Galen by Tianna Xander Page B

its grip. Perhaps it was shifting shape that made her so tired. Whatever it was, she wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and go to sleep.
    I’m exhausted. I think I’ll take a nap if you don’t mind. Her stomach grumbled and she tried not to think about how hungry she was, as well. Wake me up if you decide to stop for something to eat, though I’d really rather eat as a human if it’s possible.
    “Will do, Kendra. It will most likely be a while. They heard us talking about getting something to eat, they will expect us to stay in the area to take care of that. I think it’s best to get back on the highway and stop after we’ve put some distance between us.”
    Whatever you think. She yawned and closed her eyes. Right now, I’m too tired to care if I eat.
     

Chapter Twelve
     
     
    Galen checked the rearview mirror for the thousandth time. His eyes burned from lack of sleep and his stomach growled out a protest that it had been nearly twenty-four hours since his last meal.
    He’d driven for the last eighteen hours straight, only stopping for gas a few times while Kendra slept on the floor in the back. They needed something to eat and he needed to sleep.
    Glancing into the back, he smiled at her position. She was on her back, her legs spread, giving him a show she wouldn’t have appreciated, wolf or not. Turning his attention back to the road, he saw a sign for the business route of the same road.
    If they were lucky, Thornton’s men wouldn’t think to look for them on the side roads. Galen made the turn and headed north, hoping to find a small town or two with a motel and a restaurant that was open all night.
    “I won’t hold my breath, though.”
    You won’t hold your breath for what? Kendra asked through the mental link. Yawning, she stood and stretched as he watched in the mirror.
    “That any small town we run into will have an all-night diner. I’m starved. I know you’re hungry and I just took us off the main road. I didn’t want to take any chances Thornton’s men would find us off the main drag.”
    That makes sense. She moved to stick her head between the seats. I have to go to the bathroom, though. She sighed. Or maybe I should have said I need to go outside.
    Galen chuckled, turned off onto a side road and drove several hundred feet before stopping. ”Here you go. It’s about all the privacy I can give you,” he said as he opened the door and got out. “Find yourself a bush and make due. If you want, we can try having you force the change back into your human self before we reach the town. It should be about the right time. You’ve been a wolf for over eighteen hours now.”
    Kendra jumped from the vehicle and headed toward a copse of trees. I think I’d like that. I want to learn to control this as soon as possible. She stopped and looked back at him. This is something I’ll eventually be able to control, isn’t it?
    “Yes, baby. It’s something you’ll eventually be able to control. You just need practice.” He rested his hands on his hips and cocked his lips up in a grin.
    Great. The faster I learn to control it, the faster I can get back to my life.
    Kendra’s last comment wiped the grin from his face. Didn’t she realize there was no going back to her life? Richard Thornton stole that from her the moment he plunged the serum-filled needle into her flesh.
    Reaching into the truck, he shut off the engine, pulled the keys from the ignition and pocketed them. He then moved to the other side of the vehicle and into the brush along the side of the road. He might as well take a leak while he waited for her to finish.
    He’d just finished tucking himself back into his pants when he got the whiff of a human in the vicinity. The scent came from upwind, which meant the man was close. Very close.
    Galen heard the unmistakable snick of someone pulling the hammer back on a gun. “What are ya doin’ here on my property?”
    “I didn’t mean to disturb anyone, mister,” Galen