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Of course, I don’t want you to worry. I just need-
Space,he says agreeably.I get it. Just do me a favor and keep your protections on you? And reach out a few times a day to let me know you’re alive.
More tears drip out of my eyes, but for entirely different reasons than Fielder’s. Cohen is just sounderstandingI don’t even understand how that is the case. He almost never loses his temper with me or makes me feel like something I want isn’t valid.
The bus slows and turns into a parking lot of a strip mall boasting a McDonalds, Subway, and a Starbucks.
I can do that, Cohen. I-I have to go now, though.
Whatever you need, wildcard. I’ll see you soon.
I shut down the communication rune and shift until I can look at Kohaku. He’s watching me with drowsy orange eyes, his expression soft as he reaches out to brush the moisture from my cheeks with his thumbs.
He doesn’t say anything about the conversations I just had and doesn’t ask any questions. He just uncoils his huge body from the chair, blocking the aisle as he holds out his hand to me. “Come on, sweet warrior. We have thirty minutes to grab breakfast.”
We get off the bus in Indianapolis and decide to find a hotel to crash in for the night. The idea of sleeping sitting upright again doesn’t sound even remotely appealing to either of us, so we ask for directions to the train station and then find a nearby motel that looks a little rundown but is serviceable enough.
Part of me wants to keep moving. I know if we stay in one place for too long, the guys will follow. They’ll use that map tracking spell to find out where we are. I have no doubt they are already heading east, so they’ll catch up, eventually. But a few hours of sleep in a bed is too good to pass up.
There’s a train to Connecticut early the next morning, and by the time we stumble into our room, we really will be lucky to have a few hours. I blindly eat, take a shower and then fall into the bed face first.
I’m hardly aware of Kohaku slipping in next to me, careful to keep his distance, nearly a foot of space between us. “Kohaku,” I mumble into my pillow.
“Hmm?”
“Do you need to join with me to get back any energy?” It’s only now occurred to me that he’s been in his totally human form for nearly twenty-four hours.
“No, little warrior, I am fine. I would rather sleep next to you physically. I have expended little energy. And I do not want you to experience a drain tomorrow morning to release me.”
I swallow and nod, my eyes still closed. “I suppose that makes sense.”
A low chuckle reaches my ears, the faintest feeling of fingers brushing through the strands of my hair, and then I’m asleep again.
The following morning, we have the first sign that someone might be following us. Just the feeling of eyes on us. We both feel it as we step out of our room, into the early morning dark. We exchange a glance that holds an entire conversation, but don’t comment on it out loud, just in case whoever it is might be listening.
Kohaku is extremely alert though as we walk the few blocks to the train station, keeping me tucked close to his body like he is prepared to leap between me and any danger that might arrive.
I suppose it must be danger, because if it were just the guys,my guys, that caught up with us, they would simply approach us and demand that I go with them or let them come with me.
I’m a little surprised that they aren’t here already, if I’m honest. Four of them are wealthy beyond imagination and have things like private jets at their fingertips. We’ve been here for a few hours, certainly long enough for them to realize I wasn’t moving any longer and that they should fly to Indianapolis.
But they aren’t here, so maybe they’re just waiting until I reach my final destination. For anyone who knows me, it wouldn’t be that hard to figure out.
Damn. Maybe we should have just flown. We’d be there by now and I’d know exactly what I need to. In fact, now that I have the idea, that’s exactly what I want to do. I stop in the middle of the sidewalk and look up at Kohaku.
“Let’s take a plane the rest of the way.”
He arches an eyebrow. “I do not have the necessary identification to do that, little warrior.” Dammit, he’s right.
He must see the disappointment on my face, because he sighs. “I don’t like the idea of leaving you physically, but I could join with you and you could fly alone.” What he doesn’t say is that with the feeling of eyes on me, he really, really doesn’t like the idea. Probably hates it.
“It’ll be faster,” I say, “a handful of hours as opposed to a full day.”
He tilts his head, considering. “They will track your ticket to see where you are going. They will catch up.”
I nod. “They’re going to catch up, anyway. If we fly, maybe I can see my father today, while they’re still on Robert Harris’s private jet.”
He hums in his throat, big hands sweeping up and down my arms to ward off the early morning shill as he considers. Finally, he nods. “Okay, we’ll do it.”
