“As a matter of fact, I’m taking
this load to Stockton. You’re welcome
to join me.”
She paused to make sure they
were okay with that, which of course
they were. Garren hadn't slept at all last
night and she could collapse at any
moment.
“That'd be wonderful.” A brown
curtain hid what she thought was the
back seat. Nope. It was a bed. Not
wanting to even go there, she shifted
back to sit in the passenger's seat when
the driver nudged her into the back. She
fell, face first into the mattress.
The older woman patted the
worn, leather passenger seat and winked
at Thane. “Sit yourself right here,
blondie.”
Looking wide eyed to her and
then the driver, he stepped back to let
Garren through and then took the
proffered seat.
Garren squeezed himself back
and flopped on the bed, knocking her
over in the process.
“I'm Sharon, by the way,” the
lady said, as she pulled back on the
road.
“Hi, Sharon. Thanks for the lift.
I'm Thane and that's Garren and Ivy.”
“You know, Thane, you remind
me of my high school boyfriend. He had
the same shade of blond hair and the
cutest little tuchus.”
A deep flush bloomed across
Thane’s cheeks as he cleared his throat
and glanced out of the side window.
Both exhausted, she and Garren
decided to try to get some sleep while
Thane kept Sharon company. Since
Sharon's hands were busy driving, she
couldn’t molest the poor guy.
Unfortunately, the quarters in the
back were cramped. There was really
only room for one adult, so they were
going to have to suck it up and get cozy.
“Okay, I think if we both lay on
our sides, back to back, we should fit,”
she said.
“I can't be against the wall.
Switch with me.”
“What? No, it's just a wall. Your
bed's against the wall at home isn't it?”
“Yeah, but I can't sleep facing
the wall. If you want us back to back, I
need to be on that side.”
What a baby. She tried to figure
out the best way of trading places but it
all involved a lot of physical contact.
“Maybe we could face each other if we
laid head to toe.”
“And have you kick me in the
face? I don't think so.”
Oh, gawd. She wasn't going to be
able to get out of this. “Fine.”
He laid flat on his back as she
maneuvered over him, her arms straight
in a push-up position to give him room
to shimmy sideways. The truck lurched
as it slowed suddenly and she fell.
Her body crushed his amazingly
hard chest. All rational thought flew
from her mind as she lay still on top of
him.
“This works for me, too.” As he
spoke, vibrations rumbled from his chest
to hers.
Her head snapped up to see him
smirking. It was time to lay down a few
ground rules. “Do us both a favor and
make sure you keep your hands to
yourself. I don't want to have to pull
over to bury the body.”
“That's funny because I was just
going to tell you to help yourself.”
She rolled her eyes and shifted
the rest of the way over, cramming
herself between him and the wall. Her
bruised hip ached under her own weight.
The bed wasn't as long as he was,
causing him to bend his knees and stick
his butt out, which pressed her more
against the wall. She couldn't breathe.
“This isn't working,” she said as
she pushed back against him.
“No,” he agreed. “We need to
spoon.”
“What? No, I'll survive.” She
closed her eyes and lay as still as
possible. Her nose pressed against the
carpeted panel, her hip throbbed, and
she was already getting a crimp in her
neck.
He bumped into her again.
She
groaned.
we'll
spoon.”
She moved to roll back over him
while he shifted under her to get closer
to the wall.
“Hey, you're on my hair.”
“Ow, stop kicking my shins.”
“Will you—?”
“Can't you—?”
Finally, they managed to get into
a better position with Garren against the
wall spooning her back. She stiffened
when he placed his hand on her hip, her
sore hip.
“What did I say about getting
handsy?”
He lifted his hand off her but left
it lingering in the air. “Where do you
suggest I put it?”
“Put it on your own leg.”
“I can't sleep like that. I usually
hug a pillow when I sleep.” He scooted
closer, pressing his chest right against
her back and laid his hand on the little
space of bed in front of her. Her heart
hammered at the close contact. She
prayed he didn't notice.
Her lower back was aching in
that position, like it needed to be
popped. As carefully as she could, she
shifted her hips back to get comfortable
and bumped right into the most intimate
part of him. She froze.
Oh, sweet death, take me now.
He gripped her waist, pushed her
away to create some space between
them, and held her steady. “When you
want something, you just go for it, don’t
ya? I only ask that you be gentle with
me.”
Her face flooded with heat as
she elbowed him in the ribs behind her.
“Ow, I was kidding.”
She shifted again, away from him
this time, and found a less painful
position.
They were both exhausted, so it
didn't take long before they were both
asleep. Visions of Prince Sebastian
danced through her dreams. Those dark
eyes gazed into hers with adoration. He
held her close, his breath warm against
her ear as he whispered sweet words of
comfort. His strong arms around her
waist promised protection. She never
wanted to leave his side. She rested her
head against his chest, letting each beat
of his heart sooth her. For the first time
in her life, she was home. She clung to
him as reality started reasserting itself in
her consciousness.
The hum of the engine grew
louder
and
bits
and
pieces
of
conversation made their way to one ear,
while a steady beat filled the other.
Inhaling deeply, the scent of cologne
filled her nose.
My prince has good taste. The
feeling of security lingered as his strong
arms tightened their hold on her.
She opened her eyes to see a
man's chest in front of her. Momentarily
confused, she tilted her head up to see
Garren still asleep.
Garren? She must have turned
over in her sleep and sprawled over him
like a body pillow, her leg draped over
his thigh. His hand stroked light circles
on her lower back as he slept. It was
such a nice, comforting gesture that
totally didn't fit with the guy she knew
him to be.
Slowly, she tried to untangle
herself from his grasp without waking
him. A big wet spot appeared on his
shirt. When she pulled away, a long
string of drool stretched from him to her
bottom lip.
Oh, man. Her arm was pinned
between their bodies so she wiped her
chin off against her shoulder.
His hand stopped moving.
She looked up to see Garren
staring at her like he'd never seen her
before. Silence saturated the space
around them. After a few agonizing
moments, they sprang apart, no longer
making eye contact.
How could she forget whom she
was with? It must’ve been all the stress
of almost dying in a plane crash and
finding out she's being followed.
That's it, stress.
Thane turned in his seat and
regarded them, his brow furrowed.
“Why is your shirt wet?” he pointed to
Garren.
Blush crept up her neck as
Garren pulled the fabric out to inspect
the wet spot. He looked baffled.
“I didn't want to say anything, but
you drool in your sleep,” she told him.
He narrowed his eyes at her, but
stayed silent.
A couple hours of uncomfortable
silence later, Sharon pulled up to a truck
stop in Portland. “I’m out of hours for
the day and need to get some sleep. If
you still want a ride to California, meet
me back here in twelve hours.” She
smiled brightly at Thane.
A nice shade of red spread over
his face, right to the tops of his ears.
“Thanks.”
The truck stop was huge. The
parking lot could accommodate at least
fifty big-rigs. There was a diner and a
couple motels. The best part was the
pay-shower for drivers who lived in
their trucks.
Ivy stretched her arms over her
head as they walked toward the main
building. “I don't know about you guys,
but I desperately need a shower. How
about we clean up and then get
something to eat and discuss our next
move.”
They all agreed and made their
way to the showers. As she walked, a
familiar scraping noise followed her.
Glancing back, she didn’t see anything
but something in her gut told her she
wasn’t alone. Before going in the locker
room, she detoured to the dumpsters
where no one would see her.
“All right, you little winged
beast, show yourself.” A few feet in
front of her, a small, green dragon
shimmered into view. She stepped
closer but it jerked away and growled.
“Why are you following me?”
She glanced around to see if anyone
could see her talking to a dragon. They
were alone.
“Look, I’m sorry about your
momma, but I can’t take care of you. And
you can’t come with us. So go. Shoo.”
She lunged forward trying to scare it
away. It spread out its wings and spit a
tiny spark at her in defense. But it didn’t
leave.
She sighed. “Fine, you do
whatever you want. I’m getting cleaned
up.” She left the creature by the
dumpsters, hoping it was smart enough
to stay out of people’s way.
The hot water beating down on
her sore muscles felt so good, she took
two showers. After getting dressed in
her normal jeans and t-shirt, she met
Thane and Garren at a booth in the back
of the diner.
“So, do you want to find another
truck driver going south to bum a ride
from?” Thane asked, sitting next to her,
before popping a french fry in his mouth.
Both Garren and Ivy glanced at
each other from across the table before
answering in unison. “No.”
“Well, we’re not riding with
Sharon.” He leaned in and whispered,
“She pinched my butt when we got out of
the truck.”
A giggle bubbled to the surface,
threatening to explode if she didn’t look
away from his face.
“I’ve never felt so cheap,” he
muttered.
That did it. She couldn’t hold it
in any longer and laughed, along with
Garren. She felt bad for having fun at his
expense, but the way his face pinched in
disgust was too amusing.
Garren wiped his eyes dry
before taking a deep, calming breath.
“She couldn’t help it, man. You’re a
sexy beast.”
“It’s not funny.”
She sobered up and patted
Thane’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I think
Garren’s jealous. We’ll let him sit up
front the rest of the way to Sac.”
“Hey!” Garren said. He wasn’t
laughing anymore. “What if she hits on
me?”
His back must hurt from
carrying
around
that
huge
ego
everywhere. “I think you’re safe.
Besides, she offered and it’s a free ride.
Suck it up.”
Garren glared at her as he bit
into his sandwich. He chewed slowly,
most likely trying to think up a pithy
comeback.
She ate her food in silence as she
people-watched. Most of the patrons
were truck drivers, eating alone. There
were a few families with ill-behaved
children, running off their pent up
energy. One kid literally bounced in his
seat as his mother scolded him.
“I'm just glad that dragon's
gone,” Garren said, wiping his mouth
with a paper napkin.
She broke her gaze away from
the family across the room and stared at
her plate. “He's out back.”
“What?” He threw his napkin
down on the table and crossed his arms
over his chest. “I told you not to keep it.
We don't have time for this.”
Irritation rose inside of her as
she pointed her fork at him. “Don't get
your panties in a twist. I didn’t bring
him, he followed us.”
“Yeah, Garre
n,” Thane chuckled.
“He might help us out. You know how
useful dragons are— at least parts of
them.”
The way Garren's face lit up
made her frown.
“That right,” he said. “Their
spleens are the main ingredient in
strength enhancement potions.”
“And most healing potions use
the enzymes in dragon saliva, although
the saliva straight from the source is
potent enough to bring a man back from
the dead.” Thane added.
Garren leaned over the table to
speak closely to Thane, but his eyes
were on her. “How much do you think
we can get if we dissect the thing and
sell it for parts?”
She flicked her finger toward
Garren's soda glass, using her magic to
tip it into his lap.
He jumped up and grabbed his
napkin to pat his pants dry. “Damn it,
Ivy.”
“What? You told me to practice,
remember?” She smiled and glanced
around to see if anyone noticed what she
did.
“And you said no magic in front
of the Banes, remember?”
Her eyes stopped at the front
door when two men strolled in. Both
were tall and slender with toned muscles
under their t-shirts and jeans. One had
red hair and a beard while the other was
bald with a crooked nose. They seemed
so familiar, but she was certain she’d
never seen them before. The red-head
ran his hand through his hair as he
glanced around the room. The florescent
light overhead glinted off his right wrist.
He had an iridescent tattoo that she was
more than familiar with.
Oh, crap.
Chapter 10
“What are you looking at?”
Thane leaned into Ivy and followed her
gaze to the two customers at the front
door.
Oh man, they're fast. She
slumped down in her seat to hide from
the two Eradicators who entered the
diner. They fit the description of the guys
that sent Jeff and the girls searching for
her.
“I think they're after me,” she
whispered. She opened her bag and
pulled out a hooded sweatshirt. Her
curly brown hair was a giveaway,
though there wasn't anything she could
do to hide her magic, at least not yet.
Her fingers trembled as she shoved the
shirt over her head.
“Does this have anything to do
with Becky, Sarah, and that other guy?”
Garren asked, scowling at her.
Pulling the hood tighter around
her face, she nodded. “We need to get
out of here.”
“What do they want with you?”
Thane asked.
“They're Eradicators. What do
you think?” She surveyed the dining