“That’s even more reason.” I stare at each of them, my heart aching upon seeing them here. “I’m sorry I ran, but it’s the best solution. We won’t make it to New York.”
Apollo opens his mouth to argue, but Don raises a hand, stopping him. The way Apollo glowers at his hand makes me fear for Donatello’s fingers. “I agree we might have trouble reaching New York. The police knows we’re around, and all they have to do is put cruisers like that one, waiting for us. I’d like to offer a Plan B.”
Apollo rolls his eyes, but Ren merely nods Don on. I don’t think Ren ever doubted the vampire. Don looks at me, though, waiting for confirmation. I nod him on.
“There’s a neutral place. Apollo may have heard of it,” Don starts, shooting a look at Apollo.
“There are hundreds of neutral places, that tells me nothing,” Apollo complains.
“The White Mountain Reserve. A friend of mine has a place in the center of it, and she would receive us. At least for a while.” Donatello shifts his weight between his feet, staring deep into my eyes. “At least so we can rest, and put our heads together for a real plan.”
I lick my lips. No mage. There’s no mage there to teach me the ways of magic, but at least I’d have some rest. Since this person is Don’s friend, maybe they know more about the Cursed Realm. To this moment, all I know is that I need to run, and keep running, and I hate it.
“The White Mountain Reserve is fae territory,” Apollo points out, but I can’t read in his voice if that’s a good or a bad thing. I met fae. Prince was off his rocker, but the others weren’t bad people. They were just working for him. I don’t know how to feel toward them.
Donatello reaches out and takes my hand in his. His cool fingers are a balm to my soul. “It’s fae territory, but they don’t mess with people crossing the road. We’ll keep to the road and make our way to this friend of mine. She’ll give us shelter.”
I look at the others, analyzing their faces. Not even Apollo has a complaint. He’s still glaring at Donatello, but that’s usual.
I take a deep breath. “Alright. We’ll make for the White Mountain.” And I try to let his hand go, but he tightens his hold.
“No more running,” he says.
And they all can smell and feel when I’m lying. I prepare to argue, to come up with excuses, but it’s to no use. There’s nothing I can say that could sound like the truth.
“We’ll find a way,” says Ren, so softly I almost miss it. “But we’ll find a way together.”
His words reverberate so deep in my heart I tear up. Blinking the moisture away, I grip Donatello’s hand back and nod. “No more running,” I agree, and there’s a painful promise to my words. I won’t run, because that hurts them.
And it might get us killed, but they won’t let me do this alone.
CHAPTER6
CASSANDRA
The car bumps me awake. I scratch an eye, blinking the sleep away as every muscle in my limbs complains. Gods, I miss my bed. I used to have this foolish dream of having a five-star hotel-worthy bed, with the silken sheets and the pillows soft as clouds. I felt like I was close to accomplishing that, and now I’m sleeping propped against the hard, cold body of a vampire.
I sit up, shooting Don a grateful smile. Not that I’m complaining about sleeping next to him, but well... He is a vampire. He can’t help the coldness of his flesh. The hard part is a good thing. He’s hard in all the right places.
Donatello’s smile curves in a naughty way, probably mirroring my own. Oh, yeah, I was supposed to keep a distance. Forcing the smile away, I stretch and drag my gaze from him. The sun has risen, and Don has closed the window, jacket propped on the back of Apollo’s seat, creating protecting shadows over his body. I lean forward and squint at the view ahead.
A wall of green rises on the horizon, the tall mountain looming in the distance as a huge forest takes everywhere around it. It’s beautiful, with the blue sky overhead and the hues of green. Even so, my stomach flips.
“Tell me again,” I ask Donatello, making Apollo shoot a glance over his shoulder. “About this friend of yours.”
Tristan snores softly against the passenger window, with Oreo stretched on his lap, breathing deeply. Ren’s hand is still gripping my knee, but he’s asleep, mouth half-open. The clock on the console tells me it’s not even seven in the morning. With all the activity yesterday, I wish we could sleep all the stress off.
Donatello shifts his arm on the back of the seat. A dark spot on his shoulder marks where I was drooling on. I pretend I don’t see it.
“Giulia Tofana. Once upon a time, when women were forbidden of learning sciences, she found out she rather liked chemistry. She did small experiments. Studied secretly, the best she could.”
I cock my head, watching his perfect face move as he tells the story. “Let me guess. That made her a witch.”
Don twists the corner of his lips and nods. “Yes. She was accused and escaped trials a few times, because she was also an experienced healer, so she received a wide berth. Using that in her favor, she also started using her abilities to more...” He taps his chin. “More unconventional things.”
“Did she call the Devil?” Apollo asks, his eyes on the road.
“No,” Don replies, his eyes on me. “She made potions. Potions she sold to women who wanted to get rid of their abusive husbands.”