He hoped Elena could keep them focused on her until they were ready to make their move. As they crept through the night, he continuously scented the air. The scent of sand, cactuses, and the musky aroma of a feral animal wafted to him.
A tumbleweed rolled across the earth and stopped a few feet away when the breeze subsided. There were so many stars in the sky they almost lit the way.
Despite the many aromas he discovered in this open land, he didn’t detect any more hunters. That didn’t mean they couldn’t have found another road and were parked there, or they weren’t further down the other end ofthisroad.
When they got closer to the motel, if Elena still had the hunters distracted, he would check out the other direction before descending on these assholes. He didn’t stop to think about how much they were outnumbered. He couldn’t let any doubts creep in.
They had to take them down tonight, and they had to do it fast.
* * *
When the huntersnever made a move toward her room, Elena stepped closer to the window so they could see her more clearly, but she didn’t think that’s why they weren’t coming. Most of them remained fixed on her; however, one kept his back to the motel as he continuously studied the desert.
She had no idea how to get that guy’s attention, but she had to think of something. All that kept popping into her mind was to strip naked and run across the parking lot. If she did that, they would know something else was going on as it wasn’t something she would normally do.
Her mind spun as she tried to come up with possibilities. The longer she stood there, the more ridiculous she looked and the more suspicious they would become. She considered setting the motel on fire, that would get his attention, but she might kill innocent people if she did.
Logan had instructed the other guests and the clerk to remain inside. She didn’t know exactly how strong a vampire’s powers of persuasion were. Their survival instincts might not kick into gear, and she couldn’t take the chance they would stay in their rooms.
Knowing that time was running out, she stepped away from the window, walked to the door, and stood there. Opening the door right away wouldn’t provide much of a distraction, so she waited here for a little while. Eventually, they would get curious about what she was doing.
She couldn’t wait too long as they would come after her, and she couldn’t have them dragging her out of here, because once they had their hands on her, they wouldn’t let go. But this would keep them distracted and guessing for a bit.
Elena placed her eyes to the peephole and watched the group gathered near the cars. They shifted uneasily, but their attention remained focused on her room. The one staring out at the desert didn’t turn to look, not even when some of the hunters began muttering to each other.
Finally, Mateo said something to one of his men and took a couple of steps toward her room. Her time had come to an end; it was now or never.
Then, an idea hit her as she pulled the door open.
Chapter Seventeen
When they finally arrived atthe back side of the cars on the other side of the road, Logan and Asher stopped in the shadows. One of the hunters remained facing away from the motel; he stared across the street toward them, but if he'd seen them, he would have already alerted the others.
“I'm going to go down a little further to make sure they don't have another car or more hunters hiding somewhere else. I won't be gone long," Logan said.
“I’ll be here,” Asher murmured.
Asher was faster and stronger than a human, but he wasn't as fast as a vampire, and they needed this done as quickly as possible. He glanced back at Elena’s room. He hated leaving her again, but they had to know if more possible threats lurked nearby before they could go after the hunters.
With the reluctance of a man walking to the electric chair, Logan turned away from the motel. Positive they remained out of view of the hunter facing them, he sprinted across the open desert.
He ran parallel to the road as he searched for any sign of hunters hiding nearby. The wind blowing his hair back and filling his nostrils remained free of any hint of someone else.
He went until he couldn’t see Asher or the motel anymore and stopped. He paused to sniff the air again before turning back. The hunters must believe their larger numbers would be enough against him and Asher, and they might be, but Logan preferred to think their arrogance would be their downfall.
The night blurred around him as he sprinted back to the motel. As Asher and the motel came back into view, he saw everything remained the same.
A second later, he was at Asher’s side again and kneeling beside his friend.
“That was fast,” Asher said.
“I try.”
“That doesn’t bode well for your women.”
“Asshole,” Logan muttered, and Asher chuckled. “That hunter is still looking our way.”
“I don’t think that’s going to change.”
