Page 29 of Fae Devoted
“I have another idea,” Jo finally said, stepping from his arms. “More of a backup plan for us, really.”
“Us?” His tone returned to a growl. “I never agreed, Jo.”
“Then I’ll go by myself,” she told him with a one-shouldered shrug. Jo placed her hands on the waist-high railing behind her and leaned back. “Texas would be a good place to start my search for your brother.Begin at the beginningis what the King always said.”
“Which king?” He pinched the bridge of his nose; afraid this was a contest of wills he would not win.
“The King of Hearts.” Her expression was a portrait of innocence.
“What is it?” he said, feeling as if he entered his own version of Alice’s Wonderland.
“What’s what?”
“Plan b?” Maybe it was something he could turn to his advantage because at this point, Jo held all the cards. Tucker didn’t doubt for a second the tenacious she-wolf would carry out her threat to locate Jeremiah without him. And he couldn’t take the chance that she would track him down alone—not when his brother might still be connected to a deadly Fae.
“Oh, that. Well, it occurred to me a Mark doesn’t have to be…” Jo glanced away, intensely interested in the potted plant to her right. “It’s not totally necessary for the couple to, um, a male can bite a female…” She huffed and then raised that obstinate—infuriating—bewitching chin high. “You can leave your Mark on me without us having sex.”
Tucker was on her in a snap, his canines erupting from his gums. Fully extended claws gripped the railing behind her, fencing Jo in with his arms, sharp nails piercing the wood and leaving deep indentations.
Her eyes went wide, but hazel met wolf-yellow head on.
“Fuck, no,” he mumbled, mouth distended with fangs. Hunching low, Tucker wedged his nose in the V of her open collar and scraped his teeth along the exposed clavicle. Nipped. A sharp inhale from Jo, and he nipped again, careful not to break the skin. Then he converted his pointed canines to blunt, human-like teeth and removed his clawed fingertips from the now damaged rail.
“Fuck. No,” he repeated, in case she hadn’t understand him the first time.
“But—”
“If I Mark you, Jo, there will be sex,” he said with a promise that came out ragged and raw.
“Right. Got it.Soooo…”She cleared her throat. “When do we leave, and where are we going?”
“Michigan,” he replied, scrubbing a hand over his face and rolling tense shoulders. “I want to leave as soon as possible. How long will it take you to get ready?”
“I already packed a bag.” She beamed at him. “It’s in your truck.”
Chapter 9
Johnnie pulled intothe Ohio truck stop in a small town located just outside Cincinnati and maneuvered Jacob’s F-150 into an empty gas lane. She scanned the area for Fae Touched and spotted a lone Anwyll female exiting the station’s food mart with a steaming to-go cup. After waiting for the witch to slide into her car, she shifted the silver pickup into park.
They’d traveled through the night to avoid the majority of shifters who, like most humans and witches, didn’t operate on what Abby referred to asDádhe time—the hours between sundown and sunrise.
“I’ll fill the tank and then get us something to eat.” Johnnie pretended to rummage in the purse sitting on the passenger seat, careful not to look at the large male crammed lengthwise on the backseat.
“Ferwyn?” Jacob asked, tone surly.
Johnnie wished she could blame his crankiness on their recent entry into another príoh’s turf, the experience always unpleasant for any male bound to a foreign Alpha. She barely felt a tingle as they crossed the magical line into Remington’s territory while Jacob turned a sickly shade of green. But riding beside him in virtual silence for the past seven hours proved Johnnie was the cause of his foul temper.
She feigned sleep for most of the trip, determining it was better to leave Jacob alone rather than pepper him with a million questions. She was terrified he would turn the truck around and take her back to Memphis if reminded of her unwanted presence too often.
“Not at the pumps,” Johnnie answered on a yawn. And no vampires either as dawn was less than an hour away.
“Be quick.”
“Stay down,” she shot back.
“Be careful, Jo.”
“You seem to forget I’m not the one in danger of being arrested. Unlike you, I can justify traveling outside my home territory…no problemo.”
