He hoped he wasn’t already too late.
Chapter Twenty-One
Willow tried not to look at all the deer heads staring at her, but she swore their black eyes followed her every move. Mixed in with the deer were some moose, coyote, and bear heads that were as unnerving. Stuffed birds and fish completed the assortment of dead things watching her.
And then there were the live things gathered around the bar, drinking beer, and staring at her and Declan. “You’d think they’ve never seen people before,” she muttered to Declan.
Standing stiffly beside her, he didn’t respond as a muscle in his jaw twitched, and a vein in his temple became more visible.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Then maybe you should act like it. You’re staring at them like they’re bugs you’re going to squish. It’s not exactly warming their hearts toward us, and they’re helping us.”
Declan didn’t know how to respond, mostly because it was true. A big part of him would happily see their blood splattering the walls as he tore them apart. He’d start with the young fisherman who stood on the other side of the bar in the center of the room but still had his attention focused on Willow.
“Honey, come on over here,” one of the older men said and gestured Willow over with a wave of his sun spotted hand.
Declan almost grabbed Willow back when she stepped away, but he kept himself from acting like a complete asshole in front of these people, and her. The man was in his eighties, had a cane at his side, and possessed the laugh lines of a life well-lived. He wasn’t a threat to Willow.
“Honey,” the old man said when Willow stepped beside him at the bar. “I know you don’t want the advice of an old man, but I’m going to give it to you anyway. You’re a beautiful girl, and you can do better than a man who gets you lost in the woods.”
Willow laughed as she rested her hand on the man’s arm and leaned closer to whisper conspiringly. “How do you know I didn’t get him lost in the woods?”
The man guffawed and placed his other hand over hers. “Oh, honey, I don’t think my heart can handle you.”
“I know it can’t,” she told him with a wink.
Some of Declan’s hostility eased while he watched the exchange. Willow had such an easy way about her when it came to humans. He’d always felt uncomfortable around them, but that was probably because he was fighting not to kill them whenever he was near them.
None of the men were overly inviting when they first walked in the door, but now they were all smiling and laughing while Willow charmed them. That didn’t mean he was going to get any closer to them, but he relaxed enough to settle into an overstuffed, brown leather chair.
To the right of him was a brick fireplace. No fire warmed the hearth, but he could see the charred remains of the last logs tossed in there, and the scent of smoke lingered. The table in front of him held a deck of cards. The scores of an ongoing rummy game marked the scrap of paper next to the cards.
The sun spilling through the windows did little to illuminate the dusty, dim interior. Probably because the dingy yellow curtains covering the windows looked like they hadn’t seen a washing machine since the seventies.
The man behind the bar set a mug of beer in front of Willow. She toasted the old man as Declan stretched his legs before him and folded his hands on his stomach. He wasn’t a big fan of the carcasses on the wall, but he found himself envying these men.
They lived such a simple life, something he’d never known. He was sure they all had their problems. Some were probably going through a divorce, others had sick loved ones, a few might be on the verge of losing their houses, but they knew nothing about the supernatural world and the evil lurking outside their door.
Hell, they had no idea about the evil sitting in their brown, leather chair, and neither did Willow. And if he had anything to say or do about it, none of them would ever know.
Willow took a sip of her beer and turned toward him. She lifted her drink as she smiled and gave a small wave. He smiled in return, and then the old man said something that drew her attention back to him.
Never in his life had he been content to sit and watch another, but he could spend hours, if not days, doing so with her. It took him a few minutes to realize when she smiled, he smiled with her.
That wasn’t normal, but nothing about the way he reacted to Willow was normal. He’d left the country to get away from her, he’d been ready to destroy everything in his way when he learned she was missing, and no woman aroused him as much as she did. He’d been so focused on finding her, making sure she survived, and trying not to give in to his desire for her, that he hadn’t stopped to think that there was something different about the way he reacted to her.
Declan leaned a little forward, but before he could delve too deeply into what it was about her, the father returned to stand in front of him. He’d learned the man’s name was Gus, and right now, Gus had no idea how close Declan was to ripping off his head so he could see Willow again.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“My truck’s up front,” Gus said. “We can head to my house now.”
There was no phone at the camp, probably so these men could avoid their wives, and they all laughed when he asked about using one of their cell phones. The old man flirting with Willow had informed him he had a better chance of receiving a message from a carrier pigeon than getting a cell signal around here. Then one of the other guys offered to catch a pigeon for him. Willow politely declined.
However, Gus had offered to drive them to his place so they could use his phone.
“Thank you,” Declan said as he rose from the chair.
They were setting a fresh beer in front of Willow when he walked over to join her. He rested his hand on the bar beside her and leaned close enough that her shoulder brushed his chest. He was only torturing himself by getting so close again, but he missed the feel of her. Inhaling her floral scent, he smiled as he drew it deep into his lungs.
“Gus is ready to go,” he said.
The old man gave him a scathing look. He was aware they considered him incompetent and a fool for getting lost in the woods; it seemed they’d also decided he wasn’t good enough for Willow. They were wrong about the incompetence, but correct about him not being good enough for her.
“Okay,” Willow said.
“You can’t leave a perfectly good beer behind,” the old man said.
“I’d never dream of it,” she replied with a twinkle in her eyes.
Lifting the mug, she drained the contents in seconds and set the glass on the bar before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. The men all hooted and cheered while the old man banged his cane against the floor.
“Honey,” he said, “if I were fifty years younger, I’d chase you all around this bar.”
“And if I was fifty years older, your heart still couldn’t handle me,” she said and patted his hand.
The man whooped with laughter, and Willow turned toward him. Declan felt like she’d socked him in the gut when those twinkling eyes landed on him. She was aware of her effect on these men, but he doubted she realized how much she affected him.
“Ready?” She prodded Declan when he stood and stared at her like she was some oddity he couldn’t explain.
“Ahh… yeah… yeah, of course.”
The devilish smile she gave him caused a domino reaction in his body that he’d never experienced before. His heart beat faster as he resisted the urge to crush her against him. It had been centuries since he experienced the comfort of another, and he wanted it from her more than he wanted his next breath.
Willow’s smile faded when that awful torment filled Declan’s eyes again. It was the same look he had right before he kissed her. It was as if he couldn’t stand being anywhere near her but couldn’t stay away.
That look caused her heart to ache, and she yearned to wrap her arms around him and hold him close, but she feared it would only make things worse for him. Then
his mouth quirked in a small smile as his eyes returned to hers. For a second, his hand stretched toward her before falling again.
Pretending she hadn’t seen that look in his eyes or his hand coming toward her, Willow smiled and acted like nothing happened. “Let’s go call home. I have to make sure Vicky’s okay, and I’m dying for a shower.”
“First, let me change their memories. I don’t want anyone recalling we were here,” Declan said.
Willow waited by the door while he used his ability to weave new memories into the minds of the people gathered around the bar. The air grew thicker from the power he exuded, and waves of it brushed against her skin while he erased them from their memories.
When he finished, he walked over to join her and held open the door. She walked out the door, and though she wanted to rub against him like a cat, she was careful not to touch him. She couldn’t stand seeing that distressed look in his eyes again.
She spotted Gus sitting in a pickup with a rusted fender, a bumper held on by string, and more dents than a golf ball. Despite looking like a pothole might break it in half, Willow smiled at the truck. It had seen better days twenty years ago, but it was returning her to civilization where she could use a phone to let her family know she was okay and find out about Vicky.
She couldn’t think about what her family was going through right now, but their worry would soon be over. That thought put a little extra spring in her step, and she practically skipped over to the rusted, passenger side door.
When she reached for the handle, Declan grasped it before she could. He opened the door for her and stepped back while she slid inside. Tufts of yellow cushion poked through the black fabric, and a spring poked her in the ass, but she could’ve been sitting on the roof, and it wouldn’t have dampened her good mood. She’d probably be safely back at the compound by morning, and she felt like dancing on the spring because of it.
Willow’s excitement beat against Declan as she tapped her fingers on her legs and grinned at him when he climbed into the vehicle. He closed the door behind him and turned to examine the fishing poles, tackle boxes, and cooler in the sagging bed of the truck.
“My wife is going to be surprised to meet you two,” Gus said as he shifted the truck into first gear.
“Will she be mad you’re bringing us to your house?” Willow asked.
“Nah, she’s always bringing home strays; I guess it’s my turn.”
Willow laughed and settled back against the seat as he guided the truck down a dirt road about a hundred feet long. The hunting cabin sat in a clearing at the edge of the field, but as they travelled down the road, the woods surrounded them again.
At the end of the road, he turned left onto a narrow country road that wound past large maples, pines, and oaks. As much as she loved the wilderness, she hoped not to spend any time in it for at least another month.
Leaning forward, Gus turned on the radio, and an old George Jones song came on. “Is this okay?” he asked.
“I’ve always liked The Possum,” she said.
“You know who he is?” Declan asked.
She laughed as she rolled her eyes. “Of course I do. I made it a mission to listen to as much music as possible.”
“That’s a good mission,” Gus said.
She shrugged. “I was trying to find out what music my siblings hated the most and use it to torture them. But it had the bonus of introducing me to a lot of music I never would have listened to otherwise, and I fell in love with some of it.”
“I enjoyed torturing my siblings too,” Gus said. “I superglued one of my brothers to the toilet seat.”
Willow laughed. “That must have been fun.”
“It was worth the spanking my dad gave me afterward.”
“I bet it was. How long did it take him to get free?”
“Three hours, and he never kissed my girlfriend again.”
“That taught him.”
“It sure did.”
When Gus turned down another road, a small town came into view. They drove past small brick buildings and people strolling the sidewalks. Many of the people waved and called greetings to Gus.
Declan hadn’t seen a town this small in years.
“Where are we in Vermont?” Declan inquired
“Culver,” Gus replied. “You two sure covered a lot of ground if you came here from Maine. I don’t know how you survived out there.”
“Luck,” Willow said. “We did have supplies with us in the beginning, and we were close to the border of New Hampshire when we started.”
That wasn’t true, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. She still didn’t know how much time it would take for someone to cross through New Hampshire and into Vermont, but it had to be less time than from where they were in Maine.
“How long were you lost out there?” Gus inquired.
“I’m not sure,” Willow said. “What’s today’s date?”
“May twentieth.”
Willow tried to figure out how long it would take for a human to cover the same distance they had, but in the end, she decided to play it safe. “Almost three weeks.”
She was really only in the woods for six days, but it seemed more like three weeks. If her guess was way off, it didn’t matter, they could change Gus’s memories, but she didn’t like the idea of screwing with the mind of the man who was helping them.
Gus let out a low whistle. “You’re lucky.”
“We are.”
She glanced at Declan, whose eyebrows were knit together over the top of his elegant nose as he watched the town like it was a shark about to devour them. The sun played over the elegant planes of his face and brought out the red in his hair.
The set of his full lips indicated irritation, but as she gazed around the quaint town and friendly residents, she didn’t understand what could make him so unhappy. She was thinking about moving here as Gus waved at another woman before making a right-hand turn.
Since joining the Alliance, she’d spent most of her time training at the compound, but once her training was complete, she went out to hunt Savages. Most of the missions were in Boston, and though she enjoyed the vibrant pulse of the city, she’d grown up in the country, and it was where she felt most at home.
When Gus turned onto another street, they passed a series of small, well-maintained, and in some cases, adorable homes. It was still early in the season, but many of the yards had flowers in pots or beds around their trees and porches.
All the yards were so neatly manicured that she would bet all the neighbors started their Saturdays by mowing their yards. This was the type of town where if a neighbor couldn’t take care of their yard for some reason, the whole street volunteered to help them.
Gus pulled into the driveway of a pretty, double-story home with cheery yellow paint and blue shutters. Like most of the other yards, it was recently mowed. A couple of brightly colored pots, full of pansies, led up the three stairs to the front porch and wooden front door with a glass window in the center.
“Home sweet home,” Gus said, and the hinges creaked as he pushed open his door and hopped out. He closed the door behind him.
Declan rested his hand on the door handle but didn’t open it. He’d never been around humans for an extended period. Once he walked into that house, it would be like entering a whole new environment, and he wasn’t sure he could handle it.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“What’s the matter?” Willow asked him.
“I’ve never been around humans before.”
“Of course you have.”
Declan sighed. “Yes, of course I have. I didn’t mean that I’ve never been around them, but I’m not used to being in their dwellings, and isn’t Gus a little too friendly?”
He didn’t get any bad vibes off the guy. Gus was exactly what he appeared to be, a friendly guy looking to help some strangers, but Declan still didn’t like this whole situation.
Willow laughed, and without thinking, she rested her hand on his a
rm. “I realize centuries of being around people has probably jaded you, but most of them are decent. Sure, there are some complete assholes out there, but I truly believe they’re the exception and not the rule. Plus, Gus lives near Canada.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Canadians are always very friendly, or at least that’s what I’ve heard. I’m sure some of their friendliness has seeped across the border.”
“Why are you so comfortable around humans?”
“I grew up around them, went to high school with them, and had some human friends. I went to their sleepovers, and they came over to my house. I’ve lost touch with them over the years; that was inevitable given what I am, but they were a lot of fun.”
“You went to a human high school?”
She chuckled at the disbelieving tone of his voice and bumped her shoulder playfully against his. “I am edumacated.”
He laughed and rested his hand over the top of hers. The motion was so instinctual, he didn’t realize he’d done it until her skin warmed beneath his. When her fingers turned over in his, they brushed his palm, and her heart rate accelerated as her mouth parted on a breath.
When she lifted her gaze to his, he saw the confusion and need there. It was a response he understood as it was the same one he had to her. He leaned closer until his chest brushed against her shoulder, and the scent of her enveloped him. Her eyes held his as her hand slid away from his and fell to his thigh.
His cock swelled until it pressed uncomfortably against his jeans. He shifted to relieve some of the pressure, but it did little good. The only thing that would ease his discomfort was staring at him from eyes so purple they rivaled the most brilliant amethyst.
“I don’t doubt your intelligence,” he murmured as her fingers edged higher on his thigh. “But a vampire in high school seems… odd.”
Bound by Torment (The Alliance Series Book 5) Page 11