Page 45 of The Hunger
“Move over to the passenger seat. I’m driving.”
“You could be a little nicer,” I said, annoyed.
“I tried that. It didn’t work.”
He hung up on me once more.
Gritting my teeth, I climbed over the center console and told myself not to be angry with him. Fenris had every right to be upset with me. After all, I had lied to him about meeting with him the day before and had sent Jenna in my place.
I’d barely settled into the passenger seat when the driver’s side door opened. Fenris got in, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. He looked so good.
“Buckle up.” He immediately put the car into gear and started driving.
I hurried to buckle and tried not to stare at all of the skin he had on display. It wasn’t easy with the scent of his lust clouding the air. I closed my eyes, fighting the urge to inhale his rich, sweet energy. My hunger twisted inside of me, but I forced it down, telling myself I was fine. I’d just fed, not that long ago. I didn’t need to feed again.
After a few shallow, calming breaths, I opened my eyes, feeling more in control. Fenris, however, was far from it. He gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were white, and I could sense his frustration.
“Fenris, I’m—”
“Don’t,” he said with warning.
My temper flared.
“I’m trying, Fenris. But it’s hard when I don’t know what you want from me.”
“What I want, all I’ve ever wanted, was for you to finally see who you are. Who are you, Eliana?”
I frowned at him, trying to understand what he meant.
“I’m me.”
His frustration notched higher, which only compounded mine.
“Fenris, I know that my reaction to—”
“We’re not having that conversation in this car.”
I crossed my arms at his abrupt, angry tone. I didn’t like this version of Fenris. Not at all.
“Can I have the old Fenris back? You’re being difficult and not acting like yourself, which is why I wanted to give us a few days before we had the talk that you now don’t want to have.”
“I’m not the one being difficult. This is me frustrated as hell, Eliana, because you’ve been avoiding me while everyone else in Uttira has been trying to hunt me down.” His grip on the wheel tightened further. “And when we talk, it’s not going to be with me behind the wheel and only half my attention focused on the road.”
“Okay.”
He shot me a side glance.
“Okay?”
“Okay, I understand your frustration and agree that having a serious conversation while you’re upset and driving isn’t in either of our best interests. But, being confrontational isn’t going to help the conversation, either, once we get to wherever we’re going.”
“We’re going to the hot springs.”
“You just said that everyone is out looking for you. Is it smart to go to the places they know?”
“I asked Jenna if she told anyone about the springs, and she said she hasn’t. Unless you have another idea, I’m out of places where we can have an uninterrupted, private conversation.”
When the car turned onto the road leading to the hot springs, I kept my doubts to myself. While I understood we didn’t have many options, I’d also seen the wolves Raiden had out searching for his son.
