She still had to decide what to do. One thing she knew—she wasn’t going back. She wasn’t going to be anybody’s slave. Not ever again.
She had an image of Asmodai with his throat torn out, like the lizard. What would happen to the sigil then? But of course, she wouldn’t kill Asmodai. She couldn’t believe she was even thinking like this. Suddenly restless, she bounded out of the tree and ran. A golf course spread out behind the beach, and she raced over the smooth grass, pounced into the sandy hollows, ran again. She waited for tiredness to slow her, but she just kept going. Finally, she stopped and sank onto her haunches.
She was stronger, faster, and already she craved the taste of fresh blood again. What the hell was happening to her? In her whole life, she’d never had anyone to explain things for her. How was she supposed to understand?
Maybe she was sick. It was clear she was changing. But into what? And how fast? If she stayed away from the Abyss, she only had three weeks left before… Was that long enough to find out? And then what?
She’d avoided thinking about what would happen after the three weeks, but she suspected she would die, and the truth was she didn’t want to die. Rather, she wanted the chance to live freely. Unfortunately that meant sacrificing something—like the rest of her life.
Anger roiled inside her.
The emotion was relatively new, but it felt good—better than being a pathetic wimp, anyway.
No, she wasn’t going back.
She’d stay with Carl tonight, then tomorrow she would head off. She could get a ferry to cross over to Africa. Except she had no money. Maybe Carl would lend her some. He did owe her. And at least she wouldn’t starve—she was sure there were plenty of lizards in Africa.
She headed back as the sun was going down. They had a couple of hours until the moon rose. When she reached the villa, a huge motorcycle was parked outside the gate.
Cool.
Carl opened the door as she leaped over the gate and shifted back into human form. “Is that your bike?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He’d found another T-shirt, a khaki one that brought out the greeny-gold in his eyes. They were restless and held a feral glint, as though the moon was already calling him. She’d never known a werewolf before, she’d grown up straight after the last demon war, when the portals had been locked tight and movement between worlds almost impossible, but she’d heard they had little control at the full moon.
“I’ve never been on a bike before.”
His lips curved into a slow smile. Heat coiled in her belly, and her nipples peaked. “I’m betting there are a whole lot of things you’ve never done before. Aren’t there, kitten?”
She shrugged. “Maybe.” But if she had her way, soon there would be a whole lot less. “Let me go change into some jeans, and we can go.”
When she came out ten minutes later, he was waiting beside the bike. “It’s a Harley,” he said as he swung his leg over and patted the seat behind him. “You sit behind me, wrap yours arms around me tight, and hold on.”
She climbed on and inched up close until the V of her thighs was snug against his ass. The bike rumbled to life, the vibrations sending a shiver through her. She slid her arms around his waist and couldn’t resist slipping her hands under the soft material of his T-shirt to rest on his rock hard abs. His skin was hot and lightly furred, the hair silky soft.
“Drive to the edge of town,” she said. “Then take the first road north.”
He nodded and then they were moving. The bike pulled away and picked up speed quickly, and her arms tightened around him. He wove through the traffic of the town before taking the road heading into the mountains. Narrow and winding, it gave her the perfect excuse to hold on tighter, digging her nails into the satin skin of his lean stomach.
A wild exhilaration filled her. She threw back her head and the wind of their speed tugged at her hair. Closing her eyes, she gave herself up to the feeling. This was freedom—living in this moment, not caring what the next would bring.
As he pulled to a stop and the engine died, a wave of sadness washed through her. She hadn’t wanted the ride to end.
She sat for a minute until she realized she still had her arms wrapped around the man in front of her, was still pressed tight against his ass. She wiggled to get a little closer, feeling the delicious friction through her jeans and panties. She was soaking wet and had never felt like this before, as though the slightest touch would trigger her, send her over the edge.