But most of all he needed time and space to figure out why the fuck hed just made the most stupid mistake of thousands of years of his endless life.
I HEARD THE SCREAM. IT tore from my throat as I was slammed into consciousness, the sound deafening, and I wanted to stop, I did, but I couldnt. Only for a moment, to suck in a deep, rasping gasp of breath, and then I screamed again, the sound sickening in the pure terror that had infused my very bones.
And then it stopped, this involuntary anguish, by his voice simply saying, Stop.
For a moment I didnt move. I was lying stretched out on the seat of a moving vehicle. Logic dictated that it was the car Azazel had used to drive me out into the bush, but this one had a moonroof, and the stars overhead were oddly calming. I wondered if hed frozen me as he had in the restaurant, but I found I could move, slowly, carefully, as if my bones might shake apart. I managed to pull myself into a sitting position.
It was almost full dark. I rubbed my tender wrists, but they were whole, no marks left by those damned ropes, which shocked me. Id struggled like a madwoman when he left me in the muffled darkness, and I thought Id felt the wetness of blood. I reached down to my ankles, but they were smooth and undamaged as well.
I had no idea whether he was going to let me talk or not, but I had to try.
Why did you come back? I didnt mean for my voice to sound accusing. Hed changed his mind about killing me, for Gods sake. Why should I complain?
He didnt glance back at me. Fresh air came from the open roof, blowing his hair away from the elegant bone structure of his cold, emotionless face. I have no idea, he said finally. If I were you, I wouldnt question it. I may recover my sanity long enough to take you back there and dump you, so I suggest you just sit back and keep quiet.
I was smart enough to do just that. I was so cold, after the blisteringly hot day, and I shivered. I remembered the howls coming closer, the horrible smell that had assailed my nostrils, and I felt my body tremble almost imperceptibly. I decided to push my luck.
Could you close the moonroof? Im freezing. It must get very cold once the sun sets.
He hesitated. It isnt that cold, he said finally.
But Im
Deal with it.
Okay. I wrapped my arms around me, trying to get warm. He was probably rightit was just as likely shock and fear as anything else. I wanted to ask him where he was taking me, but hed warned me not to ask questions, and I didnt want him changing his mind. I curled my legs up under me and huddled in the corner of the seat, as far from the open roof as I could get. The stars were very bright in the inky black sky overhead, and I realized I would probably be able to see the Southern Cross for the first time in my life. I had always had a secret weakness for astronomy, for the stars and constellations and the way they seemed to rotate in the sky. This might be my only chance to actually see the Southern Cross, and I hoped the sky stayed clear for as long as we were here. Unless he planned to abandon me here, which would suit me very well indeed. I could disappear into a new name and new identity here as easily as in the Northern Hemisphere. Id had lots of practice.
I could tell by the dimming of the stars that we were approaching what looked like a small city. The electric lights were warring with nature, and electricity was winning. Light pollution, they called it. I thought Id grown used to it, but that brief period without it had simply reminded me how much I loved the vast, endless sky.
I could smell the sea, which surprised me. Id assumed wed spent the day driving directly inland, so the proximity of the ocean was disturbing. I hated the ocean. It terrified me, the waves, the swells, the ebb and flow. I forced myself to take a deep breath of the rich salt smell, licking the taste off my mouth. Then I realized he was watching me in the rearview mirror, his gaze fastened on my mouth, and his deep-blue eyes were burning.
I ducked back into the darkness, unnerved. Remembering that I had reached out to touch him when hed been chaining me up to die. I could feel that look in the pit of my stomach, between my legs, like a rough caress, and my face was suddenly hot. I turned toward the window, shutting him out, and concentrated on the port city we were driving through. A working
city, not a resort, I could tell immediately. Not sure if that was a good sign or a bad one.
When he pulled over and parked, I looked around in surprise. We were in a narrow alleyway, deserted except for a few parked cars, and he slid from the front seat, slamming the door behind him before pulling mine open.
I considered staying put, but I knew hed climb in and get me without hesitation, and he wouldnt be kind. I moved, landing on slightly unsteady legs. Arent you going to close the roof? I looked up at him. Id forgotten he was so tall.
I am leaving the car. And the roof doesnt close.
Both those statements mystified me, until I looked more closely at the car. The metal had been peeled back over the drivers seat, as if a can of soda had exploded from the heat. What the hell had been strong enough to do that? You can just ditch cars? I said. You must be very well paid.