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“I don’t remember asking for your help and we did use my ATV to get out of there,” she said, her gun still leveled at him.
“I have to apologize for my late entry into the fray. Your skill and understanding of your assailants were a surprise.”
“First off, Cullen Manchester of the Ghost Moon Pack, we humans, and specifically the SPU, aren’t as ignorant about your existence as you’d like us to be.” Well, the SPU might be, but thanks to Dani, she wasn’t. Regarding him coolly and assessing whether he came down on the side of friend or foe, she holstered her gun and offered him her hand. “Salem. Thanks.”
“Like the capitol of Oregon?” he asked, shaking her hand.
His touch was warm—gentle, yet strong. He seemed reluctant to let her hand go, but she needed to disengage. It was hard to think clearly in his presence, and there seemed to be a subtle buzzing in her brain—like bees fluttering around. Delicately, she removed it from his grasp.
“Bingo,” she said, removing her rucksack and crouching down, placing her stakes back inside. “Do you have any explanation for why there’s no blood? I expected blood.”
He nodded. “Vamps have no blood of their own, and you’ll never get a pulse as their hearts don’t beat.”
“Kind of takes away from the whole romantic leaning your head against his chest after sex.”
Cullen laughed. “I’ve never thought of that, but then I’ve never thought of having sex with a vampire.”
Salem pulled out a few things to better secure her stakes and could feel his eyes watching her. There was something about the way he did so that was possessive. She placed the sphere on the ground next to her pack. Cullen reached for it, picking it up before she could stop him.
Standing, she extended her hand. “That’s mine. Give it back.”
“It isn’t yours,” he said, turning it in his hand. He had strong, tanned hands with long fingers. “It may have fallen into your possession, but it isn’t yours.”
“So, you know what it is?”
“It is the Celestial Key.”
The ‘Celestial Key?’ So, the damn thing had a name, and if the Alpha of the Ghost Moon Pack knew what it was, it was probably important. The SPU had known very little about it—certainly not its name, but they had guessed it was important and powerful.
Trying to recall what she’d read about celestial keys in general—even though they were always depicted as an actual key and not some kind of spherical Rubik’s cube, she mused aloud. “I thought celestial keys were used to summon spirits.”
He chuckled. “A commonly held fairy tale. The Celestial Key is a kind of glorified sextant that can be used to navigate—land or sea—by the stars. How did you come by it?”
She glanced back down the hill. “Don’t you think we should put some more distance between us and the vamps? Maybe take this someplace else to discuss…” she snatched it away from him. “… my Celestial Key?”
He planted his feet and folded his brawny arms across his chest. “Where did you get it?” he said, his tone firm and even as he locked eyes with hers.
Much as she didn’t want to, she looked away. She hadn’t felt enthralled by the vampires, but this man could most definitely command her attention and most likely her behavior, as well.
“It was given to me by the SPU.”
“Do they know what it is?”
Deciding honesty might go a long way with Cullen and hoping to recruit him to her cause, she answered. “Not really. They think it’s powerful, but they haven’t a clue what it is, and it wasn’t until I’d been up here that I figured out how to make it work.”
“Curious. Very few humans have ever been able to get the Celestial Key to show them anything. Your point is well-taken. Let’s put some distance between us and them.”
He leaned down and picked up the rucksack, slinging it over his shoulder, and headed up the hill and deeper into the woods. Seeing little other choice, Salem fell in behind him. They hiked for more than two hours before she found herself breathing more heavily than she thought she ought to be.
Sensing her distress, he found a large fallen tree, gesturing toward it. “Take a breather. I’ll go back and make sure we aren’t being followed.”
He moved through the trail like a wraith through a graveyard—powerfully, gracefully and without making a sound. She focused on quieting her breathing and slowing her heart rate. The possibility of working with Cullen and his people had a lot of appeal, but she was equal parts repelled and fascinated by him on a personal level. Physically, everything about him was attractive to her, but his mesmerizing presence was disconcerting and left her feeling dizzy and unbalanced. She needed to know more about him and his kind before she went traipsing merrily off with him.
Salem planned to ask the SPU to find the manpower to return to the ghost town and map out the tunnel and cave structure. She wanted to know where Cullen had come from and what he had been doing when he came to her rescue. Despite what she had said to him, she knew that he had saved her ass. Knowing they had been discovered, perhaps the vampires would move on, but she wondered how many places they could find that would suit their unique needs.
Cullen returned as silently as he’d left. “It seems we’re clear of them. Vampires aren’t overly fond of water.”
“Do they really wither and die if you douse them with holy water?”
