It felt like hours later when I asked, “Anyone know how far we are now?”
Galen pulled the GPS from his bag. After turning it on, he nodded. “According to this, we only have another thirty minutes or so.”
Frosty took the water flask from my hands, gulping some down. “If we’re that close, shouldn’t we see the town?”
“You’d think,” Aidan replied.
Galen shrugged. “I’m just headed in the direction the GPS is telling me to go. We’re out in the middle of nowhere, and it’s the only map we have.”
“We’re going to die out here, aren’t we?” Frosty asked.
I frowned, sitting up taller to peer over Donovan’s shoulder as unfamiliar voices wove their way inside my head. “People are close.”
Frosty handed me the water bottle again. “Close? How close?”
I shrugged. “Before getting a dose of everyone’s blood? I would have said within half a mile. Now, I have no idea how close I have to be to pick thoughts up.”
Aidan nudged Frosty. “Not sure if it’s a mirage, but I can sort of make out lights or something in the distances.”
The sun had begun its descent, making it a bit chilly.
I wrapped my arms tighter around Donovan, and he glanced over at Aidan. “Switch?”
My eyes widened at the suggestion. I felt bad that they’d been carrying me this whole time. “I can walk.”
“But you’re cold,” Donovan replied as he lowered me to the ground.
“It’s not that bad.” It wasn’t like I’d asked for a piggyback ride or anything, though I saw the wisdom in it.
Aidan tossed the backpack and food to Donovan and bent his knees. “Hop on, blondie. Just keep your teeth to yourself.”
I grimaced. “Don’t be an idiot, and I won’t bite you.”
“Duly noted.”
I put my hands on his shoulders, then jumped and wrapped my legs around his waist.
He straightened. “You good?”
I nodded, and the heat coming off him in waves made me sigh in contentment. “You’re my new BFF.”
He made a noise somewhere between a chuckle and a cough. “Only until it warms back up again.”
“This is true.”
Frosty crossed his arms over his chest, pouting. “You’re my BFF.” I wasn’t sure if he spoke to me or Aidan, but then he added, “And you can’t go stealing my girl.”
“I’ll be your BFF when I get too warm again,” I teased.
A little thrill went through me when his eyes lit up. “I’m holding you to that offer.”
We fell silent after that, and as we drew closer to the lights Aidan had seen in the distance, I was happy to note it was definitely a town. It didn’t look very big, but there were a couple shops and, hopefully, a hotel of some sort.
When we reached the edge of town, Galen turned the GPS back on, searching for somewhere for us to stay. Luckily, it appeared some shops were still open as well, including a thrift store.
“Plan. Embry, you come with me. Neo and Winter will check out the second-hand store to see if we can get something else to wear.” His gaze traveled over Donovan’s lack of a shirt, still a little pink from the sun exposure, but definitely not as bad as it could have been. He’d only removed his shirt because part of it has shredded and kept tickling his back. “Grab a shirt from the bag and join the other two. Aidan, you’re with us.”
We split up, and while thrilled to be walking on my own, my feet weren’t happy. I suspected some glass shards from the windows had worked their way into the soles of my feet, digging deeper with each step I took.
I tugged my shirt down, attempting to stay modest as a few people gave us funny looks.
Thankfully, the GPS didn’t take us far.
The motel was run-down, but hopefully, they had a room we could stay in.
Before we could step into the lobby, Galen stopped us. “You guys wait outside. I’m going to go see if I can get us a room.”
I sank down on a bench near the door, lifting my right foot to check the damage.
Aidan sat next to me, watching me intently. “You okay?”
I nodded. “Think that first aid kit has some tweezers?”
“Most likely.” He pulled my foot toward him. “I can see if I can get these out?” His voice lilted up at the end, making his statement into a question as he stared at me, waiting for my response.
When I nodded, he pulled out the first aid kid and began poking and prodding my flesh, making me jerk and wince reflexively.
“That doesn’t exactly feel good,” I said through clenched teeth.
“If we’re going to heal these, we need to get the glass out. Mostly, I’m just trying to get the tiny shit out. I’ll let Galen do the few larger pieces.”
Joy.
“I realize this. Doesn’t mean it feels good.”
He chuckled softly. “I’ll bet it doesn’t.”
He continued to torture me until Galen walked out of the lobby and held up a keycard. “We got one room.”
Aidan rose to his feet before lifting me into his arms. “Don’t want you undoing all the work I’ve done on your feet. I’ll carry you to the room, then take off to find the others.”
Galen grimaced. “I don’t really like the idea of you going off by yourself. Em?” He lowered his voice and glanced around to make sure we weren’t being watched. “How far do you think you can reach with your ability?”
I flushed guiltily. “I can still reach Donovan.”
I shouldn’t be able to reach any of the others from this distance, and it scared me to realize how much my ability had grown.
“Just him?” Galen questioned as we slowly made our way around the motel, finally finding our room number on the backside of the building.
I nodded. “Probably because he invited me in? The others…” I shrugged.
Galen unlocked the door. “The others what?”
“It’s more of an invasion,” I muttered.
Aidan snorted. “You’re like a brain vampire?”
I didn’t answer as we entered the room.
Aidan’s gaze jumped around the room. “Super classy.”
Although I agreed with his sarcasm, I smacked him in the ribs. Tingles raced down my arm from the impact. “Aidan…”
His lips twitched. “You were thinking it.”
He wasn’t wrong. Two double beds lined one wall, the blankets maroon and heavily starched with a nightstand between them. A small table with a couple of chairs sat against the window, and on the other side of the room was a lumpy, maroon couch.
Beyond that, there was a counter with a bathroom sink and a coffee pot on it. A sliding closet door was just in front of the counter on one side, and I assumed a bathroom would be behind the door across from the closet.
“Doesn’t mean it should be said out loud.”
Galen rolled his eyes at our banter. “Em, lie down on the bed, and I’ll take a look at your feet.”
When Aidan dropped me to the lumpy surface, I fell back against the stiff maroon blanket. Galen sat at the foot of the bed, allowing me to place my feet in his lap.
“You sure I shouldn’t go get the others?” Aidan asked, even as he nudged my head.
I sat up, not really sure what he wanted until he lay across the bed where my head had been. He wrapped an arm around my waist and gently tugged, wordlessly letting me know it was okay to lie back down.
Contentment seemed to ooze from him as he lightly rubbed my stomach through my shirt. It made me think about this supposed bond we now shared.
“What if it’s not real?” I asked.
Galen squinted as he held my foot up and gently tugged a piece of glass out. I jerked away from the pain, but he grabbed my ankle again. “What’s not real?”
“The way we feel about each other.”
Galen frowned, plucking another shard from my foot. “How do we feel about each other?”
Aidan’s thumb ran in circles around my belly button, making it hard to think.
“Neo didn’t seem to like me when we met, and now, he doesn’t seem to mind me.” I recalled how he’d curled up against me last night, and my cheeks heated.
Galen chuckled absently. “Neo’s affectionate.”
I raised my gaze to look at Aidan, who simply smiled. “I don’t think he necessarily disliked you.” His other hand went up to run through my tangled rat’s nest. “He has trust issues. We all have trust issues.”
He quieted for a moment, as if lost in thought.
When he spoke again, it startled me. “I don’t know if it’s the same with anyone else, but I can feel a presence hovering on the edge of my mind. It’s almost like…” He took my hand in both of his and began massaging it.
God, that felt so good.
“It’s almost like when you feel someone’s watching you? Only, it’s in my mind.” He made a sound of frustration. “I don’t know. I can feel you in my mind. Feel your thoughts. It helps me trust you.”
My brow furrowed as his fingers pressed against a bruise on my wrist. “You can feel my thoughts?”
His fingers stopped for a moment before resuming. “Yeah.”
“I’m sorry.” My voice came out softer than I intended.
“Don’t be. I don’t mind.” He fell quiet again as Galen switched the foot he was working on. “It’s kind of comforting.”
“Why don’t you trust easily?” I whimpered on the last word as Galen pulled another shard out, and I actually felt it slide from my foot.
“Story for another time,” Aiden replied.
I nodded, respecting his wishes even as I felt his mind consciously turn away from whatever he’d been thinking about.
As Galen finished on my feet and began healing them, I felt Donovan’s mind growing closer. “I think the others are on their way back.”
Galen nodded, but he seemed so involved in what he was doing I wasn’t completely sure he heard me.
I let Donovan and the others know what room we were in and where it was located, then relaxed as Aidan’s thumb moved to my ribs. Galen finished with the healing as we heard the others right outside the door, and he stood to let them in.
Donovan walked in first and tossed a bag onto the small table next to the door as he looked around the room. His chaotic thoughts came to a screeching halt the second he laid eyes on me. “We got enough clothes to last a bit, plus we found a couple more bags to haul shit in. Hopefully, this will hold us till we get to the next town or whatever.”
Galen nodded as he dug through the bags. He handed me some clothes from inside, then gestured at the bathroom. “Go shower.”
I nodded and dashed into the bathroom, holding my too-large shirt down so I wouldn’t flash anyone. When I got inside and locked the door, I glanced at their choice in clothing for me. A pair of stretchy shorts and a regular old T-shirt. Thankfully, it didn’t look too bad, and I’d given them my size before we split up, so the clothes should fit.
I showered as quickly as possible but took a little extra time to scrub all the dirt out of my hair. For such a rundown motel, the place still stocked the rooms with shampoo and body wash.
When I came out, Neo went in.
A pair of black and pink tennis shoes sat on the bed closest to the bathroom, along with another outfit. A toothbrush and a regular brush sat next to them.
“You’re my hero.” I wrapped my arms around the closest person, who happened to be Donovan.
His body temperature rose slightly, and I felt embarrassment coming off him. “The hairbrush was Winter’s idea.”
I smiled in Frosty’s direction, and he grinned back.
Releasing Donovan, I grabbed the brush and got to work untangling my wet hair.
A couple hours later, everyone had showered, and Frosty glanced between the two beds. “So, what’s the sleeping situation?”
Without looking up from the map the guys had bought to conserve the GPS’s battery, Galen said, “You and Aidan share one bed. I’m hoping that’ll keep you guys from either freezing us or burning the place down while we’re sleeping. Van and Embry can sleep on the other bed. I’ll take the couch.”
Neo shifted his weight, brows raised. “Does that mean I can sleep anywhere?”
Galen nodded. “You can make yourself small enough to join one of the bed parties, or you can sleep on the floor.”
Neo didn’t bother to answer as he shifted back into the brown and black dog from earlier. His ears looked so wavy and soft I couldn’t help myself when I reached over and ran my fingers along his fur.
Contentment radiated from him at my touch.
Galen stood and grabbed the blanket we’d taken from the truck. “Let’s bunk down. We’ll figure out a new plan in the morning, but if my calculations are correct, we’re actually not that far from the coordinates.”
I blinked heavily, my thoughts feeling sluggish. Donovan nudged me toward the bed. “Climb in.”
I did, curling up under the blankets. Neo joined me, shoving under my arm and wiggling to get comfortable. When Donovan got under with us and wrapped an arm around my waist, Neo gave a soft growl.
Donovan growled back, and Neo grumbled, irritation coloring his thoughts as he rested his head against my chest.
As much as I wanted to reprimand them, it would take too much energy.
It wasn’t much longer before I was out.
Light filtered in through the brown curtains when I woke.
I sat upright, Donovan’s arm still around my waist, and saw Galen at the tiny table, looking over the map again. “Did you even sleep last night?”
His gaze flicked up from his map. “Uh, yeah. A minimal amount, but enough to function today.”
I wasn’t thrilled with his answer but let it go for now. Eventually, he’d need to sleep more.
Frosty and Aidan still appeared to be asleep in their bed. Neo blinked at me once, then transformed back to human. It startled me, but not enough to make me jump.
Wordlessly, he got to his feet and stumbled to the bathroom.
Behind me, Donovan buried his face against my hip. “Not ready to get up.”
I chuckled. “I know, but the sooner we do, the sooner this adventure can be over.”
He peeked up at me, a scowl on his face. “Don’t really want the adventure to end.”
“Why not?”
“Like being with you.” His arm over my lap tightened, and my heart melted at his words.
“I like being with you, too.” I glanced over at Galen. He didn’t seem much older than me, but somehow, the position of leader had fallen to him. “Galen?”
“Hm?”
“After we get to these coordinates, then what?”
He shrugged. “It all depends on what we find at the end.”
I sighed. I wanted some sort of plan, but he was right. Until we knew what to expect, we couldn’t really plan for anything.
When everyone was awake and ready to go, Galen shoved the map into his pocket. “Let’s head out. Em, is there anyone else around?”
I inhaled deeply, cleared my mind, then listened. The guys’ minds were the loudest. I wasn’t sure if it was their proximity to me or simply because I knew them best. Pushing away from them, I listened to other voices. A child and her mother. A couple of men, who apparently thought no one would guess they were having an affair since they were both married to women. The guy running the desk.
I shook my head. “No one we should worry about.”
Galen hefted a backpack over his shoulder. “Let’s head out, then. It shouldn’t be that long of a walk to reach our destination. From there, I’m not sure where we’ll head.”
We left the motel with Frosty grumbling about his hatred of mornings and Adrian agreeing. I was pretty sure there wasn’t much those two didn’t agree about.
Galen consulted his map once more, then we were off.