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I kissed her forehead, wrapping around them tighter for only a split second before I glanced up to Marko. His confliction and awkwardness was obvious, but there was something else—an acceptance.
“An hour or so south of Dallas.”
“Not nearly far enough,” she said, wiggling out of us. “We have to go. We can’t waste any time.”
“What happened?”
Even as Tessa stepped away, I held to Marko, helping him walk as I followed Tessa’s impatience steps. I pointed to the car at the gas pump and she nodded, avoiding Marko’s question.
“Ma minette. What happened?”
Her shoulders drew back and she let out a deep breath, glancing over her shoulder. When she got to the back driver’s side door, she gave him her attention, frowning as she did so.
“Aetas isn’t well. He’s losing his mind. His obsession with me is out of control. I could have not saved him or either of you if I would have stayed. He would have killed me.”
“He hurt you. Let me see.” Neither was a question, but a demand as he broke away from me and went toward her.
“I do not think it would be best,” she whispered under her lips.
A tear raced down her cheek as she turned away from him. Marko mirrored her actions, moving to the side, putting himself in front of her. When he pulled her into him, Tessa’s hands shot to his chest, gripping into his shirt.
“Look at me, love. Let me see what he did to you. I have to see.”
Tessa’s energy pulled me in and I felt her mind open. Our bond fed me images. Ones I knew Marko was seeing as I was. It started with him wanting her to feed from him, and then went into the drugging—the accusation of rape. From there … the attack. My mind reeled and reality and what I was seeing blurred through the rage that engulfed me. When it got to him trying to hold her under the water, I was shaking so much that my legs felt like they were going to give out.
“There has to be a way for him to die.” Marko jerked her into his body holding on tightly. “Fucking … Jesus. To see myself do that, knowing it’s not me … I have no words. My heart hurts for you, ma minette. I’m sorry. I tried to tell you not to go back.”
“I thought I could distract him enough for you both to get to safety, but I did what I could. When he left, I had to go, too. I think he’s looking for Hunter. I think he went to kill him.”
Her eyes came to me and I shrugged. “Let him look. He’s not going to find any of us.” I took the nozzle from the tank and glanced at Marko before holding my hand out to Tessa. He let go and she threw herself into me while I hugged around her.
“We will figure this out. You know me, I won’t stop until we’re all safe.”
“I know. I’m glad you’re on our side. After all the predictions,” her stare came up. “I was so sure we’d be fighting you at the end.”
“Everyone doubted my love for you. Maybe even I did, too.”
“I didn’t,” Marko said, pulling open the back door. “Never doubted it for a second.”
A smile came to my face and I eased my hold. Tessa stepped back, moving in closer to Marko. When she went to join him, I got in, leaving the small store. I wasn’t sure how much longer we’d make it. The cash I’d stolen from one of the houses we’d broken into on our way out of the city wasn’t much. Soon, we’d need more. There had to be another way.
“What do either of you know about the Dallas circle? Is it worth heading there? Can we risk it? We need resources and allies.”
My eyes shot up to the review mirror and I took in Marko holding Tessa. He looked huge in the confined space.
“It’s risky. You saw what met us when we left our city. I have no doubts it’ll be like that everywhere. Besides, our kind would have fled.”
“Where to?”
Marko’s eyebrows drew in. “It’s hard to say. Abandoned houses, small towns outside of the city … as far away from danger as they can get, I assume. This has never happened to us in my lifetime. I don’t know.”
Silence lasted for a few minutes before Tessa’s head lifted from his chest. “What if we found a place and you projected your power. The survivors would come. They’ll want someone to lead them.”
Marko’s head tilted as he thought. “Yeah, but if they feel me, who else will? If there’s any enforcers in the area, they’ll come as well.”
“True,” she whispered, “but perhaps they’ll be on our side. I mean, if they see you here, and they can confirm that you’re also at headquarters, maybe they’ll follow us. Maybe they’ll see what Aetas is doing and get people to join our side.”
“Can we risk it?” I looked back at their reflection. “That’s what it comes down to. It’s only going to take one mistake for Aetas to find us.” My brain pushed through the fog of my past. Although I had remembered so much, I almost felt like I was forgetting something. Or someone. “What about the humans? Is it possible to get them to fight with us to end this war?”
