The two guys in the car didn’t hesitate. The car pulled to the side, and I quickly slid into the backseat slamming the door closed with a breathless, “Thanks.”
The car didn’t move. I glanced at the driver, but he wasn’t focused on me. I followed his gaze and met Luke’s eyes through the window. My stomach plunged to my toes. He stood on the shoulder of the road, less than a step away, looking down at the car—at me—through the glass. Though his stance was relaxed, he didn’t look very happy. I fought not to give into complete panic as his eyes narrowed on the boys in the front seat. Luke looked back at me, studied me for a moment, and arched a brow.
“Is your friend getting in, too?” the driver asked.
I held Luke’s gaze and shook my head. Luke’s lips twitched again as if he fought not to smile.
“A’right.” The kid put the car in drive and slowly pulled away.
I kept my eyes on Luke. I’d seen his kind do incredible things and didn’t trust him for a moment. From the front, the driver asked where I was headed.
“Doesn’t matter. Next town if you’re going that far.”
Luke faded into the distance along with his last censoring gaze.
Though I firmly believed there was nothing worse than facing a werewolf, the two boys in the front seat tested me. They suggestively asked about compensation for the ride they provided. Then, when I feigned ignorance of their innuendos, they flat out asked for head.
“Pull over,” I said through clenched teeth.
“Oh, come on,” the driver said with a laugh. “We’re just messing with you.”
The warmth of the car and the soft vibrations weren’t enough to keep me lucid, so I rolled down the window. With their current line of conversation, I couldn’t afford to fall asleep.
“I’ve been messed with enough. Just get me to the next town or as far as you can take me.”
The conversation silenced for almost a minute, and I let out a slow breath. As if it were a signal, the passenger turned in his seat to watch me.
“So do you have a boyfriend?”
Are you freaking kidding me? I’m on the run from sadistic beasts that actually wear fur and run on all fours, and he wanted to know if I had a boyfriend?
“No.” I met his gaze. After a few long moments, his smile faded, and he turned forward once more.
The respite from their inane conversation gave me a moment to consider my meeting with Luke. He was the first one ever to offer his name. Sure, I’d learned a few names over my lifetimes but always by listening to the conversation flowing around me. Not only had he offered his name, but he’d also let me go. I had no illusions. He could have stopped me easily by reaching through the glass and pulling me out forcibly. Why hadn’t he?
“Can you roll that window up?” The driver reached over and turned up the heat.
I needed the ride. Though it wasn’t a good idea, I rolled up the window. Within a minute, the temperature in the car jumped from cool to goodnight. My eyes blinked closed. In my dreams, I could no longer separate my past self from my present self. It was just me...
Several of them gathered where I lay broken at the bottom of a ravine. I’d tried jumping over the gap and misjudged the distance. For once, I had not purposely flung myself over the edge of something. My right leg throbbed painfully; and when I tried touching it, my fingers came away wet before I even got to the spot that really hurt. I shook all over. Definitely shock.
Lying on my back, looking up at the overcast sky and the scrub-dotted crumbling edge of the ravine, their faces danced in and out of my line of sight as each of them inspected me. Finally, the leader came close.
“We remember through stories passed down from each generation which of you is most likely to fight or run. Which has succumbed in the past. Who is born first. Who dies too easily. We remember.” He reached down and smoothed back a hank of hair that covered part of my face. “You, my wise little girl, have given us plenty of trouble because you remember, too. Let us create some new memories, shall we?”
Their hands tugged at my clothes and grasped my arms. Hurt and bleeding, I fought them as they...
...lifted me.
“Never again,” a voice said near my head. “She’s crazy!”
A hand fumbled for hold on my flailing arm. I stopped fighting and pried my eyes open. The driver had my legs while the passenger struggled with my feet.
“I’m awake,” I said. “Stop!”
The driver dropped me when I met his shocked gaze. The passenger was slower to catch on, and I had to yank my arms from his hold. They both stared at me for a second while I quickly looked around. We were still on a straight stretch of country road. I couldn’t have slept more than fifteen minutes. We hadn’t put enough distance between us and that thing, Luke.
“I have bad dreams,” I said as I brought my gaze back to the driver. “Night terrors. The car got too warm, and I fell asleep. It won’t happen again. Please, I just need a ride to the next town.”
Chapter Four