If there were something outside this world, she would discover it when she died. Until then, she just sought to get through life without having a wave of evil unleashed upon the unsuspecting planet.
Brie lowered her hand from her temples and lifted her head to examine the hunter again. Seeing him in person was like having a bucket of ice water dumped over her head. For a second, she couldn’t breathe as she sat there.
Of course, he didn’t know who she was, but she’d become quite intimate with his narrow jawline, high cheekbones, and full mouth. His sandy blond hair had grown since she last saw him in person as it curled along the collar of his shirt. She clenched her hands against the impulse to brush it away from his forehead.
Though they were closed, she was extremely familiar with his brown eyes and the flecks of gold that danced within them. In her dreams, those eyes twinkled when he smiled at her. Yes, she knew all those little details about him and that he was aligned with vampires who worked against the Savages, but she didn’t know his name.
Her gaze shifted to the closed van door. She could still hear the scrape of the Savage’s fingers raking down the white paint. She was sure they’d left their mark behind, and because of them, they had a passenger they shouldn’t have.
She cursed her conscience for saving him again, but she also knew this was what fate had planned for her. So she cursed fate too, just as she had so many times over the years.
No matter what, this hunter wasn’t meant to die here today. She knew that because she’d seen his demise, and it was not in this time or place.
Looking at him now, with his longer hair and youthful face, she knew there wasn’t much time before another, deadlier fate came calling for him.
Except next time, she wouldn’t be able to save him.
CHAPTERFIVE
A couple of hours later,the van lurched to a stop. Brie’s head had fallen forward, so her chin rested against her chest; the cessation of movement jerked her forward and awake.
She hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but at some point, she had. Her head shot up, and she blinked as she gazed warily around the van. Cabo was gone, which meant he must have moved into the passenger seat.
The hunter stared back at her. His brown eyes simmered with hostility. She was so used to seeing those eyes twinkling in amusement, and something more, that the fury in them was a shock.
“We’re not going to hurt you,” she assured him.
“Then why am I tied up?”
“Because I can’t let you get in the way of our plans.”
“And what are those?”
“That’s not something I’m willing to share right now.”
It astonished her when she added on theright now.Did she intend to share her plans with this man? The possibility hadn’t occurred to her before, but why would she say that?
Brie resisted punching the side of the van. It wouldn’t do her any good, but she craved some way to release the frustration and confusion this man created in her life.
He’s no one!But as she told herself this, she knew it was a lie. Something about him intrigued her and sent her ability into a frenzy. And shehatedit.
Asher watched as Brie rested her hand against the side of the van and rose. His head pounded like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it, but at least his ears had stopped ringing and he’d stopped seeing double.
As Brie stood above him, he noted she was of average height with a slender build, but she had a powerful presence—one bigger than the massive, muscled behemoth who suddenly appeared in the small doorway splitting the van into the front and back.
Asher had been awake for almost half an hour, but this vampire hadn’t made his presence known again until now. As he fought with Brie, Asher recalled seeing him in the doorway, but he’d been so focused on her that he hadn’t paid much attention to the vamp. Now, it was impossible not to notice the man who looked like he could crush his skull between his hands.
It took everything Asher had not to thrash against the ropes binding him. He’d already tried to slip out of them as quietly as possible and failed.
“What are we going to do with him?” Cabo asked.
Brie studied the hunter before kneeling to look him in the eye. “My name is Brie Amaral.”
“I remember from the airport,” Asher told her, though he hadn’t known her last name.
“That’s Cabo, and the woman behind the wheel is Zina,” Brie continued.
She pointed at the large man before thrusting a finger at the doorway. A pretty blonde woman stuck her head into the space and waved before disappearing. A second later, the driver’s side door opened with a creak.
