Driven to follow her, he kept to the shade of the woods as much as possible. The roads crowded with traffic, limiting him more. He moved fast to camouflage his presence.
Branches whipped against his clothes. His surroundings blurred and her scent faded—too many others present and confusing her trail.
Launching to the tallest limbs of an old oak, he searched the distance. More cars. So many. Where had they come from? Which was hers? They all looked the same.
He dropped to the ground, landing in a crouch and raced toward the road.
A horn screamed as an enormous trailer swerved, missing him by an inch. Brakes squealed as cars stopped, turning to avoid hitting him. But all he could sense was his mate fading away.
“Get out of the road, asshole!”
Oncoming traffic whizzed by, so many people in such a rush. None of them her. Where did she go?
A horn blared and he hissed, baring his teeth as the driver paled.
He lost her.
His spine tingled, insisting he keep going. His eyes dilated and burned as the sun rose above the horizon. His gums throbbed as his fangs refused to retract. A fraying thread of self-awareness urged him back into the shadows. His self-control was slipping.
Once deep in the woods, he leaned into a tree and caught his breath. What was happening to him? He was unraveling and in need of shelter. In need of privacy.
Giving up his hunt left him weak, as if a layer of flesh had been flayed from his inner tissue. The fact that she’d escaped proved how much he needed her. His body was not operating in peak condition. Only a few hours after feeding and he was once again starved. His thoughts waded through a fog and his instincts lacked the ingrained humanity he typically possessed.
He needed to find her. Soon.
A predatory growl escaped his throat at the memory of her scent mingled with another male’s. His knuckles flexed as the urge to hunt, to kill took hold, shaking him to the core.
He was not a violent creature, but the thought of someone getting to her before him... Touching what he already considered his...
His fangs bit into his lower lip and he tasted blood. Whoever’s scent she wore, she would not wear it again. He’d make certain of it.
Chapter Ten
“I need two Buds—draft—and a bottle of Rock.”
Kyle reached for two glasses and pulled the tap. “How’d your exam go today?”
“Good. It was hard. There were a lot of essays.”
“You probably got an A.” He placed the beers on her tray.
“I’d settle for a B.”
It was Friday. Jimbo’s was busier than normal and as soon as she dropped off one order, she was given another. By nine, her feet were aching and she wanted her bed.
“Hey Annalise, settle a bet for us?”
Tucking her tray under her arm, she went over to see what Gus and the boys were debating tonight. “What is it now?” They loved to argue over the most trivial nonsense.
“Sweetheart, will you please explain to my friend here what makes a Boilermaker. I got ten bucks saying there ain’t no vodka involved.”
“I thought boilermakers were made of bullshit and brawn,” she teased, knowing several men belonged to the local boilermaker’s union.
“Ha, ha. The drink, missy.”
She gave a cheeky smile. “We serve them with a shot of whiskey and a beer.”
“Hah!” Gus shouted as he grabbed the ten-dollar bill from Bruce.
“Do I get a cut for being your lifeline?”
Bruce laughed. “I think you should get all of it, but Gus is too cheap.”
The barb worked, and Gus tucked the tip into her apron pocket. “There you go, missy. How about another round?”
“Coming right up.”
Her ass was dragging after a week of late nights, early mornings and too many finals. Once she grabbed Gus and Bruce their refills, she stashed her tray on the bar.
“I’m gonna run next door and grab a cappuccino,” she told Kyle. “You want anything?”
“Can you grab me a Powerade?”
“On it.”
Stepping out of the smoky bar, she breathed in the warm air catching the scent of oncoming rain. The moment she stepped inside the convenience store two doors down from Jimbo’s, thunder cracked and the skies opened.
* * * *
As soon as the sun set, Adam set out on his hunt again. He’d been at it for hours, sure she was close but unsure where she hid. Too many people and emotions clouded his senses. He needed to feed. He wanted to give up but couldn’t walk away. It seemed hopeless—
Adam’s head snapped up as something tugged at his conscience. Rain muffled his hearing as it pelted his hat and masked the air. Breathing deep, reaching through the scent of damp leaves and wet earth, he scented the fragile trace of honeysuckle and his legs were moving.
Bursting from the woods, he entered an industrial complex. Without the shelter of the trees, his clothes were immediately drenched. He sniffed, his mind and instincts tracking her like a compass. He bolted toward a busy intersection, wove through a cluster of automobiles idling at a traffic light, and ignored the honking horns, as he sprinted to a small alcove.