“Well, if you insist.” With a smile, I reached into my hoodie and handed him the keys.
“I’ll grab your ski stuff, but you can keep those clothes. We have plenty of extras.” Mack scurried off down the hall to get my gear.
I turned back to Johann and Tore. “You guys have that many overnight guests who forget their stuff, huh?” As hot as they all were, I shouldn’t have been surprised.
“Something like that. Gotta run, Allie—I have to call my, uh, my mom.” Johann carried the empty bowls to the sink and fled the kitchen, leaving me and Tore alone. Awkward.
Tore crossed his arms and stared at a crumb on the table. After an interminable amount of silence, he looked up. “You know, just for the record, that night we met I was trying to help you.”
“Help me with what?” I asked. Tore’s jaw twitched, but he didn’t speak. When it became clear no answer was forthcoming, I shrugged. “Well, thank you. But if you’re helping someone out, don’t grab their arm. You came off way more attacker than helper.”
Tore smirked. “Duly noted.”
“And your weird creeper thing during class today? Care to explain that?”
“Nope.” Tore stared at me with crinkled eyes, and my dislike diminished a notch. Now that he was in a better mood, it was impossible to ignore the way his eyes twinkled, or the way his biceps strained against his long-sleeved shirt. Gran used to say that women didn’t really have a type—it all came down to whether a guy had the right chemistry. Tore had some crazy chemistry. And when he wasn’t attacking me or asking weird questions, he was kind of . . . well, he was hot. He had that whole strong-and-silent brooder thing going on—totally opposite from the fun loving, upbeat energy of his friends.
Leave it to me to crush on the jerk of the group.
“Your gear’s in the car, Allie.” Mack poked his head around the kitchen doorway. “Are you good driving in the snow, or do you want one of us to take you home?”
“I’m good with snow,” I assured him. I stood and followed him into the hallway. He held out my jacket, and I gave Tore a wave as I shrugged my arms into the sleeves. “See ya. Try not to scare any unsuspecting women tonight.”
I didn’t bother waiting for Tore’s response. I was out the door as soon as Johann opened it.
“Your chariot.” Bodie half bowed as he opened my car door.
I liked these boys. We exchanged fist bumps as I climbed into the driver’s seat. “Thanks for the fun day. You guys are awesome.”
“Bring a friend next time.” Bodie grinned as he shut my car door, then retreated to the porch. “See you, Allie!” He, Johann, and Mack waved as I buckled myself in. They waited outside until I reversed out of the driveway. I’d only made it a few yards when I realized I didn’t have my phone. Dang it! I’d left it on the bed when I changed my clothes. I pulled forward, kept the engine idle so that the heat would stay on, and jumped out of the car. It was a short jog to the door, and I was about to knock when I heard raised voices. The guys were talking . . . about me.
“Why were you such a jerk to her?” Mack questioned.
“And what were you thinking posing as a professor?” Johann sounded frustrated. “You really freaked her out. What if she runs?”
“Look, I just want to do our job and go back home,” Tore growled.
“This isn’t just a job,” Bodie said. “We all took an oath on her mother’s sick bed to protect and guide her. She’s special to the realm, you know that.”
“I remember the oath. I just don’t think it takes four of us to babysit,” Tore shot back.
“What’s your deal, Tore?” Johann asked. “The necklace summoned us when Allie was ready, and now we have to honor our side of the agreement.”
“It’s just not a good time,” Tore spat.
The energy coming through the closed door was overwhelming. The three signatures I could read absolutely teemed with frustration. Tore was blank—I still couldn’t read him. But the coldness in his voice communicated plenty. My knees shook, and speckles danced before my eyes as I processed their words. My mother? My mom was dead; that part of their conversation was obviously off. But . . . the necklace? My hand closed around the crystal at my neck. It sent out a pulse of pure power that calmed my racing nerves and gave me the sense to find my inner voice.
Right then, my inner voice was telling me to get the hell out of there.
I raced back to my car, threw it into reverse, and squealed out of the driveway. Then I changed gears and flew down the hill.
The guys couldn’t have been talking about me. None of what they said made any sense. Breathe, Allie. Just get home in one piece. You can think about this later . . . or never. My fingers gripped the wheel as I navigated my car down the icy, winding road. I turned my wipers on as a light snow began to trickle from the black sky. When I turned the corner, a pick-up truck came into view—it had spun out on the road and was parked sideways, blocking my path. I pumped the brakes at the sight of a thin woman with long black hair beside the truck. The poor thing was using her hands to dig the snow out from behind the tire. Throwing my car in park, I turned on my hazards and jumped out to help.
“Hey, you need a hand?” I shoved my hands in my jacket to keep warm. When she didn’t respond, I walked closer, kneeling down so she’d know I wasn’t an attacker. “Can I help you?” I offered again.
The woman’s head whipped around unnaturally fast, and I fell backward on the snow. This was not the helpless traveler I’d thought she was—no way was this chick even human. Her eyes glowed reddish gold, and her skin was so pale it was nearly translucent. She sneered at me with pointed teeth, and while my spirit screamed run, my body was completely frozen. The woman raised a talon and pointed at my necklace.
“We have been looking for you for a long time,” she rasped. Her deep voice and creepy accent snapped me right out of my stupor. With tremendous effort, I raised my boot and kicked out hard. The blow landed square on her chest and knocked her backward.
Step one, complete. Step two—run like hell.
I flipped over on my hands and knees and scrambled to get up. I was only a few feet from my car when the woman appeared before me in a blur. I barely registered her pointed ears peeking out of her black hair. This was some weird freak show, and I wanted no part of it.
Shoving my hand into my pocket, I wrapped my fingers around my pepper spray. When the woman lunged for me, I whipped my hand out and unloaded the entire can in her face. I stumbled back and waited for her to writhe in pain, but she just licked the dripping fluid like a psycho and grinned.