I wasn’t so sure about that. “Why did you? Help me, besides to save your own neck?”
She didn’t answer right away, and it made me wonder if I’d hit a nerve or pushed her too far. Emma was as unpredictable as the half-demons. To my surprise she did. “Because I know what it is like to be locked up against your will. Let’s just say I’ve been in your shoes, and I wouldn’t wish it on my worse enemy, not even a mutant like you.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her to jump off a bridge. If she insulted me or called me one more ugly name, I might forget that she saved me and push her from the car.
Before I had the chance to do or say something I would regret, she surprised me yet again. “I also know what it is like to be separated from someone you love. It sucks.”
You could say that again.
She continued feeling in sharing mood, “Seeing Chase so distraught struck a cord in me that I’ve buried deep, deep inside. So Travis and I–”
“Travis and you?” I interrupted.
She gave me a glare. “So I was saying, Travis and I devised our own plan, and we knew it had to be done in secret because there was no way Chase’s was going to agree. That would involve trusting me, which would only happen if hell froze over.”
Couldn’t argue with that.
“We knew we had to get to you first. Chase might be a badass, but he is no shape to fight. Being away from you has taken a toll on him. We figured this was going to be our only chance while the drugs were still in effect. I have no idea how long they last on someone like him, so here we are.”
She left out some important details, like how Travis and she were conspiring together. When did that happen? Probably while I was busy falling in love. I fiddled with the silver bracelet at my wrist and my thoughts shifted to Chase. For someone who always had something to say, I found myself unsure how to show my gratitude to the most unlikely of person. “Thanks Emma.” Sometimes the simplest words were all that were needed.
She glanced at me. “See that wasn’t so hard. The earth is still standing.” We grinned at each other. Dare I say this might be the start of a friendship? A twisted friendship, but stranger things have happened.
The rest the ride home was like having my head in puffy marshmallow clouds. Eyes closed, I might have drifted off but not for long, because the closer we got to Spring Valley my body began to react to my bond to Chase.
“We’re almost home,” I said, breaking the comfortable silence.
“Can you feel him?” she asked, sensing that something was going on.
I nodded my head. “Yeah, but maybe not in the way you might think. The pressure in my chest is closing, and it is easier to breath. My lungs don’t feel like they are going to collapse anymore.” I left out that as we got closer and closer, the mark on my hip began to tingle. Each mile that brought me closer to home, the mark that was Chase’s grew in intensity.
She eyed me warily. “Which means if you can sense your pending arrival so will Chase.”
It made me think that she was uneasy about my connection to Chase, and I could get that. Some days I still couldn’t believe what had gone down that night he brought me back from the other side. A bright smile crossed my lips. “That’s a given.”
“Great,” she said drily. “Maybe I should drop you off down the road and get a head start running.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t worry. I won’t let him kill you.”
Her hands tightened on the steering wheel. “The funny thing is…I’m counting on it. You just might be the only person who could stop him.”
Chapter 24
I wasn’t sure what I expected to happen or feel when I saw Chase. The only thing I knew was that it was going to be monumental. Well at least for me. The feeling inside built to a point that I was glad to be buckled in, because I wanted to leap from the car. I never felt such an overwhelming and desperate need to see someone. Not even for my mom when I came back from that month long stint at summer camp. And that had been brutal for a ten year old. I never went to camp again.
This was a thousand times more potent.
This was insane.
There was most definitely going to be tears.
And I was pretty sure he would never let me out of his sight again.
“Here goes nothing,” I thought I heard Emma mumble, but it was hard to hear anything over the pounding of my heart.