Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (215 page)

With only twenty-five pages left in
the bird book, the truck started to slow. I set the paperback down
and peered out the window. Crystal blue water stretched as far as
the eye could see. White capped waves rushed onto the shore in
rhythmic patterns. Lush green forests and rocky cliffs lined the
sandy beach.

I extended my legs out in front of me
and scooted forward on the seat. “Why do we live in Oakridge
again?”

“
Most of these seaside
towns are tourist attractions. We need to stay low-key.”

Not my specialty. “So, no drinking
screwdrivers or table dancing?” I shot him a mischievous
smile.

He just shook his head.

We continued toward town, passing old
buildings and parallel-parked cars. Swarms of people strolled down
the sidewalks, entering and exiting little shops. After a moment,
Aiden pulled into a parking lot. A huge wooden sign with orange
letters read: Sea Side Motel.

Aiden slung his duffle bag over his
shoulder and picked up both my suitcases as I stepped out of the
truck. The salty sea breeze blew little strands of hair in my face,
carrying the scents of salt and coconut oil. I shifted my gaze out
to the rolling waves before following Aiden through the glass
doors.

“
Welcome!” A blonde girl
jumped from a chair and skipped to the front desk. Her smile
stretched clear back to her ears and her voice was so cheery, I
wanted to smack her for the sole reason of ruining her blissful
mood. “Do you have a reservation?”

“
No.” Aiden set the bags at
our feet and reached in his back pocket, pulling out a leather
wallet.

She clicked her tongue and typed
something in the computer. “You’re in luck. We have one room left.
How many nights will you be staying?”

I looked around the room, confused.
“Is something going on this weekend?”

“
The Governor’s birthday,”
Aiden replied.

“
Um…okay. Who
cares?”

The receptionist’s mouth dropped.
“Every year he throws a huge bash in Portland. It’s only the
biggest event in Oregon.” She reached down, pulled a flyer from a
drawer and handed it to Aiden. “Every motel within thirty miles is
usually filled by this time of day, so you stopped in the right
town.” She snatched it back and flipped it over. She pointed to a
big star. “We’re here in—”

It hit me like a bag of cinderblocks.
So hard it knocked me breathless. “What the hell.” I smacked
Aiden’s arm. “You said you were taking me to Portland.”

Veins in his hands surfaced as he
gripped his wallet. “Wait a minute and I’ll explain.”

I fell for his trap. Thinking back, he
never actually said we were going to Portland. How dense could I
be? He’d never take me there, and maybe if I would’ve looked past
his mind-blowing biceps, I would’ve seen this coming. “Explain
what? How you lied to get me to shut up?”

He glanced at the gawking girl, who
finally lost her smile, and then back at me. “I didn’t lie to you.
Calm down.” He handed the girl a credit card.

I narrowed my eyes. “Calm down? “You
lied! You were—”

“
Enough.” A glint of danger
sounded in his voice, something that told me I’d regret it if I
didn’t drop it.

The receptionist stared down, refusing
to make eye contact with either of us, and slid a yellow slip
across the counter. “Please sign here, Mr. Oltman.” When he did,
she handed us a key. “E-Enjoy your stay.”

Aiden nodded. “Thank you.”

He picked up our bags and exited the
building. I followed only because he had everything I owned and the
keys to the truck.

Still seething, I turned a corner and
rammed into his chest. I staggered backward, but luckily he didn’t
knock me down this time.

“
If my intent wasn’t to
help you,” Aiden motioned toward me, “why would I spend an entire
day walking through a forest for someone who may not exist? Why
would I pay someone to come down here and then travel all this way?
Did it ever occur to you I’m trying to help you?”

Peering down, I twisted the toe of my
shoe on the cement. I’d never thought of that. “Um, uh…”

“
If we’re
going to do this, you have to trust me.” Again, his tone had an
edge to it. “You have to be confident enough in me to know I’m
going to do everything in my power to help you
and
keep you safe. I’m on your side.
I’m never going to lie to you. I’m never going to deceive
you.”

I didn’t
say anything, or rather, I couldn’t. Words escaped me. He
had
done a lot for me.
More than most would’ve. A huge part of me knew he was right about
everything, but it was against my hard-headed nature to admit it so
quickly.

He turned toward room number fifteen,
slid the key card in the slot and pushed the door open.

“
You’ve gotta be freakin’
kidding me.”

Chapter 12

Sure the room appeared nice and cozy
with light blue walls and tan-colored carpet. It had all the
accommodations most motels did: a desk, TV—hey—even a fridge. But
what that smiling whore forgot to mention was the bed. Yes, bed. As
in one.

“
We should saran wrap her
car.”

“
It’s the last room they
have.” Aiden kicked the door closed then dropped our bags off to
the side of the room. “I’m sure we can get a cot. I’ll call for one
when we get back.”

Sitting on top of the desk, I leaned
my head against the wall and placed my feet on the chair. “Would
this be the point in time where I get the
‘explanation’?”

He pulled out a fresh black shirt from
his bag and shook it. “We’re not staying in Portland because I
don’t want to be there any longer than a few hours. Enough people
should be around so you don’t stick out, but you still need to be
cautious. Rygons thrive in crowds.” He zipped his bag closed and
turned to face me. “Last year we received a call down at Portland
after seven people were reported missing. They weren’t Dreas,
luckily, but the evidence of Rygon attacks were everywhere. Two
hours after examining the area, we found the victims’ bodies
massacred.” His intense eyes bored into mine.

“
You’re not telling me this
for shits and giggles.”

“
I’m telling you this
because Rygons are dangerous, but a rogue Kember is lethal. You can
barge in and get yourself killed, but how does that help us catch
him? How does that avenge Delmari? If you die, Delmari died in
vain.”

A sharp pain shot through my core. I
clasped my hand over my chest, unable to breathe. My nails cut into
my skin. Warm liquid trickled onto my fingers, slowly abating the
pressure and inner pain.

Half-falling in an attempt to get off
the desk, I knocked the phone and lamp to the floor and headed to
the bathroom.

“
Taylee—”

The
slamming door cut off his voice. I sucked in a jagged
breath.
Delmari died in vain.
I sat against the shower wall, clenching my fists,
fighting the sting in my eyes. Crying did nothing. It didn’t help.
Settling the score would be the only cure.

Aiden knocked lightly. “I didn’t mean
to upset—”

“
I’m fine. Just getting
changed.”

He sighed. The door cracked open, and
my bag slid across the tile.

Inhaling
deeply, I squeezed my eyes closed and heaved myself up off the
floor.
Get dressed. Get your makeup on and
get a freakin’ grip.
If I allowed myself
the time to stop and think, I’d always be on the floor. I had to
keep plowing forward.

I tied the strings of my maroon
tight-fitted halter top around my neck and then dragged a small
section of hair down my neck, covering the red, wet marks I’d
inflicted on my chest. The scratches weren’t deep or anything, but
definitely apparent.

When I walked back into the room,
Aiden eyed me. “Where’s the wrap for your hand?”

I refused to meet his gaze. “Throws
off the outfit.” I bent my wrist a few times and shrugged. “Plus, I
popped some Ibuprofen. It doesn’t even hurt now.”

He’d
changed into a new black shirt, as well. This one fit slightly
tighter, showing off his awesome arms and chest. Black, really? He
wore the color every day. Maybe he liked the Goth get-up. I, for
one, thought green would look good on him. Yes, definitely green.
It’d bring out his eyes—
stop thinking
about him.

Plus, any more points in his “good
looks” area and I’d be acting like…well, this.

“
Ready?” I pulled my black
jacket off the bed. Irritation, though directed toward myself, rang
through my tone.

“
Let’s go.” He strode
toward the door.

Hundreds of people roamed the streets
of Portland. I sat forward, palms on the dash, checking everything
out. You’d think we’d driven straight into an amusement park.
Bright golden lights strung from pole to pole, illuminating the
darkness. The annoying, slightly creepy, sounds of fair music and
games echoed in the distance.

We drove around for fifteen minutes,
looking for a parking place. Finally, in an alleyway, we found a
spot.

Aiden stood outside my door. With his
hand on the handle, he stared into space; probably listening to…I
didn’t know: Whatever there was to listen to in dark, musty
alleyways. I grabbed my jacket from the backseat as he opened the
door.

“
We should be fine. Rygons
may sense you, but they’ll stay low-key. I’m sure you’re not the
only Drea here tonight.”

“
So, stay out of dark,
narrow alleyways, right?” I jumped down from the truck and peered
around.

Like he did so often, he ignored my
comment. “Stay close. Make sure you don’t step an inch farther than
this.” He motioned to the foot between us. “If you see anyone you
recognize, don’t do anything without consulting me. And
don’t—”

“
Talk to, or take candy
from strangers. Yeah, yeah, I know. Can we get on with this
already?” I started for the street ahead.

“
We have two hours.” By the
closeness of his low voice, he wasn’t fooling about the distance
thing.

“
So is the GPS in your head
on fritz or do you know where the club is?” We reached the mouth of
the alley and I looked up and down the road. Streams of cars lined
the streets in both directions. Over the tops of the buildings, a
feint glow lit the sky.

“
Go right.”

I was already heading in that
direction.

“
The city’s web site listed
multiple clubs and bars, but they’re all in different parts of
town.”

“
So…?”

“
So, we’ll find a place to
eat, I’ll eavesdrop on conversations and we’ll figure it out from
there.”

We
. The plural word almost made me
smile. It wasn’t “
I’ll figure it out and
I’ll do everything
.” He talked like he
thought of me as a teammate and not some meager Drea who possessed
people. I risked a glance in his direction, feeling borderline
giddy, and his gaze darted around the darkness.

We turned another corner, and I
flinched against the bright lights coming off the main street.
Immediately, the crowd of people filed around us. Aiden pushed me
forward. I hadn’t even noticed I’d stopped walking.

His hand stretched past my head. The
warmth of his breath tickled my ear when he spoke, making goose
bumps rise on my skin. “Head for the purple neon sign.”

The sign beamed from a building a few
blocks in front of us. I stretched up on my tippy toes as we weaved
through the crowd, trying to get a better look. Black tinted
windows and a burly guy at the door taking I.D.s…It had to be the
place.

Feet from the door, Aiden tugged my
belt loop and stopped me in my tracks. “I don’t know what’s in
there…”

I rolled my eyes. “Relax. I’ve been
around drunks before. Besides, Mr. Badass Protector, I’m sure you
can handle disoriented pervs.”

“
No. I’m not just talking
about that. This club is called…‘The Cat.’”

I tilted my head to check out the sign
once again. “Huh, you know Spanish?”

“
It’s Italian.”

“
Same difference.”
Realization dawned on me. A club called “The Cat.” “Oh man, you
don’t think this place is crawling with strippers…do
you?”

He hesitated, and I knew our thoughts
were in sync. “It’s hard to tell.”

“
Well, let’s hope not.” My
gaze moved up and down his frame. “’Cause that would be
awkward.”

“
If it is—”

“
Keep your dollar bills to
yourself.”

Aiden sighed and motioned to the
bald-headed security guard. “Are you ready to do this?”

To use my ability without being chewed
out? “Hell yeah, I am.”

We stood behind a couple who couldn’t
keep their lips—or hands, for that matter—off each other. When they
proceeded forward, we stepped to the front of the line. The
bouncer, arms crossed and feet spread wide, growled.
“IDs.”