Blood Twist (The Erris Coven Series) (9 page)

When will Braden make the call to get Ruby’s cure?

Maybe he already did and planned on
stop
ping for it before they
headed
back to the airport?

Liz curled onto her side so she could face Braden’s chair. Her thoughts froze for a moment as she watched him slip his tee shirt off over his head. She couldn’t help bu
t dip her eyes from
his
muscular chest
, right down to his narrow waist where his jeans sat on his hips
.

Checking him out,
she admired his
six pack abs, but even more
surprising was the
tatto
o he had on his left shoulder.
It was some kind of
integrated
tribal
swirl
.
Raising her
eyebrow
s
in
approval, it appeared the
preppy damphyr had
a
badass
side
to h
im that she didn’t recognize at first
.

Her eyes
traveled back up
until she found
his strong jaw line and flawless
mouth.
She would enjoy kissing him, just on
ce,
to see what it was like
.

When Braden
touched her on the p
lane, he made her skin sizzle. Because of being choosy, s
he didn’t have much experience w
ith boys, but
t
here was
something about the tall blonde
that left her considering the po
ssibility of
being with
him
.

Catching her stare, Braden’s
eyes fla
shed before melting into hers. S
he
smiled coyly
. There was no use
in
pretending she wasn’t staring,
she was just thankful she didn’t drool.

Liz
rolled
over onto her other side, so the damphyr
could no longer tempt her.
Her insides
heated
when he
looked at her like that, leaving
her
confused with
a mixture of longing and
recklessness.

Liz
wasn’t su
re why she responded to him the way
she did, but she knew he definitely left her
mystified
.
Braden was
inciting
, but she had to get a grip.
The two of them had work to do and she just didn’t swoon over boys.

Gu
ys are best at a distance. They can’t hurt you that way.

As she looked at the empty space in the bed
beside her, she considered
ask
ing
him if he wanted to at least
stretch out
.
They were both mature and
could share a bed without physical c
ontact.
Even if he didn’t sleep,
his body must require some form
of rest.

She placed her hand out across the bare space, searching for the courage to open herself up to him for one night.
But, instead
,
closed her eyes and focused on her breathing.

If she fell for h
im, she would end up hurt
. For one night
, she could dream of asking for more,
but
that was all. She
w
oul
dn’t allow herself
the comfort of
Braden’s nearness or his touch.
Liz
had been down
that road and knew where it led.

T
o pain and disappointment
…

Listening to the sound of her own breathing, her eyes gr
ew heavy.
She wanted to doze for a short while, just l
ong enough to rejuvenate and
tackle a level
of
self-composure
.

Un
sure how long she slept when
a quick rap
sounded at
the door
, Liz opened her eyes. T
he room’s darkness surprised her.

How late is it
?

Glancing
where
Braden was last
propped in the corner;
the vinyl chair sat empty.
Her mind flashed through
different
possibilities until settling on him steppin
g out while she slept to get Ruby’s
cure

…
or a bite to eat
.

After another knock, she dragged her fingers through her hair and padded acro
ss the
greasy
carpet to unlock
the door. 

“Don’t you have a key card?”
Liz teased, swingin
g the heavy door open.
But, it wasn’
t B
raden.

Standing before her
, was the most attractive guy
she had ever seen. With wavy, jaw length
,
chestnut
hair and a dazzling smile – Liz
was
dazed
by
his presence
.
Never had she seen such
a
n
exquisite
face.

Smiling down
at her, his
bewilder
ed expression
mirrored her own
. “Hi
..
. Is Braden here?”

Liz found it
di
fficult
not
to stare
.
Searching for her ability to speak, she waved at the empty room behind her.
“He stepped out for a bit, but should be right back.”  Her words sounded air
y and simple, like she was
a young girl feeling star struck.

Mr.
tall
and dazzling
was about 5’
10 and lean
– her eyes followed the
move
ment
of his, fr
om his sweeping gaze
to the casual way his body
fill
ed
the doorway.

“I’m Riley and this is my friend, Strix,” he motioned to the small man standing just behind him. “Braden asked us to meet him here.
”

Liz glanced
at Strix. The older man had a
plane round face, but a
friendly smile. His dark brown eyes
peaked out from
wisps
of
greyish brown hair.
In his tweed jacket, he
looked like
a
university
professor
or a librarian. Perhaps he carried the knowledge of Ruby’s predicament and just how to fix her.

Braden
made the call.
They’re really here.

Relief pulsed
through he
r.
She
would be able to bring the antidote back first thing in the morning
. 

Silently, Liz
chastised
herself
for doubting him
.
Braden
continued to prove that he was
worthy of trust
. After all, Ruby wasn’
t his responsibility
, yet he was willing to trav
el to Vancouver t
o help her. Although Liz
didn’t like to
let down her guar
d, she had to stop second guessing him
.

“You are welcome to come in while you wait. I have some left over pizza if you’
re hungry, it’s probably cold now but it was tasty.
”

Riley stepped into the room, his eyes never leaving her. “We’ll be dining later, but thank you for the invitation.”
 

Liz stepped aside for them to pass
.
Strix s
at in the chair at the table while
Riley leaned against
the
dresser.
His
indigo eyes
scanned the room before settling on
the
unmade bed. “Are you and Braden a couple?”

Liz could feel her cheeks flush, a characteris
tic she had always hated.  “We’
re friends,” she said simply.

That’s awful personal considering we just met.

Although Riley was stunning to look at, Liz felt suddenly protective of Braden. The insinuation left her feeling uncomfortable,
like Riley might be quick to judge Braden
.
Perhaps letting two men she didn’
t know into her
motel room wasn’
t the
best way to start trusting
people.

Hopin
g Braden would hurry along from
wherever
he went
, Liz
tried smiling casually
.  She wondered if they wanted something in exchange for the cure, perhaps he needed to get cash from the ATM.

Unsure how to make small talk,
Liz studied the two strangers
. T
here was a certain
otherness
about them, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.
She would have guessed they were damphyrs like Braden, but he said that his coven were
the only half-vampires
left.

Maybe
they’re
werewolves
?

They seemed friendly enough, but looking down at her bare legs and tee sh
irt, she
suddenly
f
elt
vulnerable.
It was strange how life seemed more manageable with appropriate footwear.

“You can watch TV if you want. I just need to get
changed.” Heading
to the back of the room where Braden left her suit
case sitting on the stand
, she ruffled through her things
.
The men weren’t even talking amongst themselves, making the situation even
more weird
.
Grabbing
jeans
, a tank top
and her
worn
hoodie
, Liz ducked
into the bathroom. The jerk at
the airport had left her confidence shaken. She wanted to be ready for anything, even if it was just running to Taco Bell fo
r Braden’s acquaintances
.

Or running, period
…

After dressing, s
he glanced at her
reflection
in the small oval
mirror
hanging above the sink
. Her hair was wavy
but tamable
without the use of
the
flatiron she left
at
home
.
H
azel eyes
stared back at her; the circles underneath were a bit
puffy from a lack of sleep
. Fishing through her
cosmetic
bag
, she thought to apply a little mascara
and her custom eyeliner
in hopes of
bolster
ing
enough confidence to go back out and
sit with them. Having yet to decide whether or not she liked them, she still wanted to look like she had her crap together.

Riley was
striking and Strix seemed like a quiet
older man, but something nudged at her consciousne
ss and she wanted Braden to return
.
After double checking her appearance
, she
opened the door and
hoped she wouldn’t have to practice her self-defense moves again.

As she stepped around the corner, she was about to offer them a can of soda when the two men
sprang
to their feet
.
A
crash
followed
as Braden burst through the motel
room d
oor, leaving the
frame in ruins.

With a
blur
of movement, Braden barreled forward, p
lacing his
large
body between her
and
the visitors
. The little hairs on the back of Liz’s neck stood up as she stared from Braden’s white ey
es and extended fangs to Riley’s contorted features
. Strix flanked
his side
; the man no lo
nger appearing scholarly
, but
poised to attack
.