taken from her when Carl pulled his legs into the car and slammed the door behind him.
He rolled down the window and called out as he pulled onto the road. “Accident on 76. Aiden will see you to your car, ma’am, and help arrange for a tow truck.”
Aiden’s hand tightened on her shoulder but she jerked free only to run into a cloud of dust as the cruiser took off.
When she turned around, he was staring at her. His eyes were cold and his jaw set hard.
“What’s really going on here?”
“I told you,” he began calmly, but she cut him off, pointing after the sheriff.
“That was more than just denial. He didn’t even see it.”
Aiden scanned her face. She didn’t know what he was looking for but whatever it was he didn’t seem to find it. He walked over to creature and nudged it with his steel-toed boot. “But you can,” he breathed.
She thought about denying it but what was the point? Aiden wasn’t an idiot and she’d already as much as admitted it. “I’m not crazy. You can see it too.”
“Of course.” He swung the sword loose of its scabbard and sliced the back of the thing’s neck open, hauling back for another swing to break through chalky white bone and then reaching down to yank the head forward to saw through the remaining connective tissue.
Grace lost her breakfast, spinning around and dropping to her knees to spew pancakes and coffee, sickly sweet and bitter with bile. She was sure he’d done that on purpose to distract her. She wouldn’t be able to get that wet cracking sound out of her head, not ever. Her stomach lurched again but there was nothing left to come out. Before she knew it, Aiden was back, standing over her and helping to pull her hair from her face.
“You came for Maia. I couldn’t figure out why you were so interested in her at the diner. Why you kept looking at Dan.”
She swiped the spit from her mouth and ignored the folded tissue he held out to her. “I got lost,” she insisted.
“Bullshit. How did you track her?”
Grace shook her head and her stomach cramped up. Aiden stepped on her gun and crouched down to slip her fingers free. “I need to know how you tracked her.”
She glared at him. “I need you to explain that thing to me.”
“That’s simple. You shouldn’t be able to see it. The sheriff, anyone human would see a big dog, maybe a wolf. Carl saw a wolf because he saw your fear and the damage to your car first. It’s a glamour. The same thing that made him see a hunting rifle instead of the sword.”
“You’re going to need to come up with something better than that. Something that makes sense.”
She reached for her other gun and was surprised to find it missing. When she looked up at Aiden, he only smiled. This one never touched his eyes. They remained icy, calculating and narrowed on her.
“Or what? You’ll drag the sheriff back here to look at another dead dog?”
“That is not a dog.”
“You might as well call it a chupacabra. Didn’t you see the way Carl looked at you? He was trying to decide if you were going to be a danger. To me. I went to kindergarten with him. My family has known his for the better part of the last century. Who do you think he’ll believe—me or some psychic from St. Louis?”
She paused halfway to her feet and then straightened slowly. “How did you know that?”
“I found your wallet. It’s amazing what you can find on the internet these days.”
She sneered. “And here I thought I’d finally found an honest man.”
He stopped walking away from her, ran a hand through his hair and turned around. “I’m as honest as this world allows me to be.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
He looked at her and some of the ice in his eyes thawed. “I think you know exactly what I mean.”
Her eyes lifted to the hilt of that terrifying sword poking up over his left shoulder, and she shook her head.
“What are you?”
She turned around when she heard the crunch of gravel and the low hum of a
He rolled down the window and called out as he pulled onto the road. “Accident on 76. Aiden will see you to your car, ma’am, and help arrange for a tow truck.”
Aiden’s hand tightened on her shoulder but she jerked free only to run into a cloud of dust as the cruiser took off.
When she turned around, he was staring at her. His eyes were cold and his jaw set hard.
“What’s really going on here?”
“I told you,” he began calmly, but she cut him off, pointing after the sheriff.
“That was more than just denial. He didn’t even see it.”
Aiden scanned her face. She didn’t know what he was looking for but whatever it was he didn’t seem to find it. He walked over to creature and nudged it with his steel-toed boot. “But you can,” he breathed.
She thought about denying it but what was the point? Aiden wasn’t an idiot and she’d already as much as admitted it. “I’m not crazy. You can see it too.”
“Of course.” He swung the sword loose of its scabbard and sliced the back of the thing’s neck open, hauling back for another swing to break through chalky white bone and then reaching down to yank the head forward to saw through the remaining connective tissue.
Grace lost her breakfast, spinning around and dropping to her knees to spew pancakes and coffee, sickly sweet and bitter with bile. She was sure he’d done that on purpose to distract her. She wouldn’t be able to get that wet cracking sound out of her head, not ever. Her stomach lurched again but there was nothing left to come out. Before she knew it, Aiden was back, standing over her and helping to pull her hair from her face.
“You came for Maia. I couldn’t figure out why you were so interested in her at the diner. Why you kept looking at Dan.”
She swiped the spit from her mouth and ignored the folded tissue he held out to her. “I got lost,” she insisted.
“Bullshit. How did you track her?”
Grace shook her head and her stomach cramped up. Aiden stepped on her gun and crouched down to slip her fingers free. “I need to know how you tracked her.”
She glared at him. “I need you to explain that thing to me.”
“That’s simple. You shouldn’t be able to see it. The sheriff, anyone human would see a big dog, maybe a wolf. Carl saw a wolf because he saw your fear and the damage to your car first. It’s a glamour. The same thing that made him see a hunting rifle instead of the sword.”
“You’re going to need to come up with something better than that. Something that makes sense.”
She reached for her other gun and was surprised to find it missing. When she looked up at Aiden, he only smiled. This one never touched his eyes. They remained icy, calculating and narrowed on her.
“Or what? You’ll drag the sheriff back here to look at another dead dog?”
“That is not a dog.”
“You might as well call it a chupacabra. Didn’t you see the way Carl looked at you? He was trying to decide if you were going to be a danger. To me. I went to kindergarten with him. My family has known his for the better part of the last century. Who do you think he’ll believe—me or some psychic from St. Louis?”
She paused halfway to her feet and then straightened slowly. “How did you know that?”
“I found your wallet. It’s amazing what you can find on the internet these days.”
She sneered. “And here I thought I’d finally found an honest man.”
He stopped walking away from her, ran a hand through his hair and turned around. “I’m as honest as this world allows me to be.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
He looked at her and some of the ice in his eyes thawed. “I think you know exactly what I mean.”
Her eyes lifted to the hilt of that terrifying sword poking up over his left shoulder, and she shook her head.
“What are you?”
She turned around when she heard the crunch of gravel and the low hum of a
Similar Books
