11. Ezra
ELEVEN
ezra
When I awoke from a dreamless sleep, it was to Rina sitting across the bed, staring at me.
“Who’s Edward now?” I grumbled as I sat up. Smoothing a hand over my face, I ran my fingers through my hair to smooth it back.
She shrugged, already looking perfect in a pair of tight, ripped jeans and a black, lacy crop top. She’d paired it with an oversized cardigan and those black boots she always wore, and damn. My mouth went dry just at the sight of her. “I’ve been awake for three hours already.”
I groaned. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”
The witch held a cup of coffee in her hands, the coffee stirrer moving on its own. “Honestly, it looked like you needed the rest. And I was hoping maybe you’d be less grumpy if you got more sleep.” Rina shrugged. “Was I right?”
No. I’d slept like utter shit. It didn’t help that I was only a few inches away from my mate, and I couldn’t touch her. Her scent had wafted over all night, so fucking tempting that I hadn’t fallen asleep until the first rays of dawn had drifted through the curtains.
Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes. “We should probably get back on the road.” At least the storm had stopped. “I just need to check with my contacts on Archer’s location.” Once we got there, I’d have to hope he’d reveal himself to me. We met decades ago, and I’d never once asked him for a favor.
Of course, this was more than your ordinary favor.
“Did you eat?” I asked, changing the subject as I got out of bed, trying not to call attention that I was walking around in only my boxers and a tight fitting t-shirt.
“Yes,” she said. “It wasn’t great, but I had a muffin from the lobby.”
I turned around to find Rina staring at me as she sipped from her coffee. Was she… ogling me?
Did my mate actually like my body? Involuntarily, I flexed my arms, smirking as she let out a small gasp, and the scent of her arousal filled the room.
Oh, yes. She might not like me, but she was attracted to me.
I could work with that. Maybe we both could.
I suspected that as wound up as we both were, we’d need release sooner rather than later.
Considering there was no one else around, we were stuck with each other—at least for now.
Not to mention that I’d rip the head off anyone who tried to touch my mate, whether I wanted to keep her or not.
Fishing my phone out of my discarded pants pocket, I frowned when it didn’t turn on. “Dammit, I forgot to charge it last night.” I’d been too focused on the fact that we had to share a bed to even think about plugging it in.
“You sound like my Nana,” she snorted.
I let out a huff. “Technology has never really been my thing.” It wasn’t like I’d grown up with cell phones or the internet.
Rina burst out laughing. “Goddess, you’re so old.”
“Ha, ha.” Crossing my arms over my chest, I towered over her. “Laugh at my expense, why don’t you? I might be old by your standards, but I’m not decrepit.”
When she finally stopped laughing, she wiped the tears from her eyes. “I’m sorry. I—” another giggle burst out of her. “Wow, I don’t know what came over me.”
I rolled my eyes, peeling my shirt off and dropping it onto the bed, knowing exactly what I was doing as I sauntered towards the bathroom, exposing my bare, muscular back to the witch. “I’m going to shower, and then we can go.”
“Fine,” she squeaked. “I’ll just gather up my things and wait for you by the car.”
I couldn’t stop my smirk as I stepped into the shower, feeling like a teenager again, the way I wanted to argue with her until I was blue in the face, both of us too stubborn for our own good.
The water washed her scent from my body, and I hated how I much I had liked it. Part of me wanted to be covered in it, if only so that anyone and everyone we met would know exactly who we were to each other. So no one would dare to lay a hand on what was mine—even if only temporarily.
Thinking of Rina’s lingering gaze, the scent of arousal that still clung to my nose, I couldn’t help but feel like maybe this road trip would be fun after all.
By the time my phone booted up, I’d received a text from Victoria, my second in command.
Victoria
Found him.
Ezra
Where?
Haven Falls, North Dakota.
You’re fucking with me, right?
Unfortunately, no. A group of them have settled there. Luckily, the town’s small enough not to attract attention—or to have people questioning why strange things keep happening left and right.
Strange things?
Humans are calling them miracles.
I rolled my eyes. Angels. Of course, they couldn’t help themselves.
“Alright. Destination is set.” I told her as I input the location into my GPS and shot a quick text back to Victoria.
Ezra
Great, thanks. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Victoria
Be careful, E. We need you back here soon. Things are only escalating.
I always am, aren’t I?
I’ll be home when I can.
With that, I snapped my phone shut, turning to Rina, who was sitting criss-cross in the seat. “Well, don’t leave me hanging, vampire.”
“North Dakota.”
“North Dakota?” Rina’s brows pinched together. “Who in all hell is in North Dakota?”
“Hopefully, the man who’s going to help us learn how to break this infernal bond.”
She looked away. “Right.”
We’d both needed the reminder. Neither of us wanted to be tied together, forced to spend the rest of eternity together. So why did it feel like she was actually… disappointed?
“That’s what you want, right?”
The witch gave me a terse smile. “Of course it is.” Pushing her sleeve back, she looked down at the red mark on her forearm. “Anything we can do to make this go away.”
“Right.” I cleared my throat. “We have another long day of driving, and then we should make it there tomorrow.”
“Perfect.” Her words were short—clipped.
“Great.”
“Okay.”
Neither of us spoke as I backed out of the parking spot, driving towards the man who I prayed would be able to perform another miracle—this time, for us.