Page 66

Proving to myself once again that I was born in the right generation, I immediately dug my cell phone out of my center console. Of the group that'd been at my house this morning, I only had Lain's number and I dialed it immediately, keeping my eyes on the rearview mirror.

The one upside to my intense dislike of talking on the phone was that when I actually did make a call, the person on the other end rightfully assumed it was an emergency of some sort. Instead of the standard greeting, Lain answered his phone with, "What's wrong?"

"Someone's following me. I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's those strangers."

"Is it a big black truck that looks like someone is massively overcompensating for something?"

Despite the very real and present danger, I snorted out a laugh. "Yep."

"Shit. Okay, where are you?"

"About a mile from my house. I don't think I should go there, though. I mean, they know who I am, obviously, but maybe if they're following me, they won't be going after Typhon?"

"No offense, but you're more important to me than he is right now." I could hear him moving around, followed by a weird clattering sound. "Quinn's being followed."

A muffled voice echoed Lain's curse, and I remembered he was with Ori right now.

"Do you think I should keep driving?"

More rustling noises, then Ori's voice came over the speaker. "Quinn, I'm working on getting someone out to you. Does it look like they're getting closer?"

I glanced back, and my stomach dropped. "Yeah, definitely." In the short time I'd been on the phone, the truck had closed in on me and was near enough for me to make out the face of the man driving. "At least two of them are in the front, but I can't see the back seats. They've got one of those shells over the truck bed, so there's no telling if anyone else is there."

"Lain said you're near your house? Do you know the old county road about a half mile past where you live?"

"Yeah. I don't think my car will take it well, though." I'd never regretted my gas-friendly little car until this very moment. Snowy roads weren't usually an issue, but the county roads that were more gravel and potholes than actual road? Big problem.

"That's okay, you don't need to stay on it long. Turn right onto the road, then gun it as fast as you can, alright? There's a house down there behind the trees. Try to keep going until you see it."

I'd never known anyone lived on that road, but now wasn't the time for questions. I was already passing the turnoff that would lead to my house, so the county road wasn't far ahead.

"Are you sure I shouldn't try to swing back around and head back into town? Maybe Donovan and his partner could catch up to me?"

"If you tried to pull a U-turn, they'll most likely cut you off. Just keep going. You're not far from the borders of the Lawrence clan. They were gearing up to patrol with Anjeli tonight."

Despite Ori's assurances, my stomach twisted in on itself as the reality of my situation started to really sink in. I knew the Lawrence family, but how could they help? Were they shifters, too? Why was Anjeli DeVor at their house? Was anyone really coming to help, or was Ori just trying to keep me calm while they tried to figure out a solution? What if I got into an accident with Rom in the car with me? He had on a harness and a seatbelt, but if my dog got hurt, that was on me, and I'd never forgive myself.

"Hold on, Rom," I breathed, all but choking on my fear. He was in the middle of the back seat, like usual, but he must have sensed my panic, because he lay down flat, snug against the back of the seat.

The truck was closer now, close enough that I could see the older man from the bookstore in the driver's seat. That meant he was close enough to see me, too, though, and I saw the second he realized I was on the phone. His eyes narrowed, and the truck's engine revved louder, drowning out everything else. I knew it was coming even before I'd fully realized it and tried to brace myself, but there was no way to prepare for getting rear-ended by a truck that size.

I jolted forward, and searing pain burst across my forehead when it met the steering wheel. My phone flew out of my hand, landing somewhere in the floorboards. The crunch and screech of metal on metal filled the air, echoing in the emptiness. My car lurched forward, the steering wheel spinning in my hands. I grabbed it tight out of pure instinct, years of driving experience telling me to straighten out, but the car fought me, the wheels wobbling as I struggled to keep going. The entire frame shuddered and bucked, pulling toward the ditch on the side of the road.

Distant yelling filtered through my shock, coming from the phone lost somewhere on the floorboard. I couldn't make out the words, but they sounded panicked.

"They hit me!" I choked out through the vice clenching my throat. Terror tunneled my vision, and all I could see was the road ahead of me, the one I was supposed to turn onto. The car shuddered as I turned the steering wheel, using all my strength to force it to move when all it wanted was to go straight into the ditch. In the end, it didn't matter how hard I fought it, though, because the moment I made the turn, the truck clipped the back of my car and sent me spinning out of control.

I never really believed that old story about your life flashing before your eyes when you're about to die. The night Aaron nearly killed me, as he choked the breath from me, all I saw was him. I didn't see the long string of mistakes and red flags that led me to that night. I didn't have time to regret not trying to reach out to my siblings one more time or wish I'd gotten a police escort. The only things I felt were pain, fear, and the crippling hopelessness that had dogged my steps through the end of my relationship with him.

Now, as my car spun, all I saw was Typhon. The monstrous face that used to scare me but now was as familiar as my own. The human face with those golden eyes that saw me in a way no one ever had. I wanted more time with him. I wanted to learn about his past and tell him about mine and heal together. We needed more time to explore the soft, fragile things I couldn't help but feel for him.

Those thoughts flashed through my mind in a fraction of a second as the steering wheel spun too hard for me to hold onto. The car hit the ditch as it slid sideways, and the world tilted to a sickeningly sharp angle, then flipped upside down with a harsh crunch. My head slammed to the side, hitting the window beside me hard enough for stars to burst across my vision, then jolting to the other side when the car flipped again before settling into the ditch.

Darkness clawed at the edges of my consciousness, and I hated that it was familiar. I couldn't let it win this time, though.

Quiet whining from the backseat got me moving, unbuckling my seatbelt with shaking hands. I heard the pinging of gravel on metal and the skidding sound of tires trying to brake on the rough road, and knew I had just seconds before the soldiers were on me.

Pain burst along my foot when I crawled between the seats, warning me that my ankle was beyond fucked up, but I pushed through it. I had to at least get Rom out of here.