Be happy, Josslyn. Be safe. Be loved.
Even if that was all I accomplished with this harebrained plan, getting her away from Arabesque was enough.Morethan enough.
Losing my home, marrying a vampire, leaving Josslyn. Like a labyrinth of shadows and sharp teeth, it all loomed before me, a reckoning coming faster than I wanted it to as Ohio blurred into Pennsylvania, then New York.
Especially with an unknown husband waiting for me.
I hadn’t thought much about what he’d be like, too consumed by the necessity of it all. A means to an end, a way to save Josslyn and Brumous and, if the Goddess was kind, myself. But now, with nothing else to think about on the long drive, I couldn’t help but wonder, what kind of man would marry a stranger? A woman with no family or fortune? What reasons did he have for agreeing to marry a girl sight unseen?
Please, I whispered, the prayer spilling out with quiet desperation.I don’t need much. I don’t need love or even friendship. Just let him be kind. Let him be decent. Don’t let him hurt me.
Regardless of who I was marrying, I knew I’d need all my wits and as much strength as I could muster, so I closed my weary eyes. Focusing on the steady rise and fall of Brumous’ chest, I allowed the soft lullaby of his breathing to soothe me to sleep.
#
The car door swung open, jolting me awake. Brumous, still nestled in my arms, leapt up, too, but not quite as instantly alert as Iwas. The sharp smell of diesel fuel and stale coffee hit my nose, and I realized we were at a truck stop.
Amabel was already gone, but Eluned sat in the front seat, stretching dramatically as the ruffles of her colorful blouse fluttered around her.
“Pee stop and lunch break?” I swallowed the dryness in my throat, my mouth sticky from sleep.
“If I’m allowed to speak,Your Highness, yes,” she sneered. “So hurry up and walk that fleabag! We don’t have all day!”
I ignored her jab, carefully pushing Brumous off me so I could slide out of the car, my slick-soled shoes hitting the asphalt with a light smack. The afternoon air carried the faint song of spring peepers from somewhere nearby, but the rumbles of passing trucks on the interstate nearly drowned them out.
Leading Brumous to the edge of the grassy strip bordering the parking lot, I waited as he darted off with a yip of excitement, his tail wagging furiously. I watched him, a small, fleeting smile tugging at my lips as the sunlight filtered through the trees and dappled his back. After finishing his business, he bounded back to me, his fur fluffed up, and I scooped him into my arms, burying my face in his neck as I carried him over to the store, ignoring the sharp stab of pain in my bad arm.
I was already dreading the day he’d be too big for me to lift anymore; I needed to carry him all I could now, and a little pain wasn’t going to stop me.
I was too scared to admit, even to myself, how worried I was about my arm. It hurt all the time now.
I’m sure my new home has a well-stocked medicine cabinet,I told myself.A vampire from the royal court surely has everything you can think of. I’ll just doctor it better once I get there.
A sign on the door said, “Service Animals Only,” so I told him to wait for me and not go back to the car without me. I didn’t trust my stepsisters with him one little bit. With an excited yip of agreement, Brumous parked himself next to the door and raised his ears, his eyes shining.
“Good boy. I’ll bring you lunch and some water.”
While in the ladies room, I peeled away the sodden layers of bandages and took a peek at my arm. It didn’t smell right, and the yellow stuff seeping out of it definitely didn’t look good. Pressing a wad of paper towels to it, I waited until it was dry enough, then fixed my shirt and washed my hands.
I didn’t have much money, only a small cache of bills I’d managed to scrounge over the years, but I could afford a bottle of water and two sandwiches. I even splurged on a candy bar, something I hadn’t had in ages.
Back in the car, Eluned took the driver’s seat and Amabel settled in beside her, flipping through a magazine with exaggerated boredom. As the miles flew by, Brumous and I ate our roast beef sandwiches and watched as the landscape shifted from rolling hills to dense forests, the trees growing taller and closer together once we left the interstate.
“What’s the name of this dive?” Eluned asked, glancing over to where the GPS showed a blue line moving along.
“Evermere,” Amabel muttered.
Evermere?I thought.That sounds beautiful. And not at all what I expected from a vampire. Maybe my husband won’t be so bad, after all.
I shook my head at my silliness. Whatever he was like, I was stuck with him, and I would survive it for a year.
Then, after that, I’ll find my own place. A place where I can be safe and happy and free,I promised myself.
Finally, the car slowed, turning onto a private road flanked by towering stone pillars. Atop the pillars sat massive gargoyles, their granite wings spread wide, their faces twisted into fierce, protective snarls. The name Evermere curled in an elegant script across the arch spanning the two pillars, one of which had a brass plaque reading,
A place
beyond the hunt,
