“They look dodgy as hell,” I whispered. “But with you dressed like this, I honestly don’t think we’ll find anyone better… I also don’t think I can hold an arm out for much longer.”

Caleb furrowed his brows, shooting a glance back at the vehicle. Although he looked uncomfortable, he nodded. “I suppose we have no choice.”

We walked back over to the men.

“Could we catch a ride?” I looked further into the vehicle through his open window. It was an eight-seater. There were six men inside in total, including the two men in the front seats. The back row seemed empty.

The driver frowned and exchanged a few words in Portuguese with the man next to him. They both chuckled. I wasn’t sure what was so funny, but was relieved when he looked back at me and nodded.

“Yes.” He turned to the man sitting next to him. “Julio, seat them in the back.” He reached out a hand to me. “Luis.”

I shook his rough hand. “Rose, and this is Caleb.”

Luis nodded in Caleb’s direction, but didn’t bother to shake his hand. Caleb and I walked over to Julio, who had already opened up the back door. We climbed in and sat down, Julio closing the door again behind us.

I didn’t like the way the men looked at us. At me. I nestled closer to Caleb, who placed an arm around me. I was glad that they were seated in separate rows. Hopefully soon they’d face forward and mind their own business.

The side door slammed shut as Julio got back in his seat. The engine rumbled and we lurched forward, merging back in with the traffic on the highway.

“So where are you from?” Luis called back over his shoulder.

I exchanged looks with Caleb. No easy answer to that.

“California,” I said.

That, after all, had been my home for the first five years of my life before my parents moved us back to The Shade.

“And you two are brother and sister, or what?”

I thought I might as well stick with Caleb’s story, since we didn’t exactly look like siblings. “No, we’re newly married.”

“Ah, nice,” Luis said. “Very nice… What brings the two of you down here? Honeymoon?”

Caleb rolled his eyes.

“Yes,” I replied, trying to suppress a laugh. “Of sorts… What about you?”

“We are old friends, having a reunion. We too have also been on a holiday, of sorts.”

An ebony-skinned man sitting in front of me turned his head around and looked at Caleb. “I see you’re not a fan of the sun.”

“I prefer the shade,” Caleb replied, looking out of the window as the tarmac flew away beneath the wheels.

The man chuckled, then reached into his front shirt pocket. He pulled out two hand-rolled cigarettes and held them out to us.

“No. Thanks,” Caleb replied stiffly.

I shook my head as he offered one to me.

He mumbled something in Portuguese and faced forward again.

I took a sip of the remaining water I had left in my bottle. My throat felt so dry again. That bread had absorbed a lot of my moisture, and then I’d been standing in the heat of the sun for two hours. I wanted to drain every last drop. But I didn’t know how long it would be before more fresh water came my way, so I had to pace myself.

Caleb and I were silent for the next few hours. Other than the occasional joke in Portuguese, the other men were pretty silent too. I should have used this opportunity to catch up on some sleep, but I wasn’t comfortable sleeping in a van with six men, even with Caleb present.

I looked up at Caleb every now and then. His eyes were fixed out of the window. I wondered what he was thinking. It was hard to read his stony expression. I wasn’t sure whether he resented having to drag me along. Whether he regretted saving me from that cave. Maybe now that he found himself lumbered with me, he was just doing what he thought was his duty to return me home. But even though he was avoiding talking to me, he kept his arm around the back of my chair the whole time, keeping me within his reach. And something about that gesture gave me hope that perhaps there was more to why Caleb was doing this.

I hated to think how much he had risked for me. And I still wasn’t sure why. He’d skirted around the subject and refused to explain.

I also didn’t understand what he’d been doing on that island with Annora, and why she’d been unconscious on the ground… why Caleb had just left her there.

I reached for his left hand, which rested on his knee, and squeezed it.

Finally, he looked down at me, his eyes intense. My heart fluttered.

“What are you thinking about?” I whispered.

He inhaled deeply and breathed out, running a hand over his face.

“The journey.” He looked out of the window again.

“Which part of the journey?”

“All of it.”

“There’s one part of the journey I’m thinking about.” He didn’t respond, so I continued. “The part when you…” I paused, casting my eyes about the vehicle. We were too close to the men to speak freely. “When we reach home.”

His jaw tensed.

I wanted to talk details about The Shade, reassure him that everything would be okay. But there wasn’t enough privacy for that now. Instead I just leaned up and pressed my lips against his rough cheek. He swallowed hard, and if vampires could blush, Caleb did then.

Chapter 5: Rhys

I waited three hours before healing the wolf’s wound. Although the agony slowed him down, I needed him to learn his lesson once and for all. Werewolves were stubborn creatures and it was often only after intense and prolonged punishment that they would remember not to disobey again.