Page 21 of Prey

Her head shook.

“Then Marko. What is trouble? Like, he won’t leave you alone? Or, he wants to still hurt you?”

“Let’s just forget about it. I’ve had a long day. I’m going to take a shower before I start packing.”

My hand pushed into her back, not letting her leave yet. “Pack? God, you are in trouble. You’re trying to run from him. You…” I thought back to that night. She’d been so deathly terrified and in shock. Then, he’d come back and spent the night. I had stayed up and watched him leave before sunrise. It made me sick. Made my hate for him so much more. But the threat was there and it went beyond what I thought at the time. He was more than a jealous boyfriend. He was…

“You think he’s going to try to kill you.”

Again, she pulled back. “I have to pack.”

She didn’t have to say any more for me to know what I spoke was the truth. A jerk had Tessa pausing and she reached forward to unhook the material of the blouse that got caught on my belt buckle. I glanced down, unable to miss what was so clearly on and between her breasts.

“What the hell is that?”

Harder, she pulled, tearing the shirt as she spun for her room.

“No way,” I said, following. “You’re going to show me.”

The door hit my palm as she tried to shut it and I didn’t wait. I was tired of being the nice guy. It was getting me nowhere with her. A damn vampire had more pull over the woman I loved than I did.

“Show me, Tessa, or I’ll look for myself.”

Dark hair spun as she turned to face me. The anger she displayed was like I’d never seen. From fear to fury, this vampire brought out the worst in her.

“You want to see?” she yelled. “Fine. It’s not like I haven’t had to do something I didn’t want to already today.” Her hands tore at her shirt and she tossed it to the floor, surging forward. “You see that? Do you see what he’s done to me!”

MINE.

My stomach dropped and I tried to breathe through the combination of emotions. “Is that your blood or his?”

She walked over, pulling open her drawer. “It’s mine,” she said, quieting. “It doesn’t matter. I’m finished talking about it. I have to leave before the sun sets. If I don’t, he’ll be back. Not like this is going to work anyway. He’ll find me.”

“And I’ll kill him. So help me, Tessa, this man…this thing better not come near you again. Ever. He’s so dead.” My hand came to mouth as I fought the urge not to slam my fist into something. Vampires, real. And one was already trying to stake its claim. No wonder Tessa had been so withdrawn from me. Hell, I couldn’t have a five minute conversation without her shoulders caving in and me losing her to her thoughts. And it was him she was thinking about. That made it even worse.

“I’ll start packing while you take a shower. I want that off you. Just tell me where we’re going.”

Tessa’s anger was gone completely as she came back to face me. “Distance isn’t going to matter. I don’t know why I’m even flirting with the idea. He will find me, Hunter.”

“How do you know?” My head shook and she licked her lips as her eyes looked upward, full of tears.

“Because he’s telling me he will, right this very moment. He hears me. Hears us. He says if I go, I’m in big trouble.”

The world could have dropped from under my feet and I wouldn’t have been any more surprised than I felt. Telepathy? God, if he could read her thoughts, he’d know our next move. Our location for sure. Unless…

“Go get in the shower.”

I didn’t say anything as the tears spilled over and she obeyed. The moment I heard the door shut, I threw her closet open. A suitcase sat at the bottom and I pulled it out, throwing it open and tossing handfuls of clothes from her intimate drawers, along with shirts and jeans from her closet. When I couldn’t fit anymore, I zipped it up and rushed it outside to her car. My eyes scanned the surroundings, even though I knew he wouldn’t be coming yet. The sun was out. We were safe during the day.

I bounded up the stairs and went into my room. My green bag was still where I left it on the floor. Clothes I hadn’t put away yet were resting inside. There wasn’t much, but apparel was of little importance. What I needed was room for my guns. If what I knew of the myth was accurate, the best I’d do was slow the fucker down. But if it wasn’t that way, maybe I stood a chance.

Four cases fit easily in my bag and I scanned the stuff my mom had brought over. My head shook. It wasn’t good. I’d have to get online and search out what people knew of killing vampires. There was the old, wooden stake through the heart, but did that even work? I supposed it wouldn’t hurt to try. But where the fuck was I going to get stakes? Make them?

I picked up the bag and jogged it out to the car. The shower was already off and I knew it wouldn’t be long before we had to leave. But where? Shit, I had no idea. If it meant keeping Tessa safe, I’d scour every inch of this world to find places to keep her hidden. I may not have had a lot of money in the bank, but I had enough to keep us under the radar for a while. But then what? I didn’t have a job. Not yet. Only interviews set up starting as early as next week. That was here, though. And I couldn’t leave to work if it meant stripping her of her protection.

My feet pushed into the soft earth as I made my way to the back and threw my bag in.

Plans could come later. Right now, I had to focus on her. Besides, what was I running from? If he was going to come for her, why prolong the outcome? I’d kill him and then she could go back to her normal life. Back to hanging out and laughing with me. We could pick up where we left off so long ago. Then, I’d show her how things could be different. She might like to try. I knew I wanted to see whether our chemistry was still there. I thought I’d felt it the first night. Before…

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