“I’m scared,” Jessica blurted out. The minute the words were out she wished she could call them back. There was no room for doubt. The devil would use such misgivings against them. She had to be strong, to believe they could beat this threat away from their friend and from them.
Tilly bent down and hugged her, wrapping Jessica in her strong embrace. Tilly always smelled exotic, like sandalwood or jasmine or a combination of the two. It gave Jessica a sense of safety and bolstered her courage.
“We can do this thing.” Tilly pulled back and their eyes met. “We have to.”
“I know.” This was their destiny, and there was no outrunning it for any of them. “What about Jules? He’s always at his shop early and he has a truck. He did sell Sabrina the carousel animal that broke this whole thing wide open.” It was still hard to wrap her head around the whole idea of a shapeshifting warrior and a curse, but there was no time to question. There was only time for action.
Tilly nodded. “We can ask him.”
“What will we tell him?” That was the thing, knowing how much to tell anyone. Jessica didn’t want to involve anyone else and possibly draw them into the line of fire, but Jules was already a part of this.
“As little as we have to. I know we both want to get on the road, but it’s better if we give Jules time to wake up before we ask him for his truck. He’ll be in a much better frame of mind.” Tilly glanced at her watch. “Why don’t we go down to the café? That way I can organize staff for the day and we can grab a coffee and something to eat. If I’m going to be gone for a day or two, I need to schedule people in to work.”
Jessica almost protested, but knew Tilly was right. It wouldn’t do to rile Jules up and have him say no. If they didn’t have a car by the time the café opened for business, they could always rent a car. Plan decided on, Jessica was in a hurry to get going. She grabbed her bag and headed to the front door. “Let’s get going. I’ll help you at the café so we’ll be ready to hit Jules up as soon as we figure he’s at his shop.”
Chapter Ten
Arand watched the world speed by outside the glass window. The tension in the vehicle was growing with each passing minute, but he didn’t know how to diffuse it. He hated waiting, not knowing when or how Hades was going to attack them. The only thing he knew for sure was that it was only a matter of time.
The more he thought about it, the more unsettled he was about what happened back at her apartment. Sure, there was a lot of growling and noise outside her apartment door, but no demons had broken through and no demons had attacked them on their way to her friend’s house.
He cursed under his breath.
“What?” Sabrina asked, giving him a quick glance before returning her attention to the road.
“It’s a trap.” It was so obvious he should have seen it sooner.
“What do you mean?” The worry in her voice ripped at his gut. He wanted her somewhere safe from Hades’ grasp.
“We’re being herded out of the city toward a more secluded spot.” He couldn’t believe he hadn’t caught on faster. “Hades will have to expend less energy keeping the fight shielded from others if there is no one else around. We should turn back.”
Sabrina shook her head. “Not happening. No way am I risking any of my friends. They’ve already done enough. I’d rather be isolated and fight Hades on our own than to involve any innocent bystanders.”
Pride swelled in his chest. His Sabrina was loyal and courageous. It didn’t feel strange to refer to her as his. She’d freed him so she belonged to him.
A low growl vibrated in his chest. And if there was one thing he knew how to do it was how to protect what was his. He hadn’t been able to save the Lady or his friends from Hades, but he would not allow Sabrina to fall into the devil’s clutches.
“You okay?” she asked.
Was he okay? No, he wasn’t. If worrying about Hades wasn’t bad enough, being stuck in this small vehicle with Sabrina was becoming torture with each passing mile. He could smell her soap, the slightly musky perfume of her skin. He closed his eyes briefly and inhaled. His cock stirred, more than ready to take her and claim her once again.
He heard the soft brush of material when she moved, her soft breathy sigh as she waited for him to answer. He opened his eyes, swallowed hard and faced forward. No, he wasn’t the least bit fine.
“I’m fine,” he told her.
She snorted under her breath but left him alone, for which he was very grateful. It would be so easy to get her to pull the car over, drag her into his arms and rip away her clothing. It would be a tight fit, as space was limited, but he could manage. He was highly motivated.
A ringing emanated from her purse, breaking the uneasy silence. “Shoot. Will you dig out my phone for me?”
Arand reached into her oversized bag and found the ringing piece of metal and plastic. Phones had changed much over the years, but he’d never actually used one. He handed it to her and she gave him an apologetic shrug. “I usually would never talk on the phone and drive but these are extenuating circumstances.” She clicked on a button. “Hello?”
Arand focused his enhanced hearing so he was privy to both sides of the conversation.
“You almost there?” He recognized her friend Jessica’s voice.
“Yeah, not long now.”
“When you get there, run a circle of salt around the perimeter of the house. It will help keep the evil out.”
“Where am I going to get salt?”
“I had Tilly put some in the box of stuff in the backseat of the car.” Jessica paused. “There’s some incense there too. Burn it.”
“Okay.”
“Tilly and I will be there as soon as we can.”
“No.” Sabrina shook her head even though her friend couldn’t see her. “Stay away. I don’t want either of you involved in this. It’s too dangerous.”
Arand glanced at Sabrina and could sense her growing fear. There was so little they could do against the might of Hades. Right now, it felt as though he was toying with them, leaving them alone so their fears would build.
Sabrina ended the call and tossed the phone on top of her bag. He carefully tucked it inside in case they needed it later. Although, he had no idea what her friends could do, if anything. They were human and no match for a god.
“We’re almost there.” Sabrina turned off and drove on a narrow road before turning off onto a dirt-covered one. “I haven’t been here in a while.”
Arand reached over and took one of her hands in his. “We will get through this together. I will protect you.” He would die to keep her safe, but she did not need to know that. First and foremost, he should be concerned about his duty, about breaking the curse and finding the Lady. But his priorities had changed.
Sabrina was the most important person in his world. She’d given him freedom after years of imprisonment, she was ready to fight side-by-side with him against impossible odds, and she’d shared her body with him, giving him comfort after years of being alone. He would honor that gift, and her, always.
He gave her hand a little squeeze as she wheeled the car between two large cypress trees and cut the engine. “This is it.”
Sabrina didn’t want Arand to let her hand go. Just that minor contact bolstered her courage, and she desperately needed the boost. Her skin was clammy and it felt as though an entire swarm of butterflies had taken up residence in her stomach. Talking to Jessica hadn’t helped. Her friend was obviously worried, and Sabrina knew the precautions she’d suggested were stopgap measures at best and wouldn’t stop the coming storm.
Waiting for Hades to strike was like waiting for a hurricane, never knowing exactly where it would hit or with how much ferocity.
She stared at the little house with the chipping white paint and wondered what Arand saw when he looked at it. Sabrina saw love and safety and happiness. Home. She missed her granny so much. “We should get inside.”
She grabbed her bag, opened the door and climbed out, listening to the sounds of the bayou around her. They enveloped her like a lullaby, adding to her sense of safety. She loved the city with its vibrancy and people. The city gave her a living and the best friends ever. But this little house on the edge of the swamp would always be home.
“Get the box, will you?”
Arand shook his head. “I need to keep my hands free to fight.”
Of course he did. Not looking at him, she opened the back door and yanked out the large box, balancing it on her hip while she shut the door. The path to the house was starting to become overgrown. She really needed to get out here and do some maintenance work or hire someone to do it. The last thing she wanted was the house to fall down due to neglect. And the swamp would claim it quickly if she weren’t diligent.
Sabrina trudged up the two steps to the porch, keeping one eye open for gators. You never knew when one of them might get it in his head to take a nap on the front porch. She was very aware of Arand walking behind her, his gaze constantly moving, searching through the thick growth of trees and the thick vegetation.
She set the box down and dug her keys out of her purse, selecting the right one. The lock turned and the door opened. A closed-up, slightly musty smell hit her nose and she grimaced at the reminder of how long it had been since she’d last been here. Her granny would not be pleased.
Sabrina lugged the box inside and set it on the kitchen table. The floor plan was open with the kitchen, dining area and living room all flowing into one. Off to the left side of the house were two small bedrooms and a tiny bathroom. Everything was just how it had been when her granny had passed. The white starched doily sat in the middle of the table, the pale-green Depression glass bowl sat on top of it, empty now, when it had always been filled with fruit.
The door closed and she turned to face Arand. He was looking around the space with obvious interest. The covering on the sofa was worn, the flowered pattern long faded and a thin layer of dust coated the furniture. “This is where you grew up?”
She nodded. “Yes. After my parents were killed I lived here with Granny LeGrande until I moved into the city to pursue my career as an artist.”
His gaze sharpened. “You are an artist.”
It struck her like a sledgehammer how little they knew about one another. Yes, they’d had sex. Yes, they were on the run together from a vengeful god. But there were fundamental things they had yet to learn about one another. It saddened her that they might not get the chance even though she knew it was silly to feel that way.
“Yes. I paint and sketch.” She pointed to a framed sketch she’d done of the swamp about five years ago. Granny had hung it on the wall with pride.
Arand strode over and stood in front of the small piece, studying it intently.
“I paint in oils now as well, but I still do a lot of sketches. The tourists like to buy those.” And she was beginning to babble.
Arand turned to her, his gaze intense. “You are very good.” He shook his head. “No, you are exceptional. You capture the vibrancy of the place even in a pencil sketch.” His gaze narrowed. “There were two unfinished pieces leaning against the shelf in your living room. Were they yours?”
With everything else that had happened, Sabrina had forgotten all about them. “Yeah.” She wandered around the room, touching a small glass bowl she’d bought for her granny for Christmas one year. “I started them a while back but put them away when I wasn’t quite sure how to finish them.” She paused beside an old-fashioned Victrola and lovingly rubbed the rich wood. “I’d forgotten them until last night.” Was it only last night? It seemed as though weeks had passed since then.
She squared her shoulders and walked away from the living room, away from Arand. “We need to get to work. Jessica said there was a box of blessed salt in here.” She dug though the box and pulled out the salt. “We need to pour a line of this around the house.”
“Sabrina.” Arand was behind her without her even hearing him move. For a big man he was incredibly quiet and stealthy when he moved. He put his hands on her shoulders and tugged her back against his chest. She resisted for a moment before allowing herself to lean on him.
The memories of her granny, coupled with the fear of what was to come, were wearing her down. All she really wanted to do was crawl into bed and cover her head until this was over.
“You said we needed to stay alive for a day. Twenty-four hours, right?”
She felt the brush of Arand’s chin on the side of her head as he nodded. “Yes. From midnight to midnight.”
She glanced at her watch. “Great, it’s not quite eight in the morning. That’s a lot of hours.”
“I know.” His breath whispered against her ear, sending goose bumps rushing across her flesh. Now was not the time to become aroused, not that her body was paying any attention to that directive. No, her traitorous body was tingling, every nerve ending totally alive with anticipation. Maybe it was the fact she knew their lives were on the line that made her want to jump his bones so badly. Or maybe it was simply the man himself.
No, not man, but a shapeshifting warrior of great courage and loyalty.
He moved closer and there was no mistaking the hard thickness that pressed against her butt. Arand was aroused too. Damned if that didn’t send her already aroused libido into overdrive.
“Salt,” she reminded him.
He brushed a kiss against the side of her neck and she almost melted into a puddle on the spot. Her neck was one of her biggest erogenous zones. “I’ll take care of it.” It took her a second to realize he meant he’d take care of putting down the salt and not her sex-starved body.
“Okay. Yeah, that would be good.” She cleared her throat and stepped away. “I’m going to burn some of this incense and fix us something to eat.”
Arand watched her, his big body totally still, like a predator poised to pounce. His dark eyes seemed to penetrate her bravado and, for a brief second, she almost threw herself into his arms. Pride came to her rescue. No sense in learning to depend on a man who wasn’t going to stay. She was on her own, except for her girls, that is. She could always depend on them.
Determined to ignore Arand and the way he made her feel, she pulled out containers filled with muffins and croissants. There were also apples, bananas and a container of melon slices. Looked like Tilly had realized they wouldn’t want to take time to cook but would want fast, easy food. A small block of cheddar, a bottle of juice and several bottles of water rounded out their food stash.