Chapter Thirty-Three
Angel didn’t answer. Instead, she just nodded.
Jake was up and out of his seat like a light, tossing a wad of bills onto the table and grabbing her by the wrist to pull her after him. They entered the parking lot, and he took her to his car, opening her door first, half afraid that if he left her side or let go of her, she would slip away from him.
But she slid into the seat, and he slammed the door behind her. He wanted to use his magic to lock the door too, but she would notice that so he didn’t push his luck. She’d already decided to forgive him for researching her. He was a lucky man.
Jake opened his door, slid behind the wheel, shut the door, and started the car. He’d never had any trouble starting any engine; it was part of his own particular magic. The GTO came to life with a low, delicious rumble, and he caught Angel smiling from her side of the car.
He could hear her thoughts more clearly than ever now. The coffee he’d made sure she downed was extra strong. He’d known she was going to switch the drinks out. With the way the waitress had blatantly flirted with him and Angel had secretly reacted, he’d wanted to, well – crow. But he’d also known she was afraid of something unpleasant ending up in her drink.
So he’d made sure the bottle in the bartender’s hand had slipped a little over his mug rather than hers, pouring an extra amount into the concoction. It was twice as strong as usual, and he’d made sure she finished it, giving her a push of vampire influence to keep her drinking until it was gone.
Which was perfect. He wanted her off her game.
When he’d told her about his magic, he hadn’t mentioned the vampire magic he possessed, obviously. But he already knew she was smart. He’d slipped up once, and she’d caught him, reminding him of her intelligence in a surprising manner. And though that intelligence was part of what he appreciated so much about her, it admittedly made him nervous right now. If she’d caught on to those clues – what else had she noticed? How long could he keep up the charade?
He didn’t want her coming to any catastrophic conclusions right now. Not yet. Or maybe not ever.
There was something else he wanted from her a whole hell of a lot more.
As he pulled out of the lot, he put on some classic rock – something he knew she liked, and he did too – then listened carefully to the thoughts moving through her head.
She was wondering what the hell she was doing.
Despite the alcohol, she was confused and a little scared. She was excited, and her body was driving her on relentlessly – but she couldn’t help reminding herself that he was a warden. She already felt like she was in hot water with her own clan, especially Gabriel.
Jake’s gaze narrowed. He felt it heating up and concentrated hard on keeping the vampire light from his eyes. Gabriel Santiago was really pissing him off. But deep inside, he knew it wasn’t Santiago who was really frustrating him. It was this situation. It was the past – Angel’s past. And it was the thoughts going through her head.
A part of him wanted to put a stop to them. He could if he wanted to. He just had to use enough force. But how many times would he have to do that? He wasn’t willing to let her go any time soon. Hell, he wasn’t willing to let her go at all, ever. And he couldn’t keep her from putting two and two together forever. She was too bright. And this was too important.
And fate was a son of a bitch.
And Jacob Crow was, after all, cursed.
*****
What am I doing? Why did I drink all of that? Angel wondered at her behavior. She was bewildered by everything she’d done over the last hour.
And how damn strong was that drink, anyway? The bartender had been generous, that’s for sure. Of course, Angel had taken Jake’s drink, and maybe his had been made stronger because he was so much bigger than she was. Regardless, she’d had too much. She’d had just enough to make her careless.
This is a mistake, her inner Jiminy Cricket told her. Oh shut up, she told him. Stupid bug.
But she was buzzing hard. Her fingers and toes were tingling. Her heart was racing. Her belly and groin were pulsing with building need, uncomfortably warm and sensitive.
Angel glanced over at her impossibly handsome companion. He really was impossibly handsome. Every woman in the restaurant had been looking at him. Every single one. Why was that? What were the chances? What was this ultra-magnetism he possessed?
Maybe we’re all monsters….
His words echoed against the walls of her mind, and something began to unfold in the shadows of her head. She blinked, frowning as she stared out the window at the passing landscape. It shifted from city to forest, and she had the general impression they were headed somewhere north of San Francisco.
“Where are we going?” she asked, her voice a little softer than she’d have liked. But Jake didn’t answer, and Angel didn’t ask again.
Her head was suddenly spinning, her warden instincts kicking in because she was effectively compromised. She was slowed down by the alcohol, and no one but Jake knew where she was. She was in the passenger seat of a vehicle going pretty damn fast, alone with a man she was having unexpected doubts about.
Realizations hit her one after another.
When she’d fled from Vega territory, Cain had somehow helped her. And when he had, he had healed her, even her bruises. Even her torn and sore muscles. But Darius refused to tell her how he’d done that. She’d woken up feeling so good, she hadn’t needed any pain meds. How? How had he done that? Was he a healer like her? But if so, then how had he known just when she needed help most? And then, how had he found her?
No one knew anything about the Monsters. They covered their tracks with such care, the cover-up was suspicious in and of itself. The fact that they were able to destroy any and all records of each of their members was frankly unbelievable.
And that’s just it, she realized. It really is unbelievable. As in, it’s impossible.
And all of those vehicles in that garage… they were worth a fortune. This car alone would sell at auction for a good two-hundred thousand. How had Jake afforded it? Just like Cain, he was young. Mid-thirties at the oldest. The Monsters MC moved around constantly, making a steady eight-to-five job highly unlikely. Was Jake just really good with money? Was this the result of careful investments?
It was possible. But were they all that good with money?
And why were so many of the vehicles vintage?
Maybe we’re all monsters….
There were other things too. She realized them now that she allowed herself to think about it all. She’d just swallowed all of her coffee despite planning to play it safe in his presence. She wasn’t that wanting in willpower, was she?
And she always sensed Jake coming before he arrived. She could feel him when he was near. As if he gave off some kind of signal. Maybe it was just the strength of her attraction to him; she wouldn’t know. She’d never felt this way about anyone before.
But what if it wasn’t? What if it was something else?
She glanced at his profile again. He was so striking, Angel actually felt a kind of pain when she looked at him. She couldn’t even say where exactly it hurt. It was just that he was achingly beautiful.
Inhumanly so.
I’m caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.
All at once, Angel felt for the door handle of the GTO. And then she took a quick breath and steeled her nerves. “Pull over,” she said softly.
She could see Jake glance over at her, but she refused to meet his gaze. She knew his eyes would be hard. She knew, just knew, that he was way ahead of her. She knew he could sense her sudden reservations. He wasn’t normal. If she looked at him, he would drive straight into her soul, and she would be lost.
“Please,” she added, with a little more force.
After a few seconds, Jake slowed the car and turned the wheel. They pulled onto a smaller road that diverted from the highway and led into the darkness of redwoods so tall they blotted out the sun.
Panic bubbled up inside Angel. Where were they?
No, don’t panic now Angel, she told herself firmly. You can always transport if you have to.
Once they’d gone a quarter mile or so, Jake slowed the car further and pulled it over into an alcove on the side of the road. The moment the car came to a stop, Angel turned the handle and jumped out of it as if the seat were on fire.
But she staggered to a halt to find that Jake was already out from his side of the car and standing in front of her before the passenger side door had even fully closed.
And that was the tipping point.
“Okay,” she exhaled shakily, feeling disaster on the horizon. “That’s it.” She swallowed hard as her heart pounded so fast her head hurt. She felt her gun at her back but she also knew it wouldn’t matter. Not with him. Not if she was right. “That’s the last straw,” she said, shaking her head.
Suddenly she wished she had bothered with all of her wards that morning. She wished she hadn’t been lax, hadn’t let down her guard so thoroughly. But she’d wanted to be frugal with her magic, and more importantly Jake made her feel happy. He made her feel safe.
Except for now.
Right now, Jake was looking at her as if he was composed of green fire, and his eyes were windows to that conflagration. He towered, indomitable, stark, and powerful, and Angel grasped that she’d opened up to him completely, becoming vulnerable. “What are you?” she demanded. Her head was swimming. She was unsteady, and slightly sick. “You really are a monster, aren’t you?”
He watched her in stony silence. It was as good as a confession.