Page 7 of Leif

“I could have just killed you. You were a bitch to me, after all.” An evil grin crossed his lips. “Hell, I could have stripped you all the way down. I could have fucked you while you were unconscious. I could have doneanythingto you.”

“So why didn’t you?” I glanced up at him.

His grin grew. “You’re not afraid of me, are you?”

I shook my head. “You killed an innocent woman that trusted you. She didn’t struggle or fight, did she?” My eyes narrowed. “She froze up in fear and shock when your fingers tightened around her throat, didn’t she?”

“She was weak.” His anger shone like a fever in his eyes.

“I’m not.” I lifted my chin into a battle position.

The corners of his lips twitched. “I know.”

I peeked at the door past him, and he studied me for a second as I glanced quickly back at him. He took the bait and turned to look over his shoulder.

I sprung at him, winding an arm around his throat. He let out a roar, his body tight as I kicked the chair out from under him and let his full weight fall into my grip. Riding him down until I was on one knee in the dirt, my forearm pressed tight to his throat as his pulse thundered under my grip. His fingers clawed at my arm in an attempt to free himself, the sting hardly noticeable as blood appeared. Adrenaline flowed freely through me as my brain warned me it was his life or mine.

If I didn’t kill him now, I was going to die.

“I’m sorry.” I’d never killed anyone before. “I didn’t want to do this. Rest well.”

He let out a choking laugh, and I heard a sound behind me. Before I could glance back, pain screamed through the back of my skull, and everything blinked out once more.

4

Leif

“Look, I don’t know if I can keep you safe, kid.” I glanced at Hitch, and he gave a nod. “Please hang back. Can you drive?”

He nodded again.

“I’m leaving the keys in it. I need you to be ready to go, okay?” I wanted to make this a quick, clean, and quiet getaway. But life had taught me that even the best-laid plans could go awry. Back up plans were always in order.

I met his gray eyes as he swallowed hard. “Sure. I’ll be right here.”

“Okay. Don’t come after me this time.” I didn’t want anything bad to happen to this kid. Sure, his skills might have come in handy to help me get her out, but I’d never be able to live with myself if he got hurt or killed on my watch. Even if it was only my watch because he’d snuck into my truck and followed me out here.

“I’ll be here, ready to drive when you get back.” He moved into the driver’s seat and moved the chair closer and checked his mirrors before adjusting the rearview. “You better come back.” He watched me closely, and I nodded.

“I’ll be back.” This kid had had enough people disappear out of his life; I wouldn’t be one of them.

I made my way along the trail toward the lair, glad to have had the intel Hitch had provided. I knew it wasn’t just one guy here. I knew they had a strong man, one of us. I didn’t know why or how, but that didn’t matter. What mattered now was getting the officer out safe.

Still, questions crowded in. Why was she alone, transporting a killer? Where was her partner?

I touched the stone around the cave. I could phase through, but not knowing the layout of the cave meant that it would be dangerous at worst, stupid at best. Instead, I slipped inside, ready to phase if I needed to be invisible. I moved inside and stepped into a cavern with a man leaning against a wall, drinking straight out of a bottle of whiskey.

I didn’t need to phase. I just slipped right past him into the hallways of natural rock. How long had these caves been here? What formed them? Some great event had opened this area up, but I had no idea what it was and didn’t know the history of the place well enough to find out.

I kept moving from room to room until I found her, lying face down in a big open space, unconscious and tied up. The dark room offered no clues, but I knew I was alone. I could feel the silence of the emptiness pressing in.

With my ears straining to hear any noise and my pulse thundering in my throat, I moved toward her. Doubt filled me. Could I do this? I’d phased Luna while she was unconscious, but I’d had help, and I wasn’t sure where my power left off and where theirs began. Still, I’d never tried carrying someone in my arms and phasing us while they were unconscious. It was one thing if she was on a stretcher, but contact changed everything.

The one issue with our powers being so secret meant there was no real chance to experiment and learn the limitations.

I cut her free of the ropes and scooped her up in my arms. Her pale face was smudged with dirt, and her uniform top was nowhere in sight. Instead, she wore a white tank top that was smudged and dirty. A narrow strip of her belly peeked between the shirt and the waistband of her pants, showing off her toned midsection.

I lifted her up, and she stayed limp in my arms.

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