She’d never considered telling anyone about what happened to her, and she never had. But she found herself wanting to open up tohim. She yearned to tell him what she’d done, the suffering she’d unleashed, and the death she caused.
She should do it before this deepened into something more. Though she’d been determined it would only be sex between them, her determination wavered. He deserved the truth, and she deserved to know if he would turn away or accept her.
She should tell him everything and finally reveal the cross she’d carried all these years but couldn’t bring herself to do it.
If he ended up looking at her in disgust or turning away from her, she didn’t think she could handle it. It had been centuries since she’d considered herself weak, she was asurvivor,but she was being a coward right now.
If she was as strong as she’d prided herself on becoming, then she would tell him. Instead, her lips remained clamped against the words trying to spill from her mouth. If he turned away from her, then he was the piece of shit, not her, but she still couldn’t bring herself to open up.
“Okay,” Asher said as he hid his disappointment. He’d hoped she was ready to open up to him, to trust him more, but he would remain patient. “One day, if you’re ever ready, I’ll be here to listen.”
“You’re going to go home.”
“But I’m not going to abandon you when I do. If we find the stones, and you agree to work with the Alliance, then we’ll all work together to put an end to this nightmare.”
“We can get rid of the demons. It was done once before; it can be done again, but we’ll never stop the Savages. As long as vampires exist, so will they.”
“True, but they won’t be as much of a threat without the demons to back them. The Savages alone won’t destroy humanity, but the demons will help them do so.”
Brie shuddered against him and snuggled closer. He was right as she’d also seen what would happen if the demons weren’t stopped.
She tried to tell herself it wasn’t a premonition but a warning to keep her looking for the stones on the many occasions she wanted to quit. She tried to tell herself the demons could be stopped, but there were times when she lay awake at night, convinced she was lying to herself.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-SIX
Standingin the middle of the road, Brie read the road sign in front of her.Coral Lake, Ohio population 2562.
She’d never heard of the town before. Tilting her head, she examined the green sign and neat, white lettering before shifting her attention to the tall grass surrounding its metal poles. Beneath the baking sun, the waves of heat rising from the asphalt blurred the rising and falling hills stretching before her.
A car passed; its wheels hummed across the pavement before it pulled to the side of the road. Rocks and dirt crunched as it parked on the grass and dirt. The driver leaned over and pushed open the passenger side door.
Without hesitating, Brie jogged up to the passenger door. She had no doubt this washerride. When she slid inside, closed the door, and turned to face the driver, she wasn’t astonished to find herself staring at a mirror image ofher. It happened sometimes.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Coral Lake, Ohio. I hear it’s a lovely town,” the driver replied.
“It’s a small town.”
“Hmm,” the driver murmured as she pulled onto the road.
Brie settled back in the seat and rested her head against it as she watched the roadside pass in a blur of tall grass and trees. Then they entered a town full of old wood buildings, faded signs, and people strolling the streets as they made their way in and out of the hardware store, pharmacy, and other mom-and-pop shops steadily fading from existence in most places. It was like traveling back in time.
“Do you think they still have a soda fountain in this town?” she asked.
“Wouldn’t that be wonderful?” the driver replied. “Ilovedsoda fountains.”
“Me too,” Brie murmured.
Occasionally, over the years, she’d grown curious about some of the things the humans found so exciting. Though she’d enjoyed reading Dime Westerns, she hadn’t liked exploring the Wild West; it was far too dusty and dirty for her liking, but she loved a good poker game, and Doc Holliday was entertaining.
She’d sampled some human foods over the years too. Chocolate and coffee were a bust, but she still occasionally enjoyed a good soda and vanilla ice cream.
The driver turned onto a side street and drove past the police station and houses lining the road. Many of the homes were a little rundown, but everyone took pride in their flowers and yards as the grass was neatly mowed. Most of them had window boxes or whiskey barrels full of flowers spilling out of them.
Then they were moving beyond the town and into a more rural area. They traveled over rolling dips and rises in the road, cresting over the top to stare out at endless green grass, farms, and pastures. Cows and horses swished their tails as they grazed on the land.
The driver slowed before turning onto a dirt road running between two dairy farms. The fences crowded the lane until she could open her window and touch them.
