She’d avoided romantic entanglements for years. They were far more trouble than they were worth. Did she miss a good fuck? Absolutely, but they weren’t that good toward the end, and one of the men had tried to get clingy— it hadn’t been worth it.
Besides, she spent a lot of time traveling throughout her life as she followed the visions she received. So, she’d contented herself with a vibrator and the occasional bodice-ripper romance novel.
With her complicated, deadly, and often depressing life, a bodice-ripper was about all she could handle when it came to reading. She enjoyed a whole lot of smut with a guaranteed happy ever after.
Brie couldn’t watch a horror movie, never mind read anything scary. She also had enough suspense in her life to make the idea of picking up a thriller turn her stomach.
There was no time for this man in her life, but shewantedhim there. That realization frightened her more than the demons and anything she’d encountered while hunting the stones.
She couldn’t have him around permanently, but he might be fun for at least a little while. And she had a feeling he could be awholelot of fun.
Brie was so focused on her thoughts, she didn’t realize they were almost to the neighborhood until Asher stopped walking. Kicking herself in the ass, Brie halted beside him to study the back of the house a hundred feet away from them.
It was unlikely someone could see them from inside, but they’d gotten too close without her realizing it. The hunter might be a whole lot of fun or the death of her if she didn’t get her act together.
Still kicking herself in the ass, she scanned the woods while searching for the tree near where the stone was located. She was starting to question if she’d misinterpreted her last vision and wasn’t supposed to bring him with her.
“Where is it?” she muttered.
“What are we looking for?” Asher asked.
“There’s a maple tree….”
Instead of finishing the sentence, her voice trailed off. Asher waited for her to continue, but she kept searching the woods. As he looked around, he realized maples surrounded them.
“Care to narrow it down a little?” he asked. “There’s a lot of maple trees here.”
“Its trunk is shaped weird. The hump in it almost makes it look like a dinosaur’s back stretching into a long neck.”
Well, that’s not a tree you see every day,Asher thought.
“Okay, so we’re looking for a dinosaur tree. That’s a first for me.”
There was a small hint of a smile again before she snuffed it out. “Dinosaur trees are the new thing. This way,” Brie said and stalked off through the trees.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
She was sofocused on her mission that she didn’t realize she’d walked ahead of him; Asher wouldn’t point it out, especially since he liked the view from behind. He admired the way her leggings hugged her slender frame, the firmness of her ass, and the sway of her hips as she walked.
When she abruptly stopped, he jerked his head up and scowled as he realized he’d allowed himself to become distracted when this could become a dangerous situation. She’d said there were always complications when she hunted the stones; he’d come with her to ensure she had extra protection, and he was failing at it.
That wouldnothappen again. He scanned the trees for a threat as Brie turned to the right. He didn’t see or smell anything that could become a problem, but that didn’t mean one wasn’t heading their way.
Asher glanced toward the cul-de-sac; through the trees, he spotted a group of children gathered there. A few of them leaned on the handlebars of their bikes, and judging by the downward tilt of their heads, some of their friends sat on the ground. If one of those kids looked into the trees, they might see them, but he doubted it.
Though he could see them easily, his vision was far better than a human’s, and the children were out in the open while the shadows concealed him and Brie. He didn’t worry about being spotted, but he was concerned the kids might decide to play in the woods.
Brie stopped so suddenly he nearly walked into her back. And then, he spotted the tree she stood beside and chuckled. It really did look like a brontosaurus as it grew up almost a foot before taking a strange right for another foot and then shooting straight up fifty feet.
Brie set her bag down, knelt to unzip it, and removed the foldable shovel from inside. She clicked the pieces into place as Asher knelt to open his bag. Rising, Brie placed the shovel against the earth and kicked it down; a thump almost immediately followed.
“What the hell?” she muttered.
Asher glanced over as she pulled the shovel from the earth and started kicking aside leaves. He frowned as the pushed-aside leaves and dirt revealed a piece of plywood beneath.
“What’s going on?” Brie murmured as she tossed the shovel into her duffel bag.
Asher knelt beside the plywood and brushed aside more leaves. The more they removed, the more of the large piece of plywood they revealed. Brie planted her hands on her hips as she stepped onto solid ground to study the wood.
