Shadow's Awakening: The Shadow Warder Series, Book One (An Urban Fantasy Romance Series) (10 page)

Chapter Five

Hannah heard voices murmuring through the gray haze. A metallic thunk, maybe a door shutting, then the hum of an engine and a lurch. A car. She was in a moving car. Panic lanced through her, then departed as quickly as it had come. If she was in a car, then she wasn’t locked in her room. She might be able to escape.

Hannah kept her eyes closed, not wanting to alert anyone that she’d woken. Her body still ached, so not much time had gone by since she’d passed out. Where was she? Straining to remember, Hannah relaxed as the fight in the attic flooded back. Her unplanned escape attempt, the tall stranger, killing Glenn. Relief spread through her. Glenn was dead.

Was she with the stranger? Hannah waited for another flash of panic. None came. She felt completely unlike herself. Calm and centered. All at once, it struck Hannah what was so different. The static was gone. Not receded or lessened, but altogether absent. Her mind was clear. No buzzing, no muted voices, no pressure, no pain.

In the shock of discovery, Hannah’s eyes opened. Hiding was suddenly less important than figuring out what was going on. Not that she wasn’t thrilled to have a clear head, but what had happened to cure the mental illness that had plagued her for three years? Looking around, she discovered she reclined in the front passenger seat of an SUV. An expensive SUV with supple leather upholstery and a dashboard filled with screens and electronics. Before she chickened out, Hannah turned to catch a glimpse of the driver. Somehow she wasn’t surprised to see the stranger from the fight.

In the fading twilight, he didn’t look nearly as frightening as he had earlier. Brow furrowed, warm brown eyes watched her. Hannah examined him without speaking. His hair was a little long, and a deep chocolate brown, almost a perfect match to his eyes. When he’d burst into the attic, Hannah had thought him terrifying, but now his face seemed kind. It was a strong face, roughly carved. It might have been harsh if not for his full lips. In all, a bold but handsome face.

Maybe it was his concerned expression, so at odds with his rage during the fight. He hadn’t turned that rage on her. Instead, he’d saved her. The stranger looked away, checking the road, before turning back to meet her eyes again.

Without speaking, he handed Hannah a fast food cup from the holder beside him. Hannah took it automatically, surprised by the icy cold. Hesitant, she took a tiny sip. Sugar and vanilla overwhelmed her taste buds, drawing forth a painful rush of saliva. A milkshake. She’d forgotten how much she loved milkshakes. Just then, it might have been the best thing Hannah had ever tasted. She drank the half-melted shake eagerly, fighting back tears of gratitude.

“You okay?” he asked in a low voice.

“I don’t know. I think so,” Hannah said. She sat up halfway, reaching down to push the button that would bring her seat into an upright position. “Better than this morning.”

“What about your jaw? You couldn’t talk earlier.”

“Oh,” Hannah said in surprise. Carefully, she opened and shut her mouth. Pain, but she could move it. “Better.”

“You heal fast.”

“You have no idea,” Hannah said.

“Actually, I do.” He looked back to the road, then at Hannah again. “I’m Conner Munro,” he said.

“Hannah Green,” she said. Another long sip, and abruptly her stomach was full. She put the shake cup in the console between the seats. “Who are you? I mean, aside from your name. What happened at the house? Why did you take me with you?”

“That’s a lot of questions,” Conner said and fell silent for a few seconds. “I’m trying to think how to explain everything. Do you have any idea who you are? That you’re different?”

“What do you mean, different? I’m not anyone,” Hannah said.

“Shit,” Conner said under his breath. “Okay. This is going to be a long story. Any chance we can table this conversation for another hour? When we get where we’re going, we’ll sit down, have something to eat and I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”

“That depends,” Hannah said slowly. “Where are you taking me?”

“Somewhere safe and quiet where you can rest and heal,” Conner said. “Then I’m going to take you to people who will make sure no one ever hurts you again.”

“What happened back there? Why were you in the house? What happened to the rest of the men holding me?”

“My partner and I killed them. They’re all dead.” Conner glanced over to gauge her reaction. He looked surprised when she smiled and eased back against the headrest.

“Good,” she said. “I tried, but I wasn’t strong enough. I hurt two of them a few days ago, but that was mostly an accident. And another in the beginning, but I’m not even sure that was me. It wasn’t enough. There were always more.”

Hannah’s eyes drifted closed. While her head remained clear of the static, a wave of exhaustion pulled her down.

“Put your seat back down and take a nap,” Conner said. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“‘Kay,” Hannah said in a murmur. She wanted to ask more questions, but the fatigue weighed too heavily. It had been so long since she’d been safe. Why she should feel safe with a stranger who’d just admitted to killing several men was a mystery, but this man had saved her life. She remembered him carrying her through the burning house. His arms around her had been the first touch since her mother died that didn’t cause her pain. At the moment, that was enough to plant the seeds of trust. Maybe, when she got her feet under her again, her standards would go up. But for now she was willing to let Conner take charge.

With her free hand, Hannah reached down for the seat controls. She’d only been upright for a few minutes, but it was a relief to lie back again. Stuffed full of milkshake, sleep beckoned, drawing her under. The rumble of the big engine was soothing. As her mind blurred, she imagined she could feel Conner the same way she felt the men who’d held her captive. Except Conner wasn’t an angry buzz. He was a cocoon of strength, barricading her from the rest of the world. Keeping her warm and safe.

“Don’t want this to be a dream,” she murmured.

“It’s not. Just sleep.”

Hannah came back to herself as the vehicle eased to a stop. Through the fog of sleep a voice spoke her name. Blinking her eyes open, she looked into Conner’s eyes.

“You awake?” he asked. Halfway out of the car, he already had one foot on the gravel drive.

They were parked in front of a two-story log cabin surrounded by trees. “Where are we?” she asked, looking around.

The driveway was a narrow road that curved around the cabin, winding through the thick woods until it was out of sight.

“We’re here,” Conner said, as if that explained anything. “I have to run and get the keys from Junie. I’ll be right back. Will you be okay for a few minutes?”

Hannah had a sudden and deep aversion to the idea of Conner leaving her side. Irrational, but all the same Hannah wanted him to stay right where he was.

“I’m fine. Go ahead,” she said, her voice even.

Conner’s eyebrows lowered. “Don’t get out of the SUV. It’s dark and I don’t want you to slip on the gravel.”

“I won’t,” Hannah said. She had no desire to go wandering in a strange place.

Conner nodded and left, shutting the door behind him. Hannah relaxed into her seat, amazed that her head was still clear. Despite her aches and pains, she felt better than she had since before her mother had died. Amazing what being able to think clearly could do for one’s state of mind. In the silence, her stomach rumbled. The rest of the milkshake had melted, but it was still sweet and delicious. Hannah laughed to herself. It had been a long time since she’d had an appetite for food. A long time since she’d had an interest in anything more than simply surviving.

Conner shut the door behind him and walked toward the glow of Junie’s front porch light. He was relieved that Hannah had accepted his presence so easily. She might be slightly built, but she was a fighter. With a little rest and a good meal, she’d be back to full strength in a few days. Conner raised his hand to knock on the door as it swung open to admit him. Junie stood in the doorframe, a wide smile on her sprite’s face.

“Conner,” she said in happy surprise. “You must have made great time. I wasn’t expecting you until later.” Junie stepped back from the door and invited him in.

With a look over his shoulder to assure himself that Hannah was all right, Conner followed Junie inside.

“We left earlier than expected,” he said.

Junie’s cabin was a larger version of the others in her camp. It had the same open plan. The same golden pine interior. Junie herself was dwarfed by the soaring ceiling. Barely five feet tall, she had a tiny frame capped with a childlike face. In her youth she’d been mistaken for a child well into her adulthood. At seventy-six, she reminded Conner of a fairy godmother from one of the storybooks his mother had read him when he was small.

Junie led Conner deeper into the house, to a small desk in the corner of the great room. From the pile of papers in the center, she picked up a rental agreement and a set of keys.

“Kiernan paid you up for the week. Is he in the SUV?” Junie asked.

“No,” Conner said, suddenly uncomfortable. Neither of them had ever brought a woman to Junie’s. He wondered if he could skirt by this subject and escape to the SUV. Not likely. Was this what it was like to bring a girl home? Conner had no idea. By the time he’d been old enough to notice girls, his parents had been dead and he’d been living at the Academy.

“I have a friend with me,” he said.

“A woman?”

“Yeah. Just a friend,” Conner said. “She’s been having a bad time lately and she needs some peace and quiet.”

“It’s about time,” Junie said, grinning. She patted his arm and handed him the rental form and a pen. “You boys come up all the time and you never bring any women with you. I was starting to wonder.” Junie winked and took the signed form. Conner’s jaw dropped. “Not that there’s anything wrong with it, you understand,” she said. “I’m as open-minded as you young people are. But I’ve always thought it would be a real waste of two very handsome men if you were, you know, batting for the other team.”

“Junie!” was all Conner could force out. He hadn’t recovered from his shock. Junie had wondered if he and Kiernan were together? Did they look like a couple? Junie patted him again, this time on the cheek. She giggled, a light sound that fit perfectly in her tiny frame.

“Don’t have a conniption, honey. You’re as manly as they come. I only wondered because you never brought female company, that’s all. Close your mouth before you catch flies.”

“Junie,” Conner said again. He had no idea what to say to her. “It’s not like that with her. I’m just helping a friend.”

“A pretty friend?” Junie asked, giggling once more at his discomfort. She gave him another pat on the arm, steering him toward the front door. “I’m just teasing you, honey. Go on and take your friend to the cabin. If she needs rest, the cabin will do the trick. I stocked the fridge and you should have everything you need. There’s hot food in a crockpot, or you can put it in the fridge for later.”

“Thanks. You didn’t have to do that.”

“It was no bother. I know you boys are always hungry.”

“Any other cabins booked?”