Page 50 of The Omega's Bloodline: Part One

I nodded.

How close did it get?

“Too close.”

We drove in uncomfortable silence for another hour. It took that long for us all to settle. My body still tingled from the panic and I couldn’t forget the way Seth had looked at me. Forbidden ideas crept through my head.

I shouldn’t want both.

But I did.

I forced down a shiver at the thought of them, one pressed to my back and the other to my chest. I squirmed in my seat. They were so much nicer to think about than a monster wanting to kill us.

Caden’s knuckles turned white on the steering wheel and Seth let out a low whine in the back seat.

“Sorry,” I whispered, embarrassment turning my cheeks hot. “I got scared.”

“Did you pick up a new perfume somewhere?” Caden asked.

“No. Why?”

“You smell different. It’s nice. I’m just not sure where it came from.”

“Oh. I dunno.”

Caden reached out and took my hand in his. It was a comfort even if it made me think about that hand wrapped around my throat. That would be way more fun than running for our lives. At least if we were running west we would hit long flat stretchesthat would let us get a lot more distance between us and that creature.

Lo, can I sit with you?

I turned to the back seat, where Seth was sitting in his smallest form, looking at me with saucer eyes. I absolutely shouldn’t let him while I was riled up, but I nodded anyway. He slunk through the seats and sat his little booty on my lap. Caden glared at him but Seth blinked innocently and curled into a ball. His tiny feet made biscuits on my stomach when I petted his soft fur.

Why were cats so damn relaxing? I’d used Caden in the same way before, each stroke like a calming mantra that chilled us both out. Having Seth in his house cat form also helped temper my recalcitrant lust.

We zipped down I-79 through West Virginia, hauling ass toward Kentucky. We were about five hours from Lexington and thankfully I’d peed before we left because I knew none of us wanted to stop too soon.

“I vote we drive as far as we possibly can. Switch off every few hours, stop for food and bathrooms, regroup, and have a proper overnight.” Caden’s hands were locked in a death grip around the steering wheel. “It took that thing about a day to get to us. If we drive through the night, that should give us at least a few days of reprieve to figure shit out.”

“I’m cool with that.” I checked out the map on my phone. “It looks like after a solid day of driving we’ll end up around Denver, Albuquerque, or Bismarck, depending on where we branch off on the way.”

“My personal vote is the Denver route,” said Caden. “If we have to go farther I know there’s a permanent nest near Portland if we get desperate. Once we get past Salt Lake City, we can blast up I-84 all the way there.”

Plus, trees. Seth thought, perking up his head.I’d rather keep Lo near forests if the trees are telling her when that thing is getting close. Speaking of, what the hell was up with that?

“I have no idea. It’s never happened before.”

I wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth if the trees wanted to keep us alive. I gave Seth a deep tummy rub and triggered his air biscuits, his paws curling happily as his purr rumbled. Caden rolled his eyes, but I saw the tiniest upturn at the corner of his mouth.

That spot is mine when we switch off.

I reached over and ran my nails over the back of Caden’s neck, toying with the short hairs until he relaxed under my fingertips. Touching them both relaxed me far more than the distance we were putting between us and the hunter. I wanted to fall asleep with one on each side, caged and protected. But I didn’t want Caden to be uncomfortable.

The further we got, the more exhaustion crept in. Caden put the radio on low and I pushed my chair back, letting the sway and gentle rumble of the vehicle lull me to sleep.

Caden’s hand in my hair woke me and I blinked into the late-afternoon light.

“Where are we?”

Seth yawned and stretched, shaking himself awake.

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