any kind of response for her. They grew silent as they sped down the dark, desolate road.
It was too much to take in, and the events of the night were starting to catch up with Anna. Although it was freezing cold outside, the interior of the SUV was warm and cozy. Shayne was a delicious mixture of leather, cold, and cologne. It made her want to curl up to him and just breathe him in. She smiled in the dark at her ridiculous thoughts. Instinctively, at least while they were traveling, she knew she was safe with him. Leaning her head back, Anna quickly dozed off.
SHAYNE GAVE THE WOMAN another quick glance. She was obviously exhausted. For someone not of their world, a night like the one they'd had would be seriously traumatic. He needed to talk to Arch and find out what in the hell was really going on. Major parts of his story had been left out, especially the fact that Anna could see a demon's true form. How much did she really know? In a mortal word filled with demons, what role did she play in it?
He ruminated on the demons he’d killed earlier that evening. They had surrounded the small cabin, the frigid cold not slowing them down at all. Confident there would be no escape for Anna, they’d only sent in two, while the others made sure she didn’t escape through any exits. Had he been five minutes later, it would have been too late.
He grimaced as his thoughts turned to the last twenty-four hours. Shayne had been pissed when Arch transferred him to Alaska without leaving him time to prepare. Lucky for him, though, he had found himself in front of a car rental place. Arch had made arrangements, as the building was lit up and open. Within fifteen minutes, he'd had the keys to a brand new SUV, and he left the agent with a big grin on his face and a huge tip for going out of his way.
Shayne gave the sleeping beauty another quick once over. He hadn’t expected her to be so gorgeous. In Ireland, they would say she was a fine doorful of a woman, and she was. Something about her was setting his blood on fire, his lust unwanted and unwelcome.
He realized he wasn’t making it easy for her, but he couldn’t help that. His unexpected attraction toward her was a complication he hadn’t expected.
