“I think we’ve found another of your gifts, kitten.”

“What’s that?”

“You used my power to amplify your Slayer abilities, not diminish them. That’s got to make you feel better about that pesky Theronai blood in your veins.”

She hadn’t thought about it that way, and, truth be told, she was getting used to the idea of being able to sling magic around. If she was even half as good as some of the women in the stories she’d heard, walking around attached to a magical battery wasn’t going to be all that bad.

Especially one built like Joseph, with the skills to make her purr.

“As much as I like where your train of thought is headed,” he said, “I think we need to get moving. We’ll go back to the truck and grab a change of clothes for you so you don’t freeze.”

“I’ll be fine as long as I keep moving. Let’s just go while the trail is hot.” She buttoned up his shirt, which protected her all the way down to her knees. He’d found her shoes a few yards back in the woods, but they were shredded almost beyond use.

“You’re going to be a bit high maintenance in the clothing department, aren’t you?” he asked.

“For all I know, shifting was a onetime anomaly. I may never be able to do it again.”

“Don’t you want to?”

“It’s not that. I’ve spent my whole life wondering if my father’s genetics had ruined me as a Slayer. Now that I know that isn’t the case, it makes me wonder if my mother’s genetics ruined me as a Theronai. What if I can never wield your power the way another woman might have been able to do? I’ve bound us together, so you’re stuck with me. That kind of sucks for you.”

He grabbed her arms and pulled her close so she had no choice but to look at him. “Listen carefully. Despite your motives at the time, what you did when you bound us together was save my life. You took away my pain. You got me out of that damn office, so I can remember what it’s like to be a warrior again. Whatever else you are, however you may compare to other female Theronai, I will always be grateful to you for what you’ve done.”

She’d always thought of the Theronai as the enemy. Power-hungry, egotistical jerks who thought they were mankind’s salvation. She’d never considered that they would hurt or dream of a different life. And she sure as hell hadn’t thought that one of them would lay so much gratitude at her feet, as if her mere existence were the best thing to ever happen to him.

Her throat tightened with emotions she dared not name. Her eyes burned as she fought against tears. She couldn’t speak. All she could do was nod and pull away before she humiliated herself.

Joseph let her go. Maybe he could tell she was on the verge of tears and decided to take pity on her. Whatever the case, she was able to pull herself together once she wasn’t looking into his eyes.

“The trail leads this way,” she said, stating the obvious.

Light trickled through the trees. Another day was passing, and her loved ones were still in harm’s way. Nightfall would be here soon, and with it, another night of terror for the young.

That was what was important. Not her recent ability to shift. Not her feelings for Joseph or vice versa. Everything else going on in her head was just going to have to sit back and wait for its turn.

His warm hand settled on her shoulder. “We’ll find them.”

She closed her eyes and nodded. “Soon, Joseph. We have to find them soon. I don’t even want to think what will happen to them if we don’t.”

“Then lead on, Lyka. Find me something to kill.”

Chapter 30

Ronan was beginning to understand how crazy felt.

His mystery woman had no sooner stopped moving away from him when she started coming back toward him again. He had no idea why she’d run like she had, but he was tied to her closely enough to know that the only reason she was coming back now was because she was in pain.

That was something Ronan could not tolerate.

He’d headed toward her as fast as he dared, stopping only when he ran out of fuel or when the sun was high and robbed him of all ability to drive safely. The last thing he needed was to crash his van, break the magically enhanced glass that blocked the sun and accidentally summon a Warden to kill him while he lay pinned or unconscious—an easy target.

The drive exhausted him, but not nearly as much as it did her. She rarely stopped and never for more than twenty or thirty minutes. She didn’t sleep, didn’t slow, didn’t veer off course.

He wasn’t sure exactly where she was coming from, but she moved like death itself was nipping at her heels.

Then she stopped. A huge flood of fear spilled out of her, followed closely by disgust and, finally, resignation. Acceptance.

She was tired. Hungry. Hurting.

Ronan followed his instincts, taking as many back roads as he could to reach her. She had left the interstate miles ago, moving north on country roads, right before that spike of fear had slammed into her. He had followed, heading west toward her.

The magically treated glass in his van kept him safe, but it did nothing to ward off the weariness from being awake during the daylight. If not for the potential prize at the end of this ride, he would have found a nice, dark cave and slept in it until sunset.

She was close now, barely a mile away. He didn’t let up on the accelerator until he saw her car. A rental with Arizona plates, right inside a metal outbuilding.

That’s where she’d gone—a place with so much sun, he’d never survive.

Ronan doubted her destination had been an accident.

There was a giant metal barn with a door large enough for a tractor to pull through. It was open. She was inside. He couldn’t see her, but he could feel her.

She was afraid of him. Her heart was pounding, and fear was leaking into her veins. She was hiding something, but he had no idea what.

He pulled his van through the opening, adjusting his vision to search for any potential traps she might have laid for him.

The pair of windows on the western side of the building was boarded up. As soon as he cleared the threshold, the retractable door slid down behind him. The building went dark, but he could still see well, despite his powers being muted by the sun’s rays.

She was there, standing next to her car. She opened one of the back doors to activate the dome light, which cast a pale glow over a body even more beautiful than Ronan had remembered.