I smile at their bickering and glance over at Lucy and Tim to see if they’re listening, but they’re snogging madly. I screw up my nose and bury my face in Elliott’s neck. He smells a lot fresher since he took a shower and borrowed some of Tim’s clothes. It’s like history repeating itself.
‘What’s up?’ He peers around. ‘Oh.’
‘I knew it was a bad idea to bring those two. We’ll be searching the castle for Alexander, and they’ll be holed up in one of the rooms, pounding away,’ I mutter.
Elliott’s shoulders shake with laughter. His arms tighten around my waist. ‘I missed you,’ he says simply.
My lips hover over his neck. I want to bite him so badly, but this isn’t the time nor place. We have a job to do.
‘I missed you too. I know I’ve been acting weird ...’
He rubs his temple against mine. ‘It’s OK. It’s a weird situation. We can talk about it later—’
Damian slams on the brakes, and we all scream.Luckily, Elliott has his arms around me. Lucy doesn’t fare so well and ends up bottom first in the footwell behind the driver’s seat. Tim fishes her out.
‘I’m OK,’ she says shakily. ‘But what’s going on?’
‘Alexander’s coming,’ says Damian in a low voice.
‘Babe, are you sure?’ says Floss worriedly. ‘I can’t feel anything—oh shit, he’s right. I’m getting it now. He’s definitely somewhere nearby.’
Wow, Damian has a blood bond with Alexander too, I guess, since Floss is his sire; and he’s a newbie, so he’s hypersensitive. This could work in our favour.
‘Hester, can you shield them both?’ I ask.
She meows. I take that as a ‘yes’.
‘Should we go back or ...?’ asks Tim.
Without waiting for anyone to give an opinion on the matter, Damian floors it down the narrow lane to our left and pulls off behind a stone wall and cuts the engine and the lights.
OK ...
I’m unclear as to his thinking. ‘Hello, earth to Damian? What are you doing?’
‘I’m not sure. But it’s safer if we get off the main road.’ He sounds a bit freaked out. ‘It feels like tugging and burning. Here.’ He presses a hand to his stomach.
Floss pats his leg. ‘It’s OK. It’s the blood bond activating,babe. Now you know what I feel. It’s great you’re trusting your vampiric instincts.’
‘I don’t like it.’
‘I know, but think of it like a safety beacon. It keeps us protected from him.’
Floss comforting Damian and recounting vampire lore are all very well. But it’s frustrating sitting here, doing nothing. And as much as I like sitting on Elliott’s lap, my neck is getting a crick in it, and Lucy and Tim have gone back to their snog fest.
‘I’m getting out to stretch my legs. Let me know if anything changes.’
‘I’ll come too,’ says Elliott.
I shrug. ‘Sure, if you want.’
We exit the car, and a black furry form winds around my legs, nearly tripping me up. ‘Yes, you can come too, Hester.’
She meows.Just a little kitty run. I can still shield Floss and Damian.
The three of us make our way over along the stone wall to the section that faces a stretch of road leading into the forest. I do a scan of the road and the trees ahead, but there’s nothing in the frosty silence apart from the hoot of an owl. It’s making me nervous.
‘Shouldn’t you be feeling him too since he’s Lucy’s sire?’ I whisper to Elliott.
