by Kensie King
Besides, I could use quick and greasy. Probably something at the diner I’d gone to for breakfast.
I shrugged into my jacket, shoved the Book of Shadows into my satchel—just in case someone else was planning a break-in to steal it—and walked out the door. The sun was heading toward the mountains but it was bright, making me put on sunglasses.
I stopped when another thought occurred to me. If Gage was a vampire, how could he go out during the day? Or was that just another myth?
He didn’t seem to have any problem on the tour this morning—and that was a big part of his job. Being outside. So it must not be a problem for him.
Either that or he wasn’t really a vampire and I was really letting my imagination run away with me.
I jogged down the stairs and swung around to the parking lot. I reached into my pocket for my keys, then clenched them tight with a curse when I saw my car.
“Fuck me,” I said, stepping up to the front tire.
It was flat.
I glanced over and then cursed again. All the tires were flat. I walked around the car and saw each and every one had no air.
“Shit,” I hissed.
I knelt next to the front one once more, searching for slashes or nails in the tire. Anything that could explain it.
“What’s wrong?” a voice said from behind me.
I jerked around to find Gage leaning against the side of his car. Motherfucker. He was so quiet, I hadn’t even heard him.
Vampire.
I stood slowly, my jaw clenched. “My tires are flat. It looks like someone let the air out.”
He straightened. “Really? All of them?”
“All of them.”
He pushed away from his car and did the same slow inspection I had done. Then he whistled. “Wow. Who’d you piss off?”
“No clue.”
Grace probably wouldn’t have done this. Neither would Dylan if he wanted me to leave town so badly.
I narrowed my eyes at Gage. “I don’t think I pissed anyone off. So why would someone do this?”
He blinked innocently, dark lashes around his dark, wide eyes. Bullshit. It was all bullshit because I suddenly didn’t believe he had no clue what was going on. Until his next words.
“We should tell the police,” he said with a nod.
“What?”
“The police,” he said again. “I mean, this isn’t good. If someone did it on purpose…” He shrugged and looked concerned. “Well, you don’t want anything else to happen. You should report it.”
I scratched my jaw, feeling more than a day’s worth of stubble there. I really needed to focus. To get my shit together. But it was hard when something kept happening around every turn.
“I guess,” I told him. “That would probably be best.”
“I agree.” He stepped a little closer and then gently touched my arm. It shouldn’t have reminded me of my dream last night, but it did. “Are you okay?”
“Pissed as hell,” I said, then allowed for a small smile. “But okay.”
“I’d be pissed, too. The police station is just down the street, across from the medical center I took you to.” He glanced to my car and then lifted his eyebrows. “I guess I’ll be driving.”
I nodded and gave a short laugh. Yeah, I wasn’t going anywhere in that car. But I was still going to make good on my promise to leave, even if I had to get Dylan to drive me to the next town over. Or take a bus.
“Thanks,” I said, hopping in next to Gage in his car.
It still smelled like him. Like pine trees and spice. And also a little like secrets.
Gage turned to me before starting the car. “Are you feeling better?”
I glanced over. “What?”
“From before. At the hotel. You seemed…off.” When I didn’t answer, he shrugged and started the car. “That’s why I came. To check on you like I said I would.”
“Oh. Right. No, I’m fine. Still pissed, but fine.”
“Good.” He put his arm along the back of my seat as he pulled out.
He smelled like a dream, and I could feel the warmth of his arm behind me. Fuck. Instead of having a nice dinner or going out with a sexy guy, I was heading to the police station. Life just didn’t get any better than this.
Then Gage shifted to a higher gear and cruised down Main Street without a hint of slowing.
My hand automatically went to my pocket, where I’d shoved the necklace Savannah had given me. “Where did you say the police station was?”
He gestured vaguely behind us. “It’s back that way.”
“But you said—”
“Relax.” He flashed a grin I saw right through. “I have something I want to show you.”
“Not interested,” I said through gritted teeth. I actually searched for the flames inside of me, but they didn’t seem to be there. “I’d like to go to the police station.”
His laughter unsettled me. “You’re in that big of a rush to report something that they probably can’t figure out anyway?”
“No, you can just take me back to the motel.”
“That shithole? I’m surprised you didn’t stay at the Knob Creek Hotel. Or maybe…you want something even better?”
What the hell was he talking about? I snuck my hand into the side pouch of my satchel. My phone was in there. That would do me a lot more good than a necklace.
“When I got here, I wasn’t planning on staying long,” I explained to him.
I’d keep him talking and maybe he wouldn’t notice I was actually trying to figure out how to get away from him.
Because Gage was definitely not who I thought he was. He wasn’t taking me to see something.
He was kidnapping me.
“That’s not what you told me,” Gage said, his voice still calm. He glanced over. “You said you were staying for a while.”
“Like I said, it was just when I got here. I wasn’t planning on staying long. And then I changed my mind.”
He nodded reasonably, but his mouth pressed into a firm line. “What are you doing?”
Before I could even figure out what he was talking about, he reached out faster than I could blink and snatched my satchel from my hands.
I opened my mouth to protest, but he shook his head.
“I told you, Link,” he said, using my nickname. “I have something to show you.”
“And I said I wasn’t interested.” The steel in my tone made him glance over. “I need you to take me back.”
He considered this, his head angled. I thought for a moment he was going to listen to me. Maybe he knew about the flames inside, knew that if I felt too out of control, I could set him on fire. But then he made a turn and drove us away from the main part of town and the busy streets.
Away from anyone else.
“Gage,” I said reasonably. “Tell me where we’re going.”
“Patience,” he answered.
“Give me my phone.”
He only shoved my satchel in between him and the door.
Fuck. What was I supposed to do? Dylan and Grace and even ghostly Savannah had been right. Gage was the bad guy. And now I was stuck in a car with a vampire whose reflexes were far faster than mine.
He was probably far stronger, too.
Outside the door, the houses grew farther and farther apart. Aspen trees and pines lined the side of the road, which tapered down to one lane both ways.
I had no clue where we were going—and for one wild moment, I thought he might be driving me out of town himself.
“Are we leaving?” I asked.
“Leaving what?”
“Town.”
He shook his head. “Why would we want to do that?”
Oh, shit. If we weren’t leaving town, how was I supposed to get out of here? I had to get out of this car.
“I need you to pull over,” I told him firmly, and then pulled the lamest card I could think of. But it was all I could think of. “I’m going to be sick.”
He glanced ove
r swiftly. “You don’t look sick.”
“You’ll change your mind when there’s vomit all over your floor.”
I swore he grimaced, but after a moment, he slowed the car. I searched my mind for a quick plan. Run? Go for my satchel so I’d have my phone? I couldn’t even find anything to use for a weapon. I didn’t even have my trusty metal flashlight.
Tires crunched on gravel when he pulled us to the side of the road. I reached automatically for the door handle, only to find it locked.
Gage rolled down the window, letting in air. “Better?”
I shook my head and then tried the handle again. Gage opened his side of the car and got out, walking swiftly to my side.
But before he could open the door, I jammed my finger on the lock. He was just as fast, pressing the button on his keys and ripping open the door.
“Get the hell away from me,” I started, but he was already reaching in to haul me out.
He pressed me up against the car, confirming exactly what I thought about his superhuman strength. He was too strong for me to fight.
I swallowed hard, barely able to breathe with him so close.
“Lincoln,” he said calmly. Almost softly.
My gaze went to his in a flash, frozen there. His irises were as dark as his pupils, a midnight black stare that was holding me captive.
“You’re going to calm down and come with me. We’re just going for a ride,” he said smoothly. “Everything is going to be fine.”
“It’s going to be fine,” I echoed against my will.
“That’s right,” he said. He loosened his hold on me and moved one hand up to my cheek, rubbing his thumb on my jaw. “I’m not going to hurt you. We’re just going for a ride.”
His thumb brushed my jaw again as the other slid down to my waist. It was comforting in a way. Like he was trying to hold me together. But wasn’t I doing something before that? I wasn’t comfortable, I was…
I blinked. What? I had been going somewhere. Or doing something.
Gage. He was doing something to me. Making my mind blank.
Vampire.
Shit. He was trying to influence me somehow. He really was a vampire.
Before I could change my mind, I hiked my knee up hard, getting him right in the groin. He grunted and doubled over, and I felt a moment of victory—partly because he’d released me and partly because I’d hurt him without using fire.
Then I ran. I crashed through trees, feet crunching on twigs and leaves. I realized belatedly that I probably should have run farther down the road in hopes that a car would come upon me and I could get away.
But then he’d catch me faster. Here, I had trees. I could try to hide.
“Lincoln!” Gage shouted.
I didn’t miss the pain in his voice, but also heard his footsteps, which were far too close for comfort.
A branch scratched my cheek, but I kept going. Mud tried to suck off my shoe, but I hauled it out and then ducked behind a tree.
My heart raced out of control. Shit. Now what?
I glanced around. There were only trees and flat land. Nowhere else to hide. Nowhere else to run to.
When I turned in the other direction, my breath caught.
Gage stood there, only a few feet away, his jaw clenched. “Lincoln.”
“Don’t come any closer.”
I sounded like a bad suspense movie, but right now clichés felt like the only thing I was capable of.
“I just need your help with something,” he said. “Something simple.”
“I don’t want to help you,” I told him. “I don’t want to have anything to do with you.”
When I stepped back, branches cracked underfoot. Birds flew from a nearby tree, cawing and shrieking in the air.
“Too late,” Gage said easily. “That’s why you’re here. To help with my plan.”
“What are you talking about?”
He spread his hands. “I had to get you here somehow. So I sent a note and you came. You obviously wanted to be here just as much as I needed you here. It’s meant to be.”
“What the fuck?” I asked, my voice rising. “You sent that note?”
He nodded. Before I could back up anymore, he was right against me, chest pressed to mine, his arm around my waist.
“I promise you’ll get your answers.” His lips brushed mine softly before he leaned in, whispering in my ear. “I just need your help first. I need you to come with me.”
My hands clenched on his jacket, the smell of leather and spice surrounding me. And finally, finally, I felt the small flicker of flames inside. The fire was coming to help me.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” I said through clenched teeth.
“I’m not worried about that.” His fingers slid along my spine at the back of my shirt. “In fact, I can help you with your powers.”
The flames stayed low, no matter how hard I tried to make them come out.
I could hear a car back at the road and I shoved against Gage, trying to break free. I had to try.
“You’re more stubborn than I expected,” Gage said, reaching into his pocket.
My heart lurched when he pulled out a cloth. I knew right away what it was and opened my mouth to tell him it wasn’t necessary.
“Gage, don’t. I’ll come with you. I—”
But he was too fast and too strong. He pressed the cloth against my mouth and held the rest of my body in place as I struggled. I felt the flames heating more and more inside, but right when they were at the brink of coming out, my body swayed.
I grew weaker and weaker until I couldn’t even stand on my own.
When I sagged against him, Gage held me up. “See,” he said softly. “That wasn’t so bad.”
And, just as the darkness closed in, I felt him lift me with impossibly strong arms.
I’d come here to get answers and instead I’d found a vampire.
And now I was his.
CHAPTER 9
I woke up laying on a fluffy pillow, so much like home it took me a few moments to realize I was in the enemy’s house.
My heart lurched when I sat up. No, this wasn’t home at all. I had no clue where I was, only who had brought me here.
Gage Alden.
My jaw clenched as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and tried to shake off the dregs of wooziness. What was wrong with this town?
It was full of criminals. Breaking and entering and kidnapping were high on that list.
I rubbed the heel of my hand against my temple, wondering how long I’d been out. Then my head jerked up. Fuck. I was supposed to get out of here. Leave town before the full moon.
From the light coming through the window, I could tell we weren’t too far into the evening yet and I relaxed slightly. I still had until tomorrow to find a way out of this town.
I stood up slowly but the room still spun around me. Damn Gage. Whatever he’d given me had been strong. And it was probably illegal, too.
“It might take some time to fully wear off,” a voice said.
I jerked in a sharp breath when I found Gage sitting on a chair across the room. He had one ankle casually crossed over the opposite knee. Like he’d been there for hours. He rested his hands on the arms of the chair and tapped them lightly on the surface.
“You should sit,” he suggested.
I gripped the bedpost because I couldn’t help it. But I wasn’t giving him the satisfaction of sitting again, especially not when it made me feel more vulnerable.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“Home.”
My gaze did a quick sweep of the room, surprised. “This is your house?”
“Yes.”
When he got up from the chair, I clenched my hand tighter on the bedpost and prepared to fight back. “Stop.”
He did as I asked, stopping several feet from me. He spread his hands. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Too late for that,” I bit out and then gritted my teeth again.
What was
I doing? Trying reason with someone who clearly had no morals? Who was verging on insane?
“Link,” he said, the familiar name rolling off his tongue like honey. “I meant what I said. I just need your help with something. Then…”
What? He was going to let me go? Did kidnappers usually do that?
“Tell me why I’m here.”
He started toward me again, his steps quiet on the hardwood floor. So quiet I wouldn’t be able to tell he was moving if I didn’t see it with my own eyes. I’d noticed before he was stealthy, but this was unreal.
He was a predator, plain and simple.
“How do you do it?” I asked, standing a little straighter.
“Do what?” He took another step.
I gestured to the window. “Go out in the sunlight. It’s got to hurt, right? Or does your kind not follow those rules?”
He smiled slightly. “You’ve done your research.”
“And it’s not helping me worth shit because I have no clue why I’m here.”
He closed the gap between us, so quickly it was a blur. One minute he was several feet away, and the next he was right in front of me, our bodies touching the entire way down. He lifted his hand and traced my jaw with his thumb.
“Gage,” I warned.
“I need you,” he said, voice just as low. His eyes locked on mine, black and fathomless, making my world spin again.
“Why?”
“To help me become who I’m meant to be.”
A vampire. That was what he meant. But his eyes, his touch, his breath, it was distracting me. I couldn’t focus, only be drawn in by him.
“I need your help,” Gage continued. Then his lips brushed my cheek, my jaw, and swept my lips. “Once you see how much power you’ll have at your fingertips, you’ll understand.”
His lips closed over mine, more possessive this time. Gentle enough to be an invitation and full of enough heat my body nearly caught on fire. He traced my upper lip with his tongue before he changed the angle, reclining me back as though I was no more than air. His fingers skimmed under my shirt and made my abdomen quiver.
I couldn’t do anything but grip his arms and try not to fall.
His fingers continued moving, one sliding up my spine under my shirt and the other dipping just inside the lip of my jeans.