Страница 35 из 51
“What do you want?” Darnell demanded sharply.
The man’s dark eyes slid slowly toward Darnell. He was supporting a buzz cut; his hair was black stubble against his skull. His dark olive skin gleamed in the fading light of the day. He was striking, and seemed affable enough, but there was obviously something about him that Cade did notlike. “I just want some shelter, maybe some food. There is safety in numbers, isn’t there?”
There was a long moment of silence. “Are you by yourself?”
The man nodded. “I am. Can I lower my hands now?”
“Never told you to raise ‘em,” Darnell retorted with amusement.
The man gri
“We have some food if you want,” Darnell told him.
“And a place to stay?”
Cade stiffened. I took a step forward but he nudged me gently back. I opened my mouth to protest but the slight shake of his head silenced me. “We’ll see,” Darnell told him. “Lloyd take this man to Molly, I’m sure she has some food for him.” Darnell leaned close to Lloyd and said something that caused Lloyd to nod in response. He stepped forward as the man’s gaze slid back toward Cade and then focused on me. My eyes widened slightly as he stared at me for a long moment, a strange light shining in his dark eyes.
“Go inside Bethany,” Cade ordered softly.
I balked against his commanding tone. “Cade…”
He turned toward me, his face tense and his eyes burning. He grasped hold of my shoulders, turning me toward the door. Though he was trying to be casual as he slipped his arm around my shoulders and led me in, his body was tight, and I caught the backwards glance he threw over his shoulder. I wanted to protest his movements but the tautness of his body silenced my words. He was obviously disturbed about something, obviously upset the man had arrived.
“Do you know him?” I inquired.
“No.”
I frowned, the disquieting notion that he was lying to me again filled me as I studied the stiff set of his jaw. “You seem upset by his presence.”
“Don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“And you think he’ll hurt someone?”
Cade shrugged. “We can’t trust him until we know him, but it’s foolish to give him the chance to do something. Things can go wrong very quickly.”
That was a fact that we were both well aware of. The screen door opened, causing us both to turn as Darnell came stomping inside. “We’re moving again. Let Bishop know.”
“But we just got here.” I hadn’t seen Je
“Better safe than sorry. There could be other people out there and we don’t know if we can trust him.”
Je
I explained it to her as we made our way toward the back, and Bishop. He was going to be disappointed that he wasn’t going to be able to get a fresh blood sample out of me again. For some strange reason, I was acutely relieved by the fact. Cade disapproved of Bishop using me as a guinea pig, and I wasn’t certain I wanted the answers that Bishop’s new round of tests might reveal.
CHAPTER 13
I studied the map, barely listening as Darnell outlined the path he wanted to take. Some of it was going to be rough terrain, but at least it was mainly woods. We had been on the move for the past three days, only now settling down once more for a rest. We were going to spend a few days at the small hotel we had discovered nestled at the edge of the woods. On the other side of the large cabin-like building was a sparkling blue lake. Everyone had been ordered to stay away from the lake, only the woods were a secure position in which to remain hidden. It was a good thing the weather had become cooler; I didn’t think I’d be able to resist the allure of the dark blue water otherwise.
I glanced at the people gathered around the table. Aiden and Lloyd were close together, Je
There were a few other people gathered around, but I was acutely aware of the fact that Cade was not present. And neither was Ian Hoyt, the enigmatic man that had wandered into our camp just days ago. Cade was weary of him still, distant, and he did whatever he could to keep me as far from Ian as possible. I had wanted to question him on it, but we barely had a moment alone, never mind time to have an in depth conversation. I was hoping that our stay in this hotel would give us a chance for some much needed, and wanted, privacy.
My attention left Darnell and the map as I sca
Tension. There was always tension within him, always something simmering close to the surface. Something I was becoming more frightened was going to explode, no matter how tight of a hold he tried to keep on it. And he was keeping a very tight hold on it, that much was apparent. Even if it was only apparent to me.
A light touch on my elbow pulled me away from my morose thoughts. I blinked Bishop into focus. Apparently the meeting was over. “We’re staying for a few days. I would like to finally get a sample if I could.”
My throat was suddenly dry, but I managed a brief nod. I could not put Bishop off forever, could not hide from what may be hidden within my blood. I worried about Cade’s secrets, but I think he suspected I was harboring a few of my own. He didn’t question me about it, but I was well aware of the fact that he was watching me even more than normal. Even more than those times I had caught him studying me in the halls at school, or on the streets when I had felt his gaze on me, and been drawn to him, but had been too shy to approach him in anyway.
It was all very confusing but neither of us seemed willing to talk about what we were going through, or our doubts. I took comfort in the fact that at least he was back, at least the world did not appear as dark and cold with him here. However, now it wasn’t the world that was dark and cold, but Cade himself.
And I was even more confused about the changes going on inside of me. Changes that had increased since that thing had attacked me in Plymouth. My craving for meat had increased, it was a battle to avoid it now, one that left me strained and exhausted by the end of every day. I almost hoped that this fresh sample of blood would provide Bishop with the answers he sought, but I was terrified of what those answers might be.