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Jared sighed, a sound I knew he made with effort since he didn’t need to breathe.
“Don’t,” I warned.
“We’re almost to Allstown,” he informed me instead. “Gar said there’s some sort of magical barrier around it, but it will sense us as monsters and let us through.”
“I’m not a monster. You are,” I murmured, staring out the window. The steering wheel creaked as he clenched his fingers on it. “You kidnapped me.”
“I didn’t fucking kidnap you. You’re my wife.”
Apparently, that doesn’t count for anything.
It fucking counts!
“Are you kidding me?” I demanded. “Now you’re in my head, too?”
I hate you. I can’t believe you fucking did this to me.
Stop swearing.
Fuck off, Jared!
Deliberately, blanking my mind, I stared out the window.
For what it’s worth, I love you,he said into my mind.And I’m sorry.
We could all be sorry. Me. Leanne, Jake…and even Jared. But it didn’t matter for anything. We were stuck in this mess I saw no way out of. All I’d ever wanted was a normal existence with the man I loved and our children. That life had never seemed farther away.
* * * *
Allstown looked like every small town that had ever been on TV. Wide roads, homey storefronts, friendly people—monsters, I supposed—walking the sidewalks and chatting with each other. It was a little capsule of Mayberry USA. Only it was really Monstertown USA.
Jared drove past nearly all the businesses then pulled into the lot for the local hotel. A tall, burly dark-haired man unfolded himself from one of the benches outside the office. Two teenage girls who’d been on the other bench also jumped to their feet. A were of some sort and two humans. Interesting.
“Stay back,” Jared warned me. “I’ll go talk to them.”
“Not hardly,” I muttered, declining hisinvitation. My husband shot me a dark glare before climbing out of the SUV. I ignored that, too.
“St. Croixs?” the man called.
Jared nodded and held out his hand to the man as our paths met. “Gar Fenway?”
“Yes. And these are my wards, Lola and Allie.”
“Humans,” I said before I could stop myself.
“Yes. So you’re not just his wife; you’re a chosen. That makes sense,” he observed cryptically. “We got things set up for you in room four. Milla and Jasper who run this place have already retired for the day, so I volunteered to get you settled before sunrise. We have a variety of blood in the room, and the girls will bring over fresh clothes around sunset. Your things are on their way and should be here day after tomorrow. That should give us enough time to get you setup with a place.”
That troubled Jared. His worry throbbed through our connection. Neither of us had jobs… How would we pay for a place? Or even for this temporary lodging for more than a few days.
“Is anyone in Allstown hiring?” I asked, voicing his concern.
“Oh sure, there are jobs around,” Gar replied, waving off my inquiry. “There’s time for that. Don’t worry about anything. You’re covered under the International New Monster Fund.”
I glanced at Jared. Under the what the what?
“Okay. Thanks,” my husband said. He sounded as confused as I felt.
“It’s so cool that you’re here,” Lola gushed. “We don’t get new people often. You need to come with Allie and me to the coffee shop tonight. You can meet Cara and Nicole while Jared hangs with Gar and doesguystuff. Cara and Nicole are werewolves like Gar, but they’re super cool.” Her implication that Gar wasn’t cool had me holding in a giggle, especially when the man in question gave her a sour look.
