After waiting for god knows how long for me to make a decision, Callum wastes no time now. He sweeps me up in his arms, tucking me tightly into his chest. I cling instinctively to his body heat.
“Shit, Sheena, you’re freezing,” he grumbles, sounding a little scared. “I could warm you up, but I don’t understand what’shappening to your body. It might make things worse.” He takes off at a slow jog, his long strides making quick work of the rough terrain. “Hold on, okay? I left the ATV on the trail nearby.”
I nod and another howl cuts through the night. The sound is frenzied and so close it’s practically on top of us. I shiver again, but it has nothing to do with the cold this time.
“You’re okay, sweetheart,” Callum whispers, sitting me down carefully on the four-wheeler and climbing on behind me. “I’m going to get you out of here.”
“Gideon?” I’m barely coherent, but he knows what I'm asking.
“Back at the house.” He doesn’t elaborate. He doesn’t need to. Those four words say more than enough. The pain in my heart sizzles and pops, and I tuck my face into Callum’s neck.
Neither of us tries to speak again. Callum starts the engine. Its loud rumble drowns out some of the raging storm.
I should be relieved. Instead, my skin is crawling. I have the sickening feeling that we’re being watched. Lifting my head weakly, I look back into the dark woods.
Yellow eyes stare back at me, cruel and unblinking.
They’re impossible to forget. The same stare has haunted my nightmares for eight years. I try to warn Callum, to tell him there’s a monster behind us, but my body fails me.
He found me. Now we’re all going to die.
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
CALLUM
Sheena stiffens in my arms, then goes limp. Finding her in situations that leave her bloody and unconscious is getting really old.
I flex my foot, shifting gears and upping our pace. With the weather and terrain, I’m stretching both my senses and the engine to the limit. Obviously, I don’t want to wrap us around a tree, but she’s so cold. I can’t shake the feeling that I need to get us back to the house as quickly as possible.
We’re back in half the time it took me to find her. I whip the ATV to a stop by the porch and climb off with Sheena cradled in my arms. We’re both soaking wet, and the position is awkward, but she doesn’t stir at all, even as I juggle her in my arms to open the door.
I’m scared of the physical toll her magic took on her body. It doesn’t make sense. If I spend too much energy without consuming lust to replace it, I feel fatigued, maybe even a little nauseous. But I don’t think Sheena has used her power in years.The nosebleed, the fact that she collapsed like a rag doll—that’s not normal for any supernatural species I’ve ever heard of.
Maybe she's sick.
That thought sends a chill down my spine, and I tuck Sheena a little tighter into my chest. If she stays, she's going to have to tell us something tomorrow. I’m fucking over this secret drama.
Gideon is lying on the couch doing his best to appear uninterested. As I stomp past him, his nostrils flair. “Blood,” he shouts, lurching to his feet. I roll my eyes as he vaults over the couch with a growl.
“Yeah, she’s got a nosebleed,” I say, raising my eyebrows. “Her power output really drained her. Maybe that’s normal for her, maybe it’s not. I don’t know why you care, though. I thought you were done.”
Another angry sound escapes his throat. Gideon is as stubborn as they come, but he won’t like the thought that something might be wrong with her. Too bad I’ve known all his buttons since third grade.
“I’m taking her to my room.” I step around him. “I want to be close in case she wakes up and needs something."
His eyes flare golden, but he says nothing.
“If you don't want to deal with it,” I say, applying some strategic pressure with a blank look. “I can tell her you're not interested and help her pack up in the morning."
An enraged roar explodes behind me as I hide my grin and climb the stairs. Gideon doesn't follow me up, but that’s fine. I gave him plenty to think about.
I lay Sheena down on my bed. She looks good there, like she belongs, but I can't focus on that. My incubus may burn for her, but someone has to remain logical if we're going to untangle this mess tomorrow.
I slip her shoes off, clean the blood from her face, and swap her wet clothes out for some of my coziest sweats. If she stillwants to leave tomorrow, I'll keep my promise and help her. Even if it hurts.
After a quick shower to shake off the cold, I throw on a pair of flannel pants and climb into bed beside her. Sheena’s hair lays in chaotic tangles across the pillow; it’s so wet it looks black in the darkness of the room. She looks innocent and peaceful in her sleep. The small smiles, the teasing smirks, and the frozen, fear-filled expressions all fade away, leaving behind a beautiful but exhausted woman.
