“You could do that now. I swear I won’t leave town until Bernie comes back.” It was total bullshit, but I had to get out of here before he decided that he was hungry or something.
His eyes flared. “I may not be able to get into your mind to read it or control your memories, but I’m smart enough to recognize a lie when I hear one.”
I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “But not smart enough to pretend to be human when someone mentions vampires and demons, right?”
“You said Bethany was good for a human! I assumed you were a witch like Bernie and you knew what we were!”
“Don’t you think that I would have visited Bethany here if I’d known?” I asked.
This also explained why Bethany always came to visit me or sent me tickets to wherever she wanted to have a vacation. She hadn’t wanted me to know.
Wait? Did he say Bernie was a witch?
“Did you say Bernie is a witch?” I asked.
His mouth slammed shut into a firm line. He got to his feet and headed toward the door.
“I’m going to make a few calls. I’ll come back to check on you shortly. Try to keep the ice on your head for as long as possible. It’ll help with the swelling and the pain.”
I glared at him as he exited the room. To add insult to injury, there was a click, and I knew he’d locked me in.
Asshole.
I shifted my head against the ice bag, trying to press the sore spot on the back of my head against the cold. Something jabbed my scalp and a I reached up with my free hand to touch it.
After a few seconds, I tugged it free.
A bobby pin. I’d forgotten I’d pulled my hair back with them.
I couldn’t free the laugh that rose in my throat because I didn’t want him to hear.
But I was definitely laughing on the inside.
It seemed the seminar I attended on self-defense and what to do if you were kidnapped was going to come in handy after all. If Aunt Bethany were here, she’d have to eat her words about it being useless.
2
Idashed through the darkness, trying to avoid tree branches and bushes.
The half-moon barely emitted enough light for me to see the shapes in front of me. All I could hear was the sound of my own heavy breaths, my running footsteps, and the sound of my pounding heart.
Still, something within me, some long dormant instinct of prey, told me that I was being chased. I couldn’t hear anything. Couldn’t see anything.
But I knew he was there.
I tried to run faster, but my legs were heavy.
God, if I survived this, I was going to start running every day.
I dodged around a tree and a flash of movement came from my right.
I didn’t have time to do more than suck in a breath to scream before we were rolling on the ground.
When we came to a stop, I was flat on my back with my arms pinned above my head. I blinked rapidly, trying to get my eyes to refocus after the crazy log roll I’d just done against my will.
Daniel’s face came into focus, and I groaned.
“Dammit, you again!” I tried to struggle, but the man was crazy strong.
