Page 22 (1/2)

The silence between us after the s

"I’ this for us, you asshole"

"Let me come with you, then"

I shookI couldn’t think right when I was close to him Our physical chemistry was the kind that caused explosions, and ere both running hot I needed to stay level-headed, and the second he touched e would flicker out and the heat would becoether So ht now I had a point I needed to oing to get her to co into the woods with the whole daree to come Plus, we’ve been here three days and no one has tried to kill me yet I think it stands to reason whoever has it in for ue with that If someone wanted to kill le-eyed sniper in the oak trees was all it would take Hell, if Callum was involved, he could have made any number of unfortunate accidents happen Instead he welcomed me into his pack and askedYou once said you would do anything for the pack Let then our pack"

"Say that again"

"Say what?"

"The last part"

"Our pack?"

Lucas let out a breath I hadn’t realized he was holding in "You really are doing this for us, aren’t you?"

"I’ swamp for fun"

"Can I convince you to take Jackson?"

I shook my head "No But I promise you I’ll be safe" I obviously couldn’t tell hiuard with me because he would shit bricks and die if I announced I’d been hiding Holden in a crueon coop this whole time

"I’d never have been able to talk you out of it anyway"

"No But if you’re starting to understand that, it ht actually work" I s hi him around "Thank you"

"Just co dresses I’d like to see you wear one of them"

Chapter Twenty-Three

I picked up Holden at the St Francisville city lih fro watched We drove in silence because I was sick of the classic-rock radio station, and there was nothing I felt needed to be said

It took us a little over an hour to get from St Francisville to Maurepas, and the only tie when he not-so-politely reminded me that if he’d been allowed to drive ould be there by now

Night aning and I didn’t feel like teet hway about ten minutes from the es of the swan next to the office said Watch for Gators

A balding ave Holden and lances past us out theto the parking lot where we’d left the Mercedes I’d borrowed fro a ses of a fashion azine The desk clerk appeared to trust us about as far as his twig-thin ar?"

"Just for the day We’ve had a long drive and we’re hoping to get some sleep before we ht want to go into the swaawked at uided tour of the seven levels of Hell but handed me a crumpled pamphlet that had been crudely ht the excla too hard

"’At’s Arnie’s tour Ain’t ot a boat an’ he’s a dead eye if you run into any gators"

"Well, that’s a proreat, thank you" I slipped the paht"

Grabbing Holden by the ared him from the office, but not before he said, "Can’t keep her off me"

In the room I found the phone had no dial tone

"It’s like we’ve sturu the handset down in frustration

"Yeah, unsuspecting couple alone in a motel run into vampires and…oh wait We’re the vampires"

"Have you ever seen a horror et motel next to the swae creatures or inbredbed The headboard had one of those Magic Fingers vibrating features, but I didn’t think the bed could handle anything so forceful without collapsing

"I’ll take the mutants," Holden said with a chuckle "I bet their blood tastes great"