“How?” I asked. “I thought mates were chosen for you.”
“The bond will be there always,” he said. “And of course, I want you to choose to be with me, but I will never make you stay.”
I swallowed hard. Dread gripped my insides like ice at the thought of walking away from Xander. I couldn’t imagine being away from him, let alone staying away. “What if I want to stay and you don’t want me?”
“I want you,” he said.
The fear eased and warm flutters danced through me. I wanted him too. If only we weren’t rushing back to a safe house to destroy a demonic item. I’d ask him to pull over right now and make this thing official.
Then I remembered that the stone wasn’t the only complication. Xander wasn’t the only one who claimed me. “What about Elias?”
Xander’s upper lip twitched and he let out a low growl. “I don’t want to share you, but sometimes the fates are cruel.”
Suddenly, I lurched forward. We’d been hit by something. Hands against the glove box, I looked behind us to see a car right behind us. The car slammed into us again and I braced myself. They weren’t hitting us hard enough to cause major damage. It was clear this was an attempt to get us to stop.
I looked over at Xander.
“Hang on,” he said.
The engine revved as he pushed the car to the max. I gripped the handle above the window, my heart racing as we crept closer to a hundred miles an hour. I kept my eyes on the rearview window. Our pursuers matched speed, following us down the road.
Xander passed a semi-truck and I held my breath as the car tilted more than it should have. I didn’t even own a car let alone drive one at this speed. My heart was in my throat, my palms damp. I was pretty sure we were going to end up a heap of scrap metal on the side of the road.
As we flew down the highway, we had to dodge cars more often. The sun was setting and we were nearing the city. More people were on the road here, forcing Xander to slow down. Not that we were going slow by any means, but slower.
The car behind us got closer, keeping pace with us. If we weren’t directly threatened, I’d be impressed.
Xander changed lanes, moving right in front of a pickup truck. For the first time, our tail wasn’t directly behind us. I looked out the window just as they pulled alongside us.Shit.
“Xander!” I called to warn him as the car closed in next to us. They were so close I could clearly make out the driver.Holy fuck.I knew the driver. “Move over.”
“I can’t,” Xander yelled.
I looked over to see that we were sandwiched between two cars, both closing in on us. They had us trapped between them. Ahead of us was a souped up Subaru keeping pace with us. The pickup truck on our rear kept us boxed in.
We were surrounded.
“It’s hunters,” I said. “They’re working together.”
“Why would they do that?” Xander asked. “Aren’t you all more of the lone wolf type of profession?”
“Mostly,” I agreed. “But not when the mark is worth splitting. Like it is when a former hunter has a bounty.”
I clenched my hands into fists and tightened my jaw. That was the only thing that explained any of this. My name was on the list.
“They’re after you?”
“Yes, and they’ll take dead or alive if it means they get the bragging rights,” I said.
Xander took a deep breath. “Hold on tight. I’ve got an idea but it’s a little insane.”
“Do it.” I braced myself. “Get us the fuck out of here.”