Willow barely breathed as she stood, crammed inside the tiny space with Declan. Unable to stand side by side, he stood in front of her. After he finished instructing Gus and his family to forget the two of them existed, Declan ordered them to nail the plywood to the beams, clean up any mess created, and push the boxes back into place.
No one in Gus’s family had any memory they’d ever run into the two of them, never mind that they were hiding in the attic. Despite that, Declan left Gus with instructions to make sure the men were gone for an hour before opening the attic.
She kept her breathing steady as she tried not to think about what would happen if someone discovered them. Under the control of other vampires, there was no guarantee Declan could alter the memories of the humans who found them. And if those humans didn’t leave this house and return to whoever was controlling them, their enemies would know why they hadn’t returned and where to look for them.
When the walls started closing in on her and breathing became increasingly difficult, she closed her eyes and pictured her family’s property in Maine. She could almost feel the sand beneath her as she lay on the beach while the waves crashed against the shore.
The squealing laughter of the kids floated on the air as they ran down the shoreline. All her siblings were there with their mates, as well as her parents, and the Stooges—her adopted uncles.
She felt the love they emanated and the security enveloping her whenever she was with them. A sense of peace stole through her soul as the scent of the ocean filled her nostrils. And then she saw Declan lying beside her, a mischievous look on his face as he idly twirled a strand of her hair around his finger.
She saw none of the unhappiness that sometimes resided behind his eyes. He’d probably be as out of place around her family as a pink, polka-dotted zebra amid its friends, but she longed to lie with him on that beach.
And then the creak of hinges pierced through her lovely daydream.
Declan went rigid in front of her. She went to rest her hands and forehead against his back but didn’t dare touch him. He vibrated an energy she couldn’t quite put her finger on. It was almost as frightening in its malevolence as knowing that at any second, the people hunting them would enter the attic.
Unable to resist anymore, she rested her fingers on the small of his back. She almost wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him, but she was afraid she might hit something and make a noise if she did.
Instead, she settled for keeping her hands on his back and resting her cheek against him. To her amazement, he relaxed beneath her. Inhaling his scent of earth and pine, she relaxed too.
Declan tensed when a board creaked. He couldn’t tell exactly where they were in the attic as muffled words drifted through the plywood. Whoever it was stopped speaking, and footsteps sounded again.
Closing his eyes, he inhaled Willow’s enticing floral aroma. Her touch soothed him, yet he’d never felt more volatile in his life. If someone pulled that plywood down, human or not, he’d tear their throats out.
The footsteps drew closer, boxes shifted, and someone spoke again, but the words still sounded like the adults on Charlie Brown. Then they came close enough for him to understand them.
“I don’t think anyone’s here,” some guy said.
“Onto the next house,” another man said.
Declan listened as their steps faded, and the hinges squeaked as the attic door closed. Still, he didn’t move. He had to make sure they were out of the house before he dared to pull the plywood away from the beams.
When Willow’s arms encircled his waist, he rested one of his hands over hers and squeezed them. He listened to her steady breaths as time ticked past.
After enough time passed, he released her hand, grasped the edges of the plywood, and carefully pulled it free of the beams. He set it down and pushed the boxes out of the way before stepping into the shadowed attic.
He took her hand and helped her out of the cramped space. When she started to turn away, he gave her hand a small tug and pulled her into his arms. Crushing her against his chest, he kissed her with a desperation that bordered on madness. He’d just found her; he would not lose her.
Stunned by the ferocity of his kiss, it took her a minute to react. And then she rested her hands against his chest as he maneuvered her until her back was against the wall. His hands slid up her hips as his fingers lifted her shirt. When his erection pressed between her thighs, she was swept up by the intoxicating, wild air surrounding him.
But before it could go any further, he tore his mouth away with a ragged exhalation and rested his forehead against hers. Willow struggled to catch her breath as her body screamed for release from the firestorm of passion he’d evoked.
When his fingers slid away from her flesh, she groaned. Even as her body was protesting the release denied it, common sense was returning to remind her now wasn’t exactly the best time for this. They had to make sure those men were out of the house.
Declan took a minute to calm himself as his erection would make walking difficult. They were still standing behind the boxes when the hinges creaked, and the attic door opened. Gus’s scent and light wafted into the cramped space, but Declan’s fangs still descended as he crept toward the attic door with Willow on his heels.
He poked his head over the opening to discover Gus standing there with an astounded look on his face. Declan had given him instructions to open the attic door, but Gus didn’t know why he was doing it, and he certainly hadn’t expected to see anyone there. Gus opened his mouth to shout, but before he could make a sound, Declan cut him off.
“It’s okay; we’re not going to hurt you.” Gus closed his mouth, but his hands fidgeted at his sides. “Calm down. You’re safe with us.”
Gus’s shoulders sagged, and his fingers stopped twitching, but uncertainty lingered in his eyes.
“Are those men gone?” Declan asked.
“Yes.”
He descended the stairs to stand in front of Gus. “I’m sorry about this,” he said honestly. “Did those men say why they were here?”
“They’re looking for two terrorists, and until they find them, they’re going to keep searching. We can’t leave town until then.”
“Maybe they’ll give up and decide we escaped once the search is over,” Willow said. She doubted it would happen, but she was trying to be hopeful.
Declan glanced across the hall and through the open door of Gus and Cheryl’s bedroom. He couldn’t see the street from here, but the hum of a lawnmower drifted on the air, and tires rolled over the pavement as a car inched past. He imagined that on normal days the laughter and shouts of children also filled the air, but not today.
“Are you the terrorists?” Gus asked.
“No,” Declan assured him. “We’re your friends.”
Though with friends like them, who needed enemies?
“Did you tell them you weren’t feeling well?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Gus muttered. “I’m sure it’s some twenty-four-hour bug or something.”
“So am I. Thank you for your help, Gus.”
Gus nodded but didn’t move. Willow looked away from the uneasy man as he remained standing and uncertain before Declan.
“Go back downstairs and stay with your family,” Declan said. “Forget all about this, okay?”
“Okay,” Gus muttered and turned away.
He walked down the hall and descended the stairs. Declan turned and lifted the stairs back into place. For now, he would leave Gus’s family with no memory of them, but he would most likely have to use them again. As much as the idea of doing it turned his stomach, he and Willow would have to feed if they continued to be trapped here.