Time seemed to stand still. Mitchell wasn’t sure how long he stood staring at the empty space. He hadn’t heard Luke and Lola leave, and he wasn’t prepared for the sudden sound in his ear.
“Dad?” Eric said, and Mitchell rocketed up, startled.
“What is it, Eric?” he huffed, when he got the rush of adrenaline under control.
“Do you think they’ll be okay?”
Mitchell put an arm around Eric’s shoulder and ruffled his hair. “They’ll be fine,” he said, praying it was true.
CHAPTER 27
Clouds rolled in, coating the blue sky with dirty wool, and the gusting wind shrieked against the joints of the car. Amelia gripped the steering wheel tighter, fighting to keep the Jeep on the road.
The first fat drops of rain splattered on the windshield, and she fiddled with the levers, trying to figure out which one turned on the wipers.
“Millie, what was that spell?” Megan’s voice trembled with the question. She was looking straight ahead, her eyes fixed on the vanity mirror, tracing the lines of where Eric’s name used to be.
“It won’t last long. Two or three days tops,” Amelia answered, because in all honesty, she didn’t really know anything more. The words had just come to her. But even now, she could feel the magic fading and spurts of Mitchell’s thoughts filtered into her. “But it’ll give us time to figure this out.”
“They’ll be okay, right?” Megan asked. “They’ll figure out the plan?”
Amelia sighed. “They’ll be fine, Meg. Besides, they’re the ones who set up the cover to get us out.”
Shadows covered the gravel road like skeletal fingers reaching out at the car. The sun had completely set, and the storm masked any stitch of moonlight from lighting their way. Amelia pulled the Jeep to a stop under the big oak tree at Bayview Park. She turned off the engine and peered through the side window, looking for any sign of movement.
This was a mistake, her mind chanted over and over. But even though she knew how stupid this was, she also knew she didn’t have a choice. Not really.
The rumble of a diesel engine caught Amelia’s attention, and bright white headlights cut through the fog and rain behind them as an oversized pickup truck splashed through the mud and puddles on the road. Amelia turned towards Megan and she tried to hide her growing anxiety as she asked, “Are you sure about this, Meg?”
After what felt like hours, Megan said, “Yeah.” She looked a bit green and rubbed at her neck where her mark had been. “You’ll like Cole.” She tried to smile, but it fell flat.
Amelia opened her mouth to respond, but suddenly her car door, which she had been leaning on, ripped open, and she tumbled out into a strong pair of arms. Cold droplets of rain splashed on her forehead and she squealed.
Megan’s arm shot out, and a throaty chuckle brushed against Amelia’s ear as she tried to pull Amelia upright. A solid chest pushed against her back as she was propped back up onto the seat.
Megan grinned, looking past Amelia. “Hey, Josh,” she said, and her eyes shifted back and forth, searching. “Where’s Cole?”
“Busy,” a deep, gravelly voice grunted.
Amelia’s heart was racing, and her back broke out in sweat. She struggled to turn around to see the man that still had his body pressed against hers in a way that suggested he was interested in more than just ensuring she wouldn’t fall again. But before she could swing herself around, a warm hand grabbed her forearm, yanking it behind her, and icy metal snapped around her wrist.
“What the hell are you doing?” Amelia screeched and tried to wrench her arm free, but a clear warning look from Megan made her freeze in mid-struggle.
He wrenched her other arm behind her and click her other wrist into a set of handcuffs before tossing a pair to Megan. “Put them on, Megs.”
“Are you kidding me?” Megan held the handcuffs by a finger, letting them dangle, the metal clanking together. “What the hell, Josh?”
“Boss’s orders. You’re not his favorite anymore.”
Amelia managed to swivel just enough to get a glimpse of him from the corner of her eye, and she forced her lips to curve into a soft smile. “You realize that we can take you out with the cuffs on, right?” She arched an eyebrow with the question.
His hot breath puffed against her cheek with his laugh. “Doubt that, sweetheart. I’m not like the other hunters.”
Amelia gasped. His face and neck shuddered, and she could feel the rest of him quake. His eyes began to glow an unnatural yellow-green, and his muscles that pressed against her back shifted under his skin and hardened.
A wave of spine-prickling panic hit Amelia. Raw energy pulsated from him, an energy that she had never felt before. It was strong and pure and raw, and she hated to admit it, but it was intoxicating. Her eyelids dropped, a ragged breath escaped her mouth, and she leaned against him, pushing herself as close as she could towards the power. She glanced up, pressing her head against his chest and looked into his terrifying, and yet enchanting, eyes and whispered, “Whatever, I just want to get out of here.”
Megan moaned and leaned across the console. “You smell like…” she licked her lips, “like cotton candy and gum drops.”
“This is just too easy,” he said under his breath and laughed again. His comment resurrected a moment’s clarity in Amelia, but that moment passed when Josh put his arm around her waist and pulled her out of the car and into the rain. “Come on, Megs. Get in the truck and put the cuffs on.”
His hand closed around Amelia’s bicep and he towed her to his waiting truck. “What about my car?” Amelia breathed.
“You won’t need it,” Josh replied, and to her surprise, the response seemed completely logical. And that small voice in her head agreed. Of course, she wouldn’t need it.
Amelia heard Megan’s door open and then slam shut, and then she was picked up and put in the back of the extended cab. He pulled the seat belt over her shoulder, snapped it in place, and then stood back, hesitation etched on his brow.
“Are you okay? I mean comfortable?” A shy smile crept upon his lips and his eyes faded to a soft silver.
Amelia could only nod as she took him in. He had that jaw. It was strong and chiseled in a way that drove her crazy. She licked her lips and tried to reach out to run her fingers along the perfect line, but ended up wincing as the metal dug into her skin. The pain brought on a swift clarity, and before thinking, she flinched away from his outstretched hand that had been about to rest on her cheek. The sweet and shy smile vanished, and he scowled.
“What are you?” Amelia whispered. The cloud that had been pushing away her reason was starting to lift, and her heart began to pump in overtime as his scowl deepened and his silvery eyes narrowed at her question.
“Hey, Josh,” Megan shouted. “Give me a hand.”
He searched Amelia’s face for a long moment. His eyes lingered on her neck, and she didn’t have to ask what he was looking for. He arched an eyebrow. “You killed him?”
“Josh!” Megan yelled again, and with a smirk, he shut Amelia’s door.
Moments later, Megan was in the truck beside her, and as soon as he shut her door, Megan warned in a frantic whisper, “I don’t know what’s going on, but don’t say anything. Just do what he wants until I can speak to Cole.”
“Okay,” Amelia whispered her agreement.
By the numbness of her butt, Amelia wasn’t at all surprised to find that they had been driving for about two hours when they finally reached their destination. Josh hadn’t said much on the drive, but Amelia guessed that was only because they had refused to answer his questions.
Amelia had spent most of the drive looking at the back of Josh’s head, counting the thick black curls and tracing the outline of his broad shoulders with her eyes. Every once in a while, the mouth-watering scent of cotton candy would waft about the cab of the truck. After the first hour, she clued in enough to realize that her infatuation with his hair and his honey-tinted skin had something to do with the scent.
When they pulled up in front of a small log cottage, Josh jumped out and came around to Amelia's side; opening her door and reaching across her to unlock her seat belt. Once it clicked open, he reached around her, cupped her butt, and turned her body so her legs were dangling out the door.
Amelia was just about to jump to the ground when his hands traveled upwards. At first, she had assumed he was going to pick her up, but when they landed on her chest, Amelia squealed and shot back, hitting Megan so hard that Megan’s head banged against the window.
“Josh, what the hell are you doing?” Megan growled as she shouldered Amelia in an attempt to sit her back up. “I swear if you touch her like that again, I’ll break every finger on your hands.”
Josh chuckled. “Just having a little fun, Megs.” He reached back into the truck and enclosed his hands around Amelia’s thighs so tightly that she was sure there would be bruises soon, and he winked at her. “She better get used to it. Cole promised her to me so it’s really none of your business what my hands touch.”
Megan’s temper sparked, and a blast of heat hit Amelia’s back as her steamy energy spiked with her temper. Josh’s eyes started to change, glowing, and the soft candy scent became a bit stronger.
“It’s okay, Meg,” Amelia said in a rush, struggling against the fog that was seeping into her brain. She gave Josh what she hoped was a seductive smile, praying he couldn’t see how much her stomach was turning at the thought of him touching her again. “I’m just a bit jumpy. I wasn’t expecting it.”
Josh chuckled again; the scent receded, and he grabbed onto her thighs and yanked her out of the truck. Amelia stumbled when she hit the ground, her foot catching on a root, and fell into him, leaning against his chest. She felt his hot breath against her ear, and she fought not to squirm away from his touch. His hands traveled from her waist cupping her butt, pulling her tightly against him. His lips brushed across her earlobe as he whispered, “We’re going to have a lot of fun together.”