“Deep breaths,inamorata,” Don breathes against her. I shoot him a glare through the rearview mirror, but he either doesn’t see it or ignores me. I’m betting on the second option. “The gargoyle is tougher than he looks.”
“He gotshot,” she hisses back at him.
I grip her knee so her attention whirls my way. “Tristan’s made of stone, baby girl. Don’t worry. We aren’t bulletproof, but if they miss the head, we’ll be fine.”
“Unless it’s verbena. Then I’m fucked.” I see Donatello smirking at her through the rearview mirror, and I’d usually roll my eyes at his antics, but the light mood is much needed right now.
Shooting another glance at the mirror, I study the road behind us. We’ve been following this beaten path circling some woods for some time, and we need to stop. My legs are cramping, and I need to empty my bladder. Fuck, I don’t even know where we are. I have to take a look at the sky and identify our position so we can readjust it. Without telling them, I leave the road and drive the bumpy way close to the forest, hoping I won’t hit a hidden hole or something. They don’t ask until I stop, turning the engine off, the car hidden from the road by tall bushes.
The silence coats us for a moment until I open the door and exit. Fuck, it feels good to walk.
“Why are we stopping?” Ren asks as he leaves the car. Cassandra follows him out, then all the others pour out of it. The dog races into a bush and raises a leg to pee.
“First, my legs are killing me.” I turn to them, staring into my mate’s dark eyes. “Second, the dog is not the only one who has a bladder. Third, this place is isolated enough for us to stop and rest.”
“Rest?” Cassandra breathes out, her eyes wide. Is she paler than usual? “We shouldn’t rest. We have to reach New York and hide, and I need to convince this mage to teach me how to use this power. Fuck, even then, I don’t know what to do next. What’s the endgame here? It’s not like I’ll ever be innocent again.”
I reach out, hands gripping her shoulders. “Mate. If we have to keep running for the rest of our lives, then so be it,” I tell her, stretching my lips into a smile. “I don’t care, because we’ll be together.”
“Agreed,” Tristan says from my right.
Cassandra looks unamused. “Was that supposed to convince me?”
“It wasn’t really good,” Ren offers, nodding. “I’m sticking around, but the idea of spending our lives running is not exactly comforting.”
Donatello has the audacity to shake his head in mock disappointment. I bare my teeth at him. “Not a word.”
“I didn’t say a thing,” he replies with a shrug.
Cassandra frees herself of my hands and walks to Tristan, reaching out to touch his chest. “Are you alright? Where did it hit you?”
He turns around to show a small hole in his shirt. There’s no sign of the bullet. “It’s just a little sore,” he tells her as she gapes at it. “It’ll be good in no time.”
Cassandra stares at it then steps away, crossing her arms over her chest. “Okay, but it could have hit you in the head.”
Donatello wraps his fingers around Cassandra’s wrists, tugging her closer. She turns to face him. “You need to rest. You haven’t had the time to digest this entire thing yet, and it’s finally catching up to you. Let’s do what Apollo said. This place is isolated enough. We’ll run around it, make sure it’s safe, while you and Tristan rest.”
“Why me?” Tristan jerks, as if resting is something offensive. “I can protect Cass too.”
“I know you can, but you were shot and your body spent energy recovering,” Donatello says, and I hate how full of sense he sounds. I narrow my eyes at him, hoping he bursts into flames. I don’t trust him. Even if I’m the one who brought up the maker-mind-control thing, I will forever despise the memory of him attacking Cassandra. “I’ll race through the woods and be back in a moment.”
“Like hell you will,” I spit at him, my dragon rising. Even when the moon is not visible, I feel its presence, and my animal wants out. Another night without letting him free, and it’s getting to my nerves, making me angrier, especially at the vampire. “You won’t go out by yourself.”
Ren raises his hands in a placating sign. “I’ll go with him.”
“Good,” I roar, then take a deep breath, letting my lungs expand. Fuck, we’re all too hyped up with what happened. Maybe Cassandra’s not the only one who needs to unwind.
Ren and Donatello shoot into the woods together. I watch them go for a moment, then turn back to my mate. She’s also watching them, an almost melancholic expression to her face. Which makes me wonder.
“How are you seeing all of this?” I ask.
She arches an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“There are no lights around us. I understand how shifters see in the dark, and vampires. Gargoyles are night creatures... But you?”
Cassandra shrugs. “I’ve always had good eyesight in the dark, but... I guess it improved after I started using my powers?”
I tut for a moment. “That’s an interesting advantage. Unexpected, but it makes total sense. You are a dark mage, after all.”