noticed her yet. What was he doing? Killing Nonny? Jacob! She screamed his name—
Suddenly, his face appeared in her thoughts, and she felt the cold ripple of his presence in her mind, utterly devoid of the jovial warmth that had been a part of him for so long. She stared into his vibrant blue eyes. The anguish and wisdom in them was so heartbreaking that she knew she was looking into Jacob's eyes in that very moment, and that there was still awareness and humanity in them. Dear God, it was after sunset and his eyes were still blue. "Jacob?" Desperate hope leapt in her chest. "You're okay?"
Then his eyes began to glow red, that violent, punishing crimson of death and hate, and she felt her heart shatter again at the loss. Dammit. She should know better than to hope, because losing it was far more devastating than never feeling it in the first place.
Jacob let out a roar of fury. Violent heat burst over her, and she knew he'd targeted her location. He was coming after her. The race had begun.
He wouldn't notice their grandmother now. He would be focused only on hunting Sarah. Yay. Happy day. There was nothing like forcing an assassin's attention onto yourself to reinforce the fact that it's just not a good day.
Sarah shut him out of her mind, determined to block their connection enough to make it difficult for him to track her. Last night, she hadn't been ready to block him, and he'd found her the moment the sun had set. But now, she was ready.
Sarah closed her eyes and carefully reinforced her mental shields, trying to block her location from the brother that she'd been so connected with her entire life. It felt cold and empty not to have his warmth a part of her, but it was also a relief, a realization that maybe she had some control over how this played out.
How long could she hold him off? Not three hours. Not when they had always been so close. But maybe there was hope up ahead, around the next bend. Every minute gave her a chance, every minute gave her grandmother a chance.
Her heart thundering, Sarah dove back into the truck, hit the gas and took off into the woods.
How long would it take for him to reach her? Since he was a new Calydon, his teleporting range was still limited, and he would have to make a series of leaps to catch up to her. Had she contacted him before he'd found Nonny? Would his need to kill Sarah be strong enough to get him and his team to forego easy prey? Please, Nonny, be safe.
And would Sarah be able to survive another night at his mercy?
She looked down at the cracks in her skin, like a porcelain doll about to break, and she knew the answer was no.
But she'd have to find a way to change that to a yes.
* * *
Crack.
Sarah jumped at the noise that sounded like a lightning bolt exploding into a tree trunk by the side of the road, right next to her. It had been almost two hours since she'd let her brother connect with her, two terrifying hours when she'd flinched at every sound, wondering how long she had.
Ten minutes ago, she'd started to hope she was going to make it. She was only an hour away from Nashoba. Forty-five miles. That was all—
Crack.
She jumped again, her adrenaline surging. That sounded too close. Too real. She frantically looked to the left, searching the forest for the red glow of eyes stalking her. She saw nothing but the dark expanse of woods.
Crack. The sound was ahead of her now.
Crack. Behind her. Crack. To the right. Crack. To the left. The night began to bombard her with the sound of Calydon claws digging into tree trunks.
Okay, she definitely wasn't imagining it. Not anymore. They'd found her. They were here. All around. How many were there? One that was teleporting from tree to tree, or dozens of them, leaping along beside the truck? How many had her brother brought to destroy her?
Sarah poised her hand over the button on the dash, knowing she would have only one opportunity. "Come on," she muttered to herself. "Time this right." She had to strike
Suddenly, his face appeared in her thoughts, and she felt the cold ripple of his presence in her mind, utterly devoid of the jovial warmth that had been a part of him for so long. She stared into his vibrant blue eyes. The anguish and wisdom in them was so heartbreaking that she knew she was looking into Jacob's eyes in that very moment, and that there was still awareness and humanity in them. Dear God, it was after sunset and his eyes were still blue. "Jacob?" Desperate hope leapt in her chest. "You're okay?"
Then his eyes began to glow red, that violent, punishing crimson of death and hate, and she felt her heart shatter again at the loss. Dammit. She should know better than to hope, because losing it was far more devastating than never feeling it in the first place.
Jacob let out a roar of fury. Violent heat burst over her, and she knew he'd targeted her location. He was coming after her. The race had begun.
He wouldn't notice their grandmother now. He would be focused only on hunting Sarah. Yay. Happy day. There was nothing like forcing an assassin's attention onto yourself to reinforce the fact that it's just not a good day.
Sarah shut him out of her mind, determined to block their connection enough to make it difficult for him to track her. Last night, she hadn't been ready to block him, and he'd found her the moment the sun had set. But now, she was ready.
Sarah closed her eyes and carefully reinforced her mental shields, trying to block her location from the brother that she'd been so connected with her entire life. It felt cold and empty not to have his warmth a part of her, but it was also a relief, a realization that maybe she had some control over how this played out.
How long could she hold him off? Not three hours. Not when they had always been so close. But maybe there was hope up ahead, around the next bend. Every minute gave her a chance, every minute gave her grandmother a chance.
Her heart thundering, Sarah dove back into the truck, hit the gas and took off into the woods.
How long would it take for him to reach her? Since he was a new Calydon, his teleporting range was still limited, and he would have to make a series of leaps to catch up to her. Had she contacted him before he'd found Nonny? Would his need to kill Sarah be strong enough to get him and his team to forego easy prey? Please, Nonny, be safe.
And would Sarah be able to survive another night at his mercy?
She looked down at the cracks in her skin, like a porcelain doll about to break, and she knew the answer was no.
But she'd have to find a way to change that to a yes.
* * *
Crack.
Sarah jumped at the noise that sounded like a lightning bolt exploding into a tree trunk by the side of the road, right next to her. It had been almost two hours since she'd let her brother connect with her, two terrifying hours when she'd flinched at every sound, wondering how long she had.
Ten minutes ago, she'd started to hope she was going to make it. She was only an hour away from Nashoba. Forty-five miles. That was all—
Crack.
She jumped again, her adrenaline surging. That sounded too close. Too real. She frantically looked to the left, searching the forest for the red glow of eyes stalking her. She saw nothing but the dark expanse of woods.
Crack. The sound was ahead of her now.
Crack. Behind her. Crack. To the right. Crack. To the left. The night began to bombard her with the sound of Calydon claws digging into tree trunks.
Okay, she definitely wasn't imagining it. Not anymore. They'd found her. They were here. All around. How many were there? One that was teleporting from tree to tree, or dozens of them, leaping along beside the truck? How many had her brother brought to destroy her?
Sarah poised her hand over the button on the dash, knowing she would have only one opportunity. "Come on," she muttered to herself. "Time this right." She had to strike
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