She snickered, thinking she was being funny, because that was impossible, but Nathan wasn’t near as jovial as she was. He didn’t seem to get it, or just didn’t see it as humorous.
“Not a wizard, but a car much like yours was totaled and what would you know, there is an extra door in the back. Give me twenty minutes and I will have that other dent popped out and the door changed. You will be able to be right on your way.”
“It was making a weird noise, too. I don’t know if it is going to be safe to drive.”
“Hmmm, it has mechanical trouble, too?”
Cassandra agreed, though she wasn’t sure what was going on. Nathan came out of nowhere and now he looked confused, like he hadn’t known that it was messed up that way, too. He shouldn’t know any of it, anyway.
“Yeah, I think so. Like I said, if you could just maybe take me home, that would be alright.”
He looked like he was wrestling with something. “I was hoping that I would be able to actually help you and set you right.”
“It would help me greatly to get home out of this cold. It’s really windy and it’s cutting right through me.”
“Right, sorry. I don’t feel the cold much. Let me get you into my truck. Since you have mechanical problems, as well, I’ll have to tow it back to the shop. How about I take you home and bring it back when it’s done?”
“Wow, you would really do that?”
He agreed and Cassandra knew that she couldn’t pass up that deal. He was going out of his way to help her and Cassandra was grateful. She’d had a horrendous day so far.
“You never asked me what happened.”
“Well, it looks like you were hit by another car.”
“And he just took off.”
“I gathered that. Come on, let’s get you home where you’ll be warm. It looks like you’re having a bad day.”
Cassandra thanked him for his help and when his hand went to her shoulder, she saw something on his wrist. It looked like a familiar pattern she’d seen before, in that exact same spot.
Cassandra didn’t know what to think. She was already in the truck moments later and knew that she just needed to get home. Her mind was playing tricks on her, surely that is what it was. There was no connection between the two men. She had hit her head. She must have seen something else…
Chapter 2
Antoine
Antoine led the Sachrons into the woods, and he knew that they weren’t far behind him. They were on a crash course and he had to get them away from the town. He had grown rather fond of it and Antoine wasn’t going to have his chaos hurting anyone else there. Nathan had called him when he’d found out that they were close. He’d known that they would come for Antoine, just for helping him.
Nathan had an enemy that took over his life. It had taken over Antoine’s life, too, as the attacks became worse. Nathan had shown himself to be king, and a lot of people didn’t like it. They wanted to destroy him, so he couldn’t have what was rightfully his.
Since Antoine and Nathan were practically family, and definitely friends, Antoine had been added to the list of aggressors. Nathan had a new title, one that made him king of his people, but not everyone was happy about it. Some wanted to take the reign back, before he was able to make some changes that would affect the affluent. Nathan needed to be taken out, and everyone along with him that knew the truth of the bloodlines.
Antoine got the Sachrons out of his hair and away from his home. He called Nathan, to tell him about the attack, as well as to tell him about the girl that he’d hit with his truck. The Sachrons could still be trailing him, so he wanted to take them far away from there, just in case.
Antoine didn’t want to leave the woman out there, he wouldn’t have if he’d had another choice. Since it was Nathan’s drama that caused it all, Antoine figured he could help by checking on her and fixing her up.
He felt bad that he wasn’t going to be able to do it himself. He’d been too keen to check on her, before he took off, but it wasn’t enough, there was still doubt. He didn’t want anything to happen to her, and if she’d needed help, Antoine would have gotten it for the tiny brunette behind the wheel. She’d been hurt, but nothing that was life threatening. The beasts that had followed him were far more dangerous than the cut on her head.
He called Nathan again, after he didn’t pick up the first time. It should have been enough time. He needed to see how she was, make sure that the car was fixed and the human girl was on her way. While he couldn’t take it all away, he could mitigate the damage. Nathan didn’t pick up, though, so Antoine shifted to end his trail and went home. He waited for a call, deep in the woods where he lived.
Antoine didn’t much care for humans and he had lived by the rule of staying away from them as much as possible. He didn’t like to deal with them in any way. There was always something that was going on with them and since he’d never found one that was loyal, Antoine didn’t have much need for humans. It didn’t mean he wanted to do them harm, though. It was also easier to never be caught if he was never seen. Any time he came in contact with humans, he wanted to be as forgettable as possible. Checking on her, letting her see him, had been a mistake.
He called Nathan again on his satellite phone. It was the one way that he could get service as far out as he was. Antoine just wanted to know that she was okay. If something happened to her, she might make trouble for him, like start a police investigation. It was not at all what he wanted or needed. That, and he just felt bad for hitting her and leaving her like that to begin with. It was in bad form, surely.
When Nathan finally answered, Antoine sent him to check on the woman and told him he’d call him back soon. Antoine was anxious but knew that it would take time for what he asked for.
When he called back, Antoine tried to leave the nerves out of his voice, yet it felt impossible. He felt overly concerned, for no real reason, either.
