Pure Blooded

Kayla’s frown turned into a tentative smile.

 

I could see only her profile now, but she really was lovely. It was hard to think of not helping her. She was obviously in a lot of distress. She was a perfect blend of both delicate and hard. Her features were soft and rounded, but her body was toned and angular, ready for battle. She had full lips and high cheekbones, with a slight blush to them. Her long, dark hair seemed to war with her coloring, which was pinker now that she was breathing again normally. She was a serious mix of backgrounds, but I had no idea which ones—possibly Greek or Italian with a mix of Scandinavian? It was hard to know exactly.

 

“Tyler, we’re not turning around. We’re heading home first,” I said with finality. “Once we figure out the threat, we can decide what to do for Kayla—”

 

He turned in his seat to look at me, his face set. “Are you really telling me you’re choosing not to save her brother while we still can?” Anger welled in his voice. “Since when do we not try and save an innocent? Kayla is as much of a victim in all this as we are. We help her and then figure out our next move.”

 

Nick interjected before I could form my rebuttal. “Tyler, until we hear what Kayla has to say, we don’t really know who’s innocent and why we should risk our lives to help her. If she decides to trust us, and share her story with us, it might help sway us. And for the record, I agree with you—we should help—but not without more information first. She could be leading us into a trap or worse.”

 

“It could take hours to get the full story from her, like she said,” he retorted. “By then we’ll be too far away.” He glanced back at me, his eyes pleading. “Let’s at least get this van in the right direction, and then Kayla can tell us her story.” When I didn’t respond immediately, he switched to internal communication. Jess, I need you to do this. We have to help her.

 

We will help her. I’m not saying we won’t. But we have to hear what she has to say first. She’s extremely powerful and dangerous, and we can’t discount that. What if Enid had a backup plan and Kayla’s new route leads us into a trap? Nick is right.

 

Tyler rubbed the back of his neck as a fine sheen of sweat dotted his upper brow. It doesn’t feel right that she’d lead us into something, he countered, but if that’s her plan, wouldn’t Juanita let us know? She told you to get in the van. Honestly, I don’t even care anymore. If you’re not going to help her, I will. Just pull over and we’ll get out and figure it out on our own.

 

I can’t let you do that.

 

Jess, my wolf is about to jump out of my skin. I can’t contain it anymore. Everything inside me is in turmoil. If you don’t let us out, I could go full shift right here.

 

I could scent Tyler’s change and his agitation. He was telling the truth. I took a deep breath and made a decision. “Okay, Kayla, where do we go?”

 

Relief swept through her features as she turned. “Baltimore.”

 

“Baltimore?” Marcy said from the front seat. “Are you telling us Baltimore is a hotbed for necromancers? Who would’ve guessed?” She turned toward her mate and said, “You heard the lady, turn this van around. According to my awesome navigational skills, we need to head east.”

 

James opened his mouth once to protest, but instead glanced into the rearview mirror at me. I met his gaze and nodded once. He slowed the van and did a U-turn.

 

As James nosed the van in the right direction, Kayla’s entire demeanor changed drastically. I waited to see what she would do, and she finally decided to address Marcy’s comment. “Baltimore is not a hotbed for anything. That’s why we chose it. We move around often, and we’ve only been there for a year.” She glanced down at her lap. “I left him there… alone in our apartment. I didn’t have a choice—I know that. She threatened to kill him if I didn’t go, so I went. But that doesn’t make it any more bearable. He just turned fifteen.”

 

“Why do you need to move often?” I asked, staying away from the heavier issues for the moment.

 

She turned in her seat, trapping me with an intense gaze, her irises radiating brilliantly, a soft yellow hue sparking deeply. “You will not get me to tell you my secrets whatever you do. I owe you no allegiance.”

 

I sighed. “I’m not asking for your secrets. I agree with you. You don’t owe us,” I said, “but if you want our help we need more. I refuse to walk into this cold. I want to trust you, Kayla. I do. But you’re making it extremely tough. You want us to free your brother, but you don’t want to give anything in return. That’s not how this game is played and I think you’re well aware of that. So give us something to go on—anything.”

 

She openly assessed me, her eyes seeming to dip into my soul. Then her head bobbed down once in acceptance. “Fine, I’ll answer your questions, just as long as they stay on the surface, nothing more.”

 

“Fair enough,” I said. “How old are you?”