I swallowed. “Umm, definitely not–”
No sooner had the words left my mouth, when I felt the air sucked out of my lungs, and I was flying in the air. I never saw it coming. Somewhere in the distance, I heard a faint whoosh and humming, but it didn’t register in my brain. When you are sailing through the air, there was only one place to go. Down.
My back hit the ground with a jarring force, and my chest felt like it was crushed by a giant boulder. That giant boulder turned out to be a body. It seemed like minutes before I was able to breathe again. In reality it was probably only seconds, yet time seemed to have slowed.
Disorientated, I stared above me, looking into Chase’s glittering topaz eyes. He had tackled me, literally to the ground.
Now what?
Chapter 8
“What the hell Chase? What is wrong with you?”
He looked down at me, pushing the hair out of my face. Both of us were breathing hard from the unexpected fall. “You ungrateful little brat, I just saved your life – again I might add.”
I followed his gaze above our heads where I used to be standing. There, embedded in the grainy tree bark was a long sleek arrow with yellow feathers at the end. Someone had shot at me, or us, I wasn’t certain.
“I was being shot at?” I asked in disbelief, peering back at his looming face.
“It looks that way.”
I tried to ignore the way his body covered mine. You think after a death defying moment, I wouldn’t be thinking about how glorious his rippled chest felt against mine, or that even when he was tossing me to the ground, I rarely get hurt. “Who would want to shoot me? With an arrow?” I asked, when I could think clearly again.
His eyes were studying mine. I could only assume that my eyes were doing that color changing dohicky. He had that look on his face. “Hunters. And it looks like they have figured out my kryptonite.”
Kryptonite? Did he mean me? I was his weakness? “I thought you said you weren’t a superhero?”
He snorted. “Angel, you’re impossible.” Then he kissed the tip of my nose before pushing to his feet. With a rough hand, he brushed his fingers through his windblown hair.
My chest felt lighter without his weight, though I missed the zing. I just laid there on the ground, looking at him hovering above me. He looked gorgeous and powerful with the moonlight at his back. He blended perfectly with the night. Yes, I was totally ogling, but so was he. We just couldn’t seem to help ourselves. We probably should have been running for our lives from whatever was hunting us, not spending an eternity eyeballing each other.
The side of my hip tingled in hypnotic bliss.
It was Chase who eventually broke what was becoming a sizzling spell. He held out a hand. “We need to go.”
Nodding, I took his hand and let him pull me to my feet. I couldn’t have agreed more. Though, a tumble on the ground would have been fine too. Just saying.
But I knew he was right. We were sitting ducks out here in the open field. Who ever was out there, had the trees and the twilight as their cover. But I had a half-demon. I think I win.
So far this Halloween was becoming too much real life horror for me. It wasn’t my kind of fun. I’d like to leave the life-threatening situations to the movies. However, it seemed that wasn’t in the cards for me.
Not now.
I needed to be a realist here.
I was going to be hunted.
My life was going to be in constant danger.
And one day, Chase might not be there to save me.
“Let’s find Lexi before they decide to take a second shot,” he said, sounding stressed.
I could see it in his stance, how much he wanted to go all demon gung-ho and get us out of here much faster. It riled him to have to resort to human speeds, especially when our lives were at stake.
He wrapped his around my shoulders, pulling me close to him, using his body as a shield. I felt his biceps bunch in barely restrained control. Things were not looking promising. At least if anyone asked about the glowing eyes, we could say they were contacts. No one would question it on Halloween.
We found Lexi in the same spot I’d left her. Dancing.
Chase literally plucked her from the man-made dance floor and hauled her through the sea of people. “Party’s over. It’s time to leave cuz.”
I followed swiftly beside him. Lexi, even in her slightly hammered state, knew better than to argue. That didn’t mean she went without style.
“Why does every party end with us dashing off? I just wanted one night to be free.” There was pain and anger in Lexi’s rant.
“You can throw a pity party at home. Get in the car. Now!” Chase demanded harshly.