“Aileen, what are you doing here?” he rumbled.
I gave him a loopy smile. “Thought you could use a wake-up from your nap.”
He glanced around with a furrowed brow. On a bridge troll, a frown was the stuff of nightmares. It was an expression that said you were about to be pounded as flat as a fly on a windshield.
His mouth dropped open at the sight of the golems that were trying to climb up his leg.
“I could use a little help,” I told him, falling sideways, suddenly too exhausted to support my own weight. My wrist throbbed sharply, reminding me that I hadn’t come through the car crash entirely unharmed.
One of his big paws caught me, preventing me from rolling off him. He set me behind him, as if the golems attacking were no more than irritating bugs to him.
“Stay there,” he told me.
I gave him a thumbs-up with my good hand, keeping the injured wrist tucked in close. Staying put wasn’t going to be a problem.
I watched, as ducking under the supports of the bridge, Hector focused on the golems.
He lifted one foot, stomping hard and crushing several of the creatures. He reached down, sweeping several of them up before tossing them towards the small creek that ran under the bridge.
After that, Hector kicked and stomped his way through the golems, never once flinching as they tried to attack him en masse. His large rocky body eclipsed the bridge as he swung with abandon, seemingly happy, if the chortles coming from him were anything to judge by.
Furry streaks poured from the road above—Brax’s wolves finally joining the fight. They attacked those golems who tried to scurry around Hector’s feet, dispatching them with violent pounces and vicious shakes of the head.
Hector grabbed one golem in a meaty paw before body-slamming it into the ground, leaving nothing behind but a wet, muddy smear. I’d like to see the thing regenerate from that.
Liam and Nathan waited until the remaining golems were dispatched and Hector had moved away before dropping from above then moving toward me with powerful strides. I remained where I was, exhausted, in pain, and still slightly drunk.
This was not how I pictured my evening ending.
CHAPTERSEVEN
My head felt like a marching band was performing on it. I curled up into a ball, pulling a cover over my head as I tried to reclaim the slumber that had been mine until just a few seconds ago.
My mouth tasted like a cross between sawdust and a football player’s gym bag.
Everything ached. My body, my teeth, my eyes. Even my hair.
I just wanted the world to go away and come back later. A ringing under my bed told me that wasn’t going to happen.
I groaned and burrowed deeper under my blanket. Hangovers. The bane of my existence. I could strangle yesterday’s Aileen for the poor life decisions she’d made.
Never again, I told myself, just asI’d done many times whenI’d been human. Never again was I going to let myself get into this state.
The phone stopped ringing and I relaxed once again into the comfortable bed. Perhaps I could go back to sleep and not think on this until I felt halfway normal again.
The phone started ringing again.
With a muffled curse, I flopped to the side of the bed, feeling like a beached whale as I felt around under it for my phone. My hands touched a pair of pants. One eye cracked open. My pants.
I pulled them up onto the bed and under the covers with me, searching through the pockets for the ringing box of destruction.
I hit the answer button without checking to see who was calling.“Hello.”
At least that’s what I meant to mutter, instead what came out was a garbled bit of nonsense.
“Where are you?” Caroline asked.
My eyes were still closed and I made a grunting sound.“I’m at home. Where any good vampire belongs after last night.”
