"Shall we, miss nymph?" he says with a smirk.
I sigh and follow.
Kayden drives in uncharacteristic silence.
I let the quiet stretch, using it to gather my thoughts, to keep myself from unraveling completely. I was so close to accepting Asher's offer. A warm bed. Safety. No questions for a little while.
But I can't. For many reasons.
They're vampires. That alone should be enough. But there's more—things they don't know. Things I haven't told them. Like what my blood really does to their kind. How long would their noble restraint last if they knew? Especially Kayden.
I shift slightly in my seat and feel it again—the lingering burn on my skin from his punishment. A phantom echo of heat and sensation too vivid to dismiss.
And the damn flowerpots. I can still see them in my mind, thriving like jungle growth overnight.
Yes, growth is part of my power. And yes, it's true that I can't always control it. But what I didn't tell them—what Icouldn'ttell them—is that it happens when I'm… aroused. When my body responds sexually.
Which means Kayden's touch, Kayden's voice—Kayden's everything—set it off.
I never want him to find that out.
But it's not just about my inconvenient biology or his dangerous charm. If I stay, Darius will come looking sooner orlater. And when he does, he won't just come for me—he'll bring a war to this place. To these people. All those supernaturals Asher is sheltering would be dragged into it. I can't have that on my conscience.
"We're here," Kayden says eventually, his voice cutting through the fog of thought.
We've reached the center of Briar Hollow. Quaint little town. Peaceful.
Temporary.
"Any particular destination? Bus stop? Motel?"
"Just here is fine," I say. "I'll figure it out."
He pulls up to the curb and throws the car in park. I reach for the door.
"Sage. Wait."
I pause, turning halfway back to him. His expression is different now—no grin, no bite.
"What?"
He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a folded bundle of cash, holding it out to me. "This is mine. Not Asher's. But it'll help all the same."
A fire ignites instantly in my chest with a tangled mess of emotions: pride, shame, and fury.
I glare at him. "What is this? Payment for last night?"
He shrugs, infuriatingly casual. "If that's what you want it to be, sunshine."
I swat his hand away. "Keep it. I'm fine."
"Suit yourself." He starts the engine. "See you around."
"I hope not," I mutter under my breath, stepping out and slamming the door.
He drives off, and I'm left standing in the middle of a town I don't know with nothing but a backpack and a stomach full of regret.
Another new place. Another beginning with no map.
