by Dena Christy
It took him a minute to answer. He was still blinking over the Casanova remark. “I think we should leave now. It takes thirty-seven hours to get to Swift Current by car. We’d be crazy to try to drive straight through so we’ll need a couple of days just to get out of Ontario. I figure we can make Sudbury by tonight.”
“Why are we going by car? It would be faster to fly.”
“I don’t like flying. Besides if we are going to convince Horn we’re mated we need to spend some time together. We have to be comfortable with each other if our charade is to be believable.”
“That makes sense,” she said with a nod. So glad you agree, Princess. Still smarting that she apparently wasn’t pining for his body, Eric watched her walk across the room. She turned back to him once more. “Give me five minutes to shower and get dressed.”
Eric wandered around her living room for several minutes, not knowing what to do with his hands. He didn’t want to touch anything, so he paced the room with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He felt like a wolf confined to a chicken coop. A girly chicken cook, with lot of breakable knickknacks.
At least ten minutes passed with him wearing a hole in the carpet, and she had yet to appear. What’s taking her so long? He thought he’d better check her progress and tell her to get a move on.
The door to her bedroom was ajar, and when he stepped over the threshold he forgot how to breathe. Her back faced him, and she was in the process of pulling on a pair of jeans. His mouth went dry as he watched the denim slide up her long, smooth legs and over her full bottom, which was covered by a thong so minuscule it hardly qualified as underwear. He heard a faint whimper and was pretty sure it came from him.
“You can have it anytime you want, honey. I won’t even make you beg for it,” she said, her back still to him. There was a teasing note in her voice so he knew not to take her seriously.
“No thanks. I don’t want it,” he lied. The sandpaper croak coming out of his mouth hinted at it. If she turned around she’d see the unmistakable evidence confirming it. He so wanted her right now.
“Give me a break.” She pulled a shirt over her head and turned toward him. “The sexual vibes coming off you are enough to charge my powers for weeks.”
She winked at him as she fastened a thin gold chain around her waist. It was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen, that simple piece of jewelry clasped around her middle. It took him a several seconds to realize she was teasing him again.
He looked up at her, and saw the impish smile on her face. She knew exactly what she was doing to him, and having a good time with it.
“Are you making fun of me?” He couldn’t quite believe she would attempt such a thing. No one teased him, and no one ever laughed at him. She had guts, he’d say that much for her.
She came over to him and put her hand on his arm. “Eric, you need to lighten up. This trip is going to take a lot longer if you’re going to brood your way through it.”
“Brooding is what I do best.” He hid his grin as he reached down for her bag. Although he didn’t know how he could tease her when it was distinctly uncomfortable standing there in front of her. Must be the lack of blood in his brain.
“Was that a joke from the big bad wolf?” she asked, her tone filled with mock amazement.
“Don’t get used to it.” He grabbed her bag and left the room, not even turning to see if she followed.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” she said from behind him, and he realized he’d just learned something about her. She had to have the last word. This time he let her have it.
“I THOUGHT we talked about this whole brooding thing you’ve got going? I know you think it’s sexy and makes all the women around you hot for your body, but trust me it gets boring fast. Especially on a long car ride.”
“We aren’t exactly going on a pleasure trip, you know.” Eric reached out with one hand to remove her bare feet from the dashboard of the SUV. For the past hour she’d fidgeted and he could see her restlessness increasing by the minute. Her body wasn’t the only thing that wouldn’t stop; for the past hour she’d been flapping her lips, trying to get a rise out of him. He seriously doubted the wisdom of traveling with her in a car for three days. Suffering through a few hours on a plane started to seem worth it. She’d be lucky if she didn’t arrive at the compound gagged in the back of the truck. He knew he’d have to stop soon, just so she could get rid of some of her nervous energy, and maybe give her jaw a rest. “Are you always this restless?”
“No, not usually. I get restless when I’ve been exposed to too much lust and attraction,” she said as she turned her head and wiggled her eyebrows at him. “After a while I’m like a little kid on a sugar high. Can we stop soon? It would help if I could get out of the truck and stretch my legs.”
“We’ll be stopping for something to eat shortly. You do eat, don’t you?”
“Yes, I eat.” Her tone implied that she couldn’t believe he’d asked her something like that.
“How am I supposed to know? I’ve never met a succubus before. I thought your kind took emotions from people’s dreams to survive.”
“We do feed off emotions to charge our powers, although they don’t necessarily have to come from dreams. That myth came about when men in medieval times thought we were out to steal their man juice while they were sleeping. Technically I’m only half succubus since my father was human, so I do need food to fuel my body.”
Eric could hear the bitterness in her tone and wondered if being half human bothered her. He didn’t ask her about it. He didn’t want to get drawn any further into her life than he had to.
The silence filled the car for several moments. Eric relaxed back in his seat, enjoying it. This was the first time she’d shut her mouth for the past hour and he was going to savor it. It didn’t last.
“Can I ask you a question?” She plopped her feet back on the dashboard, and this time Eric didn’t bother moving them. She didn’t seem to get the point that he didn’t want them up there so he gave up.
“What do you want to know?” He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. He wasn’t sure what she wanted from him, but it’d been a long time since he’d talked this much to anyone. If he wasn’t careful he might get used to it and do something stupid. Like confide in her.
“Why did you leave your pack?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” He should’ve known that’s what she wanted to talk about. It didn’t matter what species a female was, they wanted to talk about feelings and crap like that. They couldn’t talk about hockey or cars. No, she wanted him to spill his guts about his painful past. Not going to happen.
“I feel a lot of anger coming off you. Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”
“I’m angry because you won’t let the subject drop and respect my privacy. Don’t think because we are on a long trip together that we’re going to become BFFs and I’m going to start crying on your shoulder like I have lady parts. Why don’t we get something to eat and forget about turning this road trip into a chick flick?”
“Fine.” Samara folded her arms in front of her chest and turned toward the window.
Silence. Finally. She probably thought she was punishing him by not talking. She gave him the silent treatment right up until he turned off the highway and into the parking lot of a diner, which looked to have seen better days.
“We aren’t eating here, are we?” Samara asked, her nose crinkling. “I wouldn’t kill anyone in that place, let alone eat there.”
“If you see anywhere else we can eat, we can go there.”
“There’s nothing else around here. Can’t we keep driving until we find someplace a little more respectable?”
“I’m hungry now, but you are more than welcome to wait in the car if this place doesn’t suit you, Princess.” Eric got out of the truck. He wasn’t surprised to see her do the same. He knew she would. The option of sitting in the car wouldn’t appeal to her, because then she couldn’t nag him for hours on en
d, which was why he’d suggested it. She wasn’t the only one who could manipulate a situation.
They made their way to the diner, and Eric held open the door so she could precede him. He looked around, relieved to see that although the place looked like a dump on the outside, it was clean and well cared for on the inside. The aroma of French fries hit him and his stomach rumbled.
He led her over to a booth, and they sat across from each other as they perused the laminated menu card propped up against the sugar dispenser. The waitress came by after a few minutes and when she left with their order, Eric looked around the diner and noticed every man in the room was watching Samara. He clenched his teeth and tried to resist the urge to hustle her out the door. He must have been glaring at her because she looked up at him with a puzzled expression on her face.
“What is it now?” she asked, heaving a sigh.
“You can turn off the succubus charm any time now.” The muscles in his jaw turned to iron as he ground his back teeth together. He didn’t like other men looking at her, and couldn’t explain why, at least not to his satisfaction. She didn’t belong to him, but the thought of other men interested in her was intolerable. He didn’t want to want her, but didn’t want anyone else to either. How screwed up was that?
“What are you talking about?”
“Every man in here is staring at you, and I don’t really want to have to fight my way out of here, thanks. Knock it off.” Yeah, that’s it. You don’t want to fight anyone. He stoutly ignored the voice in his head, the one telling him that it had never bothered him to get in a fight before, just for the hell of it.
“Oh that. It happens all the time. I don’t do anything to get this reaction. It’s all part of being a succubus. Don’t worry about it, there won’t be a fight. Half of them will think I’m out of their league, and the other half will think I’m with you. And with the way you’re looking right now, all broody and scowling, they won’t want to mess with you.”
“I’m not scowling,” Eric muttered, trying to ease the tension in his face. Could he help it if his natural expression might be construed as a scowl?
“Face it, Eric. You scowl. But don’t worry about it. It makes me hot.” She gave him a look of smoldering sexuality. Eric heard the indrawn breath of several men in their vicinity, even as his own body temperature went up several notches.
“Enough. Let’s concentrate on getting through our meal without giving our audience a show.” Eric shifted in his seat. Damn jeans had gotten a lot tighter in the crotch.
“Fine, I’ll be good. I was only teasing anyway. You should lighten up.” She dropped the sex pot act and smiled at the waitress when she set the food in front of them.
Eric attacked his burger and fries with gusto. He couldn’t tell if it was because he was so hungry or this was the best burger he’d ever eaten. It was massive and so loaded with condiments, onions and tomatoes that he had to hold it over his plate as he ate to catch the drips coming out of the bottom.
They were halfway through their meal when Eric sat up straight in his seat, the hair rising on the back of his neck as he felt the wolf walk into the diner through the door behind him. He watched Samara slowly put her burger down. Her eyes darted to a point over Eric’s right shoulder, her expression hardening before she looked at Eric. He glanced around, and saw the wolf sitting at the counter, ordering a coffee from the waitress while reaching for the newspaper sitting on the counter beside him. The waitress poured his coffee and he sat there, drinking and reading the paper. Eric turned back to Samara and noticed her eyes had not left the wolf’s turned back.
“Well, I know I don’t know him. Is he a friend of yours?” Eric’s voice came out in a rough growl.
“In a manner of speaking. His name is Gordon Lahey and we have a bit of a history.” She picked up her burger and took another bite. She didn’t appear to be very concerned over the fact that a wolf she had history with had just waltzed into the place they were eating.
“Was he a lover?” He fought to retain his calm at the thought of the other wolf touching her body. Jealousy burned hot in his gut and he pushed his burger aside, unable to eat another bite.
“Hardly,” Samara said after she swallowed her food. “I executed his brother and he hasn’t gotten over it. Vowed to kill me.”
Samara shoved a fry in her mouth, acting as if they were discussing the weather and not the fact that a wolf who wanted to kill her sat no more than three feet away.
“You don’t seem alarmed,” Eric replied, taken aback that she could calmly eat while talking about a threat to her safety. What kind of life did she lead that she could treat a death threat so cavalierly?
“If I had hysterics every time someone threatened to kill me, I’d never leave my apartment. His brother was a useless waste of skin who preyed on young children. His death sentence was deserved, trust me. Gordon needs to get a life.”
“Let’s get out of here.” Eric stood, reaching into his pocket to withdraw enough bills to cover their meal and a hefty tip.
“I’m not done eating.” She made no move to follow his lead, as she sat munching on her french fries.
“I am.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the seat, hustling her toward the door. She yanked her arm out of his grip and glared at him, before stomping out the door and walking over to the truck.
“I think you are being paranoid. Gordon would have done something by now if he were out to get me. Besides, I don’t think his balls are big enough to want to take on both of us.” She got into the truck at the same time he did.
Eric started the engine and put the vehicle into first gear. His eyes were on the rear-view mirror where he could see Gordon exiting the diner and making his way to a blue Lincoln Continental. “Still think I’m paranoid?”
He pulled onto the highway as Samara hastily put on her seat belt. The SUV took off, with the Lincoln not far behind.
“You’d think he wouldn’t want us to know he’s following us,” Samara said as she hung onto the “oh shit” strap hanging above her door. Eric took a sharp right turn off the highway and onto a side road.
“Actually he does. Wolves love the thrill of the chase, and part of the rush is for your prey to feel fear. The only way to do that is to let them see you.” He heard the squeal of tires. His eyes darted to the rear-view mirror again to see the Lincoln turn down the same road, nearly causing an accident as he cut off the car behind him. “Well he certainly is persistent. Let’s see if we can take him on a little tour. Hang on.”
The SUV flew down the road, and Eric made a sharp left turn, causing Samara to slam against her door.
“I’d like to get through this with as few bruises as possible, if you don’t mind,” she said as she rubbed her shoulder.
“Would you rather be bruised or dead? I don’t think this guy is after us because he’s had a change of heart and wants to be your friend.”
“Good point. Although if it wasn’t daylight, and there weren’t so many potential innocent bystanders, I think we could take him.” She gave a quick glance out the back of the SUV. “He’s still with us.”
“I know. It may take a while to lose him, but once we get further into the country we’ll have the advantage of four-wheel drive.”
He proved himself correct once they reached roads made of gravel and dirt. The SUV had better maneuverability than the Lincoln. They soon left their stalker behind, and it was dark when Eric backed down a private drive and killed the engine and lights of the truck.
He waited for several minutes until he finally saw the Lincoln drive by, and waited for several more before he restarted the truck and pulled out onto the road. Eric headed back in the direction they had come.
“I think we’ve gotten rid of him. I’m sure he’ll drive further down the road before he realizes he’s lost us. It should buy us enough time to put some distance between us.”
They traveled for several hours through the early evening. Eric’s eyes never strayed far from the rear-
view mirror, but as far as he could tell they’d left Gordon far behind.
CHAPTER 6
Eric blinked against the sore, gritty feeling in his eyes. He’d driven for several hours on the highway, until he felt convinced that Gordon had been left far behind. Samara slept beside him, and he resisted the temptation to look at her. The last thing they needed was to crash. He fought to keep his eyes on the road and off her. Against the advice of his brain, his eyes shifted to the side. The soft shadows in the truck caressed the curves and valleys of her face. She looked peaceful in sleep and he had a hard time reconciling that image with the acid-tongued witch who tormented him when awake.
They needed to find somewhere to spend the night. Exhaustion sucked the energy from his body, and the adrenaline generated from the car chase had ebbed a while ago, leaving him listless. All he wanted to do was find a bed and fall into it.
A motel appeared in the distance, its vacancy sign glowing like a beacon. He pulled into the parking lot and killed the engine. Reaching over, he gently shook Samara awake.
“Where are we?” Her voice, husky with sleep, sent a charge through him.
“Just outside of Sudbury, at the elegantly named Maple Ridge Motel. Looks a bit dicey but as long as they have hot water and beds, I don’t care. Go into the office and get us a couple of rooms while I check things out here to make sure it’s safe.”
She unfastened her seatbelt and got out of the truck at the same time he did. He stood to the side and watched her walk to the office door. Tense and ready, he stood alert, prepared to spring into action if someone made a grab for her.
Once she was inside the office, he checked the perimeter of the motel. Nothing seemed out of order, and he could sense no other wolves around. Assured they were safe for the time being, he returned to the truck and got their luggage out of the back. He waited for her to join him. She came out through the office door, clutching a single room key in her hand.