Page 21 of Lucas
“I think you’d turn heads at a convention for priests.”
“Now that’s just the sweetest thing to say.”
We both laughed, and he hugged me tighter. “You know I never meant for you to get so deeply ingrained in the Family business.”
“You make it sound like you work for some mob boss.”
“Some days it feels like that. Minus the drugs, extortions, and sex-slave trading.”
“Cressa said the same thing just before we left for San Francisco. But honestly, what was my life before this? I was living in the Hollows. Even with Bulldog’s protection, every day was a toss-up as to whether I’d get caught in a drive-by shooting.I thought I knew how to protect myself, but these last weeks, I learned I wasn’t anywhere near capable.” I nestled deeper into his strong arms. “But I am now. I might get a bit wigged out with the fighting and the decapitations, but I think I’m handling it pretty well.”
He kissed the top of my head. “You’re handling it beautifully. And you were perfect with Beall. He liked you.”
“I wish there was a cure for him. I can’t even imagine what he’s gone through these last hundred years.”
“No one is immortal. Some of us just live a lot longer, but it doesn’t mean our end won’t come eventually. Now, let’s try to get a couple hours of sleep.”
I snuggled against Lucas and closed my eyes. I didn’t know where this relationship was going or how long it would last. What had started as curiosity of what it would be like to fuck a vamp had turned into something much deeper. He had become a significant part of my life. When Devon had been readdicted to Magic Poppy and was stuck in his beast form while the House faced sanctions, Lucas had considered going rogue if the inevitable happened. Afterward, once everything had returned to normal, he’d told me what he’d been planning at the time. If he was forced to go rogue, he would have asked me to go with him.
And as soon as he told me that—even with having to leave Cressa, as painful as that would be—I knew I would have said yes. That realization had shaken me to the core. I’d never been as close to a human male as I was to Lucas, and for now, there wasn’t any possibility of letting this vamp out of my sight.
An early-summer stormhit us the next afternoon. The rain came down so hard, Lucas turned off the highway and drove a couple miles to a sleepy little town and found a bar at the edge of it. The plan was to grab a meal and wait out the storm.
They were cheap burgers, the meat questionable at best, and I studied Lucas when he pushed the plate away after a couple of bites.
“You need a blood donor.” It was difficult to tell how pale he was in the dim glow of the bar light, but it had been almost two weeks since we’d left Santiga Bay, which was when he’d last fed.
“I’ll take care of it when we get to New Orleans. I’ll be fine until then.” His tone was defensive, and I let the matter drop.
“I think I saw a grocery store a little farther down the street. Why don’t we pick up some fresh fruit and vegetables? We can snack on them until we get to a larger town and find you a better meal.”
He squeezed my hand. “That’s a great idea.” He fished in his pockets. “Some solid sleep would help. Damn. I left my wallet in the car.”
“I can get it.”
He pulled me back when I stood. “I’ll be back before you know it. Eat your fries. They’re somewhat edible.”
I laughed. He hated french fries. He wasn’t much for any type of cooked potato. But I was like that with tomatoes unless they were on a burger. I watched him walk out the door. He might be paler than normal, but he still had his vampire swagger going on.
After five minutes, I began to worry. I fished in my purse, breathing a sigh when I found the emergency stash of cash Lucas had given me several days before. Exhaustion was taking its toll on both of us not to remember it.
I dropped a twenty on the table and raced out of the bar. The torrential downpour had lightened to a heavy rain. Lucas had parked at the far edge of an expansive dirt parking lot, out ofsight of the street. The bar was probably the only one for miles, and while the lot looked dismally empty now, it was probably jam-packed on the weekends.
After checking the street to make sure no one was lurking, I kept my head down as I rushed to the car, only lifting it to confirm no one was following me. I was halfway across the lot when I saw the bodies.
I ran the rest of the way, slipping on the mud but managing to stay on my feet. My heart pumped so fast it was difficult to catch my breath.
Red pools of blood had mixed with the heavy rain and mud, leaving a macabre scene.
Two of the vamps were headless. My heartbeat escalated to a jackhammer staccato. The hair appeared dark rather than Lucas’s blond hair but, being wet, I couldn’t be sure.
Please. Please. Please. Don’t be Lucas.
I wanted to close my eyes, but I forced myself to look at the faces.
Thank the gods. They weren’t him.
I almost collapsed with relief, but I had to find him.
