Page 18 of Death Trap

“It’s an illusion,” he said. “To make you feel more comfortable.”

“Thanks.” But inside, I was freaking out a bit.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked over his shoulder.

I was unsure about going anywhere with this man, even if he knew a lot about me and shared the angel mark with me. But if I couldn’t remember him, then he was a stranger to me. And I didn’t trust anyone outright anymore.

I’d learned my lesson the hard way with Cole.

“And how are you planning on getting across country quickly?” I asked him. Part of me wondered what other tricks he had up his non-existent sleeves. The other part of me was okay with not knowing.

His stunning smile returned, and my knees weakened.

“We’ll travel my way,” he said.

In two giant steps, he closed the space between us, snatched me by the arm, and brought me in close. I pushed against his chest, trying to protest, but he wrapped his arms firmly around my middle and leapt into the air.

I screamed, latching onto him any way I could. I wrapped my legs around his hips and dug my nails into his arms. Wind rushed around us, throwing my hair into my face and whistling past my ears. When I looked down, the neighborhood was growing smaller and smaller as we gained altitude.

Holy shit. We wereflying.

“What the fuck is going on!” I cried out, my heart climbing into my throat. Nausea spun through me, and I ripped my gaze from the ground below, which was getting farther away by the second.

Was there any way I could die again? Either from pure terror or from Eli dropping me? It sure felt like it was possible.

“Still not a fan of flying?” he asked, peering down at me with those strikingly gorgeous eyes.

“What gave it away?”

Clouds whirled past us, and even though we couldn’t feel them completely, their cold and dampness skimmed across my skin, making me shiver all over. We were so high now and moving so fast, the scenery below was just a blur of shapes and colors.

“No, no, no, no, no.” I closed my eyes and shook my head.

Eli let out a small laugh, like he knew something I didn’t, and that only made my stomach turn even more.

It might be better to concentrate on something other than the earth passing under our feet. My gaze found Eli’s tattoo again. Now, being this close up, I could see it wasn’t the same as mine. Very similar but not exactly the same. There were a few extra lines on the base of the symbol, but the rest of it was a mirror image.

I’d have to make sure I asked him about it once our feet were on the ground again. Along with the dozens of other questions I had for him.

When we actually touched solid earth again—this time in front of Wyatt and Sean’s trailer—I stumbled on my own two feet. Everything swayed for a minute.

Eli grabbed my arm to steady me, and when things finally stopped moving, I said through clenched teeth, “Don’t ever do that to me again.”

“If you insist,” he replied and began to walk toward the darkened trailer. His movements were stiff, almost robotic, and I wondered how long he had been in that glowing ball form. Maybe hundreds of years? It sure looked like walking in human skin was strange to him.

Sean’s car wasn’t in the front yard, so it was safe to assume he wasn’t home at the moment. Maybe at one of his college night classes or out at the bar with friends.

I hurried to Eli’s side. “How did you know this was the place I was talking about?” I had only told him a town name, and Hell knows I was too scared to say much of anything during the flight in, especially give directions.

“I’ve been here before,” he replied plainly.

My mouth opened to tell him just how creepy that was, but then I realized he was referring to the night he had saved my life twice during the fight with Xaver. Not another Peeping Tom situation.

Whatever this guy was, the wards on the trailer should keep him out if he was dangerous—at least, that was what I was telling myself.

When he reached the front door and stood on the welcome mat—the one with the demon trap hidden underneath it—he stopped.

“I can sense the magic here,” he said. “It’s strong.”

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