Page 21 of Bloodline Unbound

The hot water was a welcome relief. It washed away sweat and worries in equal measure. I took my time scrubbing down since I had no idea when we’d have to run and what the amenities would be like in the next location. Might as well take advantage of luxuries while we had them.

My thoughts bounced around like a shaken box of Ping-Pong balls. Caden was the perfect distraction from the darker ones—the thing hunting us and the woman outside only I could see—but he didn’t help distract in the slightest from the concerning rise in tingles that came when Seth slipped into my thoughts too.

Fucking dream.

It wasn't my fault they look so similar. How was I supposed to look at Seth and not feel anything when looking at Caden turned me into a puddle? I liked Seth’s snappiness and wit. The only thing I didn’t like was that he’d apparently hurt Caden and I didn’t know what was involved or how bad it had been. I should have felt a lot guiltier than I did, but it wasn’t like I was planning to walk out there and ravage Seth on the breakfast table.

Need buzzed over my skin.

If my body could cooperate and calm down, that would be great. Fear kink really fucked a girl up sometimes. Caden found out the fun way what horror movies do to me, and now I guess we’re basically living in one. I sighed. It was going to be a long road trip if this kept up. Caden would reap all the benefits of my being a horny mess, which was a lot of fun for me, but running for our lives was really not the time.

I let my forehead rest against the tile, taking a second to breathe before finishing up. Not eager to face either of them, I lingered in the bathroom, combing my damp hair smooth, applying lotion to all the bits I could reach, and brushing my teeth.

I stepped out refreshed, wrapped only in the flannel robe. Seth was at the window in his small form, his fluffy booty sticking out between the curtains. Caden was in the kitchen, brewing some coffee. Pale light peeked around the edge of the curtains.

“It’s morning?” I asked.

“Barely,” Caden replied.

Lo, is she still outside?

I wandered over to where Seth was surveying the outside world. I pulled the fabric back an inch and looked out to the woods. The woman was still there. Was she waiting? For what?

“I think I should go talk to her.”

“No.”

No.

Both protests sounded simultaneously.

I rolled my eyes and bent down to dig through the tote bags I’d brought. While I had no idea of the effectiveness of any of my tools, I pulled out a tiger’s eye pendant with a protective sigil carved into it, and I looped it over my neck. I got dressed in my leggings, tank top, and sweater and pulled on my shoes.

“You’re not going out there.” Caden stood between me and the door. “You’re the one who told me the rules of these mountains. Don’t look in the trees. If you hear something, no you didn’t. If you see something, no you didn’t. Why would you ignore that now?”

“I don’t know. I feel like I need to go. Besides, if she’s dangerous, why isn’t she trying to get inside?”

“Maybe because she’s waiting for someone to be reckless enough to go outside?”

“Can you please let me try?” I set a hand on his chest and he softened despite his hesitancy. “I’ll let you know if she starts moving. I want to find out what she wants.”

He growled low and huffed. “Fine, but I’m coming with you.”

“More than fair.”

He followed me outside and Seth trotted along after us, still in his small form. The chill from overnight lingered, but the birds were already singing and the ground was slick with dew. It was reassuring that the forest seemed alive compared to the freaky silence from last night.

The woman didn’t move from her spot and her expression seemed almost relieved to see us. We paused a fairly safe distance away. She was fuzzy and translucent, with straight brown hair that fell to her waist over a white peasant top and bell-bottom jeans. She didn’t feel malevolent to me. My unease was probably a normal human response to something weird.

“Hey,” I said, for lack of anything better. “Are you just out here being spooky or do you need help?”

She tried to speak, but when no sound came out, she held up two fingers.

“Okay, you need help.”

She nodded.

“Is it something I can help with?”

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