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There were still four men in with her and they were looking at a local map they’d gotten from the shop, trying to see the best route—figuring which route we would’ve taken out of there. They hadn’t even known we were there at all until that moment. I saw it all over their faces. We were free and clear outside, but I had let Fay give me a conscience about these people; I had let her make me feel bad about these people, otherwise, we would have been home free.

             
“Well, well—”

             
I blurred forward and throat punched him. “Let’s skip the introductions.” I reached over and grabbed a knife from the counter and slung it right to the next guy, spearing it through his hand, tacking him to the wall. I heard a scream that was definitely human. I looked at my waitress’ nametag and moved toward her. “Pamela. It’s all right. I came back to make sure everyone was okay.”

             
“I’m not okay! You stabbed him!”
              “In all fairness, he was going to stab me first.”

             
Her eyes moved to my right and her mouth opened. I turned just as she said, “Watch out!”

             
I cracked his neck and she squealed like a stuck pig. “Pamela, please,” I said calmly and I stared down my last opponent.

             
A rolling pin was tossed over my shoulder and I smiled at her. “Thanks, sweetheart, but that won’t really help on his kind.” The guy with the knife through his hand was now free also and they were both coming for us. “Or him.”

             
“His kind?” she asked as she gripped the back of my shirt tightly. “What does that mean?”

             
“It means run, Pamela.”

             
“But…I saw you,” she whispered. Like whispering somehow made it less real. “I saw you move way too fast to be…normal. What’s going on?” She sobbed a quick, short breath. “Please. I just want to see my grandkids again.”

             
I looked at her over my shoulder and felt her fear smack into me. I tried not to groan. “Pamela,” I said slowly, “I’ll take care of this.” I smiled as best I could. “I’m sorry that you came into work today thinking it was going to be a normal day. Look at me.” I waited for her eyes to meet mine. “You go—go and see your grandkids and don’t worry about what’s going on here. It’s not important. Be safe and be…happy.”

             
She walked backward and watched me as she left. She stopped at the door and I didn’t understand. I persuaded her to go. She should want to leave and go—

             
“Thank you. Thank you for what you did. I know you’re not…normal. I know something isn’t right here and you could’ve very well not come back for us. Thank you for doing that. My grandbabies thank you.” She sobbed as she turned to go and took off in a run.

             
I turned my full attention to the devourers and they were completely stunned. “What in the hell…is wrong with you, Enoch Thames?”

              I charged. I knocked their heads together before grabbing a handful of hair from each and wrenching as hard as I could. I heard the sickening snap of both of their necks. It didn’t make me feel good or bad that I enjoyed it. It just was what it was. I was a devourer and no matter how much I changed, there were some things that wouldn’t. Like the fact that taking out my enemy—the people who had tried to hurt me, Fay, and an old woman that didn’t deserve it—would always bring satisfaction.

I knew they’d be awake soon enough so I turned to go, but saw something on the counter that made me pause. I smiled.

When I made it back to the car a couple minutes later, I could see that Fay was working herself into a tizzy. She unlocked the door when she saw me coming and smiled at what I was holding. “Ah, I think I just fell in love with you.”

I cut my eyes at her as I climbed in and she rolled hers. “You know what I mean.” She took one of the to-go plates and opened it up. “Oh, my gosh. Pancakes.”

“And I got eggs and bacon. All they had cooked and ready to go was breakfast stuff.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m starving,” she said and dipped her pancake into the syrup, taking a big bite and smiling at me, licking her lip and laughing when it dripped on her chin. She didn’t even car
e that it was making a mess. It was adorable and cute, but most women I’d known were so self-conscious about it. She seemed to…relish in it.

She sat in the middle instead of in her seat on the far side and when she was done she laid her head on my shoulder.
I tried not to be too excited about that.

“
Thank you for going back in there. I know you didn’t want to, and I appreciate that you did it.” Her hair smelled like that hotel shampoo. I would forever love that smell for the rest of my days. I gulped when I felt her fingers lightly touch my arm. “I can’t believe we’re almost there.”

I coughed.
“Yeah. Our trip is almost over. You’re almost rid of me.”

“You’re not going to leave, are you?” She sat up and scooted a little closer, her leg propped up in the seat with her
touching my arm. “He’s your brother, too. There’s no reason for you to just rush off and leave, is there?”
              “Clara hates me.”

She scoffed. “That can’t
really be true.”

“I hate her.”

She sighed and looked at me. “You have these moments where you’re so…amazing.” My heart actually hurt it jumped so violently. “And then you have these other moments where I question everything that’s ever happened between us.”

I swallowed. “You should.”

“Why?” she breathed.

“I’m a devourer
.”

“You
saved me,” she argued, as if that argument meant something to top all other arguments.

I finally glanced over and wished I hadn’t. She was waiting for me to say something epic. “I’m not good for you.”

She sighed like she was disappointed. “So you’re going to leave once we’re there. You’re just going to drop me off?”

“I’ll stay for a bit, but not for long. It’s not for me. I’m a loner. That’s always been my life.”

“Because you choose it.”

“Yes,” I sighed. “Because I choose it.”

“You could choose something else.”

Was she really asking me to choose her? She barely knew m
e and the little bit she did know wasn’t good. She couldn’t want me in that way from what she’d seen…could she?

The rest of the trip was silent. She brooded and I wanted to be angry about it, but it was the cutest thing I’d ever laid eyes on. She was angry that I was leaving. I had never ha
d someone care about my being
there.
I could have kissed her for that alone.

The next part of the trip was tricky.

I knew the general vicinity of where Clara and Eli were, but I knew it wasn’t going to be that easy to get in. They moved around so much, and I didn’t know if they were going to be hidden with some magic. If they were, I was going to have to find a witch to find them. I sighed. So close, but still so far away. And there was no way to reach them.

And I was already beginning to feel the need to feed again. The twitchiness in my veins and blood. I shook my head, knowing that it wasn’t going to make anything easier. The next hour I beat a rhythm on the steering wheel and tried to think of what Eli would do if it was him making the decisions for the rebels. And then I tried to think of where Franz would take them. When we reached the
last known place, it was empty, they were already gone, and I felt my anger rise even as Fay’s hope fell.

“I was stupid to think it would be that easy, huh?” She sniffed a laugh. “I don’t deserve to find her. She probably doesn’t even want me to. If she knew I was looking for her, she’s probably run anyway.”

“We’ll find them,” I insisted. “I figured they’d moved. They’re practically gypsies. It’s how they live.”

She watched me, her green eyes following me as I looked around the campsites, looking for clues. She was getting madder by the second as she watched me pick up things and toss them away as is they didn’t matter. “Don’t tell me things just to make me feel better,” she sneered.

I laughed and gave her a look. “I am the last person who would sugarcoat it for you, sweetheart.”

She looked at the ground, letting her breath that she was holding go, knowing I was right. “I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up.
That was just stupid.” I passed behind her when I moved to search near the river and heard her mutter, “And will you stop calling me
sweetheart
?”
              I raised an eyebrow. “Sweetheart is offensive? Since when?”

She steeled herself, lifting her chin and straightening her back. She reminded me of Clara so much right then. “You’re not going to do anything about it. Since you decided you’re leaving, dumping me as soon as you find them, you don’t get to
sweetheart
me.” She crossed her arms, turned away from me, and walked toward one of the only small cabins that was there and I stared, stunned.

Any other time and I would have been so turned on by that lit
tle speech and the fact that this female was coming on to me, but this was Clara’s sister. I squeezed my eyes shut and clenched my fists. Why? Why, why, why?

My l
ife was practically in shambles and I certainly didn’t need a female added to the mix to keep things interesting right now. So why was I going so crazy over this one?

“They’re gone. I can’t find anything left behind to lead us to them.” I looked back to find her wiping her eyes and taking a deep breath as she tried to compose herself by the river bank. “I’m sorry, Fay. We need to go.”

“It’s so beautiful here,” she mused and sighed long and hard. She leaned her head back and rolled her neck to the side, her eyes closed. She was so trusting. I realized how completely she trusted me on every level. No matter what happened, I had to get this girl to Clara. I rubbed her arm with my thumb and she didn’t flinch like I thought she would. She smiled and grabbed my arm, linking hers with mine. “Just come here for a minute.”

I sighed. “Fay.”

“Just a second. Everybody needs to recharge every once in a while. And you, sir, need to recharge more than most people.”

“I take offense to that,” I spouted back.

She giggled and that giggle almost did me in, with her eyes closed and her still so completely trusting me. “Just close your eyes and lean your head back. Soak up the sun for a second and listen to the water.”
              “Devourers don’t like sun. Or the sound of the river.”

“That’s a lie and you know it.” She smiled.

“How do you know that?” I groaned.

“Because. That would just be crazy,” she said softly. She leaned her head on my shoulder and we probably sat there for a full ten minutes without moving, just listening. She lifted her head and looked at me. She bit her lip on the side and
I wanted to be the one biting that lip. “So, do you feel better?”

“Truth?” She nodded. “I do actually. I mean. I don’t feel physically better, and I still need to feed, but…just sitting here with you somehow…”

“It’s scientific,” she corrected. I squinted. “Vitamin D absorbs in your skin and releases endorphins in your body that do all sorts of good things for you. Improves your mood, for one.”

“Endorphins?” I questioned and smirked. “I thought endorphins
made you sexually charged—”

She slapped my chest, rolled her eyes, turned toward the car. “Way to ruin my good mood, Enoch.”

I laughed my words, “What? You stated some facts, so I stated some facts.”

“Facts, my behind!” I could hear the smile in her voice. I walked after her, her lovely rear right in my line of sight. She set me up so nicel
y for that one, now hadn’t she?

“And what a gorgeous behind it is.”

She turned, her mouth open to blast me one, but bumped into my chest instead because I had been so close. She put her hand on my chest and tried to retreat, but I had the advantage on this and wasn’t in a giving mood if this was what it entailed. I came for her harder, but she kept her hand there even as she protested. “I thought we talked about this and you weren’t going to…to…”

“To what…sweetheart?”

“That!” she shrieked and looked up at me like I was a villain. A villain with something she wanted. “The
sweethearts
and the
gorgeous behinds
and that stuff you’re pulling on me. Stop it.”

“But you don’t like me. So why does it matter? I’m just trying to kill some time.”

“I…” She licked her lips. “I never said I didn’t like you.”

I moved until she was pressed against me, her hand stuck between us. She was breathing hard and she made this little noise, a cross between a beg and a groan.

“Enoch,” she tacked on with it and I was about to lose it.

I growled
. “You are the most—”

We heard a loud, thunderous screech that sounded like a car accident from the road. We both jerked our gazes to the road and then back to each other. She opened her mouth and paused for only a second before asking, “I am the most what?”