Blood Twist (The Erris Coven Series) (14 page)

Suddenly, a flapping sound swooshed overhead. Liz’s head yanked back quickly. Cryi
ng out in alarm, her hands nest
ed
into
her ha
ir. “Ouch! Something just scratched my scalp
.”

Jumping to his feet, Braden
scanned his surroundings, looking for
the culprit. Perched on the fire
e
x
tinguisher
by the door, was an owl. “How the hell did that thing get in here?”

“What is it? I can’t see anything,” she said, standing.

“A
greyish brown
owl.
I’ve seen the
m back home, but never like this, the sucker’s huge
.”

“Aren’t they nocturnal?”

“Usually.
I don’t know how it got in here.”

Chastising himself for
not paying close enough attention to what was around them, Braden tried clearing his head. He was lucky it wasn’t a draugr. T
hinking about Liz in any way
other than on a flight to Mai
ne was bound to get her hurt
.
It was just so tempting,
being alone with a beautiful girl so close in the dark
.
It made him want more in a way that felt right but unfamiliar.

The only problem was Liz didn’t feel the same way
about him
and even if she did, it
wasn’t going to g
et them out of Vancouver alive.

1
5

L
IZ

An early evening rain had fallen. In the encroaching darknes
s, Liz and Braden
headed
back upstairs to
change their clothes
and tidy up before
the others
awoke
.

Having ventured out in the weather for
a quick
walk in search of
food
and bottled water, Liz was saturated.
Braden, too.
Everything they owned was back at the motel, but Braden didn’t think they had enough time to catch a ca
b there and back before sunset.
Liz didn’t push it. She knew if they got in a cab, he would end up changing his mind again about her staying with him.
Instead, they had settled with what
the neighborhood
minimart had on hand.

There were a
few tourist shirts for sale along with
post cards and
“I heart Canada” shot glasses, but
not
a lot of
variety
.
Liz chuc
kled when Braden settled for
a muscle shirt that read, “These guns don’t belong in any holster.”
It was that or the “
Free Hugs and Kisses
”
top.
For the sake of getting dry
, h
er preppy damphyr settled with a shirt that made him look
like a cast member for
“
Jersey Shore.
”

Riley left them at dawn
. With the promise to return
as soon as the sun set
, Riley’s only warning was to stay out of the basement
.
Other than that they were left to their devices.
No locking the doors, no barricading the stairwell shut. The whole thing was confusing.

While Braden cleaned up in the next room, Liz tried making
herself
look as pleasant and non-threatening as possible.
Dragging
a comb through her long hair,
she missed her flat iron.
Liz preferr
ed
wrestling
her hair into submission
, leaving the natural look for Lexie, but she was out of options
.
The lose waves had a mind of their own.
Giving up, she tossed the comb into her purse and sat down with a bag of
Pepperidge Farm
Milano cookies.

Nibbling on the
baked good
, Liz wondered about Braden. She hadn’t seen him eat anything at all. Unless he went hunting the night before their flight, she was pretty sure he was fasting. At the service station, she picked up extra bananas and apples and put them in the bag with his t-shirt. But, she didn’t think he could sustain on snack foods.

He’ll need blood eventually…

All she knew was that damphyrs fed on animals. If she had thought of it earlier, she could have helped him catch the miserable owl that tried ripping
her hair out
.
On second thought, he might be better off abstaining. If that creature
was a pet of those things downstairs, it could be diseased.

Like those rats Strix was eating.

The thought of Braden needing blood was hard enough to wrap her brain around.
Lumping
him in the same category as Strix
or the others
was downright traumatic.

He isn’t like them. He’s different.

Any doubts she may have
subconsciously
been clinging
to before were washed away this afternoon.
For a moment, on the stairs, she felt connected to him in a way s
he didn’t think was possible.

Braden
opened up to her, showing a side of his personality that was more than just the serious half-vamp he appeared on the surface.
In doing so, she finally could see what all of the other’s saw in him.
His cousins adored him and Lexie did
nothing but sing his praises – but it wasn’t just because he had integrity or was the eldest of the group.

A guy
like Braden, so settled in silence, carried his burdens alone – not out of arrogance or distrust in the others, but because he loved them.
He was willing to do anything for his family.
Living
with such a heavy burden must have been terribly lonely. The pain of knowing his brother wasn’t just happy with Lachlan’s death, but demanded his
own
as well, must have haunted every m
emory he ever had of their
early childhood together
.
Yet,
Braden did his best wit
h it
, refusing to
pass the buck or try
ing
to run.

Liz respected that. If she had a family to fight for, she would give anything to save them. Even the Captain and Aunt Bev – neither had been overly content to make a place for her in their busy lives, but her minor status forced upon them a responsibility they couldn’t shake. At least her Aunt’s monthly check from Liz’s father was enough to make her pretend she cared.

Braden though – he shouldn’t be stuck in this mess.
As much as she thought he should have told Donovan and the other
s,
Liz wasn’t sure she would have handled it any different if it had been her. Kids are always covering up things to save their parents. She did it, so it wasn’t a surprise to her when Braden explained his fears that the vampires would have come to Erris to destroy his family.

It’s only when you’re older that you realize you made a mistake.

Then there was the almost kiss. Leaning in to him, she could feel the energy particles charging between them. Even amid the stinky smells of that place and the grotesque creatures lo
cked up tight for the day
–
the only thing she could feel at that moment was her need to kiss him.

Need isn’t even a strong enough word…

What was she doing? It was almost laughable that she was crushing on him. Braden was tall, buff and blond. He could even fill in for one of the uber macho sailors that worked her father’s vessels. Totally not the wiry, lanky guys she always saw herself ending up with. But, there was something about him she couldn’t deny. Her body definitely responded to him even when her head didn’t want to believe it was true.

Admitting denial is the first step…
now you just need the balls to fess up
to him…

The way he constantly placed his body between her and the vampi
r
es
, insisting they find her food when she refused to go to the airport, touching her face so gently right before that damn owl ruined the moment – Liz wasn’t blind. As much as she tried insisting Braden wasn’t her type, he repeatedly made her heart want to do a happy dance every time they breathed the same air.

It was
useless,
she couldn’t stay mad at him for wanting to send her home. That was just Braden’s way. He was a
hero,
the guy was just to decent to see it.

Swallowing the rest of her cookie, Liz wandered back over to mirror. What did she look like to him? Her small chin and nose always looked out of place in contrast to her wide set hazel eyes. Aunt Bev was always trying to use her to demonstrate her Avon products
; e
ven insisting that Liz could model for JC Penney or Target if she would just stop wearing so much black.
Neither overly curvy n
or tall
compared to women like Endellion or Fianna
, Liz
lacked
the
poise that made them so elegant. Even Maze, the snake like creature downstairs
, was overtly
stunning. Liz looked like the plain
girl next door in comparison –
the kind that liv
ed
in
concert t-shirts and skinny jeans.

Was she appealing enough for someone like Braden?
Did he find her attractive?
Liz would never try to change herself for a guy, but wondered if he thoug
ht of her the way she did
him. There were times he seemed just as drawn to her, but she wasn’t sure. Perhaps she was just a distraction to pass the time, or maybe a shiny new toy – Liz had no clue. But if there was a chance he experienc
ed any of the sensations she did
, there was a possibility the two could lead to something more.

Maybe when we get back to Erris things between us will be clearer…That’s if we get back.

Unsure how the night’s events would play out, the only thing she knew for sure was that she and Braden both wanted to inquire about the lycanthropy cure. If Riley wouldn’t tell, then she would have to ask Strix or Garrick and see what they were willing to share. Braden said he
feared that there wasn’t any, i
f there was, they w
ould have already given it over.  B
ut Liz wasn’t so sure.

Something was motivating the vampires.
There had to be a reason Braden was still alive.
If Riley planned to kill him, why the show?
Why did they get ushered upstairs for the daylight hours without anyone locking them in?

It wasn’t clear yet, but she would figure out what was
going on. It shouldn’t be much longer before the truth was revealed.

A light k
nock startled her
.
Before she could get up, the door opened and Riley strode in.

“Good evening, beautiful,” he said
, with his familiar
unnerving
smile
. “I’m delighted
,
but surprised to see you. I thought for sure my brother would have whisked you away to Siberia or Glasgow
, Taiwan even. S
ome place far from here
by now.”

Dressed in
the same black leather coat but clean
dark wash
ed
jeans
and a button down shirt
, she hated that
she found
his appearance
attractive. Riley wore smugness well. The vampire knew his
effect on women
.

“I didn’t want to leave,” she shot back
, trying to ignore him
. “I don’t exactly trust you and your little
fangtabulous
friends.”

Riley chuckled, h
is laughter lighting up his stormy blue eyes. “You stayed to protect
him
?”

She didn’t like the sound of that and stared at him suspiciously.
“Why not?”

“Because,” he sputtered incredulously, “He’s capable of taking care of himself, but having you here makes him weak.”

“You don’t know anything.” Liz turned from him gaze. She didn’t want him to re
cognize how stunned she was by
his observation.

I make Braden weak?

The idea was thrilling and terrifying.
Knowing Braden may have feelings for her was wonderful, but s
he hadn’t thought that she could put him in danger.