She wondered how he’d struck the deal with her tribe. Jaden wouldn’t send her to a sorcerer if she cared about her. Duh, Greta. And the story he’d concocted about Jaden betraying him? Way to shine the light away. Gullible. It wasn’t a lesson she’d be forgetting anytime soon. Assuming she survived her birth moon.
She crept to the kitchen, wincing when the hardwood floor creaked beneath her feet. She stopped and held her breath as she waited to see if it would wake him. The house remained silent with only the ticking of the clock over the fireplace mantle breaking the stillness.
“Mrarrr.”
She jumped as Mink padded in, weaving her body between Greta’s legs. “Shhh! Do you want him to wake up and come in here?”
“Mrarrr?”
Greta smiled sadly down at the orange tabby. She’d have to leave Mink behind. Covert ops were clearly lost on the talkative cat.
She rummaged in the fridge until she found a slice of ham and dropped it on the floor, hoping it would shut the cat up. She poured herself a glass of water, gulped down a pill, then slipped the bottle into her pocket and took one last look around.
Tears teased the corners of her eyes. She wished Dayne hadn’t turned out to be evil. She could have imagined living here with him in his quiet cottage in the woods. It felt comfortable, like home.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Her hand had been on the knob. So close. “Nowhere. Outside for some air.”
“The garden is protected; the front stoop is not. You know it’s not safe out there.”
She turned toward him, and her mouth went dry. He was dressed in navy silk lounging pants and no shirt. He had the kind of body college students sketched in art classes everywhere. So warm and beautiful. And he and Greta fit together perfectly, in the carnal way. She wanted to run into his arms. Her knowledge of his betrayal wasn’t enough for a body that still trusted him.
“It’s not safe in here either,” she said after a beat.
Dayne incanted something in Latin, and Greta felt the magic swirl up as the deadbolt turned. She pressed herself against the door as if somehow it would bend to her will and unlock. This was normally when she shifted. The edges of wildness intruded on her senses, but even stronger was her own will pressing back, for once choosing not to change.
“Please,” she whispered as he moved closer. “You don’t have to kill me. Whatever you need my blood for, you can have it. You know that.”
His brows drew together. “What are you talking about?”
She wondered which would be faster, her enhanced strength, or his magic.
He embraced her, then pulled back to look into her eyes. “I’m not going to hurt you. What exactly is going on in that head of yours?”
“Stop lying to me!” She shoved him with all her strength, and he went flying back, confirming her theory that he was only human with a few fancy language upgrades.
He opened his mouth to even the odds, and she flew at him, punching and clawing. With one last burst of energy, Greta slammed his head against the wall. Dayne crumbled to the floor, and the door lock fell open, withdrawing its simple magic now that the spell caster was unconscious.
She ran into the night, her eyes adjusted, and she fought the urge to shift. No fur. No paws. The trees were coming toward her too fast. She’d never run like this on two legs before, but her reflexes came to her rescue, causing her to zigzag through the woods without even a branch snagging her top.
When she’d put a few miles between herself and Dayne, she slowed her pace. Time to strategize. Think. The tribe wouldn’t be looking for her; they’d just expect Dayne had her, keeping her safe until it was time for the sacrifice.
She wasn’t sure how long he’d stay unconscious. She might be able to make it past the border and take shelter with a wizard. Unlike sorcerers, wizards could be trusted. Too bad there weren’t any in Cary Town.
Before, she wouldn’t have considered involving a human; it was too risky. But she’d run out of options. At the main road, she hailed a taxi.
“633 Oak Circle.”
The driver gave her an appreciative once-over. Greta smiled, glad she’d remembered her pill. Though the heat would have to be pretty bad for this guy to inspire her lust. He had a scruffy beard and was wearing flannel, for God’s sake. Mother Nature could only take one so far.
“Here we are,” he said unnecessarily when they pulled up to Charlee’s house.
“Thanks. Could you wait while I go get some money?”
“You tryin’ to stiff me, sweetheart?” His voice held a touch of menace and some darker, violent part of Greta itched to do damage. Instead, she took a breath to steady herself.
“Just. Wait.”
“Fine, but if you aren’t out in five minutes, I’m comin’ after you.”
Greta’s eyes glowed golden, and she hissed. She didn’t have time for this crap.
His hands shot up in surrender. “Take all the time you need, baby.”
Greta knocked for a full two minutes before a bleary-eyed Charlee opened the door, her red curly hair askew.
“What’s wrong?”
“I need money for the cab first.”
Charlee went and got her purse. When the taxi rolled away, she asked again.
“I need you to smuggle me out of the city.”
Confusion marred her friend’s face. “Huh? Just drive away.”
“I can’t. I know this is going to sound weird, but you were on board with the cat thing and the sorcerer thing.”
“Didn’t that work out?” Charlee tied the belt around her bathrobe and led Greta inside.
“It was just a way to keep me in a holding cell, so no one in the tribe against this could warn me or help me escape.”
“So tell me again why you can’t just drive out of the city.”
“You know the toll booths on all the major exit roads?”
Charlee nodded.
“Preternatural border guards.”
“Why not just take the back roads? There aren’t any tolls there.”
“There are wards to keep therians from crossing. The toll roads exist because there are exemptions. And some species can pass at will, like vampires. Therians have to have permission to leave and when they do, they go through the toll roads and present paperwork.”
“Why therians?”
Greta sighed. “I can appreciate your curiosity, but I don’t have time to get into therian politics right now.”
Ten minutes later she was in the trunk, blankets wrapped tightly around her, with an opening in the top to breathe through. The blankets served to dampen her magical signature. With any luck, the guards wouldn’t sense it.
Charlee’s gray Honda Civic rolled to a stop.
The tollbooth guy’s voice rumbled just outside, asking to see ID. Greta tried to remain calm. It could be a routine check. Though she had no idea why the preternatural border patrol would do something so obviously sinister if they weren’t sure they had someone trying to cross the border. If it was a false alarm they’d have to call in a vampire to do a memory wipe, and vamps hated being bothered during their prime hunting hours.
“Charlotte Devlin?” The guard asked.
“Y . . . yes?”
“If you wouldn’t mind, we’d like you to open the trunk.”