“I’m so sorry,” I told him earnestly. “I thought…I thought you were dead.” I could barely squeeze the words out. “And I…I thought I’d rather die that go with some stranger and be—”
“I understand,” Jake said quickly. “Listen, baby—why don’t you rest? I know of some nice little cabins just over the state border where they take cash and don’t ask questions. We’ll get there before we stop and then we can decide what to do and where to go next.”
“I’ll go anywhere, as long as I’m with you,” I told him. Though I was pretty sure he only meant we would be traveling together and not as a couple. He was so dead-set against breaking the damn Unbreakable Laws there was no way he would offer me a deeper relationship.
Still, for that moment, I was content and extremely grateful. I was safe with Jake instead of being mauled by some strange Were and we were on our way out of here.
Before I knew it, I found myself yawning. I didn’t mean to but I was completely exhausted. I’d had no sleep the night before and I had been crying and frightened and horrified and freaked out and every other negative emotion you can think of and I was worn out.
With the heated air from the stolen SUV’s heater blowing on my finally warm body, I finally dropped off.
FORTY-ONE
When I woke up, someone was lifting me out of the car seat and cradling me close to his broad chest. A warm, familiar scent like fur and a bonfire in the forest at midnight filled my nose and I felt safe and content.
“Mmm,” I murmured, snuggling against him. “Where are we?”
“Those little cabins I told you about,” Jake rumbled softly. “Come on, let’s go inside—it’s getting close to dawn.”
He carried me into a little cabin which was set back among a grove of dogwood and maple trees and laid me gently on the bed.
“There’s a bathroom if you need it,” he told me, pointing to a small room across from the bed. “Or you can just go back to sleep.”
“No—I have to go,” I mumbled. I got up and went to the bathroom, which was decorated in cheery yellow tiles. I had a pee break and then noticed there were some nice, fluffy looking towels on the rack beside the tiny but functional shower stall.
Right at that moment, a hot shower sounded wonderful. I gave the water a try and was delighted to find that it came out steaming. Stripping of the “sacrificial raiment” with a shiver, I left the white dress and silver sandals in a heap on the floor. Then, twisting my hair into a loose knot at the top of my head, I stepped into the shower.
There was a fresh cake of plain Ivory soap on the little soap stand—old fashioned but nice, I decided. Normally I wouldn’t use anything so plain, but after weeks of trying to cover my scent with the strongest soaps and body sprays and perfumes I could find, the plain Ivory was refreshing.
I lathered up and scrubbed myself all over, washing away the grime and terror of the night and reveling in the feeling of being both clean and safe.
At last I felt better—warm and soft and clean—and I put back the soap and turned off the water. I dried myself thoroughly and then looked around for something to wear. Some fancy hotels offer you a nice robe to wear, but this little cabin obviously wasn’t anything like that.
I thought about putting the white dress back on, but I couldn’t bear to. I didn’t want to wear anything that reminded me of how close I had come to either becoming the property of some strange Were or killing myself to get away from that awful fate.
In the end, I kicked the discarded garments into a corner and wrapped up in one of the fluffy white towels. Then, feeling a little self-conscious, I slipped back into the bedroom.
Jake was lying on his back on the bed, wearing only his jeans, apparently asleep. The sun hadn’t quite come up and the room was in semi-gloom. I settled carefully beside him, trying not to wake him up, but then his deep voice rumbled beside me,
“Feeling better, little Ani?”
His use of his old nickname for me made me smile.
“Much better,“ I told him. “But you must be exhausted. I thought you were asleep—I was trying not to wake you up.”
“Couldn’t go to sleep until I knew you were okay,” Jake murmured. “Come here, baby—let me hold you.”
“I’ve only got a towel on,” I warned him. “I, uh, couldn’t stand the idea of putting back on that horrible sacrificial dress they made me wear.”
“Of course not. I don’t mind—come here.”
And then he was tugging me to him, wrapping one long arm around me and pulling me close to his side.