Where to begin? “Those men wanted to hurt you. That’s why I asked you to come with me.”
“And you? You’re not going to hurt me too?” she accused.
“I would never hurt you.” His chest squeezed tight. “Please believe me.”
“I need to get back … wait, where are we?”
“We’re in Kentucky,” he said. “At a friend’s place.” Well, he and Ransom weren’t friends per se, but it was easier to explain it that way. “You’ll be safe here.”
“Oh, my God! How did we get here? My dad … he’ll be worried.” Her hands shook as she buried her face in them.
As her body began to shiver, he realized she was freezing. So, with a wave of his hand, he conjured a soft, cashmere blanket around her. “Better?”
“What the hell?” Her hands grasped the blanket. “How did you do that?”
“Er, magic.”
“Magic? Oh, my God …”
She began to sway, so he quickly grabbed her arms to steady her. Wrong move, because it gave him a good whiff of her intoxicating scent. Get a grip. The last thing she needed was him acting like a randy teenage boy while he turned her world upside down. Again.
“Let me try to explain it from the beginning, but first, we should get you indoors.” He nodded to the cabin behind her. “Why don’t we go inside and you can sit down? I can make you coffee.”
“Why should I come with you?”
He could tell her that there was no way in hell he was going to let her leave now, but that would only make her even more scared. “Look, I know you’re confused. But how about you ask me questions, and I’ll do my best to answer them, then you can decide what to do. What have you got to lose?”
“You mean, what choice do I have?” There was that defiant spark in her eyes, that fire he knew she had inside her.
He held his hand out. “Please? I told you, I won’t hurt you.” You know this. Search deep inside you, Sabrina, you know it.
His heart seemed to stop as she contemplated his hand. Finally, she took it, and his heart beat wildly at her touch. “All right.”
He led her into the cabin that Ransom had initially put him in when he was injured. Ransom would not be happy, but Cross had no other choice. There was no other place where he or Sabrina would be safe. The cabin was sparsely furnished, with only a double bed, a table, chairs, and a small kitchenette in the corner. The only other room was the bathroom. But it was clean and had all the necessities.
“Have a seat.” He gestured to the table. As soon as she sat down, he conjured up a cup of coffee and a plate of her favorite cookies.
She started. “What the hell? How did you …” Picking up a cookie, she took a sniff. “Magic, right?”
He took the seat opposite her. “Yes. Now, why don’t you ask me any question?”
“Um …” She seemed to ruminate as she took a bite of the cookie, then washed it down with a sip of coffee. “How do you know me, but I don’t remember you?”
The question was so unexpected that he wasn’t sure what to say. She’d been attacked by mages, seen him shift, and was teleported to another state, but that was the first thing she asks?
“No, wait! I mean, how many questions do I get? Only one? Two? Three?” Fingers drummed nervously on her chin. “I mean, it’s obvious why I don’t know you.”
“It is?”
“Yes. The accident.”
Oh. Yes. The accident.
“About three years ago, I was in a bus when it crashed.” Her nose wrinkled. “And … everyone died except me. But I lost my memory. I can’t remember anything that happened that day at all. And before that … well some things are fuzzy. But you …” Her lips pursed as her violet gaze landed on him. “We must have met right before the accident, right?”
“I …” He knew he should stop this now. Telling her the truth now would only lead to hurt. But then again, if the mages ever got to her, none of it would matter anyway. So, he took a deep breath. “If you have amnesia, then maybe you shouldn’t attempt to look into your past. Maybe your brain is trying to shield you from the trauma—”
“No!” Coffee sloshed over the side of the cup as she slammed it down on the table. “Stop it! That’s what everyone says but … I need to know. And y-you promised me that you would answer my question.”
He let out a sigh. “All right.” One little detail won’t hurt her, he supposed. “Yes, we met before your accident.”
“How? When? Where?” She fired the questions rapidly. “And why haven’t you visited me before?”
The inside of his cheek nearly bled as he stopped himself from denying that last statement. “Let’s start from the beginning. We met at Wicked Brew.”
“Oh.” Her eyes lit up. “That’s my favorite coffee shop. I go there whenever I paint in Central Park.” Her gaze lowered and her shoulders sank. “I mean, I used to. Before …”
“We bumped into each other,” he said quickly. “And I knocked you over and spilled all your painting supplies. I felt terrible, so I offered to get you a cup of coffee …”
Three years ago …
“It’s nice to meet you too, Sabrina.” Cross focused on her face, particularly on her plump lips on the edge of the white cup as she took a sip of her caramel macchiato.
A pretty blush spread across her cheeks. “Thank you for the coffee. I know it’s got sugar and I don’t really need the extra calories …” Her brows drew together. “These drinks go straight to my hips and as you can see, they don’t need any more padding.”
What was she talking about? “It’s the least I can do after knocking your stuff over.” His gaze flickered to the easel and canvas. “So, you said
