“There was a car rental place in the last town we went through. We’ll go back there tomorrow, rent some cars, and start searching. Hopefully, we’ll be out of here in a day or two.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.” Logan started the vehicle and pulled away from the side of the road.
Saxon studied the bar as they headed back through town. The music and voices coming from it were louder than before and followed them to the crossroads at the end of the street. A lit motel and vacancy sign caught his attention, and he pointed to it. “We should stay there until we can get the cars.”
Logan turned toward the motel and pulled into the lot where he parked next to a battered pickup. Saxon assumed the truck belonged to the manager or owner as there were no other vehicles in the lot. When he stepped out of the SUV and made his way toward the office door, he spotted the lights from the back of the bar spilling through the trees toward the side of the motel.
He contemplated walking over after they checked in and finding a woman but decided against it when a fresh blast of wind blew ice down his back. He required sex to help keep himself under control, but he despised the cold, and hewouldgo without sex for one fucking night.
It had been centuries since he abstained from sex for any length of time, and the demon within him was already clawing at his insides in need of the release it sought, but he could do this. He shoved his hands in his pockets and hunched his shoulders against the cold.
He was so tired of being at the mercy of the demon part of him; so tired of needing sex to maintain his control yet never finding any satisfaction from it. So tired of living this way, but the only alternatives were giving in and becoming a Savage or death.
There were some days death was preferable.
* * *
Saxon foldedthe map marked with x’s of the cabins he was supposed to explore and set it on the passenger seat before surveying the field before him. They’d divided the town into sections before leaving the rental place this morning; farms tucked into the hillsides and mountains comprised most of his search area. He didn’t know how anyone lived up here in the winter, but people were moving about the farms as they took care of their animals.
He hadn’t discovered a cabin with a farmers porch that stood out as anything more than being someone’s home. Pretending to be a lost traveler in search of his sister’s new place, he’d spoken with the few people who were at home when he drove onto their property. Though he considered them crazy for living in this hostile environment, they were ordinary people.
He’d only covered half his terrain, but judging by the slate gray color of the sky and the increasing scent of snow on the air, he wasn’t going to get through them all today. He scanned the radio stations in search of a weather report, but they were either playing music or debating sports and politics.
Giving up on finding anything useful, he turned the radio off and pulled away from the side of the road. Maybe they were only expecting flurries, but this was the last place he was going to check out before heading back to the motel, showering, and heading to the bar. Not only did he need a woman, but he’d also like a few stiff drinks after this tedious day.
He guided the vehicle down the country road with no lines or lights and turned onto a driveway winding up a steep hill. The piles of snow shoved against the sides of the drive were chest high. One more big storm would make it impossible to plow as there was nowhere left to put the snow.
“Horrible setup,” he muttered as he guided the car up the drive.
Behind the banks, trees crowded the roadway; their skeletal branches creaked and swayed as the first snowflake landed on the windshield. He was beginning to think there was nothing at the top of this hill when the driveway leveled out. The car tires crunched on the stone as he coasted into a large, circular drive.
He parked in front of a cabin with a farmers porch and lights shining out of some of the windows. The interlocking logs were light in color, and behind the cabin, a field stretched out a good fifty yards before the woods reclaimed the land. In the distance, the sweeping peaks of mountains rose to touch the sky.
The home looked like Kadence described. Thishadto be it, but whatwasit? He saw nothing unusual about the place. In fact, with the snow spiraling lazily from the sky, it looked inviting.
Saxon pulled his phone off the charger and went to type a message to Declan before realizing he had no reception here. “Shit.”
Slipping the phone into his pocket, he patted his jacket to reassure himself his weapons were still there before opening the door and stepping out of the car. His breath hissed in when the frigid air slapped him in the face, and melting flakes stuck to his face and lashes as he strode toward the porch.
He studied the windows of the cabin as he walked and spotted a shadowy figure moving behind a curtain before he glimpsed a pale face peering out at him. He wiped the snow from his lashes, but the person was gone.
Elyse ducked down and waited a few seconds before poking her head around the corner of the window again to inspect the man coming toward the cabin. She’d never seen him before, but she’d never seen most of the men and women who arrived here before she was forced to get to know them better. Usually, those men and women came with an escort, but they could have decided to send this one on his own.
She hugged herself as she braced for what was to come. “Please don’t be too many.”
Saxon had his foot raised to climb the first step when the stench of decay swept over him. He froze with his foot in the air before bringing it down to the driveway again. Slowly, he reached into his jacket and removed the small crossbow he had strapped inside. He also took out a stake tucked into one of his interior pockets.
He’d kept the weapons hidden so as not to frighten whoever was inside, but that stench meant something far worse than people lived on this property.
A hundred feet of cleared land was on either side of the building; beyond that, the woods were thick. He strained to hear anything over the wind and creaking trees, but the twilight was eerily quiet considering that smell and the impending storm.
And then a pair of red eyes blinked at him from the shadows of the woods. His lips skimmed back as the eyes vanished. He glanced at the front door; were there more Savages inside? Were they trying to draw his attention to the woods so something could charge out of the house at him?
He edged away from the stairs and back toward the car so he would have plenty of time to prepare for anything that came out of the cabin at him.
Elyse peeked out the window again as the man moved away from the steps. In his hands, he held a small crossbow and a stake. She frowned as she studied the weapons; vampires rarely came here armed, and when they did, her guards took their weapons and kept them until the vamps left.
The handsome man stared at the woods before casting the cabin a suspicious look. His black, leather jacket fit like a second skin over his broad shoulders and was open enough for her to see the black sweater he wore beneath. His jeans emphasized his long legs as his gaze returned to the cabin.
