“Focus, soulmate,” Andre said.
I blinked, pushing away the lusty haze of my thoughts. I noticed he wore a sly smirk, like he knew exactly where my thoughts had been a moment before. Only he would feel smug that his girlfriend was fantasizing about biting him.
God we’re freaks.
Dragging my attention away from Andre, I focused on the werewolf, who was slowly morphing back into a human. His face looked agonized, and a twinge of remorse pulled at my heartstrings. The siren stamped that emotion out, instead choosing to revel in the power of conquering another’s freewill.
Nearly a minute later, a shivering man replaced the wolf.
“We were never here,” I said. “You will let us go and call off the rest of the wolves.”
The man nodded, his eyes glazing over.
Their howls were closing in on us.
“You will do everything in your power to call them off the chase. Only then can you change back into a wolf.”
The man shuddered but nodded. Despite his human form, he let out a series of yips and howls. Instantly the forest fell silent.
Andre took my hand. “Let’s not stick around to see what happens.”
I stared down at our entwined fingers, struggling to rein in my lust. I didn’t dare speak for fear that the siren would continue to seep into my voice.
Again we began to run. This time the chorus of howls didn’t follow us, but that didn’t slow either Andre or me down. Now that the fight was over, the siren slipped away, sliding back down to the depths of my soul. Thank goodness. I had enough to deal with at the moment.
Eventually we caught sight of a dirt path, and we followed it until it turned into a road. I seriously considered kissing the ground at the sight. My body ached from the distance we’d covered, and emotionally, I was barely hanging in there.
The first signs of civilization showed up less than a mile later. We slowed to a walk as we entered a small town. Most lights were completely out. This late in the evening, no one but vampires and werewolves were awake.
I glanced over my shoulder at the thought. “Think we lost them?” I asked Andre.
“Depends on whether or not they live here.” He frowned. “Werewolves aside, I think we have other things to worry about,” he said, his eyes roving over the houses in front of us.
“Like what?”
“Your face.”
My eyebrows shot up. “You think anyone’s going to recognize me here?”
“Recognition doesn’t matter. You are a siren, one of the most beautiful creatures to exist. People remember that kind of unnatural loveliness. They talk, and those who look for you will listen. Your face will be a trail of breadcrumbs leading your enemies to our doorstep.”
I swallowed. I’d escaped the devil not two days ago. I couldn’t go back. But a quiet, calm part of me whispered the sad truth: It didn’t matter what I wanted. I was already as good as dead.
Chapter 2
We stood on the front porch of a weathered bed and breakfast. Inside I could hear two heartbeats. Unlike our surroundings, a lamplight glowed in the window.
I twisted the ruby ring Andre gave me around my finger. “Think this is a good idea?” I said.
“Given our circumstances, we don’t have much of a choice,” Andre said, glowering at the door.
I took a deep breath and nodded. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had a huge target on my back.
I cracked my knuckles then rang the bell. In the silent night, I clearly heard someone wake up and their shuffled steps down the stairs.
A moment later the door opened, and an old man in pajamas answered. “Guten Aben—” His voice cut off as soon as he got a good look at me. He stared for longer than was comfortable, until Andre cleared his throat. “Guten Abend, meine Frau und ich fuhren …”
My head snapped to Andre as he spoke in rapid-fire German. How many freaking languages did this man know?
He placed an arm around me then touched my stomach. I gave my soulmate a sidelong look. He was spinning some tale that obviously involved my belly.
The old man’s eyes returned first to my stomach, then almost against his will, they drifted up to my face, drawn like a moth to flame.
I gave him a tight smile just as Andre laid his hand protectively over my stomach once more. He continued to chat amicably with the owner, and by the end of the conversation the man was chuckling and ushering us in.
“What did you tell him?” I whispered to Andre as we were led to a room.
His lips curved. “I told him that my pregnant wife and I were driving through the area when our car broke down, and we needed a place to stay.”
My cheeks should’ve flushed—a day ago they would’ve—but it was just one more part of me that had changed since Andre’s emergency blood transfusion.
“Did he believe it?”
“Hardly. But I told him I’d pay him twice his going rate for the last minute accommodations.”
The man led us to our room and bid us goodnight. As soon as the door clicked shut, Andre crossed the room and closed the blinds.
“Will that be enough to protect you from the sun?” I asked.
“It’ll have to do.” Andre turned from the window. “And I no longer believe I’m the only one that needs protection from the sun.” His eyes fell meaningfully on my pale skin.
He was probably right. I’d been sleeping through most of the day, so I hadn’t really had the chance to test his theory, but I wasn’t really clamoring to. Aside from the pain it was likely to cause, I think it would just be one more frightening reminder that time was running out.