“Don’t be.” His smile looked cold and hard, without a hint of warmth. Had she really kissed him yesterday and liked it? His lips were two sharp, thin wounds of color in his pale face. What had she done to him? Did she hurt him?
Then in her mind, what almost sounded like Rafe’s voice screamed at her.
“Taz baby, please, get out of here! Run NOW!”
The guard stuck his head in. When Rafe turned, she bolted, her terror taking over.
She heard the guard call for Matthias, but she was in the Land Rover and on the road before they even reached the front door of the conference center.
Taz hesitated, then turned west toward Norris, instead of south, which would take her past West Thumb and then to the cabins. She could loop around the other way. She just had to—
“Get away, Taz. Don’t stop. Keep going.” If only that voice in her mind, the one sounding so much like Rafe, would stop backseat driving.
She felt Matthias tugging at her mind, pleading with her to let him in, and someone else.
Something else.
She slammed the barrier down. She’d been acting like a child and gotten herself in a jam. It was time she acted like an adult and cleaned up her own mess, took control of the situation. She’d let Matthias lead her through this—look where it got her—and now it was time to quit blaming him and do something about it.
Come to think of it, she was in this mess because Matthias insisted on being in charge. Bossing her around. Not telling her vital information. Hell, she’d gotten more information out of Rafe than she had out of Matthias. What if she hadn’t known about being marked and someone tried it at the meeting? When was Matthias planning on telling her?
Was he planning on telling her? Maybe he’d been planning to mark her, before she caught on, and Rafe spoiled it for him.
Maybe she’d picked the wrong cousin to settle down with.
She boiled, seethed, then tried to calm herself. No, she’d seen inside Matthias’ heart. He was telling her the truth. He didn’t want to control her. He wanted her to love him of her own free will.
That didn’t mean she couldn’t be pissed off at him.
On top of everything else, she felt like she was crawling out of her skin. They weren’t kidding when they told her she might feel overwhelmed. Whether it was her activities last night or the stress, or even really horrendous PMS, there was something different inside her today. She felt changed somehow.
Also, there was something horribly wrong with Rafe. In her gut she knew she was the cause. She couldn’t face Rafe, Matthias, or anyone right now. She needed to calm down, get hold of herself. She needed time to figure out what was going on, what to do. And she had to be alone to do it.
It was luck more than anything that got her to the Museum of the National Park Ranger, near Norris Campground, without running anyone off the road. Her original plan was go to Mammoth Hot Springs and double back later, but this sounded interesting. She could play tourist.
Except she couldn’t focus on the exhibits. She felt edgy, flighty. The new voice in her head drummed at her, worrying her, pressed her to keep moving, not to stop. She ignored it and asked the volunteer at the desk for information on the Norris Geyser Basin, close by but to the south, and returned to the Land Rover.
The men watched her peel out of the parking lot in a spray of gravel. Matthias started to run after her, but Robertson caught his arm.
“You’ll never catch her. We’ve got to get them out of here first.”
Rafe hung back. Matthias turned on him. “What happened?”
He shrugged. “She’s upset about something. I went to check on her, and she ran like a scalded cat.”
Matthias smelled a whiff of sulfur, unusual at the conference center but not impossible, he supposed, if the winds were right. He adjourned the meeting. Ten minutes later they piled into the other Land Rover while Rafe got into his car.
“I’ll head back to the cabins,” Rafe said, “and wait there for her in case she shows.”
Matthias nodded. He was driving the other Land Rover and stopped at the intersection, not following Rafe south.
“What is it?” Albert asked.
Matthias turned right, heading west. “I don’t know. I don’t think she went south.” He tried to find her, feel her. “I think she went this way.”
“Is Rafe okay?” Albert asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Taz was right. He seems off today.”
“I don’t know.” Matthias had bigger things to worry about than his perpetually horny cousin’s mood, but he did sense something out of the ordinary.
Matthias noticed the car trailing them. He was moving fast, ignoring the posted speed limits and passing slower-moving vehicles, and it passed, too. He didn’t say anything at first, then motioned to the others to look.
There were two picnic areas on the way to the west road. Matthias felt the need to stop and check them. When he reached the Norris Junction, he closed his eyes, prayed, and turned north. At the Museum of the National Park Ranger, Matthias had a sudden flash, wheeled in, and parked.
They poured out of the SUV. “Split up,” he said, even though the other Land Rover wasn’t there. “Let’s see if she’s been here.”
He walked to the far end of the parking lot and watched as the other car pulled in. It carried three men, all apparently dressed in identical Windbreakers. They dropped one off and left.
Matthias stepped back to the Land Rover, got what he wanted, and looked across the parking lot at Albert. Albert caught Robertson’s eye. The stranger went inside, returning a few minutes later.
Matthias covered the distance in less than five strides, the sword in his hand. Albert caught one of the stranger’s arms, Robertson the other.
The daemon pulverem glared at Matthias. “So, you finally figured it out?”
Chapter Thirty
Matthias grabbed the daemon pulverem by the throat, choking it, his rage protecting him from any attempts it might make to control him.
It didn’t care. It grinned at him. “You really are stupid, considering how old you are, Hawthorne.”
Matthias shook the thing. “Who wants her? Why do they want her?”
“Same reason you do. For an heir.”
“What?”
“Look asshole, ever heard of in vitro? You’re not the only one with scientists on the payroll. If the Others can create a hybrid cross with a vampire, they can save their race and kick human ass. And vampire ass.” He laughed, even though it was difficult with Matthias’ fingers digging into his trachea. “Alive, dead, they don’t care. All they want are her ovaries. Thank hell for dry ice, right?”
“Who hired you?”
“Us, dude.” He grinned. “Go ahead, off me. Every moment you waste with me puts us closer to her. My buddies will take care of her, and I’ll be back sooner than you—”
Matthias ran the creature through with the sword. It exploded in a cloud of foul ash. Matthias fought his rising bile.
“We have to find Taz. Right now.”
Taz stewed. Maybe this was a huge mistake. As much as she liked—okay, loved—Matthias, realistically, she barely knew him. Had only known him for a short time. How did she know he wasn’t playing her?
“Because you’ve glimpsed his soul.” That sounded like Rafe’s voice in her head again.
How ironic! Vampires had souls. Who’d a thunk?
And it would have nothing at all to do with the fact that Matthias lit her up like a Christmas tree in bed, would it?