He absently glanced at it over his shoulderbefore grabbing a shovel from the shed. “It’s fine.”
Paige remained immobile as she watched himwalk to the edge of the woods. She stood in awed silence as herapidly sliced through the earth to dig a grave large enough tostore the three bodies. Breaking free of her strange paralysis andshock, she grabbed their bags and walked over to toss their bagsinto the back of the truck.
She realized now the hunters had lied toher; she could never be the vampire killer they’d told her shecould be. The events that had unfolded here had finally jarred freeher memories of the night she’d been attacked in the alley. Nabelhad been with her, but he’d sent her into that alley alone as baitto lure in a vampire he’d sensed nearby. So excited by thepossibility that vampire just may be her father, she’d gonewillingly, but she’d believed she’d stand a chance against him in afight. She knew now she never would have; Nabel would have realizedthat too. She’d been the bait, and thankfully Ian had come along tosave her.
She’d been deluding herself by thinking shecould take a vampire one-on-one and win. Maybe a massive group ofpeople could take one down, but there would be many casualties.Nabel had led her to believe she wouldn’t need a group of people ora hunter’s aid. She couldn’t stand here and wallow in herrealization or the sense of betrayal it caused to twist in herstomach, there was work to be done here. She walked across the lawnas Ian bent and lifted the body of the headless corpse.
“I’ll help you.” Her voice came out quieterthan she’d expected, but he looked up at her.
“No.”
“Ian…”
“I don’t want you touching them. PleasePaige, go over and wait for me.”
Her gaze slid over him as his skin began toreturn to the golden tone she’d come to know so well. She may nothave been able to do much for him against those vampires, but shewasn’t about to leave him to deal with this alone. Nor would she bethought of as weak and incapable in front of him.
She walked over to the porch and climbed thestairs; her fingers slid into the brown and bloodied hair of thehead lying on the porch, she lifted it up. As soon as she turnedaround Ian, standing directly behind her, brought her up short. Heheld his hand out to her, but she shook her head no. “I’m going tohelp.”
Ian took a deep breath before gently takinghold of her hand. “I don’t think you’re weak, Paige. I know you’restrong. There’s no reason for you to have to deal with this when Ican take care of it. You’ve had enough death and destruction inyour life.”
Paige reluctantly released the head to him.“How do you know I’m strong? I was useless against them.”
He gave her a halfhearted smile as the lastof the reddish black color faded from his magnificent face. The redveins streaking through the whites of his eyes vanished, his eyesreturned to their sky color. “I know you better than you thinkPaige, and you weren’t useless, there’s more to you than yourealize.”
Ian fought the urge to bend and place a kissagainst her forehead, but he refused to get any more of the bloodcoating him on her. Turning away, he walked over and dumped thehead in with the body. He gathered the other two bodies and tossedthem into the grave. He rapidly filled it in again, tossed theshovel into the shed, and turned toward her.
“Come on, let’s get out of here.”
She walked over to join him by the pickup.He grabbed a shirt from his bag, pulled off his ruined one andtugged the new one on. She went to grab the handle of the truck,but his hand shot out before she could grasp it, and he pulled thedoor open for her. He didn’t say a word as he waited for her tosettle inside before closing the door behind her.
He moved so fast around the front of thetruck that she lost sight of him. She didn’t see him again until hepulled the driver’s side door open and climbed in beside her.Without thinking, she reached out and placed her hand against hison the wheel. He glanced at her and gave her a smile beforestarting the truck. A spray of dirt and rocks pinged against theundercarriage when he pulled out of the drive.
CHAPTER 16
“You’ll have to get the room,” Ian said and glancedpointedly down at the blood that had seeped through his shirt andcoated his jeans. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out hiswallet and handed her a wad of cash. “I’ll be right here.”
“Ok.” It took all of her energy to walk intothe small office and ring the bell on the counter. A portly,middle-aged man chomping on the end of his cigar stepped throughthe doorway behind the counter. She could hear the low murmur ofthe TV drifting from the backroom. Paige’s nose wrinkled as thesmell of the cigar drifted to her; she ignored the curling tendrilsof smoke while she filled out the card the man gave her.
The motel was the land technology forgot,she realized. She didn’t see a computer, only stacks of paperscattered across the desk. Or maybe this was normally a pay by thehour kind of place, either way, she just wanted the key and a bed.She handed him back the card and paid with the cash Ian had givenher.
The man’s eyes raked over her as he handedout the keys. She glanced down at her rumpled sweater. She hadn’trealized the sleeves of it were torn, and she’d lay money that ifshe looked close enough she would be able to find blood splatteredon the red material. “I don’t want no funny business here.”
“There won’t be,” she assured him as shetook the key from his hand.
The bell on the door rang as she steppedoutside and searched for Ian. She spotted him standing amongst theshadows by the corner of the building. The dim light illuminatedthe golden color of his hair and emphasized the aura of poweremanating from him. His gaze scanned the night, she could sense themurderous impulse radiating from him in waves. He’d most likelyfrightened off every vampire within a ten mile radius, but for somereason he didn’t frighten her as she descended the stairs towardhim.
The best thing she could do was catch thenext bus out of here and away from him. She had no idea where shewould go or what she would do, but if she stayed she would continueto put Ian in danger. Her father had found her again. He may evenbe out there somewhere, watching her now. She doubted it with Ianso close, and emitting an,I’ll rip your head off, vibe butthere was no way for her to know for sure.
She glanced nervously around the gloomyparking lot. Nothing unusual stirred within the shadows. Thatdidn’t mean he wasn’t there, watching her, waiting for hisopportunity to pounce on her. Being here with him put Ian’s life atrisk too. She’d never be able to live with herself if somethinghappened to him because of her.
She felt as alone now as she had four yearsago when her entire life had been turned upside down and rippedapart. No, she was more alone now. Then, she’d had a mission, rage,and revenge driving her. Now she still had all three of thosethings, but she also had the knowledge she would never win. Notagainst a creature like her father.
Ian may have taken on those three vampirestoday, but he’d been injured, and she couldn’t expect him to keepputting his life at risk for her. No matter what he believed her tobe, she’d never allow his life to become the battle hers hadbecome.
She walked to the middle of the building,slid the key into the lock and opened the door. Her hand feltaround for the light switch inside; she flicked it on just as Ianmaterialized at her backside. The flickering light on the bed tablebetween the two full size beds revealed the dingy yellow walls,faded orange and brown bedspreads, and industrial brown carpet. Theroom looked like it had stepped out of nineteen eighty something,but it smelled of vanilla and she didn’t see a speck of dust on anyof the scratched and lopsided furniture.
Ian closed the door and placed both of theirbags on the first bed. He strode past her toward the mirror andsink across the way. She didn’t know what he planned until hetugged his shirt off over his head. She gawked at the broad expanseof his back. Blood stuck to his skin as he dropped the shirt on thefloor. His head turned as he tried to inspect his back. There wasno way he could see the piece of wood embedded beneath his shoulderblade or the pieces of glass still digging into his flesh.
