His brown eyes catch mine as soon as he hears the door shut behind us, and a look of genuine relief spreads across his face. “You’re back,” he says, untensing a little. “I was starting to get worried. You guys were gone a long time.”
“So was I,” Hunter, the vampire shifter, echoes from his seat at the kitchen table. He looks distressed and weary, his fiery hair tousled and his blue eyes bloodshot. He hasn’t been sleeping well the past couple nights, that much I know. The truth is I haven’t been sleeping well, either. Ever since we arrived at the hotel I’ve found myself waking up during the night, unspeakable nightmares flying through my head -- what if something happened to them, to any of them? What if Hawthorne realises just how close my relationship with them has actually become? What if…? Each time I lie there in silence, trying to tell myself to breathe. That it was just a dream, as I listen to the comforting sounds of the guys around me.
But Hunter has been restless, too, for reasons I don’t know. He’s been thrashing in his sleep, murmuring things to himself, getting up to go for long walks outside the motel. I’m aware that he hasn’t had the easiest go of it -- not only is his father on the school board, but it took him until just a few days ago to even learn how to shapeshift. I make a mental note to ask him how he’s doing as his sapphire eyes meet mine for an instant, something complicated flashing across his face too quickly for me to identify it.
I glance over at the wolf shifter, Shade, who is sitting on the kitchen counter and examining his fingernails. His overgrown blond hair is wild from sleep, and he is more stunning each time I look at him. I feel my stomach turn over when he abruptly looks up, raising an eyebrow at me almost imperceptibly, the corner of his mouth twitching in a knowing smirk. Damn him. In spite of his attitude and constant teasing, he’s been here for me more than I could have ever expected over the past few days -- in more ways than one. A chill runs up my spine as I remember the feeling of his skin on mine on that rooftop, the night air whipping at our hair as we pressed desperately against each other, our lips locked. “I wasn’t,” he quips. “Boots and Thyme can handle themselves.”
“‘Boots and Thyme’,” Landon repeats, grinning. “Sounds like the name of a detective and her sidekick.”
“Who said you were the sidekick?” I tease back, giving him a gentle nudge with my elbow. “I’m not nearly competent enough to be the detective.”
“Oh?” The siren shifter raises his eyebrows, crossing his arms over his chest. “That’s funny, because I could have sworn you were the most competent person I knew. The stunning good looks don’t hurt, either.” As joking as his tone is, I can’t help but flush a little at the praise. A surge of powerful emotion suddenly wells up in me, and for a moment I’m brought back to a few nights ago, when we were trapped in our room at the Boston school. That, I think, was when I realised just how deep my feelings go for all of these guys, and it’s a revelation I’m still reeling from days later. Part of me feels like I’ve forgotten how to conduct myself like a normal person in the aftermath. Do they realise what kind of effect they have on me?
“If you’re done flirting with Boots right in front of me,” Hunter speaks up, his voice sounding both strained and sharp, “we could stand to figure out our next move.”
“Hey, take it easy, Ash,” Landon retorts, putting his hands up. “I’m just having a little fun. We could use some levity now, right?”
I watch the vampire shifter press his lips together, his eyes flashing red for a split second -- almost too quickly for me to catch it. Landon’s ribbing only serves to make him more tense, and a heavy silence follows that makes my stomach drop. It’s fine, I tell myself. It’s normal. We’ve been cooped up here for days -- everyone is stressed. One look at Hunter’s steely expression, though, and I’m not sure I totally believe it.
Ruby clears her throat. “Any trouble on the way to the store?” she asks, moving to help Landon and I unpack the groceries.
I swallow. “We ran into someone on our way back.”
“More like, they ran into us,” Landon adds.
“Who was it?” Shade asks, a slight crack appearing in his unflappable exterior.
“I don’t know,” I reply. “She wasn’t wearing an Academy uniform. She was human, though, and she knew about shifters.”
“Shit,” mutters Hazel, running a hand through her honey-coloured hair. “They’re getting closer, aren’t they?”
“It could just be a coincidence,” Xander offers, although he seems doubtful. “Maybe just a holdover from the convention?”
“In this part of town?” Hazel asks him incredulously. “They must have seen us around, or…” Her eyes go wide. “Unless they have a witch tracking us.”
“Do you think they do?” Ruby asks.
“If I find out they planted a tracking charm on us while we were back at the school,” Shade begins, shaking his head.
“Look,” Silas says, “it doesn’t matter. Humans are after us, and they’re getting closer. We need to move.”
“Move?” asks Shade. “Move where? Last time I checked, we don’t exactly have infinite resources.”
“I don’t know,” the dragon shifter admits, “but we can’t stay here. We need to find somewhere we can lay low until we’re ready to take on Hawthorne.”
“Take on?” asks Hazel. “I don’t remember volunteering to take him on!”
I sigh. “We might not have a choice. We can’t just hide from the Academy forever.”
“Why not?” Shade asks. “That suits me just fine.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Hunter mutters dryly.
Shade rounds on him, looking like he’s going to say something, but then he shuts his mouth.
“Look, like it or not, this fight has gotten bigger than any of us,” I say, feeling I have to motivate them somehow. “And until we can find a way of stopping these experiments, we’ll never be able to go back to the Academy.” There’s a long pause, and I take a shaky breath. “We might never be able to go back there.”
“Which means we need to find somewhere else,” Xander finishes, sighing. “I get it.”
“Where, then?” asks Hunter. “I’m open to suggestions.”
“Out of Boston,” I reply, crossing my arms as the others look at me. “Preferably out of the United States altogether.” My cell phone feels suddenly heavy in my pocket, and I bite the inside of my lip to keep from saying something rash. Too dangerous, I tell myself. Too many unknowns.
“We’re not far from the airport,” Silas says, glancing at the TV once more. Tomorrow we can walk there, get a flight back to the U.K., and find somewhere to figure out our next move.”
The others glance at one another, no one else speaking until Hazel finally gives a firm nod. “That’s good enough for me.”
That issue seemingly settled, the group disperses, ready to turn in for the night now that everyone is safely back at the motel. I watch as Hazel, Xander, and Ruby file out of our suite and into their own, leaving me standing there with the guys’ eyes on me. I feel unexpectedly put on the spot, and blush a little, ducking my head and turning away from the others. “I, ah… I’m pretty tired,” I announce. “I think I’m going to lie down for a bit.”